bethb's Diaryland Diary

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tiny corner kingdom

Weird weekend. that's all. Today tina and i went to baltimore for super-craft-girl business and also to see the ACC show and rania. Rania got into the show in the sliver of the section called 'Alt Craft'. The other vendors were one's i've seen (Little Flower design, Imogene, Astulabee, Sweetest Pepita, Your Secret Admiral) at shows. Some I've been next to even. There were a few I didn't know- one was....one was just bizzare.
See, here's the thing about craft- There's many different strata (as you'll have in any community, really) but I think there's an obvious bias toward the 'Indie/Alt Craft' (whatever you want to call it) world from the old-timers. Some people are just suited better for the Indie/Alt Craft (anthropomorhic food? alt craft. Spun glass flowers? Craft council shows.)
Sometimes there are people that straddle the line. There's a glass artist from Bklyn that we met today and her stuff is *amazing* (also- no price tags!) (more on that later maybe)She also makes (and sells) her displays which look like huge glass pill capsules or kinder-egg capsules, only with clear tops. They're really wild and beautifuly done.
I saw random prices that didn't appear to be attached to anything and with other peoples work reaching from the hundreds to thousands of dollars, it kind of gives this 'if you have to ask, you can't afford it' vibe to the scene which i don't like. If my stuff isn't priced it's because I'm dumb and a mess and was up 'til 2 the night before making stuff and i always think 'ahhhh, i can price 'em at the show' but I should break that habit. the next show i do, I will be priced and named the night before.
Ok, back to the bias- there are documented feuds between established organizations and popular 'indie crafters' whose work is amazing and garnering a lot of attention. The former claims the latter 'has no schooling in art' which is complete bunk. Yeah, schooling helps. And schooling can help you find your focus. It can also beat the passion right out of you and mislead you on another path.
Take for example, Philadelphia artist jim hauser. Jim had a number of RISD friends which gave him access to their facilities but I think, no actual RISD training. He has a language of words and symbols that he repeats and he's one of the most popular artists in Philadelphia right now. Shows at the Jonathan Levine gallery in NYC, los angeles,and I saw in an issue of Juxtapose a few months ago, a show in South America. He gets around.
My stuff isn't quite at a craftsmanship level of the ACC, but I can do "normal" craft shows like Arts on Foot and still do well because I'm not scrawling the word 'fuck!' on a deformed bunny and calling it done.
If the traditional craft world wants to exist, it needs to learn to coexist and begin thinking outside the fritted glass box. I'm not saying squares of felt-tofu carrying Obama signs will save it, but it shouldn't try so hard to pretend it doesn't exist or say 'yeah, we know you're there, just stay in this tiny corner'.

8:16 p.m. - 2009-03-01

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