Well, we are almost done with our first book. So much beautiful information.
This chapter brings up the issue of privilege. I refer to the necessity of good photographs, which in turn means cameras, lights, cost of slides and access to where and when to mail the images. Think about it...if you live on a reservation or in an inner city. You may make great art but how to let others know about it? Maybe you (they) don't even want to be discovered or famous. Maybe they (you, me) believe that the making is a spiritual journey that needs no validation.This question still haunts us today. Who has a web site? Who uses the internet to show off their work?
Who photographs your work? Or maybe you are where I am...I sit in my little room called a studio and do my work. The photos are OK but no where near good. I enter about 10 shows a years and get in 1 at the most. But I keep making art, curate shows with friends and read lots of books on lots of subjects that inform my work.
Another question I ask all the time and will continue to ask is how do you learn? Do you need rules? Do you need freedom? How much of your knowledge is self taught ( and yes I know in reality we are all self taught because we do the work) but how much to you take on for yourself? How many mistakes to allow before you give up and go on?
Finally, why do you think craft began a so called "decline"?
I honestly really liked this chapter a lot because I saw a change where artists were designing more with color, texture and overall the chapter had a lot more graphics within the designs which I personally like to see. I saw a balance between these designs (color, texture, graphics) through the different mediums and this chapter flowed visually well for me. I know this will probably sound hypocritical coming from a woman with a bachelors in Fashion Design, but I was honestly surprise that the craft field in general became more accustomed to fashion instead of functional craft. “Functional craft tended to be underrepresented, as the priciest pieces were usually more sculptural than useful” (pp. 445). I mean don’t get me wrong, I love fashion, but it surprised me that functional craft was being underrepresented. If anything I would expect them to be equal. What if there was a piece that was fashionable and functional? Would a fashionable piece alone still be worth more? I am probably taking this out of context but it really got me thinking because I did see this trend happen throughout this decade. Of course the most confounding subject within this decade was the relationship between art and craft. But I have personally come to the conclusion that the answer will always depend on the type of person you are in determining this conclusion.
ReplyDeleteI was extremely excited to see that the market grew for class because I feel glass can be purposeful in so many ways and that women were dominating this medium. “By the mid-1980s all the executive officers of the Glass Art Society board of directors were women, with Susan Stinsmuehlen-Amend the organization’s first female president” (pp. 411)
This was another chapter that got me engaged because there were so many readings about the success of woman that truly impressed me.
“Women met in a special-interest group for the Glass Art Society conference in 1988; their position had improved because men, though generally more powerful glassblowers, are not necessarily better artists” (pp. 380). How awesome is this quote. Woman are starting to become equals for their brain instead of their strength or coordination.
I also loved reading that Wendy Maruyama along with many other women thought of themselves as artists who happened to work with wood and when “Maruyama and Gail Fredell enrolled in the MFA program in furniture at the School for American Craftsmen (SAC) in 1978, they were the first women to do so” (pp.384). For the first time women had a chance to dominate the craft world through the most prestigious wood program in the country!!!!
I absolutely love Judy Kensley for her creative touch. I was happy to hear that she became a furniture celebrity and had great success because I think she deserved it.
The move away from functionality is something which struck me as well.
DeleteI found that very interesting too. I can understand how it evolved but it was just thought provoking. Brea, I also agree with your point that the book also makes that men that were more powerful were not necessarily the best at their craft. I think women at that point were taking a stand and being recognized for their works.
DeleteI REALLY connected with Betty Woodman because of her experiences. “There were times when she felt stigmatized as a woman, especially as a wife and mother—simply overlooked on the stereotyped assumption that she could not be serious” (pp. 395). I shedded a little tear when I read this because I have been undermined with not being serious or considered smart in having a not serious degree in relation to Apparel Design and Manufacturing. “The feminist movement was emphasizing recognition of women artists, and suddenly gender was far less of a liability” (pp. 396). AMEN!! On top of this Woodman’s work is exquisite! To think she became one of the most distinctive and risk-taking ceramists of the century. Her Pillow Pitcher is remarkable. I was mesmerized by her techniques and I was in awe.I definitely fell in love with her. Holy Moly, I wish I could meet her and see her work in her studio or anywhere for that matter. This is the type of artist that inspires me to be a potter.
ReplyDeleteI was surprise and thouroghly pleased to read that “Dorothy Hafner was the first American artist to produce signature collections for Tiffany, and she continued to work with the company for ten years” (pp. 401). What an accomplishment this was indeed.
I was also impressed with Scott Burton and how he was changed the relation between art and society. I loved the fact that he created public furniture because he felt to provide aid and comfort to ordinary people.
I was also impressed with Statoms barely controlled chaos chair, “Chair on Base”. “He suggests that our lives are infused with instability and that security is an illusion (pp. 413). I feel like this is a perfect piece to represent reality. I speak for myself when I say my life is certainly controlled chaos.
I was impressed reading about women dominating in this decade, however it made me really giddy ready about African American women in this decade. I loved reading their voice and the success that followed. One of these artists was Mary Jackson. Her “Two Lips” basket had the right texture and technique to make it different. I was pleased that she was committed to her ancestors and their techniques and that “others have praised her as “one of the most poetic speakers on behalf of Gullah culture and African culture” (pp. 429).
Reading about New Jewelry was impressive. I have never heard of this technique or form until this book. It was certainly take a lot of coordination along with patience to wear Schick’s Collar...haha.
Another Jewelry artist that impressed me was Gralnick. The technique and idea to develop black material instead of coating it was impressive enough. No wonder Garlnick became almost the poet laureate of American jewelers.
I am taking a lot of information away with me from not only this chapter but this incredible book. Honestly, I could have never imagined learning as much as I did from this book. I feel as if a whole new world had opened up to me and unlimited resources. It is hard for me to say a few general things that I am taking about with me because I feel as if that is nearly impossible. There is so much that I can’t narrow it down. All I can say is that I now understand why Future said this is her main go to book. It is mine too now!
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DeleteA little random here, you can hear Gullah speakers if you google on youtube. When I grew up they were still making baskets, pottery, and hand knotting hammocks on the South Carolina Coast.
DeleteI am so glad you like the book. When I moved to Odessa for a year to teach 7/8th grade art I took 20 boxes of books and two boxes of clothes! Really. I still have over 1000 books that keep on hand just in case I need them.
DeleteWomen still are behind in catalogs /exhibitions/ opportunities. When you add the reality of class or color or different ability it is almost impossible to get ahead.
When talking about the issue of privilege I can see how this could be a make you or break you situation. Now thinking about it I don’t know how the artists from small towns handled their marketing during the 1800’s when there was little to no technology. I assume they probably travelled to nearby cities to get noticed. I personally don’t have any professional photos taken of my artwork. I have taken a few photos but the environment isn’t ideal since my studio space is my garage, backyard, living room and guest bedroom. The only thing that has benefited me in the past is being a professional with Photoshop so I can crop out my carpet in the background, (or at least try).
ReplyDeleteI no doubt learn by trial and error by teaching myself. I need freedom more so than rules. Maybe a few rules to understand the concept but other than that, it’s all me. I am like that with everything though. If I buy a new vacuum I will spend hours figuring everything out on my own before reading the manual. I have no idea why I make it more complicated for myself but that is how I am programed. When I taught myself how to reupholster not knowing anything except being able to drape well, I watch a short YouTube tutorial and then I figured it out all alone through trial and error. I won’t stop until I grasp the concept and it’s complete. I might take a break, which could be a couple of months or so, but I won’t stop thinking about it until I finish it. It doesn’t matter how many mistakes I make because I always learn from each one. Just recently, I rebuilt and refinished my nightstands and I cut out some wood overlays and finished them and then applied them to my nightstands and I messed up the whole nightstand by mindlessly apply the wrong varnish. It was my last step I had for completion. I had to take everything apart and start at step one by re-sanding everything. I was so upset with myself because one nightstand took me a month. However, it turned out better this way and I will never make that mistake again so I am happy.
