emiko-o reware

Yep, next week I head back to the motherland Ohio for a special art-filled, emiko-o day at Miami University Art Museum in Oxford. A few weeks ago was the opening for the exhibition Adornment and Excess curated by Lena Vigna. The show runs through July 10 and is part of Luxury, Consumption & Excess, a larger suite of exhibitions comprised of both historical and contemporary objects that investigates the socio-cultural relationship between material goods, wealth and class. Some of My First Royal Jewels will be on display, as well as work by Harriete Estel Berman, Francesca Vitali, Kathy Buszkiewicz, Gabriel Craig, Anya Kivarkis, just to name a few.

exhibition announcement

Earlier last year, Lena co-authored with Namita Gupta Wiggers the article Mining History: Ornamentalism Revisited for Metalsmith Magazine, in which my Queen Margherita was the title image. I caught up with Lena at the recent American Craft Conference in Minneapolis last fall in the midst of my blogging for SNAG, and offered to visit during the run of the show.

Lo and behold she invited me to participate in a special round table discussion on Creativity and Sustainability that she is moderating Feb 10th, 6:00-7:30pm. Professors Mary Benedict Bonham (Dept Architecture) and Rodney Northcutt (Dept Art) will be speaking as well as Graduate Student Lisa Wilson. I’m excited to bring my experiences to the table! The event is open to the public, so please come if you’re in town.

Check out this article by Deniz Nural in Feb 2nd issue of The Miami Student (online and print) about the exhibition – my necklaces are in the accompanying photo. Can’t wait to see the show!

Well that’s it on my end blogging for the American Craft Council 2009 Conference, Creating A New Craft Council. Much thanks to SNAG for trusting Harriete Estel Berman and I in reporting via blog fashion for the SNAG membership and community at large. Also thanks to Object Fetish for promoting our endeavors.

TIP: Listen to interview with SNAG’s Executive Director, Dana Singer on blogtalkradio.com TODAY, Thursday Oct 22 @ 3pm.

Quote by Faythe Levine

This was an energized crowd that has a lot more to talk about now! I urge all attendees to bring these conversations home to your own communities, physical and virtual,  and continue the dialogue about Craft in the 21st century. Ask the hard questions, practice Tough Love.

What do you want to see happen in Craft’s near future?
What actions can we start to take to affect change?

PSST…Want to get in on the conference buzz? Wait no longer and sign up for SNAG’s 2010 Conference, Going to Extremes, March 10-13 in Houston TX.

Creating A New Craft Culture SAT 4:30 PM
Conference Conclusion: Craft as Subject, Verb, and Object
Panel discussion: moderator Sonya Clark (chair, Virginia Commonwealth University); panelists (in order of appearance, below): Stephano Catalani (curator, Bellevue Art Museum), Jean McLaughlin (director, Penland School of Crafts), Lacy Jane Roberts (fiber artist {amazing knit pink barbed wire}, writer), Andy Brayman (founder, Matter Factory), Garth Johnson (teacher, blogger, Extreme Craft, artist), Brent Skidmore (director, UNC Asheville Craft Campus Initiative, artist)

Conclusion Panel

This presentation was an unexpected highlight and perfect end to the weekend’s events, surprising in that it turned out to be a panel discussion (instead of just Sonya Clark) on how the conference went overall and people’s wish for the advancement of craft.

Sonya Clark

Earlier in the conference, Sonya handed out green Survey forms to all attendees, a yes/no questionaire of 35 questions aimed at understanding the current Direction and Definition of Craft. She collected the surveys (over half the attendees completed surveys) at the end of Friday’s sessions, tabulated the percentages, and in this panel presented us with the results, finding the questions with nearly tied yes/no answers to be the more telling.

