From the comments that I received on my last post...basically every one stated that they didn't really know what "crafts" were before I stated the specific traditional fields in crafts: glassblowing, fine metals, ceramics, fibers, and wood and the ideals behind crafts being: an art, trade, or occupation requiring special skill. Contemporarily, these mediums are being used in non-traditional ways. For instance, it is a fast growing trend in fibers to use materials that are not conventional. Because fibers is my area of expertise, I can elaborate on how these materials are being stretched beyond basic conventions. If you were to search around your house, I am positive that you could find hundreds of materials that you could "recycle" to create a new form using a traditional fiber technique or multiple techniques. For instance, I created a knotted (knotting is a technique in which a material is cut into strips or strings and is essentially knotted together) 3-D sculpture out of strips of trashbags! The knotting of the trashbags completely transformed the material to look rich and exciting! Yarn and fabric are not the only substances that can be used to create "fiber" art. Essentially what I am trying to convey is that crafts is reaching an apex where any found materials can be incorporated into a piece of art when using traditional methods and craftsmanship! Please look at these crafts artists that are using non-traditional materials: Craft in America: http://www.craftinamerica.org/education/story_142.php?PHPSESSID=2c5d70c89b056567280affa0d08127b7 this is an excellent reference to get a better idea of what is going on in the contemporary craftworld! Also, check out emerging artist Jennifer Maestre at http://www.jennifermaestre.com/ who creates fibers sculptures out nails (#1 "Eggs") and pencil tips (#2 "Spine").
