3. Arts and Crafts Movement

THIS IS AN ASSIGNMENT WHICH YOU AND A PARTNER WILL PRESENT TO THE REST OF THE CLASS.

THIS ASSIGNMENT BASICALLY ASKS YOU TO UNDERSTAND THE UNDERLYING CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ARTS AND CRAFTS MOVEMENT AND HOW THOSE CHARACTERISTICS ARE FOUND IN OBJECTS TODAY OR IN LAWS AND POLICIES GOVERNING THE WORKPLACES OF TODAY.

Depending on the specific artistic discipline within the arts (architecture, painting, furniture design, crafts, printing, etc.) the British Arts and Crafts Movement is also known as the American Craftsmen Movement, Mission style or Mission Revival style, (not to be confused with Spanish Mission) and many of its characteristics are also found in the craftsmanship created in the Quaker, Amish and Mennonite communities. A main goal of the A&C Movement was to integrate the look or style with the purpose or functionality found in all utilitarian objects.

Philosophically, it was first and foremost a reaction AGAINST the generally poor craftsmanship, and corresponding devaluation of human labor, negative impact on the environment, over-dependence on machines, and disbanding of the guild system caused by the Industrial Revolution as well as the restrictive and moralistic attitudes of the Victorian ways of life.

The A & C movement emphasized handwork over mass production, and was in some ways just as much of a social movement as it was an aesthetic one. It recognized the plight of the industrial worker and equated moral rectitude with the ability to create beautiful but simple things. These social issues can especially be seen in the writings of John Ruskin and William Morris, both highly influential thinkers for the A & C movement.

Because Morris and others sought examples from history that exemplified this approach they focused on the craft guilds that produced hand-made goods and dominated in Medieval times. Because of this initial historical inspiration/reference, early A & C products also emulated the LOOK of Medieval products. This can be misleading, because the ultimate goal of A & C was NOT to emulate a Medieval look, but instead to focus on the underlying attention to detail and workmanship. On one-of-a-kind, custom, well-made objects only (not mass-production). Initially, this historical reference also inadvertently resulted in imitating a Medieval look. This Medieval look gradually disappeared as the craftsmen of the A & C movement developed their own aesthetic interpretation of the philosophy expressed by Morris and Ruskin.

In addition, adherents to the A & C movement sought to elevate the status of art forms that had here-to-for been seen as mere trade work or ”crafty“ and not fine or “high” art. The A & C movement sought to create a  democratization of ALL the arts, not a hierarchy. Because of this, the Arts and Crafts movement was generally characterized by hand-crafted, custom-made objects in all media. 

Philosophically it was also a socialist approach to living. Standards for better housing, working conditions, safety and health regulations and environmental impact were initiated because of this new philosophy.

Because of both the rejection of industrial revolution practices and the desire for a better way of life, we can call this a “Design Renaissance”. Idealistically, it closely resembled the philosophies of the Renaissance—a rebirth of those approaches to the making of things and importance of all individuals as equal—Humanism.

Compare and contrast the main themes, ideas and goals of the Arts and Crafts movement vs. those of the Industrial Revolution. What are some of the positives and negatives of this comparison as they pertain to the individual and society.
  • First, understand the effects that the Industrial Revolution had on Europe and America, and how the Arts and Crafts movement countered, or reacted against these effects.

Besides being a reaction against the attitude, social working conditions and general shoddy workmanship of the Victorian Age, the Arts and Crafts Movement was also positively influenced by ideals expressed in other directions in art and design, notably Art Nouveau, Vienna Secession, Ukiyo-e, New Objectivity, and the Glasgow School among others.

MUST READ:

ART Movements that all contain elements of the A & C Movement but exhibit them through different styles

John_Ruskin_1863.jpg

John Ruskin—(8 February 1819 – 20 January 1900)
The principal role of the artist is “truth to nature.”

Ruskin was the leading English art critic of the Victorian era, as well as an art patron, draughtsman, watercolorist, a prominent social thinker and philanthropist. In all of his writing, he emphasised the connections between nature, art and society.

In 1871, he began his monthly “letters to the workmen and laborers of Great Britain”, published under the title Fors Clavigera (1871–1884). In the course of this complex and deeply personal work, he developed the principles underlying his ideal society. As a result, he founded the Guild of St George, an organisation that endures today.

Today, his ideas and concerns are widely recognized as having anticipated interest in environmentalism, sustainability and craft.

John Ruskin further inspired Englishmen William Morris. The two believed that a healthy society depended on skilled and creative workers and initiated the Arts and Crafts Movement. The ideals of the A&C Movement spread to the United States headed by Elbert Hubbard—The Roycroft Community in East Aurora, New York, other Utopian communities like Byrdcliffe in Woodstock, NY,  along with Gustav Stickley—the Craftsman; Frank Lloyd Wright—the Prairie School and Greene and Greene—California Bungalow, Pasadena and Bernard Maybeck—Berkeley, CA. These individuals and communities reinterpreted the European Arts and Crafts ideals in America encompassing virtually all of the crafts, most notably; ceramics, furniture design, architecture, metal work, and publication design.

Metropolis

Man Versus the Machine

The Industrial Revolution quickly spread throughout Europe and America, having a profound effect on agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transport and all aspects of daily life. Some saw the advent of industrialization as society being taken over by the “soulless machine.” 

Soulless Machine of today

Architecture Comparison

ASSIGNMENT

YOUR AND ONE PARTNER

Project Presentation Assignment: Due Mondqy, March 25th

One of the tenets of the Arts and Crafts movement was the understanding that artists should not be removed from society to explore their interior creative genius unsullied by the world around them; rather, the work of creative practitioners and the communities in which they live and work will benefit from their presence within and their relationship to society.

