Lately I’ve become aware of two community galleries that deal mostly in wall hung art that would like to start actively representing other types of artists because they feel smaller art sells more often. They have come to realize that people change their wearable art more often than their wall hangings and thus wearable art is more likely to sell.
Unfortunately, at these galleries there is a need to call some art “fine” and some art “craft”, and to treat the art and the artists differently. At these venues, the predominate opinion is that if an art object can’t be hung on the wall (art on a canvas, watercolors, or photographs), or if the object isn’t a bronze sculpture, then that art object is “only craft.”
Should how an object is displayed determine what we call it? Should we categorize based on technique? Creation of bronze sculptures is often done utilizing the same lost wax techniques as some smaller wearable art. So, should size be a determining factor? Difficulty? Market value? Materials? Should we even be labeling one person’s creations as art and another person’s creations as craft? Is craftspersonship not involved in all art?
Interestingly, and refreshingly, museums don’t delineate or discriminate. The Metropolitan Museum of Art displayed Akan and South American wearable art when I visited a few years ago. In their permanent collection is metal art from past centuries. Visibly missing were signs labeling these art objects as “crafts.” Ornate and simpler objects were all treated with equal respect.
Museums around the world show furniture, often wood or metal based, as art. Ancient and modern wearable objects are also acknowledged by museums to be art. Last year’s Palace of the Legion of Honor jewelry show was very well attended and there was not one reference to the art being “less” art than a wall piece. And, another jewelry based show: “Cartier and America” is opening mid December at the same museum.
A friend just reminded me that even among wall art there seems to be discrimination in galleries, yet not in museums. The “Amish Abstractions: Quilts from the Collection of Faith and Stephen Brown” show which opened at the deYoung Museum this month is a great example.
Until all galleries catch up to museums in labeling, logic, and reasoning, this is one more area to investigate before trusting a gallery to represent and sell your art.