1. 13
Craft Media: Flirting with Function

2. Learning Objectives
Examine the historical distinction of craft and art.
Identify the visual and physical properties of different craft media (clay, glass, metal, wood, and fiber).
Contrast the techniques and forms used by artists working with craft media.
Provide examples of objects made from craft media that serve functional, aesthetic, and expressive purposes.
Consider the social and cultural meaning of traditional craft artforms.

3. Introduction William Morris, Windrush
Well-crafted, repeatable woodblock print
Can serve as textile or wallpaper pattern
Interior art improving public's lives
Separation of art from "craft" in the Western world
Craft as "useful" objects
Artists challenging the notion of function

4. Web Resource: William Morris
William Morris. Windrush Textile pattern. Woodblock print on paper. Repeatable. Victoria and Albert Museum, London © V&A images. [Fig. 13-1]
William Morris. Windrush Textile pattern. Woodblock print on paper. Repeatable. Victoria and Albert Museum, London © V&A images. [Fig. 13-1]

5. Clay Soil with a heavily volcanic makeup mixed with water Ceramics
The art and science of making objects from clay
Ceramists make any work with clay.
Potters specialize in making dishes.
Must fire a clay object at high temperatures in a kiln oven

6. Clay Types of clay Throwing Earthenware Stoneware Porcelain
Porous, low-temperature firing
Stoneware
Heavier, high-temperature firing
Porcelain
Rarest, most expensive
Throwing
Shaping clay on a revolving wheel

7. Clay Process Decorating ceramics Shape clay on potter's wheel
Air dry piece
Fire in kiln
Decorating ceramics
Slip
Mixture of clay and water
Glaze
A liquid paint with silica base

8. Clay Recent works with divergent styles
Betty Woodman, Divided Vases: Cubist
Earthenware with a free-form look
Flat perforated panels in handles
Adrian Sax, Les Rois du monde futur
Porcelain with a precious look
Overly elegant handles recalling antique picture frames

9. Discovering Art: Crafts
Betty Woodman. Divided Vases: Cubist Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, and paint. 34-1⁄2" × 39" × 7". Salon 94, New York. [Fig. 13-2]
Betty Woodman. Divided Vases: Cubist Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, and paint. 34-1⁄2" × 39" × 7". Salon 94, New York. [Fig. 13-2]

10. Podcast: Adrian Saxe – Los Angeles, CA
Adrian Saxe. Les Rois du monde futur (Rulers of the Future World) Porcelain, stoneware, overglaze enamel, lusters, mixed media. 26-1⁄4" × 13-1⁄4" × 10". Frank Lloyd Gallery, Santa Monica. Photo: Anthony Cunha. [Fig. 13-3]
Adrian Saxe. Les Rois du monde futur (Rulers of the Future World) Porcelain, stoneware, overglaze enamel, lusters, mixed media. 26-1⁄4" × 13-1⁄4" × 10". Frank Lloyd Gallery, Santa Monica. Photo: Anthony Cunha. [Fig. 13-3]

11. Clay Acceptance as a medium owes to Peter Voulkos
Fresh approach to plates
Shaped as though paintings
Useless in the traditional sense
Toshiko Takaezu, Makaha Blue II
Subtle, restrained strength evoking traditional Japanese ceramics
Vessel turned into painted sculpture

12. Peter Voulkos. Untitled Plate CR Anagama wood-fired stoneware. 20-1⁄2" × 4-1⁄2". Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art. © The Voulkos Family Trust. [Fig. 13-4]
Peter Voulkos. Untitled Plate CR Anagama wood-fired stoneware. 20-1⁄2" × 4-1⁄2". Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art. © The Voulkos Family Trust. [Fig. 13-4]

