If you love ceramics I think you will really enjoy this chapter. There is lots of information that is not usually given in contemporary clay classes which tend to begin in the 1950's/1960s. Pay attention to the timeline at the beginning of the chapter. You have the Armory Show juxtaposed with Norman Rockwell, and WWI has an unexpected impact on crafts.
Answer the three usual questions but I have a forth question for you to consider. Look at education and/or how we learn, where we learn. Who is allowed to learn and more importantly who is allowed into the history books. Really consider these issues. Allow yourself to recall anytime you found yourself at a crossroads, either as a student or a teacher. How would you create your learning environment if you could set aside all the current requirements. Try to transport yourself back to this time when in many ways everyone was making it up as they went along.
A reminder, if you are late with your post or want to post more do it on this post.
Response to Chapter 2
ReplyDeleteWhat surprised me, is how many communities were formed one right after another and had so much going for them, and would last a while, but then die out. It was sad to me to see this cycle repeated over and over again whether it was a pottery or an arts and crafts more comprehensive community. Just noticing the trancience of art, of ideas, communities, and people. I just wish some of these ideas or communities could have been more lasting through the decades of time.
I was impressed by the Drawing Act of Massachusetts, and the importance that it held for the times and for art education then and into the future. I have to say that after teaching art for so many years in Texas, the subject has always felt less important than sports and other extra curricular. By the very fact that it is an elective and not a core subject seems to diminish the importance of it today. It seems to me, that Massachusetts took it pretty seriously, even if it was a bit rigid in how it was taught.
What I takes away with me is the constant feeling of frustration of how to be an artist and economically survive in this economy today. I want to be true to my artistic self and I am more of a romanticist in This area than pragmatist My teaching does support my habit to some extent, but doesn't allow me the time and focus that I feel I need to really accomplish anything. It has been fascinating to see how artists handled business then and how it is handled now. I wish I liked business better. But it overwhelms me and takes some of my soul away! And yet I will probably end up like one of those old spinsters left on the property of Byrdcliffe still doing their craft if even in a diminished way publicly.
I did have an interesting and fun experience today. I went to Sherwin Williams to pick up some paint chips and the colors I am interested in were all named for historical arts and crafts people and movements. Roycroft pewter,Morris room grey, Ruskin room green, Buckram Binding, Dutch Tile blue, and Rookwood Blue green to name a few. I was drawn to these colors because of a color scheme that I have been working towards for over a year now. And I just got really tickled when I saw the names. Before taking this class, I wouldn't have had a clue about the connection to Arts and crafts in America.
I am in the midst of making a move to a new place before the end of March and getting over a horrible upper respiratory infection. So, I apologize for being last to post.
I am going to work on surface embroidery or crewel embroidery, and did pick up some supplies this weekend. I chose denim for the cloth.
If art were a core requirement, someone would design a mandatory test for it. And it would be designed by someone who did not make art.
DeleteEmbroidery is a great art form...check out how it is make a big comeback in the art/craft world
True about a test being made for art by someone not making art! If art were a core subject. I guess I should be thankful that it isn't a core subject!
DeleteI have an old encyclopedia of Stitchery book, and I have always loved embroidery. When I opened this old book, that is the familiar place that it fell open to. There is such a variety of stitches to be made! I will look at some comeback art. I haven't settled in my design yet. Just some ideas.
Like you, Diana, I was taken with the short life-spans of many of these arts and crafts communities. It seems like economics was the most frequent cause of these shorter life-spans, sometimes driven by changes in aesthetics. That popular aesthetics could doom these communities speaks to the power of mass art and its often negative impact on originality. It makes one wonder if the process could be reversed. For those who were willing to adopt machine- work, it seems this was possible.
Delete( Chapter 2 )What surprised me? In all honesty, I truly did not know how arts education began in America. The Massachusetts Drawing Act – it made me think how American has always been trying to keep up with Europe/Asia with Art and Technology. I actually liked Clarke’s thoughts on art education but wonder if there could be a marriage between art classes, studio craft, and the vocational wood shop class?
ReplyDeleteWhat impressed me? The manual training movement. My father has recently handed down to me his prized cutting board made the shop class back in his high school days. He talks about this class with fondness and is quite disappointed that education today no longer has trade classes. I am impressed how the foundation of these classes began mainly through Calvin Woodward and his ideals of vocational education. In my district, at the secondary level, we have academies. These academies are designed to jump start students into a career they already know they would like to pursue. They are beautifully created to prepare high school students for a particular field. My older daughter is in the biomedical science academy. We have culinary arts, cosmetology, STEM, etc. There is talk of an Arts academy. I feel it would be incredible to have such but thinking about my father’s comment, it would be beneficial to have a trade academy. I am discovering that working with wood seems to be a family trait. From my Uncle Emmitt’s vase containers made from the wood of the pecan tree to my father’s cutting board- even my son has a talent toward it. Possibly, I might think about incorporating wood into my book project.
