I think I made a successful first run at glass, I am very happy with my blown mold brains and spinal cord. I am very excited to put them together and have a final piece to show. I did not like working with the sheet glass, there were just to many issues for me. I found my experience working with glass very frustrating because I found myself feeling very useless at times because there was nothing more we could do but watch them hit our molds or pour the glass. It would have been a bit more interesting if we could have been involved more in those aspects. I feel that I only learned a little bit about what glass can really do, but that’s hard in a 7 to 10 week span. I would defiantly like to learn more about glass blowing and even the blow molds. So I really hope they are able to get the glass blowing class up for us soon. I think that would really be interesting as far as my style of work goes. I’ve always had an appreciation for glass as a craft but now I think I have even more respect for it as a craft and the craftsman.

Kelly Johnston

working with glass

I really enjoyed working with glass for the first time, it was actually one of my favorite things we have done in an art class so far. I wish that OU would end up having a class all about glass in the following semesters because I feel like we should not be done working at Hocking plus it is so interesting. One of the major drawbacks I found when working with glass was the delicateness of the glass. Everyone knows that glass is fragile but when you are trying to manipulate it into something you really get to see how delicate it is. Another drawback was no matter how much thought and time you put into it we were never going to get it to look exactly how we picture. There may be other artists who would be able to but with our little experience and time that was not possible for us. The main advantage I found with working with the glass was the uniqueness of our art. I am using a lot of my pieces for my senior thesis project and my professors are impressed because it is not something they have seen before. It also helps that we are the first class at Ohio University to be able to use the glass lab at Hocking.

The Fiber Game

This article talks about two past ideals regarding fiber art.  The first had to do with the position of the “designer-craftsman” and how craft was thought of as a laboratory for industrial production.  The second ideal involved the development of realizing fiber art could be used to create three dimensional shapes.  At first weaver created three-dimensionality by distorting the pattern of the warp and weft while the piece was still on the loom.  Due to a considerable amount of exhibitions and publications in a three-year span from 1969 to 1972 American weavers working in the sculptural mode grew and was about to be recognized in the public.

Ed Rossbach is a fiber artist and looked at the two ways fiber art seemed to be growing and decided to look at it from a different angle.  He published an article called “The Fiber Game” commenting on how fiber art should remain in the hands of the weaver.  He did this by talking about string games many people played as children like cat’s cradle.  I thought it was interesting how Rossbach focused his work on found materials he did so in a way that it did not make a political statement or try to compete with the image-making power of mass media.  Leo Steinberg called it the “flatbed aesthetic” meaning that the artwork becomes a ground for experience around it.  I was interesting how he managed to learn all of these processes in order to be able to deal with all of the materials he would work with.  At the end of this section he compares fiber to things like architecture saying that an architect builds a building then calls in a fiber artist, never the other way around.  He likes that this happens and says it puts fiber in relation to him.  I thought this last statement was interesting because it’s true, it would be a bit ridiculous to build a building around a textile but it was an interesting concept to consider while reading this section.

The Fiber Game

I found Rossbach and Rauschenbergs use of icons and materials interesting in relation to craft. These artists were using kitsch icons and symbols within their craft works. These symbols represented within craft create a sort of abstract kitsch expression of the idea and meaning of the original icon or object used. The article made a good point in regards to limitation within craft. The works of Abakanowicz and Sheila Hicks expanded the limitations that were bestowed upon fiber arts and tapestry crafting. Their large tapestry's broke free from expectation of what a tapestry can be, transforming it into a large scale idea that challenged the ideas of loom process and the infinite life that an artwork can posses.
      I always enjoy craft works that expand upon the limitations of a material and process. Works like the Crochet Coral Reef by Christine Wertheim and Margaret Wertheim expand upon that same idea of limitation on material and process. Their coral reef has taken on a life of its own, growing far beyond its original size to one of great scale that includes other sub-reefs. To me craft becomes fascinating when it is able to take on a life of its own, changing and growing over time.
     However, Abakanowicz and Hicks faced scrutiny from the Americans for their works transitioning to sculptural pieces rather than staying in the confines of the fiber world. Abakanowicz and Hicks did abandon the traditional loom process, due to its limitation in size, and used different processes of weaving and knotting. I don't mind the use of non-traditional process within creating their works. To create the work that they wanted to on that size and scale it did force them to give up traditional process, but I do not think that it discredits their work in any way, or makes their large scale tapestrys less a piece of the fiber arts community. -T.M.

