A Brief History of Art v. Craft: Introduction

As requested, the next series will cover the differences between art and craft. Or arts and crafts. Or just what is craft? Aren't crafts those things you made at summer camp with yarn, Elmer's glue, and popsicle sticks? Yes, that's one definition of craft. But the craft I'll explore over the next few posts is the idea behind the contemporary artistic movement, what craftspeople do, who they are, and why I care. I consider myself a craftsperson, as in "one who makes crafts." The more common term would be "potter" but I am like those who work in wood, clay, fiber, metal, plastic, found objects, and other forms in that I work with my hands to create an object.

I plan to write my thesis (should all the stars align properly) on the beginnings of the contemporary craft era. In the post-World War II period in the United States, craft-making changed drastically for a variety of reasons. But this is only one part of the story. I will explore those reasons as we move forward, but I will go chronologically, starting with William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement in England in the late 19th century. Granted, handmade objects of beauty and fine workmanship were on the scene much earlier, but it was in this time that people began to seek to align such objects with fine art. The Industrial Revolution and mechanization changed attitudes and feelings toward object-making. There is much more to this, but I'll discuss that in my next post. But for now, I'm going to glue some popsicle sticks together.

Up next: William Morris and How Craft Can Save the World.

Image from here.

Top 4 Designers: Part 4

Ceramics:

I saved this one for the last post so I could savor the process of narrowing it down. As a potter (or ceramicist, if you will) I feel most intimately connected to designers and creators in this medium. And yet, I spent almost no time at all deciding on my favorite designer for ceramics. But before I reveal it (if you can't tell by the photo), I want to note the artists and designers that provide me with inspiration for my own work. While I posted "honorable mentions" with my other posts, I can't narrow it down to just one when it comes to ceramics. Knowing the process of working clay as intimately as I do, I'm always searching for designs that speak to me, awe me, and make me want to sit at the wheel and turn something out. The following designers and artists inspire me to do just that.

Russell Wright: Wright's greatest work is often cited as his American Modern Dinnerware. Designed in the 1950s with a decidedly Post-War aesthetic, the smooth lines and muted colors re-create the falsely glossy images we have of the era following World War II.

Eva Zeisel: Best known for her Town and Country dinnerware service, Zeisel's cuddly pieces evoke warmth and a sense of home. Not only is she a great designer, her life story is pretty amazing!

Viktor Schreckengost: I love the Jazz Bowl series. An industrial designer of all types, Schreckengost's Jazz Bowl captures the movement, line, tone, and color of jazz in ceramic.

David Pier: I actually just learned about Pier from last month's Ceramics Monthly where he discussed the development of his Ultimate Coffee Cup. A contemporary designer working to solve contemporary problems, I'm inspired by his work and what he seeks to do.

Now, onto my favorite designer in ceramics: Shoji Hamada.

A Japanese potter who moved to England to work with the renown Bernard Leach in the 1920s, Hamada's work combines the Japanese aesthetic and understanding of clay with Leach's studio approach to pottery. Leach is often considered the grandfather of the studio clay movement, but I believe it is Hamada's works with their simplicity of line, simple brushstrokes in glazing, and attention to detail that make him more of an influence in ceramic design today. The Japanese tradition of ceramics goes back much farther than any of us of European descent can imagine, and that tradition carries through Hamada's designs. Credited with bringing back the ideas of the folk potter to Japan, Hamada returned from his time in England with Leach in 1923 and opened the studio where he would spend the rest of his life working.

I don't know as much about Hamada as I would like. I was fortunate enough to handle one of his pieces when on a "behind the scenes" object-handling tour at the Freer Gallery last spring. My ceramics class was allowed into storage and each of us chose a piece we wanted to to handle as part of the lesson. Everyone walked around choosing what they thought would be interesting to see and touch, but I was instantly drawn to the case of 20th century works. When I pointed out my piece to the curator, he looked at me and said, "That's a Hamada, good choice" in a very surprised, yet approving tone. I wasn't sure how I knew it was a Hamada as it was unlabeled, but I knew I liked and and wanted the chance to touch it. I'm a tactile learner, after all. It was a deep iron-red glazed bowl with ink-black lines in a linear pattern. I was enamored. Those are the moments that make me want to stay in the museum world. Being close to a hero through the power of an object, being connected to the past, and looking forward to what as a potter I can create from that connection. Photo from here.

