I recently attended a large Arts & Crafts show in Vernon, BC. It is touted as the largest such show in Western Canada with approximately 400 exhibitors.

There was everything there from beautiful, superbly crafted items of pottery, magnificent quilted wall hangings, to some ridiculous little plastic replicas of the characters on the Simpsons TV show (have these people not heard about copyright laws??). From the sublime to the ridiculous. Unfortunately, there were not a lot of paintings.

This really gave me food for thought as to where the line is between ’art’ and ’craft’. What makes it art, who decides what is art, and in the end, does it even matter?

It became apparent to me that many people (most people probably) have a need to do something creative. Some of us take it very seriously and become painters, potters, etc. while others do it for fun. They put together cute little items, sometimes very ingenious and unexpected items, and create something new, that is either useful and just nice to look at. That makes them feel good. We all get a feeling of accomplishment from creating something useful or beautiful, whether it be cookies, or doilies, or a sculpture or painting.

In my view, if you create something that is beautiful, inventive, different, something new, you are being creative. But it is art? For it to be art, it has to touch you, move you in some way. That makes it art. I see a lot of pottery that is functional and well done, and then I see some that takes my breath away by its beauty. It’s still functional but it sings to me. That is art. It might not end up in a museum, but it’s art to me.

A crafter who repeats a pattern that he has learned from a book or from someone else, is skillful. A crafter who makes his own patterns and invents new pieces, is creative. A crafter who manages to create a piece that touches me, and makes me go ’wow’, is an artist.

In the end, I think it comes down to 3 things: originality, creativity, and impact. But whatever it is, creating fulfills a basic human need. It gives value to our efforts, it makes US feel valuable, it adds value to our lives.

Suzette

"Shall I tell you what I think are the two qualities of a work of art? First, it must be indescribable, and, second, it must be inimitable." (Pierre-Auguste Renoir)