Last December I posted a youtube video about Craft Scotland's national campaign, the "C" word. In the post I thought aloud how great it would be if we, in America, were to replicate some sort of nationally distributed media campaign in support of craft.
So last night I am sitting in a movie theater in Detroit – my stint in Texas is over – when this advertisement comes onto the screen. "The things that make us Americans are the things we make." I was floored. I thought this was at last the long awaited, not so highly anticipated national campaign for craft. In fact it was not. It was a Jeep commercial. An infinitely better argument for craft than the Craft Scotland "C" word spot, the jeep commercial appeals to cultural trends in self-sufficiency (DIY) on the left, nationalism on the right, and our desires as consumers for community, quality and utility.
To the new executive director of the American Craft Council, Chris Amundsen: This is how you bring craft back into the fore in this country, with grandiose romanticism. I hope you are paying attention because even though the council just moved to Minneapolis it looks like it will be Detroit Craft City.
As Always Comments Welcome,
-Gabriel
Posts
