[Jewelry making - Article 00216] - Re: [Orchid] a new way to market jewelry

[LSHancock]

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    There was a time, oh say a century or so ago, that it was easy to
    tell the difference between an artist and a craftsperson.  Artists
    made purely non-utilitarian objects, craftspeople made functional
    items, even if the function was only to be decorative.  Then the
    line began to blur;  those traditionally seen as artists began to
    find it less stigmatizing to create decorative work, and as industry
    took over the role of the traditional craftsperson, craftspeople
    started making work that was less functional and more artistic. 

    Today, just about anyone who brings some creativity and skill to
    their work can call themselves an artist.  We no longer require a
    university, governmental entity, museum or patronage system to
    anoint a person with the title "artist."  It has perhaps sullied the
    term somewhat, but I prefer it.  

    In regard to art, I agree with the Supreme Court jurist, who
    pronounced that even though he couldn't define pornography he "knew
    it when he saw it."  I think we all have seen work that we know in
    our hearts is art, we don't need someone to tell us that it is. 
    Equally, we have seen work foisted on us by museums that creates a
    great deal of debate as to whether or not it is art.  

    The fact is that craft shows and galleries don't necessarily look
    for artists either.  They are much more likely to choose people who
    are professional and reliable in their field, and therefore a good
    reflection on them, as they are to choose someone who is an
    "artist."  So, it is up to the individual viewing the work
    themselves to decide whether or not a person is an artist.  This is,
    I think, probably one of the unique things that America has done in
    the history of western art.  

    So, you can be an artist who is a craftsperson, or a craftsperson
    who is an artist.  But you could just as easily be a non-artistic
    craftsperson, more akin to a tradesperson who exhibits no creativity
    in their work, or an artist with little ability in their craft, such
    as a designer who can design great work but has little or no ability
    to make it.  Perhaps in your post you mistake the word "artisan" for
    "artist"?  In the traditional sense of the word, an artisan is a
    person who does work associated with art, but not the creative work
    itself.  An artisan, for example, would be the person in the foundry
    who creates the rubber mold (a specialized technical job that may
    require artistry to perform it and is crucial to the work but not
    seen as a part of the creative process) of a sculpture that an
    artist (who has little or no desire to learn this specialized task
    apart from having enough knowledge to understand it's impact on
    their work) has created.  

Larry  


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