If you haven't gotten a chance to check out the PBS' youtube series Off Book, I highly recommend it. It takes a quick glimpse at a variety topics dealing with contemporary issues in art, trends and culture by means of seven-minute fast-paced videos. I have found numerous videos to be inspired by, learn from and show my art students. With a new video being posted every other Thursday, there is a lot to take in.
To stay on topic to this blog, I've pulled out a video that gives a brief history of etsy and showcases some of it artists.
If for nothing else, two of the artists I was sure to run to etsy and favorite right after watching.
Showing posts with label crafts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crafts. Show all posts
Monday, January 28, 2013
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
High Art vs. Low Art: Are we winning or losing?
So why is everyone creating things with their hands now-a-days? It appears to be all the rage. In a mere five years this June sites such as Etsy have taken off like wild fire! Handcrafted typography and hand-drawn illustration are becoming common place. And many are choosing to knit their own sweaters rather than purchase machine made. But why? This topic was a recent discussion between my mother-in-law and I. Neither of us seemed to come to any strong conclusions, however, I do have a couple theories.
From a personal standpoint I loathe technology, seriously! It took me months before I gave into even creating a blog. I'm not good at texting, I know next-to-nothing about twitter and I'm horrible at facebook. But give me a paint brush or a sewing machine and I'll Martha Stewart the heck out of it— or at least try. But how do you take something such as "craft," which by some would be considered low art and recontextualize it to make it acceptable to the aristocrats of the art world?
Well I might just have your answer.....By Hand: The Use of Craft in Contemporary Art. Feeling bad that I had spent seven years in college to become a "fine artist" and currently I'm spending more time using felt and fabric rather than oil paint and canvas, a fellow M.F.A. graduate introduced me this book. While trying to avoid being too melodramatic this book has seriously been my recent art savor. I felt like what had been creating would have been mocked by my professors in college, but after reading this book I feel as though I can make a valid hybrid of all the things I love—although I'm still working on the hybrid/conceptual part.
I remember the first time I read it, saying to myself "Yes! That's exactly what I was thinking." The book emphasizes on personal experience, which for myself was the reason I was doing what I was doing. The act of doing it was far more satisfying than the final outcome. I gathered joy from each stitch; the materials I use remind me of my mother, the process is rather slow and methodical and the final outcome doesn't have to be anything more than what it truly is. The book looks at thirty-two contemporary artists and designers who are doing the same thing in an attempt to "get closer to their own lives and to the lives of others" by means of using their hands.
The "why" for each of these artists slightly varies, but every action has a reaction. 1990s was a time of "more is more" with computers, video cameras, and Adobe programs being more readily accessible. The time it took to "make" something was cut in half; not to mention the tools they were using made the craft of the final outcome almost flawless with little-to-no effort. Yet, in the end this all leads to mass production. What fun is it to be an artist if you can't get your hands dirty or you're being stripped of your "individuality"? So artists began to rebel.
Kiki Smith might of put it best when she said, "We are all the same yet everyone is different." So the question may not be "why" is creating something with your hands become so popular...but when will we all be doing it and run into the same problem of no longer being a unique snowflakes?
From a personal standpoint I loathe technology, seriously! It took me months before I gave into even creating a blog. I'm not good at texting, I know next-to-nothing about twitter and I'm horrible at facebook. But give me a paint brush or a sewing machine and I'll Martha Stewart the heck out of it— or at least try. But how do you take something such as "craft," which by some would be considered low art and recontextualize it to make it acceptable to the aristocrats of the art world?
Well I might just have your answer.....By Hand: The Use of Craft in Contemporary Art. Feeling bad that I had spent seven years in college to become a "fine artist" and currently I'm spending more time using felt and fabric rather than oil paint and canvas, a fellow M.F.A. graduate introduced me this book. While trying to avoid being too melodramatic this book has seriously been my recent art savor. I felt like what had been creating would have been mocked by my professors in college, but after reading this book I feel as though I can make a valid hybrid of all the things I love—although I'm still working on the hybrid/conceptual part.
I remember the first time I read it, saying to myself "Yes! That's exactly what I was thinking." The book emphasizes on personal experience, which for myself was the reason I was doing what I was doing. The act of doing it was far more satisfying than the final outcome. I gathered joy from each stitch; the materials I use remind me of my mother, the process is rather slow and methodical and the final outcome doesn't have to be anything more than what it truly is. The book looks at thirty-two contemporary artists and designers who are doing the same thing in an attempt to "get closer to their own lives and to the lives of others" by means of using their hands.The "why" for each of these artists slightly varies, but every action has a reaction. 1990s was a time of "more is more" with computers, video cameras, and Adobe programs being more readily accessible. The time it took to "make" something was cut in half; not to mention the tools they were using made the craft of the final outcome almost flawless with little-to-no effort. Yet, in the end this all leads to mass production. What fun is it to be an artist if you can't get your hands dirty or you're being stripped of your "individuality"? So artists began to rebel.
Kiki Smith might of put it best when she said, "We are all the same yet everyone is different." So the question may not be "why" is creating something with your hands become so popular...but when will we all be doing it and run into the same problem of no longer being a unique snowflakes?
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Crafty Supermarket!
This past week
end was the Crafty Supermarket at the Clifton Cultural Arts Center. When I first found out about it—a mere hour before they opened the doors—I jumped for joy and called every girlfriend I thought would be interested. It was going to be like esty in real life! After a very small nudge to my soon-to-be mother-in-law and a reminder from my soon-to-be husband not to spend too much money we were on our way.
end was the Crafty Supermarket at the Clifton Cultural Arts Center. When I first found out about it—a mere hour before they opened the doors—I jumped for joy and called every girlfriend I thought would be interested. It was going to be like esty in real life! After a very small nudge to my soon-to-be mother-in-law and a reminder from my soon-to-be husband not to spend too much money we were on our way. I didn't know what to truly expect. I had been to "craft" shows long ago with my mother who loved to do tole painting, but this was going to be different. This was going to be my kind of crafts. The first vendor we stopped by made handmade books from recycled materials. It was love after the first page turned...until I flipped the book over and saw the price tag "Gasp, 30 bucks!" far more than my ten-dollar budget would allow. Don't get me wrong I fully understand why the 8.5x11" book was priced as such, anything made with such love and care doesn't come cheap. But I thought to myself I could surely make something like this on my own.
Here comes the problem, having an art background I found myself looking at each object I touched saying, "I could do that and possibly for much cheaper." Then I began to notice a pattern, a lot of booths had pretty much the exact same thing as the booth two doors down. The options were: handmade soap, handmade books, or stuffed owls—when stuffed owls became so popular I don't know. But take what I say with a grain of salt, I am filled with 110% bias. I'm like an insider who knows the secrets of the trade and with that I can say that I understand why the price tags for things were as such. If it were I making some of those things I'd be charging the exact same if not more.
On an exciting note one booth did stop me in my tracks and cause me to go back and take a second peek. Lori Brown of The Morninglori Vine handcrafted the most amazing "curiosities" I've ever seen! These little creators were clever, well crafted and filled with personality. I wanted all of them! But alas, as they say "that and a buck will get you a cup of coffee" ten bucks just doesn't go as far these days!
While I didn't leave the Craft Supermarket with any bags-in-tow, I did see some clever ideas and felt rather inspired to actually begin my own etsy account. We'll see how it goes until then I might just save my pennies to actually buy my very own "curiosity."
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