I enjoy learning by trail and error as well, but with clearly defined limits. :) Your story of the vacuum makes me smile--I lack the patience to sit and figure something like that out. But if it's figuring out how to craft a hinge from metal or how to work rivets...I'll sit and figure that out. Maybe even the upholstering bit too, because that task is very spatially driven.
DeleteChapter 10: 80s Money and Images
ReplyDeleteFurniture
I found it interesting to read about ColorCore on page 381 to add color to furniture. I enjoyed the work by Garry Knox Bennett because of its modern design and asymmetrical balance. I find it interesting how "he never does preparatory drawing" (p. 384). I wonder how close his work comes to his plans in his head with no drawn plan. I admire his flexibility and makes it work for him. It makes me think about when I took sculpture as a undergrad and was forced to make a small model out of paper before starting the actual sculpture out of wood. I found the process helpful in the since of measuring out for the bigger sculpture.
Another artist that I found interesting is John Cederquist. My first impressions of his artwork, The Missing Finial on page 387, was it reminds me of cubism or Picasso. As I read more about John, my interest grew in his work. I found it ironic that he taught two-dimensional design and relates to his "credible illusion of depth with simple drawings of furniture in two-point perspective" (p.387). The perspective background definitely influences his sculptures. I wanted to see an image if "Olive's Chair" because it"appears to be three dimensional", but is flat and could not find one (p.387) However, I did find other examples that made me wonder "Are they two dimensional or 3 dimensional ?" I like the challenge of the illusion verses reality. The Missing Finial is very impressive.
I was intrigued by Color Core as well. I saw it mentioned again in Chap 11 and decided to look a little more into it--whether it's still used, readily available? I was interested to find it is a Formica product! (I don't know if it originally was or if it was acquired by the company at some point). http://www.formica.eu/product-overview-laminate/colorcore-by-formica-group/3/
DeleteIn addition to Formica, Corning is a company that we've seen throughout our chapters and they are doing some really cool new things with their products. Pretty interesting to watch the industry: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Cf7IL_eZ38
Turning
ReplyDeleteI am taken away with Mark Lindquist's and David Ellsworth's turning work. They are so different in their use of natural ruff ness and smoothness, but similar in their experimentation of the wood. I love the texture the chainsaw makes, looks so natural. I think it is interesting that Mark "drawn to the Zen virtues of sabi, imperfection and unpretentious" (p. 391). I see a correlation between his interest in sabi and the experimentation of the chainsaw. I also love his "want[ing] to escape the restrictions of the vessel" (p.392). My grandpa taught me how to use a lath and we made vessels together. He experimented all aspects of what you could do, but in the realm of still being a vessel. I am a person who wants to experiment and would be bored doing the same shapes of vessels all the time. I also found it interesting in the fact that Del Stubbs would test the durability of the wood by carving out the center really thin. I was surprised that Dale Nish experimented with insects to add effects to the wood. How gross!
What a great experience to have worked with your grandfather making vessels.
DeleteClay
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading about Bacerra's clay patterned vessels. My first glance of his Double Wall Vessel, I thought of pop art because of the color choices and patterns that he uses. Teaching "hard work, technique performance, and formal critiques" goes along way with students (p.398). The students might not be a fan at first, but I have noticed the harder you push a student, the better the work is. In my Art Studio class, when they finish a project, they meet with me about the piece before actually turning it in. All I do is ask them if it has unity and why. This starts a process where the students evaluate their own work and judge to see if it need further work. Most of the time, they decide to add something. Some of my students complain about this process, because they just want to turn it in and be done with it. I have noticed that this process helps them make better work and able to talk about artwork at a new level. I also noticed the influence Bacerra has on his student through the work of Peter Shire. I believe Peter gets his pattern design from Bacerra. I was surprised that Shire's work is actually functional works of art. They appear to be just sculptural because of all the pieces being small and unique shapes. The fact that it is actually a teapot blows my mind. I enjoy Peter's quote about why functional. "Shire insists that his teapots are functional, saying that if they did not function, they would be less radical because they would just be sculpture" (p. 400). I think this ironic in the fact that he do not even drink tea. So why a teapot? I wonder the significance of making teapots.
Akio Takamori has an interesting approach to incorporate the typical nude into a sculptural piece. I enjoy the narrative aspect to his clay forms. When I first glanced at his "couple" artwork on page 404, I thought of an influence of Matisse. He took something that is usually represented in a two dimensional way, the nude, and showed it in a three dimensional form. The contrast between the two forms are also interesting. His experiments with glazes to create a contrast between the two forms is a neat idea for skin texture.
Arnie Zimmerman's work appears to have a pre-Columbian influence because of the "organic and animated""deeply contoured surfaces" that are "human scale" (p.409). They appear to have a maze quality. After looking more into him, I found out he has a variety of styles and materials for his sculptures. He now has human figures that interact with a geometric city scene. The difference between the city scenes and the large vessels are huge. It looks like two different people made these works. What made him make this shift? Why do artist shift from one style to another? Personally, I would switch mediums because I have a hard time focusing on one medium. I would experiment all the ways to explore that particular medium and change until I had new inspirations. Is this what happened to Zimmerman?
I love the clay section of the book. I've never really worked much with it besides the one semester of Ceramics I took in my undergrad. I barely learned to use the kiln and I'm paying for it now that I'm trying to figure out how to use the one at my school. My kids keep pressuring me to figure it out! :P I love reading about it in this book because it's pushing me to seek out more on it and become better at it.
DeleteGlass
ReplyDeleteWhen I read that Stinsmuehlen-Amend "experimented with a pop culture mix of mediums, adding glitter, jewels, foils, decals, and tapes to her glass", I had to look it up. Glitter? When I think of glitter, like many other art teachers, I think of a trite work of art. However, I really enjoyed her work, very inspiring. I was not expecting her work to be so wonderful. My favorite is Random Disclosure, Courtesy: North Lands Creative Glass. It has a collage resemblance. http://blog.glassquarterly.com/2012/02/10/amidst-belt-tightening-in-british-arts-north-lands-creative-glass-releases-2012-course-schedule/amend/ The color used in this work is the same colors that I use in my work. Her explanation of treating glass "as if it were a shiny canvas painted with textures that play with light" is a perfect description of her work (p.411) The comparison between a clear sheet of glass and a piece of white paper is something to think about. Thermal Statom' style is very similar to Amend in that his work has a collage quality but with "vigorous, brush strokes" (p.413). He describes making his work into a house form to "suggests that our lives are infused with instability and that security is an illusion"(p.431). I find that interesting how he puts thought into what forms and shapes he is creating. What does the Chair mean? Speaking of meaning behind sculptural glass pieces, I also enjoy the work by Dan Dailey for his humor. His artwork is very surreal in his characters and scenes. I was surprised to find out that his work is also functional like a lamp. Is that a second thought or was that a planed intention?
I was amazed by Toots Zynsky's technique of fusing fine threads of glass together to get the painterly effect. How does she make the shapes of the her bowls with this process? This is something I am going to take in experimenting with this summer at Junction.
I love glitter. It is like little diamonds of all colors. In the 1990's Dallas Jake Mims used glitter in his paintings. A wonderful throwback to elementary school or in my class Middle school.
DeleteAs many of you have pointed out, the beauty of this book is the variety under the usually simple word 'craft'
When I thought of glitter I wasn’t expecting her work to look like that either. After thinking about it, I think glitter is actually perfect for the fact that she wanted to play with texture and light since glitter provides both elements. I also really enjoyed her work as well.
