978-0205677207 Chapter 14

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Chapter Fourteen: The Crafts as Fine Art

CHAPTER OVERVIEW

• Ceramics

• Glass

• Fiber

• Metal

• Wood

Works in Progress

Peter Voulkos’s X-Neck

The Critical Process

Thinking about The Crafts as Fine Art: Martin Puryear’s Ladder for Booker T.

Washington

CHAPTER OBJECTIVES

This Chapter Will:

• define and distinguish between craft and fine art

• identify and illustrate methods and types of ceramics

KEY TERMS

craft potter’s wheel shoshin mixed media

ceramics earthenware rumal collage

firing stoneware weaving photomontage

glaze porcelain warp/weft installation

MyArtsLab RESOURCES

Closer Look: Faith Ringgold, Tar Beach

Primary Source Document: Benvenuto Cellini (1500–1571) – Artists on Art

Studio Technique Video: Ceramics

Interactive Flashcards

1. More on the Third Dimension

Chapter 14 examines the creative approach to the crafts as fine art. As in Chapter 13,

2. Craft or Art?

Differentiating between craft and art is difficult, and classification into one category or

another is sometimes controversial. Craft objects are traditionally thought of as those

created for utilitarian purposes. In the 20th century, the crafts lost their traditional

association with functionality. In many ways, craft artists, like fine artists, were able to

3. Clay

The process of creating ceramics is one that invites variation of technique from the early

stage of constructing a form to the type of glazing applied, to the type of kiln the work is

fired in. If at all possible, make arrangements to visit a ceramic studio to see actual

4. Glass

Glass is one of the most ancient materials made by heating sand or silica until it becomes

liquid. Investigate the properties associated with glass and how artists expressively

manipulate these materials. Paperweights, vases, pitchers…the list can go on and on of

the various forms and functions of glassware created for utilitarian purposes. But what

about glass sculptures? Modern artists began to see the possibilities inherent in glass and

5. Fiber

Fiber arts include many different materials, derived from natural materials, and

techniques traditionally thought of as craft skills. Needlepoint, embroidery, weaving,

knitting, and crocheting are examples of fiber-based, utilitarian, craft forms, some of

which have crossed boundaries and are defined as fine art. One such example from the

6. Metal

The most durable, and most precious, of the craft media are the metals. Often used for

items used daily, such as eating utensils, metals are also used for objects of adornment.

7. Wood

Because of its availability and ability to replenish itself, wood has been a cost-effective

and readily used material by artisans. Unfortunately, because it is vulnerable to the

elements of nature and general wear and tear, very few wooden artifacts have survived

from ancient cultures. Wood is a warm, texturally pleasing medium and is mostly used

CRITICAL THINKING: More Opportunities to Think about Art

1. Works in Progress: Peter Voulkos’s X-Neck

Peter Voulkos’s X-Neck (figs. 418) is yet another example in this chapter of an artist who

works in a traditional craft media, and uses that media to create fine art sculptures.

2. Works in Progress: Fred Wilson’s Mining the Museum

New York artist Fred Wilson is internationally renowned for “intervening” in traditional

museum exhibitions to expose their underlying cultural assumptions—particularly in

regards to race and ethnicity. His work often forces museums to reexamine their roles as

“keepers of culture,” and encourages visitors to be aware of historical and cultural facts

that traditional museum displays seldom address. He is influenced by his diverse

3. Thinking about Other Three-Dimensional Media: Ann Hamilton’s ‘a round’

Sculpture is more participative than two-dimensional media because the viewer must

walk around sculpture, or through it, and the experience of it changes as the point of view

changes. As contemporary artists present us with more and more innovative uses of

space, and challenge our senses as we participate in the viewing experience, we engage in

the silence, hence the work’s title. Between them, an extraordinary length of white yarn

was stretched in a wide horizontal band, which is gradually unraveled by a woman who

sits knitting a white shawl, in the middle of the room. What is sculptural about this

space? How is the viewing experience of this work comparable to that of a performance

piece? Contrast the experience of this work with a more traditional sculpture such as

Michelangelo’s David. Be sure to refer to the detailed analysis of this work, which

answers many of the questions posed, found in the back of the textbook.

4. Martin Puryear’s Ladder for Booker T. Washington

Sculpture is more participative than two-dimensional media because the viewer must

walk around sculpture, or through it, and the experience of it changes as the point of view

changes. As contemporary artists present us with more and more innovative uses of

space, they challenge our senses as we participate in the viewing experience. Puryear’s

Ladder purposely plays upon this experience of space by the use of what he called

1. In the Round

In the discussion of sculpture in-the-round in Chapter 13, we noted that one of its

characteristics is that it is an active as opposed to passive medium—more precisely, it

2. The Value of Craft

Give students these directions for an essay: Identify the various types of craft-oriented

and their value within your civilization.

3. Ceramic Production (see the Studio Technique Video on MyArtsLab)

Visit a ceramic studio to witness ceramists throwing clay on a wheel. Interview the

ceramist and ask questions to their philosophy concerning ceramics and how they acquire

4. Glass Factory Tour

Assign students to visit websites of major glass production studios such as Corning,

Lalique, Steuben, and the Pilchuck Glass School co-founded by glass artist Dale Chihuly.

HANDS-ON PROJECTS

1. Ceramic Forms

2. Metalsmithing

Research the jewelry of an ancient culture and recreate it using copper wire. This

simplification of what will probably be an elaborate ancient piece will modernize the

3. Fiber Art

Using twigs, rags, and other natural fibers, weave a non-functional fiber tapestry.

Consider the unity of the piece as you select your weaving materials. Use a large piece of

Other Suggested Websites:

Magdelena Abakanowicz’s sculptural images are provided at

For Laurie Anderson links, history, and images, visit the Homepage of the Brave at

by PBS that profiles diverse work by many established and emerging contemporary

artists working in the United States. The site is comprehensive, with artists’ biographies,

links, video clips, slide shows, lesson plans, and other resources. Included artists from