Here are the questions voted Most Important by the attendees:
-Is the interface between craft, design, and art moving in a positive direction? Yes: 89%   No: 11%
-Should craft become the example of critical-making (parallel to critical-thinking) in our culture? Yes: 84%   No: 16%
-Do you value craft that embraces its history and then challenges it?
Yes: 72%  No: 18%
-Does craft need to expand its definition to be more inclusive?
Yes: 58%  No: 42%

Here are the questions where there was “slippage” and would be worth investigating further:
-Is the ubiquity of the craft media in the world a hindrance to its market value? Yes: 41%  No: 59%
-Has the academic craft community abandoned the traditionally educated craft community Yes: 50%  No: 50%
-Do you value the contributions of traditionally or non-academically trained artists in the field? Yes: 50%  No: 50%
-Do you see the  preservation of craft traditions as a forward-looking strategy? Yes: 45%  No: 55%
-Do you describe something as “craft” depending on the narrative of the object? Yes: 52%  No: 48%
-Does craft mean too many things to be useful? Yes: 46%  No: 54%

THE PANEL’S VIEWS
Sonya did well in choosing panel members who represented craft across many realms from museums, academia, writers, DIY and traditional crafters. She asked the panel to answer a couple of questions based on how they felt about craft now at the conference’s conclusion. Here is what they said (panelists’ remarks are labeled by their initials):

What are 2 wishes that each of you have for the Future of Craft?

SC: 1. Have more discussions..without feeling Passive/Aggressive. 2. Be more grounded in the Present, not so focused on the Future.

JM: 1. How do we have debate as a group.
2. …desire for more time for reflection, for making with wonder

LJR: Expand craft into the Humanities in schools…have it inform your making.

AB: 1. To allow & celebrate the Diversity in the field.
2. Pair Sustainability with Material Science.

GJ: 1. More engagement with Design (as seen in Europe currently).
2. Hope that craft doesn’t get defined more strictly.

BS: 1. Never entertaining the thought of craft being dead.
2. An active and engaged ACC.

What question do we need to address for the future?

SC: Keep working on this idea of Community & how it expresses the time in which we are living.

JM: More research & understanding the pulse of the artists, and what’s going to happen to artists’ estates.

LJR: How is what you’re making engaging others and how is it living these multiple lives?

AB: Reflect on how we’re spending our time and what’s really important.

GJ: Inclusivity with DIY

BS: Will future ACC conferences become a group of regional conferences? How do we build a Bridge to the Next Generation?

Creating a New Craft Culture SAT 3 PM
The Case for Conservatism with Garth Clark

I apologize for skipping over some of the weekend’s presenters; you can catch more on Natalie Chanin, Robin Petravic, Julie Lasky, and Lydia Matthews on Harriete’s blog. I may do a sound-bites post at the very end of my ACC conference reporting to include some of these folks.

Garth Clark

But time is of the essence and I’m sure you’re all chomping at the bit to hear the dirt on Garth Clark’s presentation, the title of which is elusive and a bit dull. He admitted to being a bit confused as to why he chose “The Case for Conservatism” title 9 months ago.

If you’ve done your homework in listening to (or attended) Garth’s previous controversial talk at the Museum of Contemporary Craft in Portland, OR, “How Envy Killed the Crafts Movement” (hear the podcast on MCC’s site in 2 parts, or order the transcription online through MCC), then you will have already heard the paper he read to us, “Palace and Cottage”. In the paper he urges craft makers to return to a cottage industry/grass roots model, to rebuild it from the bottom up and address social issues. He called out the classism and elitism that has been brewing between ACC and the “Craft Nation” as he refers to it. And calls out ACC on the conference’s theme, bemoaning, “Why are we looking for a NEW craft culture?” that it’s “ludicrous to be looking for something over the hill” or to “create a new Bubble” in today’s ecomony. No holds barred on accusing ACC of floundering purposeless and missionless for the last decade. I’ll admit that up until now I didn’t consider ACC anything more than a magazine, an archive, and craft shows; but there are glimmers now that it can have a new life and purpose if the desire and drive are there.

