Discussion on the

V VanTiki Member Hawaii Joined: Nov 25, 2005 Posts: 1046	V VanTiki Posted posted on Fri, Dec 29, 2006 4:03 PM On 2006-12-29 14:50, saxotica wrote: I don't think Art is valued very highly here on Tiki Central. I think what is valued here is Craftsmanship. And thus the doors to the great Art vs. Craft debate have been thrown wide open! :) Seriously, though - I feel that saxotica is onto something here. I am a great lover of the Arts and Crafts (aka Craftsman) movement in American design - as well as the Edo period in Japan. Both movements celebrated the beauty and craftsmanship of everyday objects. In a way - Tiki mugs do the same. They are functional art - a beautiful object that also serves a practical purpose. Does art have to do something more than simply be pleasing/interesting to the eye? Perhaps - maybe this it the litmus test for the difference between art and craft. One could argue that the Arts and Crafts movement had a deeper drive - shunning the mechanical drudgery in design spurned by the industrial revolution and attempting to bring humans in tough with the materials that surround them. Tiki mugs could be argued to have a deeper meaning as well - a talisman/reminder of a unique period of history, a touchstone to a forgotten place/mindset, an embodiment of a hidden and dark inner id, etc... whew - I gotta get in the studio and start pushing some clay! VanTiki http://www.vantiki.com [ Edited by: VanTiki 2006-12-29 16:06 ]

On 2006-12-29 14:50, saxotica wrote:
I don't think Art is valued very highly here on Tiki Central. I think what is valued here is Craftsmanship.

And thus the doors to the great Art vs. Craft debate have been thrown wide open! :)

Seriously, though - I feel that saxotica is onto something here. I am a great lover of the Arts and Crafts (aka Craftsman) movement in American design - as well as the Edo period in Japan. Both movements celebrated the beauty and craftsmanship of everyday objects. In a way - Tiki mugs do the same. They are functional art - a beautiful object that also serves a practical purpose. Does art have to do something more than simply be pleasing/interesting to the eye? Perhaps - maybe this it the litmus test for the difference between art and craft. One could argue that the Arts and Crafts movement had a deeper drive - shunning the mechanical drudgery in design spurned by the industrial revolution and attempting to bring humans in tough with the materials that surround them. Tiki mugs could be argued to have a deeper meaning as well - a talisman/reminder of a unique period of history, a touchstone to a forgotten place/mindset, an embodiment of a hidden and dark inner id, etc...

whew - I gotta get in the studio and start pushing some clay!

VanTiki

http://www.vantiki.com

[ Edited by: VanTiki 2006-12-29 16:06 ]

Post #275547 by VanTiki on Fri, Dec 29, 2006 4:03 PM