What will I take with me? I am still in shock from this new perspective of the industrial revolution. Each chapter reveals more of the story and it sticks to me throughout the week. I find myself discussing it with my family at dinner. I agree with T.J. Jackson Lears in that we are “overcivilized”. We still are to this day and like the educated bourgeoisie of the early 20th century, there are many who are seeking “real” experiences of the 21st century.
Some middle schools offer wood shop and in Lubbock we even have an auto shop and a home building program. I think it is mainly a matter of titles and descriptions that do not seem to apply to todays world
DeleteI watched Colorado schools dismantle all hands-on trades classes each year that my son would have been eligible for them. He was so eager to use his hands to solve problems. The school districts sold off the tools and equipment and replaced everything with computer labs. I was lucky to find my son apprenticeships that gave him the hands-on experiences he craved. Now, he sits down with designers who have poor understandings of material processes, and explains to them how they can cut manufacturing costs by up to half with adjustments to their designs. It seems like the arts and crafts studios were more amenable to this kind of input, perhaps because in order to survive economically, they had to?
Delete(Chapter 2-Response) Several years ago I attended a grand opening for a major corporation. As the entertainment, an artist came and splashed paint and spun the canvas around while he worked. We, as the audience, were kept in suspense while he worked- part of the excitement to see what the end result would be. The artist required a large sum for his paintings and many gladly signed up to have one his action paintings. I wondered if this caused people to think art can be created within an hours time. Jackson Pollack’s paintings took time even though they didn’t look like they did. The skill and talent needed and required to create authentic craft – how do you put a price on such? It is possible the public wants quick ready made art much like the products from the assembly line? Does this type of art making take away from the time and skill it takes to create a beautiful craft? Some quilts take years to make. Woodworking takes time. It just had me thinking.
ReplyDelete(Chapter 2- Response) I find it discouraging how administration wants art to look like a gen ed classroom. I am happy to see reflection in the 21st century curriculums but feel it to be contradictory to how little time is actually set aside to reflect- to allow the mind to grow. This is why The Art of Stillness book really struck a chord with me and my own reflection about art education. I am a firm believer that everything moves too fast. While reading Makers, I am learning more about how this American way came to be and appreciate those who tried to preserve a better society. I feel there is something to be said about this theory,
ReplyDelete“In this period, manufactured goods were often poor in design and quality.Ruskin, Morris, and others proposed that it would be better for all if individual craftsmanship could be revived-- the worker could then produce beautiful objects that exhibited the result of fine craftsmanship, as opposed to the shoddy products of mass production. Thus the goal was to create design that was... " for the people and by the people, and a source of pleasure to the maker and the user." Workers could produce beautiful objects that would enhance the lives of ordinary people, and at the same time provide decent employment for the craftsman. Charlotte Jirousek, 1995
I am more insightful now to the passion of the early founders of the Arts and Crafts movement and their hard work in maintaining a standard.I recently participated in a two day training with two very energizing, very smart educator/trainers. While they delivered a well planned engaging workshop stressing the importance of reflection very little time was given to write down and reflect on the processes just learned. My elementary students are encouraged to stay on task.. a fast moving task and I am seeing this continue in the art room with their projects. They rush through not always feeling the materials nor thinking about the process. Art takes time. Craft takes time. Ruskin would be saddened to see how even faster and more industrialized the world is.
Great comments. One of my frustrations with middle school students is the tendency to just rush through projects to say "I'm finished". They are bored easily and just want to be in their phones. It seems to be only the students that have an interest in the subject that tend to take their time and appreciate the process.
DeleteEven in college we are lead to believe that exquisite work can completed within a semester yet we study works of art that took years. When we confuse data with growth we are all in trouble.
DeleteDebbie, keep looking for other opportunities to find silence and be at peace with time.
Middle school is the only grade level I cannot teach. Actually, I have taught middle school, but there needs to be a bigger emphasis on connecting students to the physical world. Crafts and art may be the best way to accomplish this. I just wasn't cut out for Middle School Philosophy in the absence of any effort to understand cliques and what became an epidemic of bullying. It was all avoidable, but there were what I called "school-sanctioned cliques" versus the "misunderstood cliques" that teachers thought were weird. They weren't prepared for the Columbine massacre, but I expected something like it would eventually happen but on a less dramatic scale.