ON BURNING MAN

Burning Man

Garth cracked me up when he opened his talk about his trip to Burning Man and how he lost 10 lbs. of discarded cynicism towards craft. How incredible it was be there and experience the endless amount of amazing craft being made without [financial] agenda, from fire-breathing dragon cars to structures made from repurposed materials  (my favs have always been the Temples made from wooden puzzle refuse, see below). “I believe in a Craft Nation“, he said, but admitted that an idealized, anti-money, communal lifestyle is of course not realistic in a market-driven, capitalistic economy. He did relate BM to the DIY culture (naturally there are many cross-over groups in this comparison) in how both “take us back to the rituals of daily life; a life experience…we’ve turned craft into a gallery experience (he admits to playing a role in that during the 80s bubble).” Best to “keep the boundaries open and not be hostile“, for the DIY movement is “transient, a youth expression and certainly not a threat to the craft community at large“. Yes, maybe if we say this enough times, it will finally sink in….

Temple of Joy (photo: Maurice Fitzpatrick

THE SOLUTION
What is the next step, what can we do to Save Craft? Garth suggests Art Advocacy at the Federal level, and sooner rather than later before the federal monies are bled dry. Yes, lobbying is messy, expensive, and takes lots of organization and commitment, but we have to ask ourselves the greater question of “Can we afford to [continue to] go unrepresented [in government]?” Not only getting funding for organizations and communities, but for more protective legal rights, tax issues and ways to make running a craft studio a more viable lifestyle.

An effective advocacy model to study is what Western North Carolina and the Center for Craft, Creativity, & Design did to help save craft in that region and give craft a voice in state government. The power of the collective does work. A leader at CCCD suggest we “challenge others to step out of their studios and get involved in community.”

The great thing about Garth’s talks is that they get people riled up about something enough to continue the discussion in the outside world.  I’m a big believer in Tough Love; criticism may be painful while it’s happening, but if it’s coming from a place of genuine concern it is often just what the doctor ordered: a catalyst for change.

Creating a New Craft Culture SAT 9:45 AM
Round Table Discussion: “Riding the Long Tail”: Marketing Craft on the Internet
Namita Gupta Wiggers, moderator; Maria Thomas, Lisa Bayne, Amy Shaw, panelists

The moment was ripe for this discussion–Namita Gupta Wiggers (Museum of Contemporary Craft, Portland, OR) had brought together the CEO of Etsy–Maria Thomas, CEO of Artful.home (owned by Guild.com)–Lisa Bayne, and owner of the former Greenjeans store and webstore–Amy Shaw. Now we could get to down to the nitty gritty and hear from figureheads of 2 factions of craft. Unfortunately since Amy’s business was defunct, the questions and interest was more or less focused on the 2 CEOs. Honestly, it was a shame that this panel wasn’t given more time. None of the panels had been slotted enough time; one hour doesn’t cut it when there are 3+ voices to be heard plus audience interaction.

What the heck is a “Long Tail”, you ask? It really is a business term, referring to the curve of goods sold in a company. In the big retailers, 80% of their sales are from only 20% of goods in the store, which represents the high end of the curve. The goods that sell in lower quantities, at the low end of the curve is referred to as the “long tail”. Brick and mortar stores don’t have enough room to stock all of the long tail products, unlike websites. Research has shown that for online stores, the the total sales of these long tail products far exceeds the sales from the traditional top 20% of the curve. And what products are at this long tail end: Craft.

Maria Thomas

A few months ago I had attended an Esty Meet-up in SF, where Maria and heads of her staff invited local Etsy sellers to gather for a Q&A session. The turnout was impressive and the crowd was eager and hungry for the inside scoop. It felt like a family reunion of sorts. I was super impressed by the level of transparency in the company and especially how attentive Maria was to each question and person.

Here there wasn’t time for a proper Q&A, and now I see just how crucial it is for these craft factions to understand each other better and be properly introduced under neutral circumstances. (INSIDER TIP: the Metal Arts Guild San Francisco will be holding a one-day symposium in fall 2011 on the theme “Community”, and this may just be the springboard for such a meeting of the minds, especially since I’m in on the planning.)

I didn’t learn anything new and ground-breaking with what turned out to be a general explanation of how each company runs, but this is a hot topic right now, and it will be interesting to see how selling craft on the web evolves over the next few years.