As an additional note: I've very much enjoyed these entries, so please feel free to suggest ideas for more series you'd like to see me write. Be it museums, more specific designers, or other things you'd like to know my thoughts on, I'm happy to write if I'm inspired!

Top 4 Designers: Part 3

Metal:

This Top 4 Designers task is starting to seem a bit daunting. I've had over a week to dwell on it, but somehow choosing a metal artist/craftsman/designer seems so difficult. I feel I know even less about metal than I do about furniture! I've been reading Objects: USA (1969) and Nordness, the curator, is playing in my mind in how I decide what makes people designers. I've tended toward the more Modern approach on the last two, but for this, I'm harkening back to an earlier era for my favorite designer in metal.

Rejected in the furniture category (yes, he designed furniture), Guimard's easily recognized Metro entrances and powerful Art Nouveau style never cease to leave me with my mouth hanging open in worshipful awe. Walking around Paris this past summer made me feel like I had an old friend as I would turn corners and see his plant-like forms rising from the pavement. His Castel Beranger building entrance gate undulates in a way that is sensual, evocative, and makes my skin tingle. Guimard designed the entire building as a gesamtkunstwerk with the desire to connect the interior of the building with the exterior world of Paris. Other designers of the period designed whole buildings in the "whiplash style" as well, but it was Guimard's adherence to the progressive ideals of his day that makes his memorable and unique. Younger than his design contemporaries, Guimard quickly embraced new technology--incorporating electricity into his designs--and pushing metal to new limits of design. Even though the Art Nouveau style ended soon after the turn of the century, Guimard's innovations still stand as a testament to his design genius.

The photo for this post comes from the Victoria and Albert museum. (Yet again, I know.) This gate can be found in their Ironwork Gallery, and as soon as I saw it I knew it was Guimard. I love identifying pieces without the label as it makes me feel like my education is not wasted.

Up next: My top ceramics designer.

Honorable mention: Stuart Golder because he emailed me back when I wrote a paper on his work.

Top 4 Designers: Part 2

Furniture:

I thought about this one for a long time. Known for once saying, "I hate furniture," I struggled to choose a designer I could easily call my favorite. While I appreciate furniture for it's functionality--I do love my bed--it's often hard for me to appreciate it from a design standpoint. I waffled between Le Corbusier, Charlotte Perriand, Emile Galle, Josef Hoffmann (can you tell I like the early 20th century?) and many others before deciding that Charles and Ray Eames win this one. (They're also featured on Frasier!)

They began designing and producing when decorative arts and industrial design collided and their resulting body of work is eye-catching, Modern, and elegant, yet homey. Unlike Chihuly, I didn't know the Eameses until last year's survey class, where I discovered the Lounge Chair, Wood, designed in the mid-1940s, and was immediately captured. The photo above is the LCW I found in the 20th Century Gallery at the Victoria and Albert Museum. The smooth wood, the rounded edges, and the stable four-legged form all speak volumes about design, comfort, and use of new materials. They were able to use modern machining techniques and materials like plywood in the Post-War era to create affordable and comfortable furniture.

I also love the lounge chair and ottoman for it's molded plywood, which they don't try to hide, and the leather upholstery that always makes me feel as though it belongs somewhere between an office and a rec room. Charles and Ray Eames also experimented with molded fiberglass, after working with their friend Eero Saarinen on his womb chair. Charles and Ray, however, were the first to leave the new material exposed and are credited with developing a modern, sleeker aesthetic for their furniture.

Their designs are now available through Herman Miller, should you too fall in love.

Honorable Mention: John Belter and his fabulous tete-a-tete.

Top 4 Designers: Part 1

In a recent discussion, I was asked to list my three favorite designers of decorative arts. I couldn't narrow it down quickly, so I begged off, promising to write a blog post with my answer. The reply grew quite lengthy so here's the answer in four parts, starting today with glass. These are my favorite designers, with a few honorable mentions, one from each of the four "major" decorative art groups: furniture, ceramics, glass, and metal. There may be a few quibbles on my grouping, and even my choice of designers, but each one holds a special place in my heart for various reasons.

