That's right everyone get ready for all the holiday art fairs, sales, bazzars and open houses. Supporting your local artists is always important, and what better way to share holiday cheer than by buying custom, hand made art. So where should you go to support your local artists? Well it depends on what you want? There are generally two kinds of "products" you can buy this time of year, one I would term art and the other I would term a craft or crappy-commodity. I know your thinking that the boundary between high and low art has been abolished, so why is he making a comparison between art and craft. Fyi, I am not against craft by any means, frankly I believe engaging your self in any kind of creative endeavor makes you a more realized person and I support it. However, I do believe art and craft have different intentions, and I am simply interested in acknowledging the difference between, oh I don't know... lets say an installation artist and a wreath-maker. So lets take a closer look.
This is what I generally term as craft: wreaths, little angels, manger scenes, model train landscapes, most jewelry, stockings, some ceramics, doilies, ginger bread houses...I think you get the point. If that is the stuff you want then go to the UC Art Fair...not sure when it is and don't care. Now it is possible that all those things I mentioned have the potential to not be a crappy commodity and can transcend into meaningful works of art, but it certainly depends. One thing I generally say about this concept is "Construction workers make things all the time but nobody is out there screaming they're artists." So ultimately I term craft as something that its goal is to be an object with, generally, mainstream content that is produced specifically for sale. These generally include functional objects, or something to adorn yourself or your home with and generally lack in deeper meaning and/or creativity. Art, in my opinion, challenges you, strives for non-object-hood, is usually one-of-a-kind, provides a creative perspective and generally does not have a function other than as a communicator of meaning or as an artwork.
Of course there are always exceptions as the boundary between art and craft is thankfully not concrete. I love artists that provide a fresh view of art and craft or use traditional crafting methods to create works of art. This challenging of traditional materials and techniques gives meaning to objects whether it is a wreath or an installation. There are some great artists in Missoula making great art right now using techniques and materials typically associated with craft, such as Courtney Blazon's merchandise, Patricia Thornton's stuffed Mannys and x-mas tree ornaments, grad student Kathryn Snugg's fabric paintings, and not to mention the entire Tsunami store showing us that toys are effing awesome.
So if you want some artwork this weekend then I suggest you stop by the Ceretana, Tsunami, the Brunswick Building, and the Clay Studio for awesome ceramics. December 13th at the ZACC and the Stensrud the Missoula Made Fair boasts 100% local, hand made goods. Dec. 10, 11, and 12 there is the UM Christmas Student Ceramic Sale where one can generally find high quality and affordable ceramics. Accompanying the student sale is a ceramic art show for those slightly less functional and absurd student artworks. I am sure I am missing something that is awesome, so keep you eyes out for good, locally-made art. Art is not just a hobby it is work too, so support your local artists and the economy!
No comments:
Post a Comment