Below are quotes by the panelists that sum up the hour:
Maria: “Esty never set out to be an expert filter [on the issue of Quality] but to help people make a living…connecting makers and buyers.”
Lisa: “DIY has been a lightening rod in the media. It’s not the only thing in craft happening today.”
Amy echoes Rob’s advice: “We all need to work together, collectively as we’re all working towards the same goals.”

Word loudly heard from the audience:”AMEN.”

Creating a New Craft Culture SAT 8:45 AM
Morning Keynote: Handmade 2.0 with Rob Walker

Rob Walker brooch by Harriete Berman

Another major reason why I plunked down serious $$$ to come to this conference: to meet Rob Walker, author of Buying In: The Secret Dialogue Between What We Buy and Who We Are (2008), and a contributing writer and columnist of Consumed for The New York Times Magazine. I had imagined him to be a hearty, super forthcoming older New York type man, but boy was I way off course. A wiry, quiet guy, much more Portland Oregon. He and Harriete Estel Berman have been in discourse (he interviewed her for his murketing.com blog–check the post; she also made his nametag in the image above), so we had the pleasure of sitting with him in the back of the room for the Friday morning presentations.

Harriete Berman & Rob Walker

His lecture was introduced as being about How Craft fit into this New Marketplace and the Broader Consumer Culture. His first remark was “I’m not sure there is a SINGLE craft culture, but craft CULTURES…the broad idea of craft is up for grabs, which is not a bad thing, it’s a good thing.” He went on to talk about his interest in the tensions of the marketplace and contradictions in consumers, like how people want to feel unique yet be a part of something bigger, and that the consumer demands the very best when they really demand the cheapest. What it really boils down to is “Am I getting my money’s worth?”

Again the issue of Quality, except in this economy quality has been trumped by Thrift and Frugality, as stated by the trend industry. Rob is quite the comedian and the mediator, as he knew from the Friday talks that we can be a touchy crowd, he often put up the slide of his super cute dog since “dogs put people in better moods” (strangely enough, this move was done by a few other presenters later on). Really though, speaking to his mediator role, his talk was perfect to start us all on the right foot for the day, as he presented a solution: it’s “good to avoid hard and fast definitions of craft, because otherwise it moves toward Exclusivity. Thus it’s a Good Time to be INCLUSIVE.” Insert ripple of applause.

ON NEW WAVE 2.0
I like this term for Indie Craft, New Wave 2.0 (reminds me of my favorite rock bands)–Rob brought to light a great observation of how supportive the indie community is towards each other, breaking the tension of Urge to Compete and Urge to Cooperate. This is something that has always struck me as well, the general open arms welcome of the makers I meet at MakerFaire and Renegade Craft Fair. But I don’t see that much of a difference in the metals community in the terms of inclusivity and sharing of information. I have remarked to students and emerging artists of how lucky we are to be a part of a creative community that helps each other for greater good of the field. It’s not cut-throat like advertising or high fashion.

THE IDEA OF STORY
Turns out that while Friday’s theme was Quality, Saturday’s theme is Story. Story is what differentiates mass produced products from craft. People value the story of the maker, the process, the concept of a piece and that’s why they shell out a little extra dough and energy to own craft. However, Rob gives it a new spin by saying, “the mistake people [i.e. makers] make is thinking the most important story is their own story but it isn’t…best when your story is relevant to others’ lives“, the story of the person you’re selling to. True, as artists we get a little tunneled visioned in our making and thinking it’s all about us, but I’ve found that my most successful pieces, whether it’s production work or exhibition pieces are the ones in which springboarded peoples’ personal experiences and nostaglia. And it’s this engaged feedback from people that motivates me to continue to make with this idea of story in mind.

Rob urges us to consider accepting multiple versions of Craft, and in doing so, become a bigger voice in the marketplace. To strive to understand each other and find common ground, and not expect the public to accept a “proper” definition of craft. Insert loud applause.

See Rob’s follow-up post here.
See what Harriete had to say here.