13. Toshiko Takaezu. Makaha Blue II. 2002. Stoneware. 48" × 18-1⁄2"
Toshiko Takaezu. Makaha Blue II Stoneware. 48" × 18-1⁄2". Courtesy of Toshiko Takaezu Trust and Charles Cowles Gallery, NY. [Fig. 13-5]
Toshiko Takaezu. Makaha Blue II Stoneware. 48" × 18-1⁄2". Courtesy of Toshiko Takaezu Trust and Charles Cowles Gallery, NY. [Fig. 13-5]

14. Glass Chemically related to ceramic glaze Wide range of manipulation
Stained glass
Blown glass
Inlays in various objects
Sensitive and amorphous when hot
Solidifies when it cools without crystallizing
Fluid nature producing line and volume

15. Glass Daly Chihuly, Seaforms series Mona Hatoum
Fluid and translucent quality
Directs glass artists to arrange pieces suggesting delicate undersea movements
Mona Hatoum
Researched explosive devices and recreated them in colorful pieces
"Specimens" placed in gurney

16. Dale Chihuly. Mauve Seaform Set with Black Lip Wraps from the Seaforms series Blown glass. Courtesy of the artist. Photography by Dick Busher. [Fig. 13-6]
Dale Chihuly. Mauve Seaform Set with Black Lip Wraps from the Seaforms series Blown glass. Courtesy of the artist. Photography by Dick Busher. [Fig. 13-6]

17. Mona Hatoum. Nature morte aux grenades. 2006–2007
Mona Hatoum. Nature morte aux grenades. 2006–2007. Crystal, mild steel, rubber. 38-3⁄8" × 81-7⁄8" × 27-1⁄2". Photograph: Marc Domage. Courtesy of Alexander and Bonin, New York. [Fig. 13-7]
Mona Hatoum. Nature morte aux grenades. 2006–2007. Crystal, mild steel, rubber. 38-3⁄8" × 81-7⁄8" × 27-1⁄2". Photograph: Marc Domage. Courtesy of Alexander and Bonin, New York. [Fig. 13-7]

18. Metal Early metalsmiths created tools, vessels, armor, and weapons.
Muslim traditions in 13th/14th centuries
Unparalleled sophistication
d'Arenberg Basin
Made for last ruler of Ayyubid dynasty
Body first cast in brass then inlaid with precisely cut pieces of silver
Highly detailed, even panels

19. The d'Arenberg Basin. 1247–1249. Brass inlaid with silver
The d'Arenberg Basin. 1247–1249. Brass inlaid with silver. 8-7⁄8" × 19-5⁄8". Probably Damascus, Syria. Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. f [Fig. 13-8]
The d'Arenberg Basin. 1247–1249. Brass inlaid with silver. 8-7⁄8" × 19-5⁄8". Probably Damascus, Syria. Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. f [Fig. 13-8]

20. Metal
Cal Lane
Combines Middle Eastern style with contemporary messages
Worked as a welder
Untitled (Map 3)
Flattened 55-gallon drum
Signifies a source of the world's energy, wealth, conflicts, and pollution

21. Cal Lane. Untitled (Map 3). 2007. Plasma-cut steel. 78-1⁄2" × 71-3⁄4"
Cal Lane. Untitled (Map 3) Plasma-cut steel. 78-1⁄2" × 71-3⁄4". Courtesy Samuel Freeman Gallery. [Fig. 13-9]
Cal Lane. Untitled (Map 3) Plasma-cut steel. 78-1⁄2" × 71-3⁄4". Courtesy Samuel Freeman Gallery. [Fig. 13-9]

22. Wood Living spirit of wood offers vitality
Abundant, versatile, and warm qualities
Movement toward sustainability
Henry Gilpin, Curiosity Red
Used elm tree near studio that had twisted grain
Mounted twisted grain on table with red stain dripping to resemble blood
Meditation on life and death

23. Henry Gilpin. Curiously Red. 2006. Stained elm, pigment, magnets
Henry Gilpin. Curiously Red Stained elm, pigment, magnets. 36" × 74" × 16". Courtesy the artist and Gallery NAGA. [Fig ]
Henry Gilpin. Curiously Red Stained elm, pigment, magnets. 36" × 74" × 16". Courtesy the artist and Gallery NAGA. [Fig ]

