Comments on Conceptual Metalsmithing: Metal Smith goes to Washington OR The Future of Cr...

Hi Gabriel, I really enjoyed reading this post…pl...

2009-12-17T01:15:39.475-05:00

Hi Gabriel,

I really enjoyed reading this post…please pardon the belated comment. I love the idea of creating broad national interest in promoting the crafts, and of starting a good old-fashioned K Street lobby to jump-start the funding. Let's say that someone or some group of highly motivated crafters decided to start a craft lobby in Washington...who would pay the lobbyists' salaries? The ACC? "Big Craft"? Some other craft consortium as yet uncreated and unnamed? I think that instead what the craft world needs is a more publicly accessible image boost...maybe a dramatic TV series that examines the lives of a group of up-and-coming metalsmiths, showcasing how truly cool yet challenging metalsmithing is (not to mention WHAT it is), while strategically downplaying the more tedious facets (such as countless hours spent filing and sanding)...perhaps a cross between "CSI: Miami" and "Glee,” only with less bodily fluids and singing? Sadly, I am not being facetious here. If it worked for the field of forensics, surely it could work for craft. One thing I know for certain is that the hyper-nostalgic representations of craft as presented in shows like the "Craft In America" series are NOT doing justice to the field, but I digress (that commentary is better suited to previous Craft In America posts…).

As a general rule, I tend to reject the idea of th...

2009-12-03T10:18:28.355-05:00

As a general rule, I tend to reject the idea of the seductive object as a good game plan. I think mostly it is the maker that is seduced, whether by materials or process, no matter.

The marketing of craft as seductive or sexual reifies its statues as a luxury object. Craft needs a wider audience than just the luxury market to be sustainable.

Thanks for you thoughts.

on advertisement. what about sexualizing craft? t...

2009-12-01T09:17:36.076-05:00

on advertisement. what about sexualizing craft? the tactile and sensual placed within the context of the maker or a model's body?

a lot of crafts people are pretty ripped! LOL