The Fiber Game

Fiber Art- "The Fiber Game"

This article includes ways how artists are using traditional processes to create sculptural work.  Weaving is a traditional process that they used, starting off two dimensional, then figuring out that they could create three- dimensional forms.  It was a difficult transition, but they figured out that just changing the structure of the warp would enable them to do so.  What became largely recognized and used in the 1970’s was, “An oft-lampooned popular craze for macramé knotting, the procedure used by many of the sculpture weavers attests to the degree of the fiber hangings penetration into public consciousness.”  Museum exhibitions called it “the first time” that fiber was equal to clay. 

         Rossbach used the cat’s cradle process to make works, describing it as a repeated rhythmic progression of movements.  Rossbach included breastbone and ribs, as well as bundles of wood to make the pieces. Rossbach talks about all of this in his article, “The Fiber Game”, and also discusses sticking to the basics for the process, and using materials that were stumbled upon, “food wrappers, garbage bags, newspaper, cardboard, masking tape, plastic tubing, and even kitsch plastic trinkets.”

         Also discussed in this article is works made by hand and tapestries woven to look like a painted cartoon. These weavers worked by weaving off the loom, knotting, crocheting, quilt stitching, braiding and knitting, as well as sometimes on the loom.  As well as “Women’s Work”, and the factors about and leading up to the Womanhouse. Finally, the article ends with discussing Anne Wilson and Fiber art as a dead end.

Value Judgment

     I agree with the article Value Judgment to some extent. When I initially think of the word "craft", I do think of something that is handmade. But, if our world is evolving with technology, who is to say that you cannot integrate craft and technology into one medium? Both technology and craft take skill; one mistake in either craft or technology can ruin a piece of work.
     The Article quotes, "Skills have disappeared all around, as technologies change the rules of engagement." I believe as a human being if a person applies themselves they can acquire any skill they desire. Technology does change the game of art and craft, but that does not mean hand crafting and skills will be obsolete. The article also says, "If, as a society, we are losing the appreciation for craftsmanship, with its skills and this support for it, it is craftspeople that must be at the forefront of the resistance." As an artist I still have appreciation for craftsmanship, and I do not think that people are loosing this appreciation. On the other hand, if I view craftsmanship from another persons perspective, this might be the case. If this is the case, I believe many people are taking for granted the craftsmanship that exists around us.
     If one is to look back to ancient Greek, Roman, or Egyptian architecture, they will see that those people were truly the masters craftsmanship. Our generation will probably never reach that level of perfection, even with technology. That being said, generations have come a long way with technology. Maybe it is time to give what we call "craftsmanship" and/or "technology" a new name.


Jackie Brumfield
Crafting Content

Value Judgment

Craft is considered normal in the society, or same as art, clearing gearing individuals towards art and design. Therefore with out the society understating craft in depth, the imagination, the process and the execution of the end result it would impossible to appreciate Craft. Clearly very few crafters are succeeding in this industry even the government and education is not giving the craft area interest or proper attention.

Therefore with more encouragement and support to crafters, it will motivate them to go beyond themselves possible beyond art and design. This will help the society view craft as extra ordinary, and when something is view, as unique people want to know more about it and embrace it on all levels.

Also support and promotion will encourage students to appreciate craft and learn more about it, even the definition of craft portrays creativity in itself. If the society had many students participating in craft, the more awareness will be spread out and the more support the craft will get.

With support craft could be pushed to the limit and it can be everywhere, Its sad the society embrace craft through the names of big artist while local artist are going above and beyond for what could be new presentation of our future.