Craftspeople, generally speaking, are highly skilled people who use a variety of media, such as glass, clay, wood, textiles and metal, to create decorative products that serve a practical function. Those things they produce, however, are not always strictly functional. More often than not, they are also outstanding artistic works to be appreciated in their daily use.
Prior to the Industrial Revolution, craftspeople in Europe created all of the utilitarianOf or pertaining to utility; consisting in utility; aiming at utility as distinguished from beauty, ornament, etc.; sometimes, reproachfully, evincing, or characterized by, a regard for utility of a lower kind, or marked by a sordid spirit; as, utilitarian narrowness; a utilitarian indifference to art. (The Online Plain Text English Dictionary) items needed for the home and family, church and state. Many artisans apprenticed with a master craftsperson, and a family business was often passed down from one generation to the next through this process of skills training and experience. Many highly rated artisans were members of guilds and produced luxury items or objects for religious ceremonies. They enjoyed a status in society similar to that of merchants: below aristocrats and above agricultural workers. With the advent of manufacturing, only a few cottage industries remained and many highly skilled artisans took jobs in factory production. Their guilds and positions were basically eliminated because functionalRefers to the intended use or purpose of an object. The term is often applied to manufactured products, particularly crafts, and when discussing designs for architecture. Though sometimes said to be non-functional, art is expected to function in various ways, including: to beautify, to adorn, to express, to illustrate, to mediate, to persuade, to record, to redefine reality, to redefine art, to provide therapy, to give unselfconscious experience, to provide paradigms of order and/or chaos, and to train perception of reality. Anything that is not functional is called nonfunctional. Often the decorative qualities of a thing are considered nonfunctional. (Artlex.com) goods could be produced for less (both for less money and in less time) in factories.
All over Europe distinctive, unique crafts had developed locally depending on the availability of materials, and on the culture and traditions of the area. As Industrialization grew, craftspeople were in less demand and many emigrated to other countries, including Canada. Because they brought their own unique styles, skills, and traditions with them as they emigrated to Canada during the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Canadian craftThe production of work involving the use of skilled hands. community became an amazing melting pot of talent and diverse experience and knowledge.
Crafts gained popularity in Canada in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Many craft markets were created to accommodate a “back to the land” attitude that was prevalent at that time. The Canadian Craft Council was established and provincial groups like the Saskatchewan Craft Council and the Saskatoon Potters Guild began to emerge. Schools like the Nova Scotia School of Art and Design and Emily Carr University of Art and Design were thriving. By the 1980’s, craft galleries were being established throughout Canada.
During these productive years craftspeople flourished, acquiring specialized equipment, studying the processes of specific crafts, and developing high degrees of skill and knowledge. They produced and are still producing objects that defy the manufacturing process and honour the human touch. Collectors and all who use these functional objects value the originality and the vitality of each unique handmade object.
While the economic benefits are not always lucrative, the urge to hand-build something of beauty drives many artisans to continue working as artisans and choosing to live a simpler lifestyle. Many artisans supplement their art-making activities with other jobs such as teaching. Others give up their idealized view and accept the reality that making craft is now seen as a leisure-time activity. However, some artisans have joined with groups of like-minded artists and formed cooperatives where they are able to live and work with the support of an arts community.
Since the 1980’s, many artists involved in craft production have pushed the boundaries of their craft to the extreme. They have broken away from the original traditions of their mediaAny material and technique used to produce a work of art (paint, glass, clay, fibre, video, sound, etc.). It may also refer to the liquid with which powdered pigments are mixed to make paint. Note that the plural form of “medium” is “media.” and blurred the distinctions between art and craft; the crafts no longer functionRefers to the intended use or purpose of an object. The term is often applied to manufactured products, particularly crafts, and when discussing designs for architecture. Though sometimes said to be non-functional, art is expected to function in various ways, including: to beautify, to adorn, to express, to illustrate, to mediate, to persuade, to record, to redefine reality, to redefine art, to provide therapy, to give unselfconscious experience, to provide paradigms of order and/or chaos, and to train perception of reality. Anything that is not functional is called nonfunctional. Often the decorative qualities of a thing are considered nonfunctional. (Artlex.com) as useful objects but are more representative of ideas and concepts. The selection of work from the MacKenzie Art Gallery collectionTo collect is to accumulate objects. A collection is an accumulation of objects. A collector is a person who makes a collection. (Artlex.com) presented here in this Craft Redefined theme shows this hybridProduced from the mixture of two or more things. or mix of fine art and craft media.