24. Wood
Liv Blåvarp
Carves segments into deeply grooved shapes that resemble living things
Work based on folk traditions of Norway
Untitled necklace
Asymmetrical with clasp resembling animal's tail

25. Liv Blåvarp. Untitled Necklace; dyed sycamore, painted birch, gold leaf. 11" × 8" × 2". Museum of Arts and Design, NYC. Gift of Barbara Tober, 2002 Inv Photo John Bigelow Taylor. [Fig ]
Liv Blåvarp. Untitled Necklace; dyed sycamore, painted birch, gold leaf. 11" × 8" × 2". Museum of Arts and Design, NYC. Gift of Barbara Tober, 2002 Inv Photo John Bigelow Taylor. [Fig ]

26. Fiber
Mixing heritage of traditional practices with new avenues of expression
Two classes
Work made with loom
Work made off-loom
Weaving
Interlacing of fibers
Warp fibers
Long fibers in place on a loom

27. Fiber Weaving Loom Weft fibers Can be sophisticated, complex
Device holding fibers in place
Weft fibers
Cross warp fibers at a right angle
Can be sophisticated, complex
Ardabil Carpet
Islamic Persia during Safavid dynasty
Required approx. 25 million knots

28. The Ardabil Carpet. 1540. Wool pile on silk warps and wefts
The Ardabil Carpet Wool pile on silk warps and wefts. 34' × 17'6". Tabriz. Victoria and Albert Museum, London. © V&A images—All rights reserved. [Fig ]
The Ardabil Carpet Wool pile on silk warps and wefts. 34' × 17'6". Tabriz. Victoria and Albert Museum, London. © V&A images—All rights reserved. [Fig ]

29. Fiber Weaving Ardabil Carpet Tapestries
Sunburst surrounded by 16 oval shapes
Originally covered floor of prayer chapel
Tapestries
Traditional weaving in which carefully ripped and dyed weft threads pulled through stable warps to create pictures

30. Fiber Weaving Tapestries Lara Baladi, Sandouk el Dounia
Large-scale tapestry containing hundreds of pictures
Named after 20th century Egyptian type of ambulatory street theater
Photographed collage programmed a digitally operated loom

31. Lara Baladi. Sandouk el Dounia (The World in a Box). 2007
Lara Baladi. Sandouk el Dounia (The World in a Box) Digitally woven tapestry, 10'4" × 8'2-4⁄10" collage of 900 C ⁄16" × 5-29⁄32" prints. Installation view at the exhibition "Penelope's Labour; Weaving Words and Images," Cini Foundation, Venice, Photo courtesy of the artist. [Fig ]
Lara Baladi. Sandouk el Dounia (The World in a Box) Digitally woven tapestry, 10'4" × 8'2-4⁄10" collage of 900 C ⁄16" × 5-29⁄32" prints. Installation view at the exhibition "Penelope's Labour; Weaving Words and Images," Cini Foundation, Venice, Photo courtesy of the artist. [Fig ]

32. Lara Baladi. Sandouk el Dounia (The World in a Box). 2007
Lara Baladi. Sandouk el Dounia (The World in a Box) Detail: 25'7" × 21'3-9⁄10". Digitally woven tapestry, 10'4" × 8'2-4⁄10" collage of 900 C ⁄16" × 5-29⁄32" prints. Installation view at the exhibition "Penelope's Labour; Weaving Words and Images," Cini Foundation, Venice, Photo courtesy of the artist. [Fig a]
Lara Baladi. Sandouk el Dounia (The World in a Box) Detail: 25'7" × 21'3-9⁄10". Digitally woven tapestry, 10'4" × 8'2-4⁄10" collage of 900 C ⁄16" × 5-29⁄32" prints. Installation view at the exhibition "Penelope's Labour; Weaving Words and Images," Cini Foundation, Venice, Photo courtesy of the artist. [Fig a]

