These are from Heather.
and these two are from Eli.
Thanks, ladies!This week's discussion is my favorite one to think about before I go to sleep at night. Yes, my dork is showing.
Do you feel knitting is a craft or an art form? Why?I actually devote a whole section of my thesis to just this question and never really answer it. Richard Rutt (2003), the author of A History of Hand Knitting says,
“Knitting is best called a craft. It serves life and is relatively ephemeral. It gets worn and wears out. It can be expensive but is almost never precious. Its structure is more limiting than the structures of tapestry and embroidery. Therefore knitting is widely practiced by non-professionals and tends to be a peoples craft. There in lies much of its interest and the fascination of knitting history (p. 25)”I agree with elements of this analysis of knitting as a craft but I find it limiting. I think knitting can straddle the (/) between art / craft, sometimes with both needles planted firmly on one side or the other. However, that is my contemporary assessment and it comes on the heels of a long history of knitting as a practical, social activity. There are also the sticky issues of gender, class, and culture.
“Etymologically ‘art’ has a Latin root and ‘craft’ an Old English root. Both words mean the same thing: skill. The distinction between ‘artist’ and ‘artesian’ is modern. It was not fixed till the end of the eighteenth century, during which the idea of ‘fine arts’ first emerged, and the cult of ‘artistic inspiration’ was developed” (Rutt, 2003, p. 25).As the cult of artistic inspiration was on the rise there were forces of gender, class, ethnicity, and religion, at work driving a wedge deeper between art and craft. Art consisted of painting, sculpture, and drawing; was the realm of white, European, upper class, educated, Christian men; and became the dominant researched subject. Craft consisted of weaving, sewing, woodworking, and ceramics; was the realm of lower class, uneducated women and men who may or may not be of color or of different religions; and was unworthy of rigorous research. Rosika Parker (1989) underscores this separation:
“The art/craft hierarchy suggest that art made with thread and art made with paint are intrinsically unequal: That the former is artistically insignificant. But the real differences between the two are in terms of where they are made and who made them” (p. 5, emphasis is author’s).Currently, there are multiple examples of artists taking up the needles and knitters tapping into the art scene. Even after all my research and reading I still don't have a definitive answer. What do you think? Art? Craft? Both? Neither?
I think that this, as with most things included in the "is this art" debate, is a matter of purpose. That is a grand way of saying, it depends.
ReplyDeletePaint, in the hands of a five year old, is a masterpiece only to that child's parents and their respective refrigerator. However paint is also used to create "ART." The medium has not changed, but the purpose has.
When I am making a gift for someone, especially in my "beginning knitter" state I consider it a craft. This may have something to do with the fact that it is something that they will wear, and my brain doesn't equate visual art with wearable items (I am not including runway fashion in this statement, but seriously who really WEARS that stuff??).
When I am viewing the knitted projects for aids, soldiers, or the project we are all currently participating in: it is art. The reason for these projects are beyond functionality and therefore more than a craft.
I'm going to wrap this one up with a big 'ole:
IN MY HUMBLE OPINION
Kniting is both art and craft. The skills required to craft a garment or other object, are a perfect match for the artful eye that can arrange color and pattern, creating a finished object that is both beautiful and useful! It's a marriage made in yarn stashes everywhere, and neither art nor craft has the upper hand in the relationship. Rather, they work together, composing beautiful music in a very visual and tactile world!
ReplyDeleteKnitting is an art and a craft for me. It is an art because I use a skill that was acquired by observing others, mainly my Grammy. It is a craft because I use that skill I learned to produce a knitted item.
ReplyDeleteI think knitting can be both. The process of deciding which yarn and which pattern to use is probably the creative part. Some knitters make up their own patterns and take liberties with existing patterns also.
ReplyDeleteThe actual knitting seems like the craft part. But many kinds of art are "process heavy" - metals, ceramics, printmaking, photography and those mediums are definitely art.
So I guess you could make an argument either way.
For me knitting started out as a craft, the day I decided to try my hand at designing and actually designed something that was well received it became an art form for me. Since I can't draw a straight line, or understand shadowing, etc, I was pleased as punch to know I could create art with textiles.
