Thursday, July 3, 2008

Is it Art or is it a Craft?

I’ve always wondered how we distinguish “art” from “craft.” They both refer to objects created by humans with their hands. They both require skill or talent. But where do we draw the line and know which is art and which is handcrafted? I decided to do as I often do these days - I checked Wikipedia.

After I searched for each word (art, craft), the answer was simple. Why I didn’t think of it myself is beyond me. There are probably those of you out there who are slapping their foreheads at my stupidity. However, I feel I would have been stupid to avoid checking, and smart to add to my knowledge.

Art is a handmade item if it stimulates our senses.
Crafts refer to handmade items that satisfy a practical purpose.

See how simple it is? Now I understand why some items I’ve seen, even free-form crochet hanging on a wall, is considered “art” rather than a “craft.”

This is great. I realize now that I have several pieces of handcrafted art. An long-time interent friend once made me a round crocheted piece with kitties in a circle, using shaded colors to simulate calico cats (I had one at that time) and then framed it in an embroidery hoop. That was 10 years ago, at least. I still have it on my wall.

Another friend took some motifs from fabric, cut them carefully (they were angels), and set them, too, in embroidery hoops, embellished with eyelet lace. More art. This is fun. Now I’ve got to start creating some handcrafted art of my own.

Dear Father, thank you for the curiosity you have given me and the desire to explore ideas.

No comments: