Last Wednesday 11th May leaders of the UK craft world came together to discuss issues or craft skills training and how to address them, it was an inspiring and positive day. We had over 100 delegates mostly chairs of the various craft organisations from the weavers spinners and dyers, basketmakers and craft potters to blacksmiths and the Royal College of…
Sir Christopher Frayling was chair of the Arts Council from 2004-9 but before that stint he was chair of the Crafts Study Centre for over 20 years. He has just published a new book “On Craftsmanship” I have ordered it and await eagerly. This is a speech he gave at the Crafts Study Centre 7 May 2009 “I was…
Everyone has a rough idea what craftsmanship is but I want to delve a little deeper and see if we can pin it down. I am hoping my blog readers will help by contributing in the comments. I recently watched a wonderful film about a guy who commissioned his dream bicycle using parts made in some of the best workshops…
Meet Dietrich a German Journeyman. His odd costume tells those in the know that he is a fully trained craftsman traveling and looking for work to broaden his experience. In Germany folk instantly recognise this and so it makes life easy to get lifts when hitchiking or folk will simply offer him food and lodgings in exchange for some work.…
We all know that as a country we have to tighten our belt and spend less. In Jeremy Hunt’s first speech as Culture Secretary he said he could assure the arts community that it would not be a soft option for cuts though he also wanted to promote American style philanthropy within the art world. There is now a bit…
Back in April after a day breaking stones for a new footpath I wrote asking if hard work was good or bad. Jeff one of my blog readers in the US mentioned a new book by Matthew Crawford. “Shopcraft as Soulcraft:An Inquiry into the Value of Work” It was not out in the UK so I ordered it from the…
I wanted to do a quick blog post to publicise what I expect will be an interesting Crafts Council event in London next Tuesday 22nd June. Some may think that Assemble will just be a talking shop but there are many intellectual craftspeople who enjoy a bit of brain work mixed with their hand work. As John Brown said in…
In the UK traditional crafts fall outside the remit of all government support agencies. We do not fit in the innovative artistic remit of the Crafts Council and English Heritage’s remit is buildings and monuments. This leaves traditional basketmakers, sievemakers, Sheffield folding knife makers, country potters, weavers and anyone else making traditional functional craftwork without an agency to promote and…
I just found out about this organisation in Slovakia and they have a nice English website which is worth a few minutes browsing. “Creating utility and decorative items according to old patterns or according to one´s creative ideas is a very attractive form of free time activity. It is the reason why ÚĽUV promotes the crafts courses for adults and…
Very busy and behind with work at the moment but lots of interesting things which would be nice to share when I get time. Today I just wanted to share a few thoughts on wabi sabi. Ever since Bernard Leach went to Japan and wrote about Japanese aesthetics there has been great interest in the Japanese ideas about beauty. I…
