This was published earlier this year but I wanted to point it out. The article is about the use of the human figure in contemporary craft. It started out to be exclusively about Newfoundland craft but I came to realize that in speaking to a national audience I would have greater success if I contextualized our art and craft nationally. I would secure a greater readership and probably do our community here a greater service both in terms of the theoretical understanding and the promotional aspects. If I had to summarize the article I would say that clay is often seen as a stand-in for human flesh or the body - think of the creation of Adam from clay- and textiles is our second skin, that which separates us or mediates between us and society. Craft media allow makers who are interesting in exploring the human condition a metaphoric advantage over painters and sculptors in stone.
I first noticed the trend towards the human figure in 2007 while visiting the Craft Council Gallery's Celebrate Craft show, which I reviewed for the Visual Arts Nova Scotia. Later on I was able to build on that insight with an artists panel that included J.C. Bear, Reed Weir, Janet Peter, Isabella St. John and Kevin Coates. I also wrote a lead story called Figuring Us Out about these particular makers for Studio magazine –that's when I realized how much intellectual meat there was in the theme. So, it became important for me to write about it for an academic audience and do some disciplined thinking about. That required a research grant. What is worth noting about all of this is that it demonstrated for me how to develop a project or theme. Keep it growing.
Here's a link to the Craft Journal, which is bilingual as reflected in their title.
No comments:
Post a Comment