Jewelry is not art
Huh? Is Calder's work art when it hangs from a ceiling but not when it hangs from a neck?
Thoughts on several things in this thread:
This is sorta ironic that Calder is being included in this debate.
He never called his work “art.” He called it his work. His
reasoning was this; people criticize art, but no one will criticize
someone’s hard work.
The other irony is that somewhere in the 3 intertwined threads, of
Smithsonian results, conceptual art, and inspiration. Someone said
“craft” and “craft” shows mostly show hobby work. That is an
incredibly patronizing remark especially considering the quality of
art jewelry that is out on the art and craft show circuit.
Admittedly some of the jewelry out there is sorta blah, but there
are some really fine jewelers who work the show circuits.
Can jewelry be art. Of course. It can also be gawd awful dreck. Art
by its own evolution has become an ever expanding definition of
“what is art.”
On Boris Bally. I’ve taken a class from him. He taught me to be
precise in all things. He is an incredible craftsman. His work is
never shoddy. He works with signs because he likes the idea of
recycling the colors and graphics. He’s done a lot of different
projects with signs. Once you have seen his work in person you will
recognize the craftsmanship.
Who calls what art, what craft depends of course on the definition
one starts with. Some have larger definitions of both craft and art.
I personally, find craft and art about both the concept as well as
the execution. The necklaces in Lark’s most recent book, that I
really didn’t like & questioned why they were included, were those
that looked like cheap toss off ideas, no “craft” involved…
Surprisingly I found the rocks to be interesting. It took time to
find the proper background to lay them on, the 2 gold rocks were
well done, and finding all the rocks that were graduated in the
right size and proportion was no small feat.
Carla