Delete
ReplyDeleteTextiles
I was taken by the work of Michael James because of his use of color with working with fabric to create illusions. I like the work for the design and the fact that it is fabric is very cool. The texture of the fabric adds characteristics to the artwork.
John Garrett's sculptural forms made out of plastic vinyl is interesting in the fact that he uses unusual materials. I looked more into his work and saw that he uses found objects with metal in some of his sculptures. Does these objects add to the meaning to his work?
I was really impressed by Michael James as well. I really liked how he implied space through juxtaposed shapes which seems, took a lot of planning to me. I was impressed and liked his gradient coloring in playing with negative space too. I think this quilt is a modern urban hip quilt and certainly strays away from the “granny” stereotype quilts tend to have.
DeleteImpressed Scott Burton: I have seen his benches and I appreciate and respect his populist ideology and agree with his “art for the people” ideas.
ReplyDeleteOf course, the irony, here, is that these particular benches are situated on a wealthy person’s private grounds.
Additionally I am impressed with Mark Lindquist: His work reminds me of Japanese tea ceremony bowls- so natural and beautiful.
Shocked: I lost the line between sculpture and everything else-glass, jewelry, wood, basket making, weaving. So much of it is monumentally sculptural to me. My question would be: does craft become sculpture when it loses functionality. Patrick Dougherty’s Brushwork is an example of this. It’s as big as a house. It incorporates a tree. It is amazing and is one of my favorite images in the chapter but it isn’t a basket. It’s a sculpture based on a traditional basket form. Perhaps the “decline of craft” is
1) The shift of awareness about the hand made culturally
2) The blurring of these lines between craft and fine art by removing craft from its original functionality and the personal home environment into the gallery and museum.
Take away: Robert Ebendorf
It’s a good thing to have examples of success from people who have learning differences or who have overcome challenges. Ebendorf was severely dyslexic and yet he used text in jewelry making. His difference according to the text, made him extraordinarily aware of “formal relationships” and “acutely visual”. 438
In place of a division think in terms of a continuum. There are arguments to keep crafts apart in order to keep the field stronger. Others argue that if it is not mixed with the fine arts it will never any credibility. I think it is up to each of us to discover what we think, to find our own definition.
Delete“My question would be: does craft become sculpture when it loses functionality”
DeleteI had this same question too. Then I started to think about everything we have learned that is considered “craft” and almost all of it was functional. Therefore, I started thinking; does it become “Art” if there is no function? Honestly, my brain was starting to hurt trying to figure out a resolution then I came to terms that I can’t decide and each piece will be different. For me personally, I came to the conclusion that I can’t label my piece before it is made, therefore, when I make something for now on, I will let it decide its own fate once the project is complete. I am working on my final now and the whole time I was thinking it would have a function, but now it is leading me into a new direction and I am just going with it and trusting it. We will see how it turns out in the end :)!!
I'm ok with the lines between crafter and sculptor/craft and sculpture being blurred. When we try to compartmentalize everything into precise boxes it limits both the artisan and the viewer. I like the idea of a continuum for judging--we aren't limited to checking an either/or box, an object's definition can slide from one end to the other of meaning.
DeleteThat's an interesting point: does it become something else one it loses its functionality...I had the same question throughout reading this book and especially getting closer to the end of the book when we see the shift from functionality to creating for the sake of exhibiting. The quote from St. Francis of Assisi kept coming to my mind as I was trying to answer the same question: "He who works with his hands, and his head, and his heart is an artist." I definitely agree with this quote and personally think that art is all three of these things. Things that we create with a meaning and a purpose and when we put our hearts into it can be art.
DeleteHow do I learn?
ReplyDeleteI learn communally. –Because of my community, I have always said cooking is like breathing to me-it wasn't something anyone sat down to teach me, it was expected as a natural function of life. So perhaps making art was more like learning to walk, it required some strength, effort and persistence but everyone around me was doing it why shouldn’t I. So on my feet, to totter with the folks around me made things and creatively solved problems. As much as I, sometimes just wanted something to look like I pulled it machine- made-right-out-of-the-plastic-sleeve, I learned to be respectful of the work someone did and the hand made.
Mistake Allowance
This ties into mistake allowance.
I also know that my favorite part of life is the distinctly human, the hand formed the brush stroke, the thumbprint.
Yesterday, I went to see Bernini’s maquettes at the Kimball. They identify his work by a certain hand stroke against the clay and a thumbprint. The physical hand movement and print of the artist identify these 300-plus-year-old works. As I have said before in this class, art is so personal, so human to me. Mistakes are human.
Again, at the Bernini, there were drawings after drawing working out problems. In the exhibition, there were several sculpture ideas that the Pope rejected and each time Bernini made something better than the last. I have several reproductions of sketchbooks from Turner and Degas even Whistler. They have served as a reminder of practice. It’s a practice—like music. We fumble about as we learn new skills create new things. As frustrating as it can be, its part of creation. I read once that Matisse painted his whole painting--worked out all his problems, repainted over places, redrew, formulated. When that original painting was finished, he pulled out new canvas and painted that exact painting again so it would look fresh. For me, I can allow mistakes, false starts and attempts until I get frustrated and then I have to put it out of sight for a while.
Glossy new photographed artists
Could it be that culturally we have lost many of the craft hunters, the roadside gathers, the wealthy or religious craft advocates?
The Market then without this serendipity demands something that looks more manufactured, beautifully captured in slick glossies. Certainly selling things online has increased that need.
Digital camera has made things a little easier for artists. I remember how hard it was to label slides for show submissions. Yes, I have a photographer who shoots my work and an outdated website.
I propose we are the new craft hunters.
DeleteIn thinking about the chapter so far: ( still finishing up last few pages)
ReplyDeleteAs I read this chapter I am noticing at least one thing I will take away with me. That is where the artists got their inspiration, it is just a reminder to me to be open as you go through your day you never know what will get to you and help “make” you create, and to try to go with it and not be impatient.
I am first thinking of what is going on in the world the socially like nuclear war that drove some artists to make social justice statements through their art. Next I related to the inspiration of John Cederquist in watching old Popeye cartoons and translating the 2-point perspective to his 3-D work. William Carlson and his influence of perfume bottles was a interesting too. In Glass, Stinsmuehlen-Amend and her inspiration form fast food restauants, hobby shops possible all things Kitsch, was fun. The comment “my philosophy of too much is not enough’..allows almost anything to be glued, sprayed, tied and laminated to the glass plane….” is refreshing. Though it is not necessary to know the inspiration of an artist it is just fun and makes it more personal when looking at it.
The seemly constant pull between a piece having functionality (craft) and then with the loss of function some pieces suddenly elevated to “art”. I enjoyed Mark Lindquist and his new use of chain saw, though it did a bit remind me of current road side sculptures of Bears at truck stops. His Piece Nehushtan, his interest in wabi sabi and the idea of “imperfection and unpretentiousness” is inspiring. Looking on line at I believe a current piece he did with another artist is interesting. http://blakelyburltree.com/artwork/artwork1.htm not only as he collaborated but I was surprised at the almost room size computerized saw he is using. Of course Linquist was influence by Oppenheimer and the atomic bomb, and I was glad to see artists expressing their awareness and concern. The other exciting thing was the size of the pieces, I know I just have to see them to really experience them. Even the pictures of Scott Burton’s furniture group is nice but does not do it justice when seen in a setting.
The illustration for Flora Mace & Joey Kilpatrick’s work just did not interest me though reading about the technique did. When looking at images of others pieces their work is very interesting and diverse in size and images even humor.
When I first starting reading about turning - I thought of my dad’s candle sticks he made in high school and it gave me a tiny reference point to the skill it would take to make the type of work Ed Moulthrop completed. Amazing skill. Makes me want to take a shop class.
