Page 275 - Constructing Craft

Changing Society – Changing Craft

We have seen that the rise of feminism, with the associated questioning of the male

narrative of art and craft; the advance of new notions of craft by Māori; and the
interest by Pākehā in Māori design all contributed to the changing face of the studio

craft movement during the 1980s. Whereas both women and Māori had often
worked collaboratively there was now a desire to also adapt to Western concepts of

professionalism based on economic imperatives. This new environment was, in

large part, the antithesis of what craftspeople thought were the admirable features
of the early movement. In the period between the 1950s and the 1970s the co-

operative approach was a feature of the studio craft movement and it was thought

that by working in this way craftspeople were staying true to the methods by which
craft skills and knowledge had traditionally been handed down. The way women

and Māori worked frequently exemplified this approach. But the emphasis on
individualism in the 1980s produced divisions within craft movement and women

and Māori often had to abandon the co-operative approach if they wanted to
achieve recognition that was now defined by the rules of the field of art.

Nevertheless, the presence of some Māori craftspeople within or alongside the
studio craft movement caused some craftspeople to question the individualised (and

often isolated) model that many Pākehā (both men and women) believed was a
distinctive feature of professionalism. In Māori society, ‘far from being eccentric

outsiders, artists [craftspeople] were bonded into tribal life with a recognised and
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respected public role to perform.’ The contrasting roles demonstrated that there
was no unified social function that craftspeople could be expected to fulfil in New

Zealand society in the 1980s. The growth of the studio craft movement presented
an opportunity for formerly subjugated groups to write a new chapter in the narrative

of New Zealand craft. The difficulty for many however, was they had to choose

between collaboration and professionalism and the CCNZ, as will be seen in the
next chapter, had already decided which route it would follow.

Constructing Craft