Kari Woo

Does Craft have a future? I would say yes, it absolutely does! We are in fact amidst a craft revival – perhaps even a revolution!

Craft is historically linked in developed countries to political and social movements that have resulted in changes to the public conscience. For example, the Arts & Craft Movement in Europe in the early 1900s (ie – Wiener Werkstätten in Vienna), or the attitudes of the 1960s and early 1970s had anti-industrialization campaigns attached to them. The action of making craft objects supports local economies and individual well-being.

In my opinion, the trend we are seeing in the current revival of the handmade has the same anti-industrialization tune to it but is also an anti-globalization movement. It is action in the face of technological innovations such as rapid prototyping, mass manufacturing overseas and the homogenization of our everyday lives and environments by big-box store items. The role of Craft today is as important as it ever was. It is absolutely needed to serve as a voice for local economies, sustainability, personal expression of both the maker and the buyer, and as an empathetic reaction to the dehumanized conditions of corporate factories and the process of mass production.

Once again the action of making Craft is making a difference in the lives of everyday people who are practicing their right to choose consciousness over convenience, whether it is the producer or the patron. Across Canada many Craft galleries and high-end boutiques that specialize in Canadian design are opening their doors and staying open. The proliferation and flourishing of such spaces speaks to this choice that is being made.

Ironically, technology is also having a positive impact on today's Craft communities. Craft practice is forever changed with the introduction of the Internet; we not only see a broadening of our audience, but the broader community that we are a part of as Craft artists – a global Craft movement, it seems. Web sites and especially blogs dedicated to Craft abound on the Internet. If you Google "Craft blogs" you will have pages of links to meander through. Once you start on that journey you will soon figure out that there is an entire web of independent makers and communities worldwide that are networking via the Internet. The are communicating about anything from ideas for new projects to business experience and sourcing materials. There are many online galleries and boutiques that specialize in handmade, locally designed products. Some are international while others are exclusive to the guilds they represent or a particular region. Many independent artists also sell their work through their web sites, some making their living exclusively that way.

Being an adaptive species, Craft artists continue to thrive in the face of change and to record the history of the world around them as they always have – just with the influence of new tools and working conditions. Long Live Craft!

*Kari Woo is a Craft Artist and Activist living in Calgary

	Education BFA, Alberta College of Art & Design, Calgary AB, 2003
	Inspirations Rusty Metal Patterns in Nature Architectural Details Human Dwellings Beauty	Aspirations More time to travel Public sculpture To help save the planet A simple life
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