"Crafter"?!?#@$*&(*#&%!

[Marty]

Why does this bother me so much? I just got an email from someone (undoubtedly a nice person who has never pulled whiskers off a cat)
who is looking for some crafters to fill a show in December.
"Crafters", I shouted! "There are no "Crafters" here!"

Actually, I replied "thanks, but I'm booked for that weekend".

A question for the Fuzen Glassers: how do we bury that term?

[Amy Schleif-Mohr]

Is it in the dictionary?

I don't think it's even a word!

It annoys me too Marty.

They could easiely say people who make fine craft, somehow that doesn't seem so demeaning (sp?) as crafter.

Amy

[Dani]

I like the word "artcraft".... a new word. It's so much more descriptive for what we do.... there's even a gallery called Artcraft Collection. Can we be artcrafters? Do differentiate ourselves from HobbyLobbers?

[Jerry Barnett]

I love the word crafters when used with a show. It allows me to be sure that I don't want to do that show.

[Brian and Jenny Blanthorn]

Why does this bother me so much? I just got an email from someone (undoubtedly a nice person who has never pulled whiskers off a cat)
who is looking for some crafters to fill a show in December.
"Crafters", I shouted! "There are no "Crafters" here!"

Actually, I replied "thanks, but I'm booked for that weekend".

A question for the Fuzen Glassers: how do we bury that term?

What about

Room Stealer

Does that bother U ?

[Marty]

No- I take pride in that. (Survival of the firstest and all)

[Bert Weiss]

Why does this bother me so much? I just got an email from someone (undoubtedly a nice person who has never pulled whiskers off a cat)
who is looking for some crafters to fill a show in December.
"Crafters", I shouted! "There are no "Crafters" here!"

Actually, I replied "thanks, but I'm booked for that weekend".

A question for the Fuzen Glassers: how do we bury that term?

Marty

Get to work on your bent over female garden sculptures. You said that you had to kick your ass to bump up your work. Just think of the complex pattern bars you could use to dreate her dress.

[Cynthia]

Go to Carol Cohen's site and read her description of her work. In one section she states that since she began to work in glass her work chaned from art to craft because of her choice of medium. Paraphrased and perhaps I have it wrong.... http://www.carolcohen.com ...can you call that work craft? I'd call it art wether it's plexi, acrylic or glass.

The difference between art and craft is medium? , The difference between high craft and low craft are that one is artistic and the other humble? One is individual and one is steeped in tradition? One it tacky and one is sophistocated and tasteful??? How do we define and create distinctions? This is one I've given up on because I don't have an answer and the whole art / craft conflict makes me tired.

Craft, fine craft, decorative arts, art? What is it we do???

[Bob]

Hey Marty,

The question that really bugs me is.... "Can I put that bowl in the dishwasher?"

Cheers,

Bob

[Catharine Newell]

[The difference between art and craft is medium? , The difference between high craft and low craft are that one is artistic and the other humble? One is individual and one is steeped in tradition? One it tacky and one is sophistocated and tasteful??? How do we define and create distinctions? This is one I've given up on because I don't have an answer and the whole art / craft conflict makes me tired.

Craft, fine craft, decorative arts, art? What is it we do???[/quote]


I firmly believe that the difference between art and craft is the APPROACH to a medium. I realize that this still leaves the topic wide open for interpretation....

Catharine

[Amy on Salt Spring]

Hey Marty,

The question that really bugs me is.... "Can I put that bowl in the dishwasher?"

Cheers,

Bob

Bob when I was making smaller pieces like you saw when you came to my studio (are you coming back to SS anytime?), I had lots of that question. At one point I had a piece that was in a bowl shape but was, I guess you would call it lacy, with lots of holes. Got lots of nice comments on it but one person came to the studio and said to me completely seriously, "how could you use this, you couldn't put dip in it or anything". I had someone else look at it and say--"so if it has holes in it, its like...art?"
Amy

[Rob Morey]

Catharine wrote

I firmly believe that the difference between art and craft is the APPROACH to a medium. I realize that this still leaves the topic wide open for interpretation....

Absolutely.
Marty, you're one of the best craftsman that I have seen. Is what you do a craft? If you mean cutting out Winnie the Poo pictures and gluing them on to a piece of wood a craft, then not at all, If you are talking about the work of Peter Soldner then I would say yes, and you should be proud.
Medium does not make it art or craft. You can make art out of anything, just ask the guy who pooped in a can. Or how about this one..

http://www.artnet.com/magazine/reviews/ ... 1-9-01.asp

or this one

http://www.mixedgreens.com/mixedgreens/ ... rtistId=32

Is this what we are striving for? Maybe some of us are. We need to strive to be the best at our craft and let the rest of the world decide if it is art. If I'm asked, I say I'm an artist, then let them prove me wrong, even though I secretly feel that my current work is more crafts than art the direction is more art than craft.

Rob

[Bert Weiss]

[The difference between art and craft is medium? ,

I'll take mine medium rare.

I'm arfraid that the difference between objects made by crafters and objects made by glass artists is first price point. crafters make objects where most of the zeros come after the decimal point and artists place the zeroes before the decimal point.

When looking at an object, I can instantly tell if it is made be a crafter or an artist. I can't even begin to describe the factors that my mind would go througn making that judgement.

On the other hand one of the most financially successful artists I know, Stephen Huneck, a wood carver, makes "folk art" and puts the zeros in front of the decimal. People love to spend big bucks on his work because it makes tham happy to look at.

[rodney]

good craft pays the rent

good art can collect dust till it turns to dust

rodney

[Marty]

Lordy! The last thing I wanted was to get into the CRAFT/ART thing again!!

I just took offense at the term "crafter", y'know, like "K-Mart shopper".

Anyway, if it sells for more than $300, it's art.

[Strega]

I thought crafters were that company that makes glasses in "about an hour..."

[Barbara Cashman]

Marty, you are not a "crafter". You know you have progressed well beyond that level. However, you are "expert" at your "craft", so there is definition here. Regardless, as summoned to perform at a "craft show" as a "crafter" definitely means the promoters have a crafter agenda based on the clientele they are promting to, and have nothing to do with the higher artistic goal that you value as an artist. So, please excuse the probable innocent ignorance of the requester. Obviously, they have some maturing to do. It's nothing to be offended about. The verbage only defines the requirements of the offering party. Of course, you're "not interested, but thank you...dadada..." - Barbara

[Geri Comstock]

Marty - I also hate the term "crafter". Another that comes to mind is "vendor". I'm not a vendor because I don't sell hotdogs at the ball park. I don't do shows that are looking for vendors or crafters.

I feel your C-word pain. LOL.

I'm not really here. I'm in LALAland at a show, but convinced my sister to let me use her computer for a few minutes so I could see what's going on.

By the way, Eve and Dan K-L say hi. They're doing this show, too.

Geri

[Bob]

[Bob when I was making smaller pieces like you saw when you came to my studio (are you coming back to SS anytime?), I had lots of that question. At one point I had a piece that was in a bowl shape but was, I guess you would call it lacy, with lots of holes. Got lots of nice comments on it but one person came to the studio and said to me completely seriously, "how could you use this, you couldn't put dip in it or anything". I had someone else look at it and say--"so if it has holes in it, its like...art?"
Amy[/quote]

Hi Amy,

Recently I have been making bowls ("vessels") that have rounded bottoms, are nested together, and have tack fused design elements to make the pieces non-functional. Someone in a recent class suggested I call them my "dish-functional" series.

Cheers,

Bob[/quote]

[Dani]

What a fantastic name for a show, Dish-functional Glass.... the rest is obvious. I love it!