ReplyDeleteI think what I do with knitting constitutes a craft. Crafting being something everyone given time , inclination and practice can do. In the hands of some people , like my friend grace above, when they use yarn to design it is pure art. I will always be, and enjoy being a fiber craftsman. I will never be , and am ok with this, a fiber artist. Much like both I and Tiger Woods play golf, what I do will never be comparable to Tiger.
ReplyDeleteOn behalf of Stefanie:
ReplyDelete"i'd have to say craft, but i think there is definitely an artistic, creative element to knitting - some knitted items are more utilitarian and pragmatic than others, but there are some finished items that are so beautiful that you couldn't call them anything but art. in high school and college, i wrote, drew, painted - basically anything artistic - to have a creative outlet. but i was frustrated that there was no point to creating my art once i was done with it - it seemed so static hanging on the wall, and it never turned out the way i wanted it to, so it just became more and more frustrating and less satisfying. then i discovered knitting. i could be creative, i could do my own thing, and i could manipulate a yarn or a pattern to look exactly how i wanted it to - and then when i was done, i could wear it or give it to someone else to enjoy. and so the addiction began..."
I think the problem with this question is that first you have to decide what the definition of "art" is. I don't think this is an easy question to answer. First of all, there are many different ways to use the word. If we are using "art" to mean creative practice, then knitting qualifies. If it means decorative product, then it qualifies in a lot of cases. I think, though, that we are probably talking about the usage that delineates "high" art from craft or the general practice. I think for an object to be art in that sense its primary purpose is not utilitarian. It has aesthetic value, but not necessarily "prettiness." It should be thoughtful/thought provoking and achieve some sort of commentary or exploration of some idea visually. Technical skill or virtuosity is not the main focus of the piece. In those terms, I don't think most knitting qualifies. It could, but it doesn't most of the time.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that makes knitting less valuable. Craft is a wonderful thing in its own right. I think it is much more satisfying and in many ways more valuable. The problem is that we place a high value on the label "art" and not on "craft." Why should something be less valuable because its primary function is to be beautiful and useful?
I have more or less given up drawing because knitting is so much more satisfying. I like the physicality of drawing, but the product isn't all that satisfying, even when it is good. You just hang it up and look at it. Knitting doesn't have that same physical/mental/emotional euphoria as drawing, but it has its own blissful, soothing rhythm. I love the act of creating something useful with my hands. I don't do knitted art, I just practice the craft, and I like it that way.
On behalf of Ingrid:
ReplyDelete"Both! Craft (as in a skill) is needed to knit to make art from pointy sticks and string, after all."
I think it depends on the knitter. For some it is a craft- done without much thought or input. For others it is art- meshing a pattern with fibers for a particular outcome. The science of knitting is changing as new and different fibers are available for use. New techniques are now being explored by knitters and the internet allows the sharing of this information to a wide audience.
ReplyDeleteI think of knitting as both. Knitting is a craft for people that knit just to knit but don't see it as anything else. Knitting as an art is for people that see their knitting as a way to express themselves. My example of knitting as an art form is when you create your own patterns to fit your needs. You use colors and textures to express yourself.
ReplyDeleteMy concern in the quote by Richard Rutt is what is his definition of a professional and a non-professional.....
On first instinct, I'm going with the ART answer here. To me the definition of art is CREATION and in knitting we are creating. We create fabric, we create garments, we create toys, or flowers. There can be a whole creative process from picking a pattern, to designing one. YOU get to choose what you want to use. Be it yarn from lace to bulky to roving or other materials. Recently, BrooklynTweed used recycled sweaters to make a snazzy sweater vest. A lady I met in Pittsburgh a few months ago makes a gazillion "purses" out of plastic grocery bags.
ReplyDeleteTo me, it's no different than a painter choosing their medium from oils, watercolors, or guache. Then they choose what they are painting on, canvas, walls, stone and what they are painting with brushes, knives, etc. I put knitters in this same group-Artists.
But then... I think about a carpenter. Is s/he a craftsperson or an artist... the answer of BOTH comes to mind. They create something out of wood, thereby my definition ART=CREATION and it is also craft. It takes skill and knowledge and can be sold... oh wait, so does knitting.
I guess what it comes down to is the final application of knitting. What is the knitting for? Is the garment to be an expression of one's self, a gift or are you cranking out knitwear to sell?
For me, knitting is mostly art but does cross the line into the craft 'zone'.