Page 37 - Constructing Craft

These later studio ‘pioneers’ devoted much time to teaching themselves skills that

had largely disappeared from the local community, and sourcing materials that were
in short supply – often resorting to manufacturing their own. Frequently, both men

and women had to make sacrifices for their craft and only very rarely could they
generate enough income to support themselves and truly move beyond the amateur

in an economic sense. Men were expected to be ‘providers’ for their families and
because pursuing an interest in craft would not provide sufficient income to achieve

this, most men would not have considered craft as a realistic career option. Women

were more involved with craft but they also would rarely have considered craft as a
career. Furthermore, they could seldom share with others with similar interests and

often the only clubs or societies they could join were local art societies –

organisations dominated by painters and sculptors. The only other association with
craft was as a leisure activity. For men and women working in the arts profession,

as practitioners or educators, interest in crafts was acceptable, provided it did not
detract from ‘real art’ – painting and sculpture.

The names of many of New Zealand’s earliest craftspeople have largely

disappeared from the pages of history (and craft) books. Those whose names have

appeared only became known to later generations of studio craftspeople and the
wider public through articles in craft magazines and exhibition catalogues. Their

appearance in these documents suggests the movement was attempting to
contextualise its formation and establish a history. In 1999 for instance, Rodney

Wilson, the Director of Auckland Museum, stated in the foreword to a catalogue for
an exhibition of the weaving of the Mulvany sisters that: ‘Ten years ago, the

Mulvany sisters were virtually unknown, even among New Zealand’s weaving

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community.’ The craftspeople profiled below, to a greater or lesser extent, all
experienced a degree of anonymity during the time they were practising, but largely

because of their dedication they later provided points of reference for the studio

craft movement and gained some recognition. Some are being mentioned here as
forerunners of the studio craft movement for the first time.

The fact that practitioners in some media, such as clay and fibre, dominate the

records recognises the larger numbers involved then and since; the strength of
overseas influences on some crafts; and the ability of some craftspeople to earn a

Constructing Craft