Another artist that made me read twice was Robert Sperry. He did as they said try all forms of expression in ceramics and then Film. I enjoy reading about the other artist he met (Autio, Voulkos) and image how exciting it must have been. The use of intense color, pattern and glazes that to me disguise the material in the ceramic pieces seems more prominent in this chapter.
Martha thanks for sharing that link. It was very cool to see the process of everything. There were some industrial size tools for sure. I like how the shape of the bowl turned out as well.
DeleteVery cool! I love woodworking--the smells of the wood/shavings/sawdust, the sounds of the tools, the end results--but I have a healthy (I think) fear of the tools, so I tend to not gravitate toward woodworking. I love watching the process of turning wood.
DeleteI was curious, after reading last weeks chapter, if I would see more of an evolution of the artist. I was satisfied to see Castle and Chihuy each in this chapter. I like being able to gain a sense of how ideas in form and craft evolve individually amongst artist. Furniture and glass work seemed to be the two sections that grabbed my attention most.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I liked seeing that craftsman wanted to bring back the "craft" in furniture. As much as I enjoy sculpture-furniture I was beginning to wonder when it would change a bit more rapidly. Seeing the transformation of Wendell Castle's work. Something that seemed to pop out was how artist make little jabs at societal norms or craft requirements. The playfulness in some of the work was delightful.
Gary Knox Bennett stood out to me. One reason was due to ColorCore laminates. I have heard of laminates before. But after reading I decided to dig a bit more up. The Formica Group website took about an hour to close after opening, there was so much to browse through. I decided to order a few samples to see if it is a material I would use in my own work. The second reason Bennett stood out was the diversity of forms and materials he uses. I really enjoyed how the section shows how individual elements of a whole piece or most important, and this sensitivity is shown by Bennett (and others).
The last little bit that surprised me in furniture was seeing the playfulness of Alphonse Mattia. I love the quote regarding experiencing Mattia's work as playing "a game contrast and compare". We can take something recognizable and with subtle or extreme alterations make powerful statements. A couple other images i found I enjoyed more than the Banana valet chair. A little side note, I did learn about a piece I have already seen. I noticed the image of the stone benches at the Nasher Museum in Dallas. It has been a few years but I was glad to learn something which otherwise I would have just bypassed. Plus Burtons quote "I want to be neither a corporate hireling nor an aging hippie" was perfect to describe what I think artist should be. Of course we want a commission to do some big piece or mass production, but we all should want to retain originality and our own sense of who we are as artist.
A Dallas artists that used laminates, as in one foot sq. sheets of linoleum, was/is George Green. They were great installations. An example crossing mediums.
DeleteI liked Burton's quote as well. I saw in it the idea of not only retaining your originality but also creative self respect. Without personal control you can end up like a ox being pull by a nose ring.
DeleteStephen--I agree that the Formica website is very interesting. I admire the creative mind that can see a product designed for industry and incorporate it into handmade, individual work. There are so many neat products available to us now that weren't available when these artists were beginning to push the boundaries of "craft furniture."
DeleteAs I mentioned before I enjoyed the playfulness of some of the work. Glass seemed to really push that this chapter. I had never heard of Therman Statom and really enjoyed looking at his other work. I am glad to see glass evolve away from the natural flowing forms, and more rigid and constructive uses. Like Ben Tre. And I can't forget Dan Dailey! I remember first hearing of him in an Intro to Jewlery class and the grad student teaching the class went on an enthusiastic rant about Daileys work. I liked seeing it then and it was great to see it agin and gain a little more insight.
ReplyDeleteRudy Autio really interested me in this chapter. I loved his piece “Pow Wow Ponies” on page 394. I love how he incorporates painting into his three-dimensional works. It’s interesting how he doesn’t really explain what his works means. It’s like he’s leaving it up to us to interpret and find our own meaning to his works. I feel that way about my artwork too. Sometimes it’s more interesting to get other people’s input about what they see in what I paint. What I also found interesting is that he combines two artists and styles that he is interested in and that’s how he creates his works. I use artists that inspire me too to create my paintings. I find something that interests me in them and I interpret how that makes me enjoy their work or why it interests me and I incorporate it into my paintings. I think this is why I enjoyed reading about him; because I found a lot of similarities to him.
ReplyDeleteSomething that surprised me was Elliott and Hickman’s work relationship. I kept thinking in the past chapters we were reading, how all the couples that worked together were married or eventually became married, and some even after divorcing kept working on their individual artwork. It was surprising to read that there is collaboration between two people who are artists and not necessarily in a romantic relationship. Like the book mentions, it is rather unusual to see that in the art world. We usually see that happen in the music industry but very rarely in art. I love how they fed each other ideas and helped each other’s work become better.
I don’t have a website to promote my artwork. I usually just put some pictures up on my facebook page for friends and family to see. Like you mentioned, Future, I don’t really do my artwork for mass validation. I don’t dream of having my artwork displayed around the world on major galleries and museums. I’d be happy just to have my work shown at a local gallery and even then that kind of freaks me out because the introvert in me tells me “You’ll have to talk to strangers about it.” Haha! I have learned a lot of techniques from my college professors but I feel that I’ve learned better when I do it myself, come across and obstacle, and seek help from others. Most if not all of my professors in my undergrad taught us in a way that let us explore our own ways of creating. For example, they would model a technique and tell us how it works in their personal work, how they’ve produced it over time, then they would tell us to try it and see how we could make it work for our own art. I loved how when I tried it and came across a certain obstacle they would push us to come up with our own solution instead of just telling us, “Do it like this.”
I think craft began to decline when they became more about commercialization than for personal use. In our earlier reading, craft was created for everyone to be able to enjoy. At the end of the chapter, it mentions that craft became more commercialized and it was hand picked as to which would be publicized depending on how well it photographed. I think it became more about how popular a craft would be rather than being able to be appreciated by everyone and anyone.
"I think craft began to decline when they became more about commercialization than for personal use." I agree with you Rebecca it was interesting how they mentioned on page 445 that artists "were bringing art work they confident would sell, leaving more experimental works at home." when choosing art work for expositions.
DeleteSuccess is hard. At any level, mainly because I am convinced we underestimate our talent or just believe that others are better...for what ever reasons we have grown to accept. And it takes time, lots of time to continue to make items, art, work, ideas. Time away from family and friends.
DeleteI agree with your commercialization comment as well Rebeca. I think once artist start designing for people other than themselves they get caught up and lose the importance of their work. I mean all designers design for other people, but you have to have your stamp on it, or what is the point in buying your products aside from other designers? I think if you get caught up in thinking that you must create something that you know the galleries will carry, then it because a mess and your priorities get mixed up and you stop designing for yourself and basically become a manufacture. I believe anyone can make something homemade, but in order for it to be considered craft, I feel there has to be a piece of you in it, like spiritual wise. Your soul has to be a part of it and it needs to be worth more to you than any amount of money can buy. I think when a piece becomes so commercialized it loses that effect.
DeleteHow do I learn?
ReplyDeleteHands on! I have been this way since i can remember. When I have to read formulas and study diagrams I have serious problems retaining information. And with that I tend to lose interest. The tactile response I have for picking things up, inspecting, molding, and shaping materials is what I enjoy most in my art making. I generally begin a piece because I am engaged by a specific material, as opposed to being engaged by an idea and using a material as a "means to an end". It is by the investigation of a material and contrasting mediums that my work evolves. I really enjoyed seeing some of that reflected in this chapter as well.
If I run into issues early in my process Ill try a couple things before I ask a peer for advice. Generally ideas are offered before I have to ask. I guess that is a wonderful benefit of a communal studio space. I like having freedoms to choose my own subject matter and have been allowed to develop my own ideas. But I do look back in hindsight and appreciate the structured and manicured assignments surrounding a material. Just having the knowledge of using a specific medium, learning the capabilities of different mediums, has helped me tremendously in evolving my body of work.
