bciskepottery Posted November 7, 2013 Report Share Posted November 7, 2013 CERF just released their report on status of craft in America . . . worth a read: http://craftemergency.org/outreach/reports_and_findings/cerf_research?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CERF+Announces+2013+National+Research+Study+of+American+Craft+Artists&utm_content=CERF+Announces+2013+National+Research+Study+of+American+Craft+Artists+CID_c05e1854e0b0f9c63b4c1abc7d0d6fbc&utm_source=CampaignMonitor&utm_term=read%20online%20or%20download%20free Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Campbell Posted November 7, 2013 Report Share Posted November 7, 2013 You are so right ... I was just reading the executive summary, glued to my computer screen. http://craftemergency.org/pages/CERF%2B_Sustaining_Careers_Executive_Summary.pdf Take 15 minutes and look at this survey summary ... this is a MUST READ for everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bciskepottery Posted November 7, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2013 And a donation to CERF+ goes a long way to helping fellow artists and craftsmen/women in times of need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JBaymore Posted November 11, 2013 Report Share Posted November 11, 2013 Very important information. Ton;s of stuff hiding in there. We are even looking at it right now relative to improving the college's curriculum a bit. best, ........................john Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederik-W Posted November 11, 2013 Report Share Posted November 11, 2013 "Six in ten craft artists responding to the survey provided less than 20% of their family incomes.Those earning the least from craft most often relied upon partner income or jobs.A troubling finding is that fewer than half of responding craft artists had enough cash reserves for more than one month of expenses, indicating high risk of income interruptions from emergencies or illness". Seems to me the message is: Do not take up craft as an income if you have to feed a family or pay a mortage and you do not have a partner with a normal job to help you survive. And (very important): Do not get sick ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSC Posted November 11, 2013 Report Share Posted November 11, 2013 I think in any sole proprietor business the message of 'Do not get sick' are the words to live by. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GEP Posted November 11, 2013 Report Share Posted November 11, 2013 This report inspires me to donate money to CERF on a more regular basis. For them to compile and distribute this information is incredibly valuable. In addition to all the light shed in this report, I'm glad to learn I am not the only person who loves the word "craft" and hates the word "crafter." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JBaymore Posted November 11, 2013 Report Share Posted November 11, 2013 Crafter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Campbell Posted November 11, 2013 Report Share Posted November 11, 2013 Yes, the wonderful word "craftsman" or "craftsperson" has been totally debased. It has gone from defining someone who has spent a lifetime learning a process to defining someone who dabbles. And don't get me started on the debasement of "Guilds" which are often no more than clubs where no one dares to question the merits of anyone else's work. Everyone plays nice in the sandbox or no snacks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phill Posted November 12, 2013 Report Share Posted November 12, 2013 no one dares to question the merits of anyone else's work. Everyone plays nice in the sandbox or no snacks. It is interesting you say this. Just some months ago I was highly criticized on these boards for talking about honest critique of people's work. Many folks were even offended. BAH! I wish more people agreed with your insinuation here Chris, and I too think the honest truth is most people don't really want to know/hear that their art is very lacking and immature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Campbell Posted November 12, 2013 Report Share Posted November 12, 2013 Phill ... We had a long discussion a while ago here about whether or not anyone can give or take an online critique. The Internet loses facial expression and tone of voice so it seems a whole lot easier to take offense or take the whole thing personally. I cannot find the thread and don't remember what was decided about commentaries. The value of an educated critique should be appreciated as a valuable tool. I want someone who can look at my work with an educated eye and tell me their opinion of where it is. I appreciate it so much when someone I respect takes the time out of their day to look, report and make me think. But ... that said ... the most important thing for me is that phrase "educated eye" ... I have to respect their work and their eye. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phill Posted November 13, 2013 Report Share Posted November 13, 2013 Phill ... We had a long discussion a while ago here about whether or not anyone can give or take an online critique. The Internet loses facial expression and tone of voice so it seems a whole lot easier to take offense or take the whole thing personally. I think that the world is ever depending on the internet, and soon perhaps all we will have for critique could be the internet. Wouldn't it be wise to toughen up so that one might be able to keep up with today's standards and daily operations? I would also argue that the more critiques you receive, the more you will be able to weed out the bad ones and keep the golden nuggets. Practice makes perfect. The value of an educated critique should be appreciated as a valuable tool. I want someone who can look at my work with an educated eye and tell me their opinion of where it is. I appreciate it so much when someone I respect takes the time out of their day to look, report and make me think. But ... that said ... the most important thing for me is that phrase "educated eye" ... I have to respect their work and their eye. I agree with you somewhat on this. However, if we live by this standard, then we may be hard pressed to find this ideal candidate. Additionally, it doesn't help the beginning potters have a crack at critiquing more mature work, which I believe is beneficial to the general pottery public. Also, it seems that we would unfortunately weed out a lot of folks with very diverse backgrounds that could potentially speak good truth into our work. What do you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GEP Posted November 13, 2013 Report Share Posted November 13, 2013 phill, Chris, and others, I am in favor of continuing this line of conversation, but please do so in a new thread. I think it would belong in the Aesthetics section of this forum. If anyone else would like to comment about CERF's report on the status of the craft industry, please do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Campbell Posted November 13, 2013 Report Share Posted November 13, 2013 OK ... The thread on online critiques is over in aesthetics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mart Posted November 24, 2013 Report Share Posted November 24, 2013 CERF just released their report on status of craft in America . . . worth a read: http://craftemergency.org/outreach/reports_and_findings/cerf_research?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CERF+Announces+2013+National+Research+Study+of+American+Craft+Artists&utm_content=CERF+Announces+2013+National+Research+Study+of+American+Craft+Artists+CID_c05e1854e0b0f9c63b4c1abc7d0d6fbc&utm_source=CampaignMonitor&utm_term=read%20online%20or%20download%20free Interesting (and depressing) read indeed. Those same problems exist in every developed country where massive amounts of crap gets imported from China or similar low labour-cost hell holes. Thank your sociopathic corporate overlords (and politicians, law makers etc) for that. I have nothing against international trading of goods. What is going on now days is not any more about trading goods. This is methodical and permanent destruction of local markets for profit - just by importing junk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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