Page 152 - Constructing Craft

While not specifically critical of the developments in education, the writer was

attempting to articulate ‒ albeit using twisted tautology ‒ the divergence between
untrained practising craftspeople – the old/traditional/economic professional ‒ and

those who defined professionalism in terms of formal academic qualifications.

The letter from A. Craftsperson reflected concerns and prejudices held by many
craftspeople who considered themselves professional through their ability to earn

their living from their craft. In a 1983 study of the New Zealand craft industry the

authors reported that the main criticism directed at the two existing full-time craft
courses – ceramics at Otago Polytechnic and weaving at Nelson Polytechnic – was

‘not at the technical standards of the courses but at their ability to produce
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graduates suited to work in “the real world.”’ The attendees at the meetings called
to gather opinion asked on a number of occasions ‘how many … course graduates

were actually making a living from their craft. They could see little evidence that the
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courses were setting people on the road to successful vocational craftwork.’
Although the authors of the report questioned the justification for such opinions they
did note that such attitudes towards formal craft courses were quite common. An

anti-academic bias pervaded the craft world.

Not all opinion was unsympathetic and many craftspeople thought that formal

courses would be beneficial in areas such as design, but these views were often
limited to those living in the main centres. The overall feeling was that

professionalism in the crafts was related to the ability to earn a living and while
there was support for some formal education there was not universal support for

full-time, formal training of an academic kind.

Those advocating a more academically oriented education programme expected

government support would flow in the form of grants to individual craftspeople as

had happened overseas. This disturbed some craftspeople who believed that
earning a living in any other way than directly through the sale of craft was

somehow less uplifting and possibly even subversive. In 1982 Roger Brittain, a
potter, said that the ‘most gifted craftspeople’ should be able to work ‘full-time in

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their craft.’ He cautioned that economic independence was an important element
of professionalism.

Constructing Craft