Glass:

Hands down, without thinking, I can name Dale Chihuly. I loved Dale (we're on a first name basis) before I even knew who he was. In my freshman year of college I mentioned my love of the vase that sits next to Frasier's fireplace (after season 3 for those who are fans), and was chided with, "Of course you love it, it's a Chihuly." The woman who told me this may be patronizing, but she's right. Chihuly is a Seattle, WA-based artist, in addition to being world-renown, thus his inclusion in Frasier's exceedingly posh (and somewhat pretentious) apartment.

Additionally, I was warmly greeted by his beautiful sculptural chandelier upon walking in to the V&A in London (pictured above), clenching what I know will be a life-long affair with the museum. Chihuly's made a few appearances in my classes, but I usually end up spotting him in an entryway, gallery, or other unexpected places.Overcoming the loss of his eye, Chihuly, along with his studio, produces amazing works, delighting not just glass, but beauty lovers everywhere. His work is eye-catching, sculptural, playful, colorful, and displays a mastery of glass handling like no other glass work I know.

Honorable mention: Wilhelm Wagenfeld Kubus Stacking Storage Containers. IKEA-like storage in a pre-IKEA era.

Up next: Furniture

Spring Semester and Louis C. Tiffany

The semester officially started on Wednesday, and here's hoping that despite my lapse in updating over the holiday break, the need to procrastinate will be the impetus to get me blogging on a regular schedule again. One of the more exciting aspects of this semester is my internship with the Neustadt Collection. The director is a graduate of our program and I'm very excited to work with her. Plus, I get to take a trip to New York, and who doesn't love riding the Bolt Bus?

I am researching World's Fairs and Louis Comfort Tiffany's exhibits therein. Before I started graduate school I was aware of World's Fairs in a tangential way. I knew Queen Victoria started them, but that knowledge is based on my love of the Queen. I was aware of the St. Louis fair because of my enjoyment of musicals. And Kelly convinced me to read The Devil in the White City (which I highly recommend for a quick, thrilling, and historical read), giving me greater insight into the planning of the 1893 Columbian Exhibition. But, that takes me away from Louis Tiffany and his Favrile Glass. Most known for his windows and lamps, Tiffany experimented with glass and ceramics, taking advantage of his father's money and workshops to develop stained glass that is still revered to this day. Granted, you can be in the John LaFarge camp, but I've been a Tiffany girl since I was little. Biased, sure, but you can't deny the way the light catches the rich colors, the use of lead to separate the panes, and the warmth behind each design. I'm excited to see what I will learn and what this internship holds for opening up new research pathways and giving me the chance to break away from ceramics and explore my other great dec arts love: glass.

(But not to worry, Ceramic Sentiments will soon resume!)

Alaskan Outpost

(I wrote this about 4 days ago, but was unable to post for a variety of reasons. Enjoy!) For the second year in a row, I'm spending my Christmas in the great state of Alaska. Yes, it's snowy, and yes, it's cold, but it's also quite beautiful. Cold is only relative, as currently it's 30 degrees (F). The darkness feels like it is a bit much, but I realized the other day the sun sets only an hour or so before it does on the east coast. No, I can't see Russia. And no, I don't see Sarah Palin. These are the two main questions I'm asked when people learn I'm going. I stay with my sister, she lives just outside Anchorage (the most populated city in the state). We don't have to mush about with dog sleds, although I would love a husky to call my own. Anchorage isn't some sort of social backwater people imagine it to be. There are all the amenities you can find in any other place in the "lower 48." Sure, there are rural areas, but I grew up in the rural south and find that Anchorage has much more to offer. It's a beautiful state, and everyone should visit. But I do recommend the summer as it's a bit more mild and less adverse-weather prone.

My favorite parts about this trip: sledding down the driveway with fear of running into the road, making cranberry-popcorn garlands (pictured above) for the first time ever, making the best kugel of my life (without the apricot nectar), watching White Christmas with my sister, meeting my nephew for the first time, and catching up on season one of The Big Bang Theory. Oh, and wearing these astoundingly comfy and warm slippers from the bestest sister ever.

I've yet to get my usual sludge cup though. (Yeah, we never got around to that.)