Art AND Crafts

RT @acpainswick: Sadly what we’ve come to expect. Craft defined as not being creative? I don’t think so. http://t.co/MJmcdDu5St Object now

— Dezeen (@Dezeen) May 5, 2013

Dezeen, an architecture and design magazine, brought this to my attention on Twitter a little while ago and it’s a statement that took me by surprise; how could craft be defined minus creativity?

The tweet was in fact a misleading assertion and the issue was really about the government’s difficulty in categorising the monetary benefits that crafts contribute to the UK economy, leading them to consider taking crafts off the list of creative industries. This misunderstanding led to outrage among craftspeople, though about the wrong matter.

The situation is similar to the persistent problem businesses have to deal with – monetising the positive or negative effect marketing has on their company. This leads to marketing activity being omitted from the balance sheet and subsequently less importance being assigned to it. The government, in this sense, is thinking narrowly. They should be more forward thinking than this normal business practice and endeavour to rise above the monetary valuation of craft and the arts.

The government has stated in their DCMS Creative Industries Economic Estimates that they were not defining craft as a non-creative industry. This statement is, however, not reflected by the actions they have taken. Suggestions have arisen that they are failing to acknowledge the value that crafts deserve.

The trouble is that the government cannot assign ‘value’ (in their terms) to the crafts industry, which is problematic because it means support for the field will diminish. Of course the case can, and has been, made for the positive overall economic impact of the arts in general, notably by the culture secretary, Maria Miller. However, the argument should not have to be limited to the economic case for artistic enterprise, especially in the difficult to value crafts sector.

In turn, a decline in the crafts industry is linked to the major outlets for craftspeople. The demise of the UK high street has invoked feelings of despair that the expression of individualism through the arts is being disregarded, when it should be nurtured and fostered. Mary Portas has been working with the government in an attempt to rebuild the high street, emphasising the importance of people. It is time to support those people – the public, small business owners and artists – and look to define worth in ways other than monetary value.

I recently started an internship at a start-up called StreetHub that is focussing on this recent lack of stamina in the UK high street. StreetHub is effectively acting as a marketplace for independent retailers, allowing them to showcase their products on a website interface but, importantly, using a ‘click & collect’ service to encourage customers into stores. This is a brilliant idea and potential solution to some of the problems that the high street is facing.

While retail is moving increasingly towards the online marketplace, especially in the categories of films and music, crafts in particular are different because people want to experience the tangible product. I received an email from a ceramic artist who said that she felt uncomfortable allowing people to buy her work without customers seeing them first. We are interactive creatures and by going into a gallery or exhibition space, getting to know the person who has selected or made the artworks, the purchase may be better informed and encourage a personal relationship with the craftsperson or the gallery.

Though this could be seen as a nostalgic argument, it is nonetheless an important one that goes beyond the transactional, abstract and impersonal relationship provided by the internet. While the government tries to quantify the value of crafts, it could be spending time injecting energy into stimulating this vibrant and cultural field, instead of filling it with further anguish!