DeleteI was very surprised to learn that Washington University in St. Louis began as an Art school. I just found that very interesting! I was also surprised and saddened that Stickley's career left him penniless, bankrupt and dependent on his daughters. It also struck me as very odd that no one took up the generous offer that Stickley made with his Craftsman Farms idea for young boys. Maybe he was ahead of his time in this venture.
ReplyDeleteI was very impressed with the story of the Overbeck Pottery Sisters. I was drawn to their story as well as their colors and designs. These are the kind of pots that I can relate to, not being a ceramicist. I like their color combinations and graceful lines.this just feels more authentically American to me, and not something that is trying to show off and compete with the rest of the world. But it is good solid design and done in a smaller and more homey surrounding rather than the huge industrial places of manufacturing of pots. Their story makes me want to do pottery again. On a small scale in my backyard.
I will also take away with me the idea of "needle painting" done by Marguerite Zorach. I would love to see the "body" of her work. Sad that it isn't shown much due to light sensitivity. What a wonderful concept though.
If I could set up my own way of teaching, it would be with smaller groups than the large classroom sized that I have now. It would be wonderful to just work through projects and processes without having to be so consumed with numerical grades and all of the paperwork that we face today. It would be helpful to allow students more reflection time and more time with exploring with materials.
I think it is sad that so many designers and really talented people working in some of these crafts gave their life work to the creation of art without their name even being recorded or documented. The many workers that contributed to this whole movement that will not be given a nod by historians. It seems that the demand of the times required if then their life energy and creative resources, and yet the passage of time just sweeps over them like wind over a sandy beach. The many grains of sand that it took to form this movement in the sense of people working and designing and producing. But only a few names are even remembered and some just warrant a paragraph. And yet we are still driven and passionate about creating. It would be nice to be remembered, but I guess personally the most important thing is in the act of creating and the enrichment that brings to living and breathing in a very tough and difficult world.
So, do we make art so that our name is know or do we make art because we have something to say.
DeleteI think my motivation to create and make art is for sure not only because I have something to say, but as a therapy for myself. It is a way to process my life and live in a healthier way. But there is something I think to sharing that art. And it is a nice feeling when others appreciate what we say. I do believe in being a part of an arts community, because I think other artists can encourage us and challenge us along the way. I don't know why some of these people "not being remembered" bothered me. There were designers whose names were not documented, and I'm sure many women whose work wasn't documented. I guess I just think credit should be given where credit is due. But that isn't always the way things go down.
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ReplyDeleteI have read about the devastating effects of WWI before, specifically its consequences on European artists, such as Dix and Kollwitz, but have never taken into consideration how it might have affected the craft world. Learning of how both skilled craft workers and raw materials were funneled into the war machine was a somber read. I was surprised just how many craft ventures seemed unable to survive the war time upheaval. The case of Gustav Stickley was especially notable to me (around P.94). He seemed to be truly adventurous and have so much going for him. I liked the idea of a “shopping mall for all thing Arts and Crafts.”
I was impressed with how the American craft scene integrated the ideas proposed by the Armory show and the broader ideas of artistic modernism. I liked how Shaw and Hale seemed to want to incorporate new ideas, while remaining firmly tied to the fact that their items were traditionally crafted. I think the metal working/ jewelry section made the biggest impression on me. I am definitely less knowledgeable of those subjects. It was curious to see how individual craft artists were working to be avant-garde (Payne Bowles “surrealistic” tendencies was really interesting) and economically relevant. Pitting this against how the guilds and associations sometimes end up hurting the creative progress was fascinating. The SACB's control over the Boston market (p96) was especially troublesome. The sections mention's how “jewelers had to conform to...” the design aesthetic that was deemed acceptable.
At the end of the reading, the section on occupational therapy left me with a great feeling. I like the idea of using craft to enrich the lives of people, especially those who have never really explored art. It was interesting how the military wanted people who had an arts and crafts background for their therapists. Before reading this, I would have never really though of a therapist (excluding Art Therapists) as being part of the craft world or even utilizing creativity, but it does make sense. I remember that Art Therapy happened to gain a bit of notoriety when I was in undergraduate school. I dismissed it back then, but now the idea really sounds intriguing. Unfortunately, I think this probably leads back to the idea of conformity and centralized control of craft. Today, I would imaging that any official therapy program would be so hounded by legal regulation that it could suck the life out of the endeavor. I suppose the matter would hinge on mindset and dedication, but the straddling of two world can be daunting. This thought brings me to the new question of how I would structure my learning environment if I could put aside current requirements. Hmm...