“The world doesn’t need more stuff,
rather it needs beautiful stuff that works,
make art that matters.”—B. DeBoer
 

How are the ideas and principles of the Arts and Crafts Movement expressed today? This assignment requires you to present something from our time to the rest of the class. What you present should generally represent the ideas expressed originally during the late Medieval period and later revisited by the Arts and Crafts Movement. We are not looking for things that imitate the style of the late Medieval Period or the look of the Arts and Crafts Movement. Instead we are looking for modern interpretations of the IDEALS that were first exemplified in those earlier periods of history. Those ideals might be listed as the following:

  • Preference for hand made over mass produced
  • Emphasis on quality craftsmanship over quantity or maximum quotas of production
  • Created with a concern for working conditions
  • Created with a concern for the natural environment
  • Close attention to intrinsic quality of material
  • Preference for natural materials and processes
  • Preference of purpose or function over superfluous decoration
  • Goal of essence or simplicity of form

Your presentation must address or react to:

  • one of the guiding themes listed below
  • at least one of the project questions listed below
  • all five of the principle characteristics of the arts and crafts movement listed below.
  • refer also to the rubric on the Canvas page

Overall Guiding Themes:

  • What does design thinking mean when applied to craftsmen/women living during our time?
    (Compare to craftsmen/women living during Victorian times.)
  • What does it mean when design innovation is driven by function or purpose rather than by popular trends, fads or style alone?
    (form follows function)
  • How does Zeitgeist influence design thinking?
    (How do the events of our time effect the things around us? Compare to influences during the Arts & Crafts period.) 

Project Questions:

  1. Ron VanOstrand, a Roycroft master artisan stated “The Japanese say that to be handcrafted is to have a bit of the human in there.” What does he mean?
  2. William Morris, once said, “I do not want art for a few any more than education for a few, or freedom for a few.”  What did he mean by this? Why did he compare art to education and freedom?
  3. Thomas Pafk, another Roycroft master artisan stated that the Arts and Crafts Movement  was “trying to protest against the industrial revolution, where everyone was losing the handwork that was involved and the artistry that’s involved in making things. The whole feeling, the whole philosophy was getting back to the artist—type work, getting back to doing things with your hand, being honest. Every piece that you’re making, you’re producing with your head, your heart, and your hands.” What does it mean if you do something (create art, sing, do school work, work at your job, do athletics) with “your head, your heart, and your hands?” Why do you think this ideal was, and still is, important? Is there anything in your life that you try to do with this same ideal, why or why not?
  4. The fear of the “soulless machine” and the industrial revolution was a catalyst for the Arts and Crafts movement, a concern throughout the 20th century and continues to influence our collective psyche to this day. Many Science Fiction stories deal with this fear and question what will happen to the human race as machines become more prevalent in our society (robots, computer-controlled, driverless cars, etc.). Examine the way this idea of the “soulless machine” will affect our future through literature and film. Georges Méliès’ “A Trip To The Moon” 1920, is generally seen as the first example. Other classics include; Lang’s “Metropolis,” Orwell’s “1984,” Gilliam’s “Brazil,” Chaplin’s “Modern Times,” Pixar’s “Wall-e,” adaptation of Vonnegut’s Harrison Bergeron “2081,” or Asimov’s “I-Robot.”
  5. How did the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century cause or lead to the Green movement of the 21st century.

Principle Characteristics of the Arts and Crafts Movement:

  1. extreme attention to detail and fine craftsmanship on an individual basis
    (today we refer to this as customized or custom-made)
  2. The early days of this movement emphasized hand-made and discouraged use of machines. This evolved to include the use of machines for efficiency but with new quality controls, better working conditions and safety measures that were absent during the Industrial Revolution.
  3. the overriding principle which becomes known as “form follows function”
  4. the overriding principle which becomes known as “less is more”—beauty in simplicity
  5. matching the intrinsic quality of material to the purpose or use of the object
Whatever you present, you must make a design thinking connection between the questions, themes and A & C Movement principles. Upload the Powerpoint Presentation of your project to the Canvas assignment page which outlines these connections.
 

  • you could present an actual “thing” or object (movie, animation, furniture, jewelry, ceramic, etc),

  • you could present a model, maquette or prototype of the “thing”

  • you could present a technical, CAD, or blueprint drawing of the “thing”

  • you could present a perspective drawing/rendering of the “thing”

  • you could present the storyboard for an animation or movie

  • you could present a photograph or graphic image or video of the “thing”

The best choice of an art object or choice of economic/social change for this assignment  would be that there is strong evidence of the Ideals of the Arts and Crafts philosophy present in either one. That evidence will be strong if it is easy to apply the assignment requirements of:

  • one of the guiding themes (above)
  • at least one of the project questions (above)
  • all five of the principle characteristics of the arts and crafts movement (above)

In general, the object should be a contemporary object that could be called “custom made”. It should be of higher than average quality and workmanship, not simply that it was made by hand.

If your choice is instead focused on a change in social/economic conditions then it should  be one addressed by policy change where working or health/safety concerns improved or there was less to no environmental impact as a result.

RUBRICScreenshot 2024-03-19 at 10.56.55 AM

Examples of various products from the original Arts and Crafts Movement

 

 

 Listen to designer Merissa Brown talk about contemporary design that follows and implements the philosophy and major tenets of the original Arts and Crafts Movement in today’s contemporary design. Her talk is a part of a lecture series from RIT’s Massimo Vignelli Design Center. Her talk begins approximately 6 minutes into the video.