Craft Vs Art

Glenn Adamson: Thinking through craft, Oxford: Berg, 2007, pp 69-101.




This article gives a very long rendition of the attributes of craft and skill. I think that craft and skill can not be separated into apposing degrees of worth; For without the knowledge of craft the skill involved in production can not be judged.

A very simplified look at a traditional crafts i.e. weaving of mats in Samoa can be argued that even though a craft becomes art when embellishments are added. They don’t necessarily need to be beautified but are because the artist behind it wishes it. Something that has a very basic nessacary function made into a work of art.

Move to the contemporary art practice of Mike Parekowhai’s newest large sculptural works for the Venice Biennale. They may not have his physical touch but they still need his knowledge of material and how to craft that material for it to become successful work. “The object has to look just as good from every angel for it to be taken seriously,” this is of course when we are laying under one of the exhibitions brass grand pianos, looking up into the beautifully crafted joints and corners.
Do any modern painters make their own canvases from scratch, stretches or paints?

If I look at conceptual artist Dane Mitchell’s famous rubbish work that landed him a fifteen thousand dollar prise for the Waikato National Contemporary Art Award. To say that there was no craft involved could also be argued as the objects within the happening/ slash rubbish pile on the ground still had to be made by someone somewhere with some degree of skill. Even a pile of rubbish needs someone else’s hand to become a “work of art.”Did Dane make the installation, paper or the plastic himself?
When people say that “my kids could have done that,” absolutely that may be true but the fact of the matter is your kids didn’t, an artist did. With thanks to the many unseen hands and modes of production that where involved to make that pile of rubbish on the floor an award winning assemblage.