Presentation by Garth Clark

Garth Clark’s lecture was originally billed as “The Case for Conservatism.” In typical Clark fashion, he kept everyone guessing until the last minute by changing the title from the podium to “Palace and Cottage.”

In his presentation, Clark described craft as a vast political, anti-industry, aesthetic movement and called for the field to enter a new era as a social movement. Citing historical context, Garth Clark asserted that craft in much of the 20th century was a rank and file, trickle-down structure. By the 1980s and 90s, it had transformed into something like the “Palace” of Versailles – with high prices, obsessive craftsmanship, excess and pretension. This was when Clark was king in a “gilded age.”

Now in the 21st century, craft has reawakened as a non-partisan, bottom-up democracy facilitated by new internet marketing opportunities (a sentiment also expressed by conference presenters Rob Walker and Faythe Levine). Clark criticized the current leadership of the American Craft Council for breeding a culture of elitism - prizing the highest level of collectible craft, while not doing enough to support the new wave of “crafters.” Clark suggested that we should go back to the cottage industry roots of traditional craft culture as supported by Aileen Osborn Webb, the founder of the American Craft Council.

Garth’s presentation ran around thirty minutes, leaving ample time for what became a truly exceptional Q & A session. Members of the audience lined up to pose well-formed questions that inspired further eloquent dialogue from Clark. One attendee asked why Clark so freely criticizes the craft field for its weak direction and materialistic attitude when he himself was so personally involved in creating this culture as a gallerist. In reply, Clark quipped that he is a “recovering art dealer.”

Additional questions probed the problems in craft education on the university level. Clark suggested a restructuring of craft media programs under the umbrella of “material studies.”  Another question steered the dialogue toward the economic feasibility of running a “cottage industry” in craft in this day and age. Clark cited disheartening statistics compiled by a Center for Craft, Creativity and Design study showing that craft artists in North Carolina have an average annual income of around $24,000. He lamented the fact that a $16 billion industry (referring to the crafts world at large) has never had a lobbying arm or professional structure for job training or apprenticeships. Clark urged the American Craft Council to pursue more lobbying work on behalf of the craft industry.

Garth Clark is a thoughtful, witty and engaging speaker. You may not agree with everything he says, but you understand exactly where he stands.

Reporting by Harriete Estel Berman, an artist and author of the SNAG Professional Guidelines.

Gimme More!

Download the audio podcast
(Can’t open the file? Listen online here, or subscribe through iTunes)
Read Garth Clark’s biography
Download Garth’s Museum of Contemporary Craft lecture “How Envy Killed the Crafts”
Blog coverage by conference attendees:
Ask Harriete, by Harriete Estel Berman
emiko-o reware, by Emiko Oye