Page 118 - Constructing Craft

Avis Higgs in Sydney wearing a dress made
from one of her own textile designs. Photo:
Te Papa Museum of New Zealand Te Papa
Tongarewa.

Nine years later, economic professionalism for some craftspeople appeared to have

been established. For instance, in 1956 the potter Mirek Smišek, who combined

teaching craft and making pottery, claimed to be New Zealand’s first professional
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studio potter, but the word still lacked definition. In an article in the New Zealand
Potter, Mavis Jack appeared to suggest that titles such as ‘studio potter’ inferred a
professional status and established a division between craftspeople based on how

much they charged for their work. In a criticism of the prices charged by some
potters she stated that: ‘The attitude of the studio potter is bound to be different

from that of the hobbyist but I hope in this article to show that potters who practically
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give their work away by undervaluing it are doing themselves a disservice.’ Jack’s
concerns reflected the growing realisation that some people could earn a living from

craft and, furthermore, that conflicts would arise when those who depended on their
sales to live had to compete with those who essentially were concerned with only

covering their costs or simply enjoying others aspects of craft.

Constructing Craft