33. Fiber Quilting Traditionally women's work Personal Appearance #3
Used by 1970s feminists to reclaim status of craft as art
Personal Appearance #3
Pays homage to quilts but is not one
Exuberant and vibrant
Polly Apfelbaum, Flatterland Funkytown
Velvet pieces resembling flower petals

34. Miriam Schapiro. Personal Appearance #3. 1973
Miriam Schapiro. Personal Appearance # Acrylic and fabric on canvas. 60" × 50". Collection Marilyn Stokstad, Lawrence, Kansas. Courtesy of Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, Miami, FL. Photo: Robert Hickerson. [Fig ]
Miriam Schapiro. Personal Appearance # Acrylic and fabric on canvas. 60" × 50". Collection Marilyn Stokstad, Lawrence, Kansas. Courtesy of Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, Miami, FL. Photo: Robert Hickerson. [Fig ]

35. Polly Apfelbaum. Flatterland Funkytown. 2012
Polly Apfelbaum. Flatterland Funkytown Synthetic crushed velvet pieces. Dimensions variable. CB8595. Courtesy the artist and Clifton Benevento, New York. [Fig ]
Polly Apfelbaum. Flatterland Funkytown Synthetic crushed velvet pieces. Dimensions variable. CB8595. Courtesy the artist and Clifton Benevento, New York. [Fig ]

36. Fiber Quilting Polly Apfelbaum, Flatterland Funkytown
"Fallen painting" composed by hand-dyed pieces
Allows viewers to interact with work from many angles
Faith Ringgold, Mrs. Jones and Family
Reflects own family life in 1930s Harlem
Narratives of class, race, and gender

37. Faith Ringgold. Mrs. Jones and Family. 1973. Mixed media. 74" × 69"
Faith Ringgold. Mrs. Jones and Family Mixed media. 74" × 69". Series: Family of Women Mask 3. Collection of the artist. Faith Ringgold ©1997. [Fig ]
Faith Ringgold. Mrs. Jones and Family Mixed media. 74" × 69". Series: Family of Women Mask 3. Collection of the artist. Faith Ringgold ©1997. [Fig ]

38. Forming Art Faith Ringgold: Stitching History "Story quilts"
Stories from her own life
Tradition in family as far back as great-great-grandmother
Quilting as an art form used by slave women
Depictions of African American culture
Tar Beach later became children's book

39. Faith Ringgold, with detail of The Purple Quilt. 1986
Faith Ringgold, with detail of The Purple Quilt C'love/Faith Ringgold, Inc. [Fig ]
Faith Ringgold, with detail of The Purple Quilt C'love/Faith Ringgold, Inc. [Fig ]

40. Closer Look: Faith Ringgold, Tar Beach
Faith Ringgold. Tar Beach, Part I from The Women on a Bridge series Acrylic on canvas, bordered with printed, painted, quilted, and pieced cloth ⁄8" × 68-1⁄2". Guggenheim Museum, New York. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Gus and Judith Lieber © Faith Ringgold [Fig ]
Faith Ringgold. Tar Beach, Part I from The Women on a Bridge series Acrylic on canvas, bordered with printed, painted, quilted, and pieced cloth 74-5⁄8" × 68-1⁄2". Guggenheim Museum, New York. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Gus and Judith Lieber © Faith Ringgold [Fig ]

41. Fiber Nick Cave, ongoing Soundsuit series Wearable costumes
Hide the wearer
Includes offbeat materials
Based on hand-me-down clothing
Rooted in Mardi Gras costumes
2009 Soundsuit
Cloud of ceramic birds surrounding crocheted yarn pieces

42. Nick Cave. Soundsuit Mixed media. Height 92". Photo: James Prinz. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, NY. [Fig ]
Nick Cave. Soundsuit Mixed media. Height 92". Photo: James Prinz. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, NY. [Fig ]