I agree that learning from others is a very helpful resource. Especially when around others who might have more experience in a medium and know what to watch out for--for preventing problems.
DeleteI thought of trying to fix my washing machine when you mentioned diagrams. My washing machine was failing to fill...and I immediately thought "ahhhhh new $500 washer." My dad came over, removed the backing, pulled out a paper of schematics for the fuse/circuit/stuff and was able to fix the washer. That's when I wished I had patience for figuring out complex diagrams. That's just not how my brain works. I agree with you, it's very much in having hands involved.
I definitely understand where you are coming from in a sense of retaining information without having a “hands on process”. I am like that too. Not so much reading but math for sure. I will always turn to google before I’ll ask a peer if I can’t figure it out with trial and error also. I have no idea why but asking a peer is always my last resort. I think that is my stubborn independence.
DeleteMy thoughts on the last part of this chapter.
ReplyDeleteGlass was exciting in the diversity of its form. The meditative beauty of Sonja Blomdahl and then Michael Glancy’s strong patterns, metal feel and machine like quality of his process are so very different. Looking at Paul Stankard and reading about paper weights reminded me of how one student in my undergrad program made extra $ for school by making paperweights and selling them. I remember this since he had to sneak into the glass blowing area to do it. But Stankards are hard to image being only about 5” tall and including all that detail of plants. It makes sense that he found a niche in the paperweights. Ben Tre's work was impressive and I liked his use of the metal and glass fusing. “Dedicant 10 seemed like it would be even larger than the 48.62 inches high it is described as – I feel like it would be an architectural focal point in a garden or loft.
I enjoyed reading about the quilts and how they came into their own with the help of Crow and James. The themes such as Crows inspiration after seeing men on the way to an execution was enough for me to pull up images and I found something she said that I have noticed other artists mention when working in their medium of choice. “When I work on a quilt, I put away all thoughts that are not helpful and channel my energies towards relaxing and becoming one with my fabrics.” Of course this can be hard to do sometimes.
I was surprised that embroidery was more popular in the 1980s but in many ways it is a very immediate way to create and great to use with many other materials. Wearables were exciting to me and the description of the artists thinking such as Harding “turning surface into structure rather than image” made me stop and think for a while. His attitude of garments as aesthetic and functional objects makes sense.
The international influence of Japan, South American and Europe seems to be strong in Jewelry's case even helping an artist like M. Schrick become accepted in the USA. I enjoyed Schrick explaining how you really need to consider how you will move in these pieces. I loved Gaza Bowen and her shoes what a hoot, and so beautiful. Diane Itter and her influences of many ethnic textiles is another example of the rich resources that were available and appreciated by the artists during this decade. One of favoirites pieces is Norma Minkowitz and her “I can’t touch you”. Makes me think of other ways to imagine that frustration and sadness associated with death or change. I so appreciated what Joyce Scott said about art, specifically about her jewelry when it was said that she “…regards her jewelry as continuous with everything else she does not an isolated practice with distinct characteristics…”
I watched a brief video by Gyongy Laky as I didn’t’ get it and she was talking about a piece called Collateral Damage and the piece was in the shape of the word WAR. So many interesting pieces by all the artists I feel I could probably read this chapter again.
“When I work on a quilt, I put away all thoughts that are not helpful and channel my energies towards relaxing and becoming one with my fabrics.” Of course this can be hard to do sometimes.
DeleteI really like this quote. This can certainly be hard to me at times too. When working with textiles, (fashion design, sewing, upholstery, weaving, knotting or hand weaving) for me, I always have to get focus and kind of meditate to start working in order to create the design I have in my head. I have noticed this takes a lot of patience because when you are working with textiles, you really have to understand the fabric. If you have no understanding of the fabric you are working with, then most of the time your project will never turn out how you want it unless you just get really lucky. My dad works a lot with wood and he has always told me that I understand fabric like he understands wood. Each fabric has a different kind of grain, bias, strength, resistance, just like wood. Therefore, without the knowledge it becomes really difficult. I have to become one with the fabric in order to achieve satisfaction with my design. When I go to a fabric store to find fabric that will work with my design, it seriously takes me hours because I have to feel, stretch, drape each piece I like to see if it will even make do and most of the time that isn’t even enough.
The question of privilege: I do honestly believe as technology gets better and cheaper there becomes less of a gap between those that have access to good photography/documentation of their work and those that have no access or limited access. Many of us now have smart phones in our everyday life that take better photos (clearer/crisper) than many digital "point and shoot" cameras. There are (cheap) website building programs for those that don't want to deal with writing code (or go "what's writing code?")
ReplyDeleteHowever, I do think that where there is a lack of tech knowledge/lack of access to tech, it is difficult to record one's work, submit digitally to shows, or document on a personal website. It can be a limiting factor to how much exposure an artist's work gets (if that is his/her goal). I am constantly joking with my brother that I'm a complete moron when it comes to technology--I stopped with black and white photography and use computers for research/word processing/social media. So at times I can feel very "old world" when I'm trying to photograph my new work or get submissions ready for gallery shows (I attempt one per year, ha!). 99% of the time I pay my bro to do the photo/web work when he's home for the holidays. I actually have a "website" but because I am stuck on naming my site/buying a domain name (do I make it "kid friendly and include my elem art profession, or do I go professional EBrown only and let my art just be my art, unfiltered) all I have is a site in waiting: www.cargocollective.com/EBrown
Perhaps though, the answer for us "luddites" in the art world is to barter with, or straight up pay, those that have the access and the tech knowledge to help professionally document and present our work as the privileged. I surround myself with colleagues' who's strengths cover my weaknesses. Luckily I'm related to one that can do all my computer driven media. Because in the end, I do believe it is important to present one's work as best one can--too much time and talent has gone in to work to let it be dismissed due to a poorly shot photo or broken links.
The other issue is the cost of entering shows. An average of $35 per entry. That adds up. Then the shipping which includes making sure it does not get damaged in the move.
DeleteIt is a complicated business until you have a manager or a gallery to do all the work.
Shipping, shipping, shipping!! Those are the times I wish I made lighter art pieces. I shipped a large installation piece to upstate New York...my mind blanks out how much it cost over all, but I purchased nice boxes and packing materials for the work. Thank goodness it was mostly cast aluminum.
DeleteEventually it would be nice to have gallery representation, however I want to be at a place where I have more consistency in my production. I have been working mainly in 3D, without many of the tools I need at home to finish pieces. It limits how much I can achieve, as I rely on workshops and friends' tools for getting pieces made/finished.
Emily-you can email me if I can offer some possibly less expensive resources for crating and shipping in the future.
DeleteReading your point of view is interesting Emily. I guess I underestimate the knowledge of technology since I am a technology guru and currently work in this field. The good thing with smartphones is the availability of the apps. Just like Intagram, it is user friendly and does what a professional would do in Photoshop. But then, you have the problem now of Intagram owning your photos, therefore basically your art work, but hopefully if they ever decided to use your photo, you would be credited, then that would basically be free advertising. So there are some good benefits.
DeleteI hadn’t thought of entry fees and shipping. Ewwww the money cycle never ends!!!
Lynn--thank you, I would love some better ideas for shipping. I'm also wanting a better system of storing my work, so it is protected in storage and ready to ship easily. Perhaps you have some ideas.
DeleteBrea--I wish that I enjoyed spending more time with Photoshop/Illustrator. An artist can do amazing things with those programs, but I feel so anti-computer. I'd rather be out digging in my garden than sitting inside in front of my computer. BUt I realize there is a balance to everything and I should embrace the tech side, if not solely for representing myself better in this tech-centered culture we are in. :)
My learner style: :) I've recently had an epiphany that I'm a Type A person--very driven, organized, and time-oriented. I say epiphany, because I've always assumed I wasn't--I've always been a day-dreamer, creative type that misses deadlines. Haha, so I finally came up with the new Type A- to explain myself. However, how this pertains to my learning: I need to see a big picture, where is this lesson going, what is the point? This helps me engage with concepts I find boring; if I know the inherent value to learning "X" I will work at it. I also need clearly defined parameters to keep me focused on the goal; I have the tendency to go off on rabbit trails or space out into my own entertaining world (something I find amusing to see in my own students).
