The Line Between Art and Craft
I found this video on the TedEd website (TedTalks educational series of lessons rather than talks) fascinating. Because being able to deem certain work as art versus craft gives the creator a frame work through which to price and market their work as well as offering a certain status for those deemed artist, there have been many a long debate on this subject. What most people probably don’t realize is that the idea of being an artist rather than just a skilled craftsperson is a relatively new concept for mankind, and in some parts of the world is still not a widely used concept.
This short 5 minute video goes over the history of the concept of art and how we might define craft versus art. I was not surprised at the conclusion but it does very succinctly illustrate the problem with trying to create a black and white definition. (Click on the image to get to the video.)
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Thank you Sage, very interesting Ted talk (great animation also). I haven’t really thought about the verbage, but I do believe many of us have difficulty calling ourselves “artists”. Personally, “innovation” is the perfect word to describe my goal in moving from a crafter to an artist… But I also find nothing wrong with the description of “crafter”. Your blog is always interesting – thank you for your hard work!