I really considered going into Art therapy at one time and looked at grad school programs. I'm interested in psychology, but not to the degree that the occupation requires. It is also not a field that is highly successful in Texas yet. It does better in the east and west coast and in highly populated areas. I didn't see it as a viable career for me at my midpoint of life. But I think it is fascinating and I very much enjoyed reading the section on Occupational therapy. I do however recognize the personal therapy that creating art provides me. It adds depth and enriches my life to a great degree. The frustrating thing to me about teaching in the public schools though, is it is such a time demanding profession that I don't feel that I get to create near enough for myself.
DeleteI, too, was impressed with the value of arts and crafts in Occupational Therapy. I'm sure it is true for multitude of reasons. It seems like inclusion of these sensibilities could be incorporated into existing curriculum. I used to have students cut "unsuccessful" drawings into strips and weave them back together. Sometimes I would have them reassemble the strips in order by weaving threads and yarns across the strips.
DeleteI checked out Art therapy a little while back and it still sounded interesting to me, but with my family and economic situation, I could not justify paying for the training and gambling for a payoff at that point in my life. The beginning salary, for Texas was below what I was making as an experienced art teacher. I feel that's one of the unfortunate aspects of our social setup. Changing career gears is very difficult and expensive. If there are people depending on you, making such a change can be costly in many ways.
DeleteArt Therapy requires 100's hours in labs and in real life situations under supervision for a professional certification. Yet many places simply want art taught to individual either outside of the main stream (homeless, institutionalized ) or for informal groups. It is a matter of your desire and the knowledge that without a certification you pay will be more of a baby sitter's.
DeleteBasic outline of my dream arts class: My class would not stop for summer. I would do trimesters, or perhaps even better, have a four portioned year. I have seen so much waste (time, resource, energy) associated with setting up and breaking down the school year. Education too often seems to be viewed as something that has to be survived, either through hard work, resistance, or passivity: assignments, 6 weeks, semesters -summer break! School is over, now back to life. I know that this was my learning philosophy growing up. I was never really told otherwise and everything we do seems to support that mindset.
ReplyDeleteMy classroom would be flexible. Studio time would not be based on homeroom, or age and their creative focus would not be contingent upon anyone else in the studio space. There would be tables, easels, drawing benches and a research space. Students would bring their preferred supplies and technology with them. Art would not be an elective or a core subject. Their would not be a grade system, all feedback would be formative and students would track their progress towards their personal goals. The art space would be a center for creative development, therapy and training. I would not be the only art teacher within the school, or, preferably, within each studio space. Students would be able to visit each art teacher, either as they preferred, or on a rotational basis.
There would be specific training programs geared to teach foundation skills and processes. These programs would not be part of the general studio time and would be brief, reoccurring and by registration. Students would have the ability to seek out what they prefer and focus on it as appropriate to their specific goals.
So where am I as the art instructor? Working with students on a daily basis to help them establish, track and reach their artistic goals, regarding materials, tools, techniques and creative and conceptual applications. Art would not start and stop as regimented classes throughout the day. Students would be coming and going per their schedule, or druthers. Student work would have the opportunity to be routinely exhibited in a gallery style setting with openings and artists talks; however, the studio would function predominately as a developmental system and not a production program. Everyone would have the opportunity to attend studio time, but it would not be mandatory and some students would probably choose to visit and develop more than others.
I like it! Is there time for your own art?
DeleteI think that could work, but probably on an extended, little by little project. I expect most of my personal work would still have to be after hours. That's okay though, I know that my biggest artistic endeavor is the positive influence I can have on the creative lives of my students. It's a little like the idea that parents want their children to have greater success and achievements than they even did. I get a great satisfaction, as I'm sure most educators do, when my students shine, especially seeing them feel proud of their own accomplishments... S.O.S... sorry so sappy.
DeleteDavid: Chapter 3
ReplyDeleteOur text is so beautifully illustrated, that I refuse to mark it up. I only wish that the processes were explained in more detail. But the text would then be encyclopedic.
The dichotomy between stylistic revivals and modernism was later complicated when Modernism later was revived! It seems like most styles are remixes, but it was fascinating to read about the period during WW1. During all that upheaval, it makes sense that a retreat to styles from less turbulent times would be evident. Conflating Colonial revival with “white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant” nationalism makes little sense to me, but in the wake of modernism and world disorder, I suppose people needed something to ground themselves in. We do it still.
The contrasting ideas that design, and therefore craft, was a modern invention (p. 95) versus it being a continuum of history, seems to have gotten tangled in the times, too. Modernist purists would not consider employing older styles, while less concerned designers were willing to incorporate design details throughout history. Here, we see the philosophical debate about contemporary and traditional forms being waged, with the Europeans tending to fall into the former camp more than Americans. It’s unsettling when an aesthetic must live up to a doctrine or manifesto, for these tend to limit free expression of the creative mind. There is a certain hubris to seeing what you make as part of a unified whole towards progress, and watching designers fall out of favor must have been a shock to their egos.
