| Every once in awhile, my high school art teacher would make predictions about an impending craft revival that would surely follow on the heels of the increasing technological advances and gadgetry in our lives. It turns out that he may have been right.
From craft fairs to fine art exhibitions, online marketplaces to silk-screened T-shirts and revolutionary knitters, craft is finding its way into the hands of an increasing number of consumers and practitioners. While some would position this renewed interest in handmade objects as a backlash against technology, it seems more likely that craft’s popularity will continue to grow alongside our gadgets – knitted iPod cozy, anyone?
This year, craftspeople, galleries, museums and colleges across Canada will be hosting over 500 conferences, events, panels and exhibitions in conjunction with Craft Year 2007, a festival organized by the Canadian Craft Federation. Calgary is no exception, with numerous opportunities in the coming months for Calgarians to experience and learn about craft.
The Alberta College of Art and Design recently played host to the Invisible/Visible (I/V) symposium, a three-day event from June 10 to 12. The symposium was born out of a desire to showcase the local craft scene and provide an opportunity for craft practitioners and enthusiasts from Western Canada to gather, learn and exchange knowledge. The I/V symposium included a range of panels, academic papers, demonstrations and information sessions. The conference organizers included sessions that focused on the technical aspects of craft production and marketing alongside those that provided opportunity for theoretical discussion and analysis.
If craft is indeed growing in popular appeal, there will be a corresponding need for crafters and theorists alike to consider the position that craft occupies, including its relationship to art, technology, activism and global markets. Ongoing discussion through conferences and symposia like these will be crucial in framing a contemporary understanding of craft objects and practices.
The keynote speaker for the symposium, artist Peter Powning, spoke at length during his address about ways that craft-based work can play a role in building and supporting sustainable lifestyles, stressing the importance of local communities. Links between craft and political or social issues are on the rise, showing that craftspeople are eager to use their work as a means to participate in discussions beyond the traditional parameters of their field.
ACAD will also host the Craft Organization Development Association (CODA) conference from June 14 to 17, with delegates attending from various craft organizations from across the U.S. and Canada. This represents the first time this annual conference will take place outside of the U.S., and suggests that the buzz around Craft Year 2007 may well be providing increased attention and exchange around Canadian craft.
In conjunction with these two conferences, galleries throughout Calgary are showing craft-based work. Seven of these exhibitions are at ACAD, in the Illingworth-Kerr Gallery and in the Main Mall space. Running until June 17, most of these exhibitions focus on particular craft mediums, including glass, ceramic, jewelry and metals, fibre, woodwork or printmaking. These exhibitions gather a broad sampling of the various craftspeople and works from within the Albertan and Canadian craft scenes. Also at ACAD is the student exhibition Base Elements in the Marion Nicoll Gallery that showcases the work of several up-and-coming craft artists.
Other exhibitions include All About Alberta at the Nickel Arts Museum (University of Calgary); Belonging: A Place for Everyone at the Glenbow Museum; Brendan Tang’s Through the Gilded Looking Glass at The New Gallery; Telling Tales: Celebrating the Narrative at Dashwood Galleries; Celebrating Craft Year 2007 at Collage Gallery; Archiving Beauty at Influx Jewellery Gallery; and Brahms to Broadway at Centennial Gallery.
While much of Craft Year 2007 is taking place within more formal and institutional spaces, a new generation of crafters is finding alternative ways to create, display and sell their work. Often emerging out of a DIY esthetic, this indie craft scene has spawned numerous fairs, sales, home parties and small boutiques that are bringing craft-based work to increasingly diverse audiences.
Independent sales and groups like the Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago, Crafty Wonderland in Portland, Art vs. Craft in Milwaukee and the Craft Mafia are but a few examples. There is even an indie craft documentary in the works, a project to document the scope of this growing movement and the people involved. These sales often emphasize the role of local producers and economies, and market themselves as alternatives to mass-produced goods or big-box stores.
Indie crafters are also increasingly using the Internet as a tool for showing and selling their work. Online craft marketplaces like Etsy.com offer an affordable, accessible space for craft sellers to put their work online. The site has grown exponentially since its launch in June 2005, with dozens of categories and hundreds of sellers.
However, there is a difference between buying something online from someone halfway across the continent and buying craft from local sales and producers. Alberta has its own growing indie craft scene: The Royal Bison Craft and Art Fair was held in Edmonton this May, and Calgary’s New Craft Collective has been holding sales since 2004. A new Calgary craft sale, Made in Canada, will be launching on June 23 at the Carpenters Union Hall, and will continue to run as a monthly event on the third Saturday of every month. The sale will feature local designers and artists, as well as live entertainment.
The sale is the brainchild of local artist Kari Woo (a founding member of the New Craft Collective). Woo was interested in creating an "alternative to retail boutiques or galleries," and providing a regular space for local craft artists to show and sell their work. She points out that these independent sales encourage interaction between maker and buyer, allowing the buyer to learn more about what they’re purchasing and how it is made.
When asked whether Calgary is a good market for this kind of craft sale, Woo says that the response here has been very positive and often better than in larger cities like Toronto or Vancouver. She points out that "Calgary is a blank canvas right now with lots of room for cultural events and (crafts) to be received with excitement and new eyes."
CRAFTY RESOURCES
· Exhibitions: (www.acad.ab.ca/iv_exhibitions.html)
· Conferences and events: Invisible/Visible Symposium (www.acad.ab.ca/iv.html);
Craft Organization Development Association (www.codacraft.org);
Craft Year 2007 (www.canadiancraftsfederation.ca/craft_year_2007)
· Indie Craft: Indie Craft Documentary (www.artvscraft.com/indiecraft(11).html);
Etsy.com (www.etsy.com);
Crafty Wonderland (www.craftywonderland.com/);
Renegade Craft Fair (www.renegadecraft.com/);
Craft Mafia (www.craftmafia.com/);
Made in Canada (http://calgaryartistsmarket.blogspot.com) |
Copyright ©2007 FFWD. All rights reserved.