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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
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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
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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
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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
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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:
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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
Suggested Videos and DVDs:
Dale Chihuly: River of Glass, 2004
Chihuly Over Venice, 1998 (90 minutes)
Sister Wendy’s Pains of Glass, 2001 (58 minutes)
Traditional Art of Japanese Pottery, 2004 (13 minutes)
Maria: Indian Pottery of San Ildefonso (27 minutes)