Interesting that West Coast jewelry of the time did not adhere to a single style and was more able to adapt, at least until supply chains were interrupted by the war. Having grown up there, I wonder if the Asian influences counteracted the Colonial revival. But expositions were looking for more rigid adherence to specific styles. Josephine Hartwell Shaw began to remix her work with incorporated elements made in Asia, perhaps adopting the ideas of appropriation that modern artists were employing in Europe ? But there was no lack of labor in her pieces, though the Colonial revival style reduced labor by employing simpler ornamentation.
Of great interest to me was the work of coppersmith Dirk van Erp and blacksmith Frank Koralewski. With a metalworker in my immediate family, both artists work really spoke to me. What Koralewski (p. 100) was able to accomplish by forging iron seemed incomprehensibly detailed and clever. Not only was he chiseling solid iron like someone would shape leather-hard clay, but his desire to outdo other blacksmiths was clearly evident in his Snow White door. His amazing technique was a hard act to follow, and I always have a soft spot for artisans who try to prove critics wrong (architectural critics, in this case).
Finally, and we have seen this previously, the idea of craft being a rehabilitation tool for those with mental and physical illnesses, certainly increased during the Great War. I was impressed that General John Pershing would request several hundred craftswomen to help mend soldiers suffering from the effects of the war. It is evidence of the human need to reshape matter for aesthetic purposes and for general health. No other animals do this except in mating rituals or nest/warren building. I have always believed that humans all suffer from ACD - “Aesthetic Compulsive Disorder.”
I have long held that we do not allow ourselves time to just be...time to dream, then make, then dream again.
DeleteI am responding to posts from last week for Chapter 2 and also discussing my project and some other things that surprised me:
ReplyDeleteKaty Cook: Regarding your post about the arts being cut in your state: In my district in South Texas, they had no art elementary teachers, reason being that all elementary teachers’ certification already included art. Only a couple of years ago did they begin to offer music. Some districts do have elementary teachers, but some don’t likely for the reason I mentioned above.
James Brown, Regarding discussion on student engagement: on evaluating instructor on student engagement, the teacher evaluation system in my opinion does not provide an accurate picture of the teaching and learning that goes on in the classroom as far as art education goes. First I think the evaluation should be on the program at the school and district level in place to begin with. What kind of program is being run, and what kinds of resources is the art program being provided should be addressed. Then, what kind of trainings, or curriculum needs does the teacher need for the program. If the classroom is a dumping ground, and the teacher is making the most of what resources is given, that will directly impact the teaching and learning that is going to go on in that classroom. When an administrator walks through the room to evaluate, they are pretty much working off a list, which mostly doesn’t even apply to the arts. A very standard, formality that is extremely stressful for the teacher. I never learned anything from any evaluation nor did it positively impact the teaching and learning that went on in my classroom. Ten years teaching public school. I am saying there should be an evaluation should be in place, but it should encompass more than the teacher, and be a two way street.
David Mesple: You mentioned neurasthenia: I would like to add that if they felt overwhelmed with the access and speed of knowledge available in the world at that time, imagine what this digital age would do to these people that “suffered from the then fashionable condition of neurasthenia” (54). Lol
What surprised me, but not really surprised me was the mentioned of the process that came to be known as “Americanization” (39). I always drawing to critical race theory so, I will always get hooked into those aspects of the readings. This is quite significant because it is in this era where the “national identity” is being formulated. Whereas in this section they talk about settlements helping immigrants adapt to their new homeland, in the meantime, Mexico was in turmoil under the regime of Porfirio Diaz and the U.S. Mexico Border Wars were to break out. Mexican immigrants, and later Mexican Americans were to be thrust into “Americanization”, which has a whole other meaning. This literally meant stripping one of one’s culture and language.
For my project, I am thinking of making soaps with healing properties. I will be using traditional medicines from my Mexican American culture that I have been researching and practicing, known as Curanderismo. This is an act of decolonizing, by refusing to buy modern products loaded with chemicals , some toxic, and creating old fashioned soap. I have actually been doing this for several years now. But I am now going to infuse healing properties.
I believe art history has been bias from the beginning. Between egos of the researchers and the dominance of the white male culture there has been little room for a full view. And I know a "full view " is asking for the impossible, yet I believe we can try harder to be open. This is one of the reasons I love this book, although not perfect there is an attempt to open history through the dismissed crafts movements.
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