ReplyDeleteI very much like to have my hands in my learning--one of my favorite stories to share (as a pro-arts education narrative) is about my own chemistry experience. Kick me if I've already shared this. In high school I came close to flunking chemistry--the teacher was boring, the class was annoying, and the labs were...not engaging. I decided I didn't need chemistry. But fast forward to my ceramics obsession in undergrad--suddenly chemistry became important and fun. Watching how powders mixed (in the correct, weighed quantities) and coated clay, then changed in the kiln to something completely different--I suddenly was able to understand much of what my HS teacher was trying to teach me. A lot of it has to do with my personal investment--this was something I valued, something I found engaging--and the other part of success was having my hands involved in the work.
That being said, I learn best in total immersion. In undergrad my best classes were always the minimesters or summer sessions. :) Intense, packed weeks where there's no time for me to loose interest or run off on rabbit trails. I love to watch how a process is done, then try my hand at it. I'll attack almost anything--I don't particularly worry if I'll be successful or not, until afterward when I'm reflecting over the time.
I had the same experience with chemistry. I did not even last a week in high school. But I did succeed a semester of glaze formulation.
DeleteI squeaked by and managed to pass in high school, although my dad frequently got on to me for drawing elaborately all over the tests' blank areas. Ha!
DeleteI work best under stressful intense situations too because I tend to lose interest if dragged out forever as well. However, I am actually getting better at not procrastinating. I think it has to do with the fact that all my classes and work are interesting to me.
DeleteEngagement is SOOOO important for me as a somewhat ADD person (boy am I glad I wasn't in school during these crazy times of labeling everyone with any sort of "illness/issue"). As a teacher I work hard to increase the interest/engagement of my students so I don't have students lost due to boredom.
DeleteMy first three years of undergrad I really struggled with completing classes because of my inability to maintain interest over 15 week semesters. Learning myself allowed me to set myself up for success--studio classes in the long semesters, all those required courses like government/English/etc in the minimesters and summers. Haha!
Privilege is a loaded word in some ways, I am privileged and have also worked hard to have certain things in my life, but I also realized that have worked as hard and are not able due to poverty, location or health, race (many factors) to have the choices I have had. This even reminds me of my daughter getting ready to take the SAT and many of her friends were taking a very expensive prep course, she was signed up for the $100. one at the high school. I probably would have sent her to the pricey one if I have seen any info to prove it helped. But she felt like she was being short changed, (for a while) when I made those decisions. She ended doing super on the test she is that kind of student (I never was) But sometimes perception is part of our problem.
ReplyDeleteI do feel privileged in many ways since I have been able to and still do take classes. Being privileged gives you choices you might not have with out a job, resources or shared income with a spouse. But sometimes lack of resources can make you more resourceful and free creatively, if you can still eat.
How do I work? I am working at home on the project for this class but of course I did have questions and some things were not going …somehow the way I planned in my head. So to learn more I am also taking a class/workshop at the Dallas Craft Guild. Mostly so I can use their facilities and fire, but also so ask questions in the open studio space, as there is a lot to learn and remember. It is just great working late some days and there are very skilled artists there are willing to talk about a problem with a piece. I can fire at my long term sub job since I am finishing up a clay unit with K-5 but since I wanted to use porcelain I felt better just going to a studio space. I mention this because all resources even having the use of a computer not to mention a Kiln is a privilege and it is not available to all. When I worked as a librarian, some teachers were bemoaning the fact that parents did not email or call back, and said everyone has a smart phone, I would remind them that truly most families do now have cell phones, but most of the families did not have smart phones or Iphones as they were barely making rent and often had to move, so could not afford the data plans. All of these things not to mention web sites are important to equal the accessibility of all to share their art and learn about art and just plain communicate. The cool things about libraries…I know this is a bit weird but many librarians or the tech people at the library can help you create web sites and train people in technology so they can reach out and share their art. When my sister taught in Alaska, I have my art students at the time be pen pals with some of the students, later they were Facebook friends. Small steps to getting people that are so isolated in touch with the outside is important. Sorry for the rambling on privilege.
When it comes to giving up, I really hate to admit that, but it happens. I tell myself I will get back to a painting, project or story and sometimes I do. Just like in sketching you need step back and look with new eyes to see clearly. Usually I keep things I care about on one of my two kitchen tables so that I won’t give up. Kind of keeping it in sight so I don’t forget to work on it.
When it comes to learning I learn best by doing, but this can and often is best in a somewhat apprenticed situation. In working on the project for this class I have read a few books, (some of this is looking at great art) and then just started making something from sketches. Once I try to self teach for a while then I find my areas of most need, at least the ones I can see. Then I realized help I need a workshop or fresh eyes or someone more skilled and less vested in the work , to be honest. Sometimes you just need a friend to say just “keep working” / ”keep trying” / ”just do it”.
Great response. your story about your daughter's SAT training reminded me of another privilege...knowledge. If you do not even know there are classes to help with the SATs the amount of money becomes the second issue. First generation college students face a huge problem from home and family. Without the intention of undermining their family member who is a student they still require participation in family event without regard for what is needed at school. Finals have no meaning. Reviewing notes, study groups, reviews are all alien ideas.
DeleteThen there is the issue of learning abilities or differences and availability of trained professionals to help.
Future, I agree with you. As I was reading Martha's response, I realized one way many of us are privileged that we do not see as privilege is our knowledge. Sometimes I do take for granted the broad knowledge I have, mainly due to genetics, my parents' personalities (and their educations), and my suburban upbringing. My siblings and I were constantly encouraged--by my mom who constantly reads and my dad who constantly problem solves. So a lot of how I navigate the world, and my higher education, benefits from this privilege.
DeleteI certainly agree with you all that having knowledge and resources are a huge privilege. My husband can read anything or look at anything once, or just glance at it and know that definition, paragraph or image for the rest of his life. He has a photographic memory and I always tell him, must be nice to have a privilege like that.
DeleteChapter 10:
ReplyDeleteChapter 1 and Pugin look so far away in our rearview mirror! Maybe both with his theories in contrast with the 80s, but also in the amount of material we have covered since Chapter 1. As we get closer to the present, more and more artist's names and pieces are familiar to me. I love to hear the interconnection of names as we see who was learning with whom and where there learning was taking place.
The most surprising item for me in this chapter was seeing a professor, Michael James, discussed in the textiles portion. I had Michael James as one of my Visual Literacy profs at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln my freshman year. At that point I was in the school of Architecture, so he was not over my small group. However, he frequently directed the lectures and would speak of his own works. Quilts are big in the Midwest and I was impressed by how his work stood out from my "preMichael James definition of quilts." Prof James' use of color feel more like a painting than a quilt and I love how his shapes break completely away from traditional quilt patterns.
I was also surprised by Paley's plant stands in this chapter; my knee-jerk reaction to their form was "car wreck." I found it very interesting, then, to hear the manner in which he formed the pieces: "He clamped one end to a converted elevator motor and held the other motionless while blasting the steel with torches." I read the energy trapped in the steel by the powerful force of the motor and the heat of the torch--not unlike the energy transferred to steel in a car wreck. These pieces feel very different to me than his prior metalworks.
