| Arts
and crafts
Arts
and crafts include a whole host of activities
and hobbies that are related to making things
with one's own hands and skill. These can be sub-divided
into handicrafts or "traditional
crafts" (doing things the old way) and the
rest. Some arts and crafts have been practiced
for centuries, while others are modern inventions,
or popularizations of crafts which were originally
practiced in a very small geographic area.
The specific
name Arts and Crafts movement was also given to
a design movement of the late 19th and early 20th
century, whose proponents included William Morris
and Edwin Lutyens. They believed that medieval
craftsmen achieved a joy in the excellence of
their work, which they strove to emulate. These
activities are called crafts because initially
many of them were professionals. Youngsters were
apprenticed to a master-craftsman, and they refined
their skills over a period of years. By the time
their training was complete, they were well-resourced
to set up in trade for themselves, earning their
living with the skill of their hands. The Industrial
Revolution and the increasing mechanizations of
production processes gradually reduced or eliminated
many of the roles professional craftspeople played,
and today 'crafts' are most commonly seen as a
form of hobby.
Most crafts require
a combination of skill and talent, but they can
also be learnt on a more basic level by almost
anyone. Many Community centres and schools run
evening or day classes and workshops offering
to teach basic craft skills in a short period
of time. Many of these crafts become very popular
for brief periods of time (a few months, or a
few years), spreading rapidly among the crafting
population as everyone emulates the first examples.
TYPES
OF ARTS/CRAFTS:
There are almost
as many variations on the theme of 'arts and crafts'
as there are crafters with time on their hands
, but they can be broken down into a number of
categories as follows.
Textile Crafts
Clay or Glass Crafts
Paper or Canvas Crafts
Metalworking Crafts
Crafts Involving Plants
Wood Crafts
Handicraft, also
known as craftwork or simply craft, is a type
of work where useful and decorative devices are
made wholly by hand or using only simple tools.
Usually the term is useful to conventional means
of making goods. Handicrafts are generally considered
more traditional work, created as a necessary
part of daily life, whilst "Arts and Crafts"
implies more of a hobby pursuit and a demonstration/perfection
of a creative technique. In practical terms, the
categories have a great deal of overlap.
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