Finally Lunchtime, and I must say, aside from the fact I do enjoy food, in-house Lunch has been another highlight of the conference (read as TIP for future SNAG conferences, hello Seattle folks…). When it comes down to it, 1.5 hours for lunch goes by pretty fast, especially if you have to leave the building and figure your way around a new city. You grab who you know and your body and mind break from the flow of morning. However, in this case, we all just moved to the floor below and had round-table discussions riding on the amped-up energy from the previous Open Conversations, among not only people we know, but being able to include new and different faces just by nature of the room’s set up. So if you came alone or were a bit late, you could sit down with any random group without being intrusive. INCLUSIVITY–this theme pops up later…

The food was surprisingly delightful (for hotel catering) and fancy (at least on Friday, Saturday was more casual), even providing a vegetarian option (as long as you pre-requested it in your registration). Lunch served a dual purpose in being a Recognition Luncheon for the 2008 and 2009 College of Fellows and Aileen Osborn Webb Award Winners. A much more respectful way to honor recipients (as compared to when SNAG’s does it during SAT night banquets and everyone is all in party mode and distracted/ing). People paid attention, speakers were heard and acknowledged with well-deserved applause and standing ovations. True, these lunches cost money ($35 from what I gathered), but give me 2 lunches over a mediocre banquet dinner any time.

Stoney Lamar

Stoney Lamar, Awards Sub-Committee Chair, presented the awards for 2008 & 2009 (winners are featured in the Oct/Nov and Dec/Jan issues of American Craft). Cheers to Lois Moran for being awarded as an Honorary Fellow for her 43 years of service to the magazine.

LIST OF AWARDEES:

Aileen Osborn Webb Award for Philanthropy: Robyn & John Horn (2008), Paul J. Smith (2009)

Paul J. Smith

Award of Distinction for Contributions to the Field of Craft:
Helen W. Drutt English (08), Michael Monroe (09)

Gold Medalists: Paul Soldner (08), Katherine Westphal (09)

College of Fellows Inductees (08): Adela Akers, Glenda Arentzen, Tony Hepburn, Gyongy Laky, Wendy Maruyama, Toots Zynsky, Lois Moran

College of Fellows Inductees (09): Jamie Bennett, Bernard Bernstein, Louis Marak, Benjamin Moore, Carol Shaw-Sutton, Rosanne Somerson, Robert Pfannebecker

Lois Moran, right

LEGO blog pin for conference

Well, almost Live from Minneapolis; heads up reware fans, it’s time for me to blog another amazing craft conference for SNAG starting this Friday for the American Craft Council’s “Creating a New Craft Culture.” A much shorter, but still as intensely packed line-up of speakers from Oct 16-17, culminating in a Saturday night banquet (we’ll see if the  ACC attendees are as fun as the SNAG conference folks….).

SNAG home page

Check out the SNAG home page and on the right hand column in “Announcements” is a link to the ACC Bloggers, meaning me and Harriete Estel Berman. We’ll try to keep it as live as possible, so stay tuned!

So what’s the big deal about the ACC conference, you ask? Well here’s just a few names in the lineup and see for yourself:
Garth Clark (craft critic and curator), Rob Walker (NY Times columnist & author of “Buying In”), Faythe Levine (director of “A Handmade Nation”), Panel discussion led by Namita Gupta Wiggers (Museum of Contemporary Craft, Portland) on internet marketing, featuring CEOs Lisa Bayne of Artful Home and Maria Thomas of Etsy. Plus many more, but those are the ones that convinced me that flying to MN at the start of winter was a good idea. And this from a gal who’s sworn off snow…. Read more about the speakers, program and blog articles related to on the ACC site.

Just finished unpacking and repacking, having returned from a whirlwind month in NYC, London, and Greece. More next week about the cool UK jewelers, London exhibitions, as well as my talks at Syracuse University (my Top Ten Tips for Post Grad Success will be expanded upon here soon, promise) and at Museum of Arts & Design, NYC. I’m such a tease, I know.

Must go and pack my face mask for today’s many airplanes, and maybe nap….