The wood turners really showed up in this chapter with great, and varied, works. My favorite was Mark Lindquist's "Silent Witness #1, Oppenheimer," both for the form and for what it is. His balance of smooth and textred, the scale of the form, and the wonderful variation in shape. And the learning that this piece represents the relationship between Japan and Atom Bomb--what we know too well as the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But I completely agree with the author in how effective Lindquist's piece is because "Lindquist's austere figure conveys something of this dread without the shrillness or specificity of much political art at the time." The quiet layers here in this piece--just too poignantly beautiful: the haniwa funerary form, the mushroom cloud form, the tie to Oppenheimer.
Part Two below...
Chapter 10 Part 2
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't that I didn't enjoy the ceramics in this chapter, I just only felt drawn in to Akio Takamori's piece "Couple." At first glance I completely missed the second figure, and then "aha!" the "Couple" became apparent. I then went down a rabbit trail into trying to remember who coined the "male gaze"--which if I'm correct, I remember reading a piece by Michel Foucault in my "Gender and Sexuality in Art" class. I tried to find that exact piece, and while I did not, I did brush up on much of Foucault's life and writings. In trying to figure out "the gaze" in that class I felt as if I was squashed somewhere between meta-metacognition and metacognition; much of the concern of "the gaze" is very cerebral to me. Yet, Takamori's piece is an excellent way to break down the gaze because so much is apparent--an actual "gazer" and "gazee" and overt sensuality/sexuality.
I was completely blown away by Tom Patti's piece "Solar Riser." In the midst of the wild, aesthetic explosion of this chapter on 80s craft, his piece read as clean and contemporary. The gooeyness of the edges, imperfect rectangles. Transparency/vision/distortion. And then wonders of his techniques--I had much appreciation for his process as the author described it. The glasswork overall from this chapter was exciting (there's so much of it!!), but Patti's piece resonates.
I almost thought I was done, but then noticed my copious notes around Joan Livingstone's "Dyad." Immediately her work reminded me of Dorothea Tanning's "Pincushion to serve as a Fetish" in the permanent collection at the Dallas Museum of Art. Perhaps it was the surface--dark and velvety; or maybe it was the lines following the form, in this case probably just seams? Or the anthropomorphic forms? (You might be thinking, "Emily how is 'Pincushion' a person? I see "Little Mermaid" Ursula's form in the undulating mounds and form of the velvety Pincushion). And then I was intrigued by the author's mention of sculptors Tony Cragg and Martin Puryear. Initially I could see more of a correlation in form between Puryear's woven sculptures and "Dyad." But then after looking through more of Cragg's work I could understand why the author tied him into Livingstone's work--mainly the verticality and the silhouette. And then the author caught me again with the mention of how Livingstone's work "unfortunately impaled on the academic hook of gender issues." Again I'm reminded of my hesitancy to share too much of my narrative when explaining my work--I do not want myself or my work stuck into categories--survivor art, feminist art, sexuality--where I can never break from that categorization in how I make work and how my work is read.
My take-away from this chapter. Whew. I see Craft and Art meeting and melding (Gyongy Laky, Marjorie Schick). Function takes a back seat to form and its flair (Peter Shire). Work from this period is bold in its color and bold in its form.
And I almost forgot Patrick Dougherty--whom I have LOVED for a long time. I attempted to weave his pieces from climbing rose branches...it sat as a failure on the back porch for quite a while. I show videos to my students about his work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7MRA979zHM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ8JkecpyRQ
I love Andy Goldsworthy very much as well, but haven't yet had a class that engaged his "Rivers and Tides" like I wish they would. Dougherty's time-elapsed videos are more the students' speed.
A good link to view Dorothea Tanning's "Pincushion to Serve as A Fetish":
Deletehttp://www.dorotheatanning.org/life-and-work/view-work/work-118/
great responses, everyone
DeleteI love and admire the artcraft folks you have known personally. How exciting to see a mentor or even a one time person you meet in a book on the history of craft.
Remember to take time to figure out how all this new or adjusted information comes to play in your work.
I like your correlation between “Dyad” to “Pincushion”. I’m glad you posted the link because I totally see what you are talking about now! I liked reading Tanning’s own words on the link as well and how she describes what (in this case) form means to her.
DeleteBrea, I had never looked at her site until now and I'm so glad I did. It reminds me to investigate artist's personal sites more frequently.
Delete(And to work on mine)
What surprised me the most was how furniture designers went back to historical references to be used in their furniture designs, yet would use nontraditional materials and techniques to change it up. They wanted to get back to technique, wanting furniture to look like furniture. Its smaller scale would also make it more easily to fit into homes, and blend with existing antiques. I have to agree with the furniture designers at this point, for the furniture of the last decade were fun and interesting, but I would not want to live with it for a life time. When I was a designer for Herman Miller, a good ¾ of our clients would want traditional wood pieces in their installations. I believe that they saw it as a status symbol of wealth and luxury, maybe part of it is due to the southern culture. Living in the high-tech area also gave me the opportunity to sell some high-tech sculptural conference tables, like the works of Wendell Castles, Never Complain, Never Explain, and Knox Bennett’s desk, Colorcare.
ReplyDeleteWhat surprised me next were the changes in glass. Chihuly’s public projects were considered impossible to determine if they were craft or art, instead it was classified as entertainment. This was due to its colossal size which made the work impersonal. It was also identified as sculptural rather than glass, and compared to paintings with its beautiful colors. Now craft is being question based on the philosophical limits of craft scale. I think that no matter the size of the art, if it is made from a traditional craft, then it is considered a craft. It is still handmade and designed by an individual. What surprised me next was that stained glass was moving away from its architectural roots to more sculptural forms. The design done by David Huchthausen, the Leitungo Scherbe #10 uses sheets of glass, cut and glued together in a sculptural form. There is not molding, or blown glass involved. He uses glass sheets such as in stained glass to create angular slabs of black glass, glued together casting shadows and adding a third dimension. Therman Statons piece chairs in Base uses sheets of glass to avoid the fluid forms and inherent loveliness of blown glass. He likes the transparency and light created by the glass, and uses iconic symbols and panting to create strong movement. What I find interesting about these two designers is that they used sheet glass. I find a personal connection with this in that I did stained glass for around 10 years. I always wanted to do more three dimensional pieces, settling for lamps, and kaleidoscopes, never thinking to glue the glass together. I often found that the lead between the glass somehow took away from the design. I never moved in this direction because It would no longer be stained glass.
What impressed me the most was how women and their role of being artists in a field that was typically dominated by men. Wendy Maruyama was one of the first women to enroll in the MFA program in furniture at the school for American Craftsmen in 1978. Her forms are abstract, often “pod or shield shaped, attached to boxes or cabinets, everything painted in deep saturated colors.”(p.385) I know I read somewhere in the book that women tend to be better at design than men in furniture and other arts. Her furniture lends its self to interaction between it and the owner. I have a whole new way of thinking about furniture from her thoughts on what furniture is. “She is sensitive to the emotional colorings of the experiences of furniture. Her cabinets and containers invite a process of discovery that engages the realm of feelings. “(p386) in the words of Virginia T. Boyd “Thus, there is always a sense of expectation when approaching a case piece. Given furniture’s central place in the home, there are plenty of opportunities to stimulate memories, play with expectations, or orchestrate experiences.” The emotional component became the main idea in studio furniture, and women were in the lead. After reading the integration, and experiences one has about their furniture. The interaction I have with my furniture I had not thought of it being a result of the design of the furniture itself, I also look at my furniture as individual pieces of art and how each make up the whole of the picture within the room. Schooled as a designer I was taught to look at furniture in this way. Judy Kensley Mckie is another furniture maker that I was awed by. She actually carved her furniture to look like various animals. She believed that “furniture would have to have a certain feeling to it ….You could see that it was made by a human being who thought a certain way.” (p386) I always thought of furniture making as being a difficult art, for I believe that there is a great deal of strength involved in carving, cutting, and assembling the pieces. These two women have encouraged me to work with wood, which for a long time I have strayed away from, for I know my husband would delight in it. One of the things I do have a difficult time with is holding the circular and jig saws for they tend to be too heavy, may different types of tools would help me with this. , for I have a difficult time holding the circular and jig saws.
