The debate between art and craft has long been a topic of discussion among creators, but what does it really mean to separate - or unify - these two forms of expression? Claire Benn, a visual artist and tutor of Beyond Technique, offers a refreshing perspective on this age-old question. Below, we explore her thoughts, filled with reflective questions and insights to help you think about your own creative practice.
What Defines Art?
Claire begins by unpicking what the word ‘art’ encompasses:
"I use the word art, but really, it’s ‘the arts.’ The arts encompass a huge spectrum of human creativity and self-expression. Examples include the visual arts of ceramics, painting, sculpting, filmmaking, drawing, jewellery; the literary arts - poetry, prose, playwriting; as well as the performing arts of dance, theatre and music."
Art focuses on pure self-expression and results in work made to be engaged with for its own sake.
What Defines Craft?
Claire believes art and craft are connected but are different in purpose. If art focuses on pure self-expression and results in work made to to be engaged with for its own sake, craft has more of an emphasis on making skills and functionality, resulting in work that has a utilitarian purpose. But that doesn’t mean that craft isn’t beautiful to look at or doesn’t provoke thought and engagement and Claire feels that highly skilled and innovative craft has just as much vision and self-expression as art.
How do Art and Craft Align?
Art and craft are aligned through their shared emphasis on setting out to create something with mastery. Claire says:
"Art and craft employ imagination, self-expression, thought, skill and hard work to produce the end result."
Claire had the opportunity to see the monumental textiles of Magdalena Abakanowicz at the Tate Modern in early 2023. Made from unravelled, dyed hemp rope, woven into sculptural forms, both the materials and the method could be defined as craft by some but for Claire, they are far from being craft objects. These ‘Abakans’ have no purpose other than to enable self-expression and drive a response in the viewer. As for textiles and other mediums or disciplines, Claire says:
"Nancy Crow fought hard to get her work acknowledged as art - her medium is quilts and she crafts with vision and rigour. They stand as art, not craft".
She argues that craft, in essence, underpins all creative processes, no matter the medium. When combined, they have a dialogue with each other; craft provides the making foundation that can elevate art, and art imbues craft with vision, self-expression and innovation.
Claire feels that some kind of cyclical process or approach is shared by all creators. -whether they are painters, woodturners, ceramicists, or choreographers.
"A great piece of jewellery can stand as art for me. The maker has almost certainly gone through some kind of cycle or passage of making: the idea, the thinking, the groundwork, the making, the evaluating, the refining, the completing, and the releasing."
Is One Better Than the Other?
Claire reminds us that the debate between art and craft isn’t about hierarchy:
"Ultimately, it’s about the expressive, engaging, communicative, and transformative power of the work, regardless of the medium or discipline, or how we choose to label it."
However, for those who want or need some kind of delineation, Claire believes that a great piece of work (of art) transcends its materials and making process. She says:
“How something is made is immaterial to me, it’s the ability of the work to stop me, hold me, engage me and drive a response within me”.
For her, a beautifully handwoven basket can hold as much artistic merit as a painted canvas. Evidence of the maker’s hand is important to Claire as it communicates personality, soul and vision.
"I love to support artists, makers, craftspeople, but have to restrain myself from buying as space is limited. I don’t enjoy clutter and want to be able to really see the pieces I’ve chosen to have in my home. They inspire and engage me but don’t distract me from my own practice, and loving them doesn’t mean I want to learn how to make them”.
What do you want to express?
For Claire, the distinction between art and craft is less about the medium or the discipline and more about the intention behind the work, which doesn’t necessarily mean that all work has to have some kind of deep, meaningful content, it can simply be:
"It’s about the creation of something that has the power to drive a response or reaction within those who experience it. Whatever is produced is a form of response to the world by the artist or maker, and that drives a response from the viewer and those responses, thoughts and feelings are endless".
She invites creators to reflect on self-expression:
- “How would you describe what you hope to express through your making”?
- “Come up with a list of adjectives to describe your work”
- “Although we can’t control how people respond to our work, it can be worth thinking about what we’d like their response to be”!
- How does your process enable your voice/your style/your work to emerge and come through?
- What materials, media and tools/methods do you find best enable you to communicate or express yourself?
What Can You Learn from Other Disciplines/Techniques?
Claire herself will use other disciplines and techniques to inform her own practice:
"I enjoy engaging with other disciplines and techniques such as using text or print-making and I engage with them for different reasons: sometimes it’s simply to relax, have fun and take a break from my usual practice. Usually it’s a way to explore marks, shapes, lines or texture that could serve my primary practice of using soya milk, earth pigments and cloth, or inform how I could use thread and stitch”.
As long as a technique or approach gets you what you want, then use it but be careful not to do things just for the sake of it.
Key Takeaways:
- Intent and Impact: Whether you identify as an artist or craftsperson, ask yourself: What am I trying to express? What response am I hoping to evoke?
- Value the Process: Both art and craft involve skill, imagination, and dedication. They are not mutually exclusive but interconnected.
- Embrace the Spectrum: The lines between art and craft can blur, and that’s okay. Celebrate the diversity of the creative journey.
Claire Benn’s insights remind us that the true magic lies in the why and how of what we create, rather than in labels. Whether you consider yourself an artist, a craftsperson, or somewhere in between, the focus should always be on making work that enables you to be expressive and feels true to you.