ReplyDeleteWhat else impressed me was the ceramics section. There were aesthetic changes happening in the ceramics of Betty Woodman. She was considered one of the most distinctive and risk-taking ceramists of the century. Never moving away from function. She began to redefine form through the application of patterns and color, in low fire temperatures. Rudio Autio began painting Picasso type designs on his ceramics such as in his piece Pow Wow Ponies. There are also experimentation in wood firing and salt glazing. Functional pottery changes in its form and color patterns. I have done a little painting on ceramics, but would like to do more, and stretch out of my comfort zone. I watercolor, and would find it interesting to apply some of my designs to clay. I am a purest to a certain extent with clay in that I like to see the natural clay, and somewhat earthen matt colored glazes. I do not see this type of glazing dominating my ceramics, but feel like it is an area worth trying.
ReplyDeleteThe other thing that impressed me is that basketry came under the heading of weaving. Mary Jacksons Two-Lips basketry is beautiful, simple, and functional. What I admire the most is how as a woman quit her job to stay home with a sick child, but wanting to make some money took up the art that her mother and grandmother had taught her. What Else I found heart felt about this woman is that her baskets are a regionally specific African American craft, adapted by Gullah women passed down through the generations. She regards her work as a commitment to her culture, and stays within this context. I have not heard of the Gullah baskets until now, but have seen the baskets made by the shakers. There is an attention to detail and fine craftsmanship.
I have had at least three art teachers in my past (K-12) that always referred to underwater basket weaving--lol, I was always intrigued by this notion and honestly wanted to sign up for the class. I think they meant it as a joke--like "this is what we are learning now, when you are in college you can sign up for what you want, like underwater basket weaving." So anyway, I was interested to read more about basket weaving in this section about the Gullah weavers and interested to see a mention in our new book's introduction.
DeleteWeaving in general in this decade was for the most part made of the loom and sculptural in design. Normal Minkowitz’s, I can’t Touch You weaving, used crocheting, a typical women’s home craft to develop a three dimensional art work. I learned crocheting from my grandmother as a young child, and have wanted to pick it up again as of late. I never thought of it as being a weaving, but it is. You make any number of clothing and household items. I was rather interested in what stiches she used. The work of Gyongy Laky used natural elements in her works such as twigs to make word art. I still have a difficult time in thinking of this art as weaving, and not under sculpture.
ReplyDeleteI am taking away with me the fact that studio craftsman, due to societal demands, were having to become better craftsman, businessmen, and salespeople, and photographers in order to sell their work. All of these things I think should have not been new concepts for crafts people, for anyone that has a good to sale needs to have good business practices to do so. That galleries specializing in crafts were selling works at an all-time high. There were new materials being used in everything from furniture, to jewelry. Women were moving into fields typically dominated by men such as furniture, and glass blowing. That art could be wearable in the forms of art clothing, jewelry, and shoes. It was not about how they looked, but the interaction between the individual wearing it and the piece. More crafts were being purchased for architectural pieces, such as weaving and glassblowing. This chapter hits home for me in so many ways, for this was the era in which I was introduced to the art world. After this period I left the art world, and became reclusive focusing on my family. So I am excited to see what I have missed, in the next decade. Where does one learn about all of these different types of art, do you have to subscribe to several different magazines, hope that a showing comes to your town? How do I keep up?
As far as the question of how I learn, I learn in several different ways. I am what is termed as a visual spatial learner. This means that I learn through the visualization of things within my environment, for I do not learn through auditory very well, for this is why lecturing is hard for me. I need more hands on activities. Even if I have been shown how to do something I have to do it for myself several times over. I do need rules; I like to be organized in my thoughts. I know that you gave us a project this summer Future, and I kept asking for further definition of the assignment, you wanted me to run with an idea without any rules. I have to say I fretted over that, and have sense learned to be freer in my decisions. A lot of times fear keeps me from doing things that I know I am capable of. I do not like to make mistakes, for I feel that it is a direct relationship between me and my self-worth as an artist. I have found that planning helps, knowledge of techniques, and that accidents, can be happy ones. I do not give up, it depends on my mood, and time. A lot of times I will put something down and come back to it when I have figured out to do with it. I think craft began a decline, due to the cost of it, because it is still not valued as an art form, and the stigma associated with the word craft.
I also saw Laky’s work as sculptural but I also saw weaving too. I think if anything has a weft for the formation no matter what medium it is, I see it as weaving, kind of like the baskets. They are under textiles too but also sculptural…or that is what I see. Everyone looks at mediums differently.
DeleteMakers: Chapter 8
ReplyDeleteThis decade is exciting in the respect that once again style follows economic trends. The opportunities for the craftsman/artist are vastly increased due to the new attention on collecting, consuming, and conquering. The consumerism and excesses of the 1980’s created growth in the craft gallery marketplace, thus increasing demand for inventory. This cycle of consuming, creating, and inventory filling may have led to the watering down of the craftsperson’s artistry to the point where work becomes developed based on revenue and not creativity. I doubt that I would behave differently. The temptation to develop marketable work versus satisfying my personal creative drive is always a struggle. I seem to go back and forth year after year.
My Surprises: I was completely surprised that enameling reached such heights in the 1980’s. The styles of time were kind of slick and very polished in my recollection, so the organic possibilities of enameling seem incongruent with the time. Since the authors compared one enamellist to Voulkos, Chihuly, and Castle, I was compelled to look up his archive of work from that time and see if I agreed. I’m not sure if I agree, but his work is pretty great. I really liked Rebekah Laskin’s enameled brooch work, it seems more indicative of the time.
Another surprise was in studio furniture. Based on the last two chapters I thought I might develop whiplash. With all of the experimental furniture that happened in the 60’s and 70’s I suppose that fashions might dictate a severe change. Given the social and economic trends of the times (wall street culture, yuppies, and the like) I probably shouldn’t have been surprised that designers moved back to more elegance and tradition.
Impressive:
This decade is especially dear to me. I was in college during this time and remember so much of what was covered in the chapter. I remember the proliferation of craft galleries in New York, Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles. In fact a friend of my family’s owned one of these galleries. What I found most impressive about this decade was that craft artists finally became aware of mass marketing and retail promotion. In addition, a whole industry popped up to promote artists. The savviest of artists became aware of the importance of their integration of marketing, public relations, and advertising to create themselves as genre “celebrities.” The business side of being a craft/designer/artist, during this decade of globalized mass communication was even more important.
I’m also impressed that women made such strides forward in the glass blowing field. I’m glad that the 70’s did deliver a bit of equality.
I’ve actually met Paul Stankard. He is extremely low key and very sweet. I met him three years ago at a show at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. He was opening a show and I was teaching in the workshop. His work is incredible and hasn’t changed much from the picture in the book.
My Take Away:
Among the things I dislike about this decade is the new debate between what is art and what is craft. Even more frustrating is the notion that one may have more validity than the other. What began in the 50’s, with art critique and criticism becoming applied to craft, has become solidified in the 80’s. The idealist in me wants to yell and scream, “shame, shame!” While I appreciate the success that many crafts people and retailers in the genre experienced during this time, I’m a little disappointed by the level of commercialism. Although I’m a glass girl, The glass section was not very lively given the true nature of what was happening at the time. The authors could have done more with this.
One last unrelated thought! I am taking away an appreciation for the emergence of wearable textiles and the artistry that comes with them. I hadn’t realized that this was a relatively new arena for textiles.
It is funny that you say this decade was especially dear to you because the whole time I was reading the glass section I kept thinking about you and imagining what experiences you might have had in this field/decade. I know that probably sounds a little creepy since I don’t even know you personally, but just from reading your point of view throughout this class got me thinking.
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