Teens/adults - Lesson 4: objects

When speaking about art, contemporary scholars are aware of the enormous breadth of what is to be studied. Increasingly, they don’t use “art” as their definitive term; rather, they speak of “art and objects.” This addresses a common bias that the things most likely to be seen in a fine art museum (paintings and sculpture, for example) are the most important, relegating other objects (and their makers) to lower, marginalized status. These are important issues in Art History and Art Criticism, today.

For the purposes of a discussion about creation, however, let’s focus on the fact that many people take their work in the making of objects every bit as seriously as their painting and sculpting peers. Furthermore, the amateur finds object making every bit as satisfying. This include: quilting, ceramics, textiles, glass, paper arts, bookbinding, fashion, woodworking, printmaking, and much more. (It must also be noted that many fine artists around the world are embracing object making in their fine art processes, too.)

How can you get started in this kind of creativity? How can you develop the requisite skills?

• Get inspired. Do you know what kind of object you might like to make? Maybe you need to get inspired. If so, go to a craft fair, walk around, and see if anything strikes you.

• Find a teacher. Object making is often tied to the tradition of passing down skills from generation to generation. Historically, would-be artisans entered guilds and studios that employed apprentices as underlings until they were sufficiently trained to become masters. One-on-one teaching and modeling—a quilting bee that includes a newbie in the circle, for example—remains an ideal way to learn how to make something. Find somebody who does work that you’d like to do and ask them to teach you how to do it.

• Take a class. If your parents were glassblowers, you might become one, too. If they were tailors, you would likely have grown up in their sewing room. But if you’re not that lucky, search out a class that can expose you, step by step, to the process of object making that interests you. Nothing can replace the immediate feedback of a skilled teacher—”Stop! You’re sewing those pieces together backwards!” Look into the offerings of schools, community centers such as libraries, and retail stores. Don’t forget online resources. YouTube has sparked many a creative project, too. Just be aware that the best learning experiences require a qualified teacher.

• Read a book. It can be intimidating to be a beginner. Some people dislike the sensation of being a novice because they find it embarrassing to make mistakes and have them pointed out by authority figures. Others have such time constraints that a formal class isn’t viable. Additionally, with so many books available, a motivated reader can explore many kinds of object making with the aid of expert writers who want to share what they’ve learned with the public. Not all artisan skills can be effectively learned exclusively this way—few can get a novice up to a professional level—but books also provide insight to improving your skills or inspiring projects that you might not have considered before.

• Join a group. Art making tends to be a solitary activity, but object making is often social. In some cases, the facilities required are such that they can’t be easily duplicated, domestically—ceramic kilns, woodworking machinery, printing presses, weavers’ studios, and so forth—or they require teams of people to work collaboratively to set up and execute them. Once you have some basic skills, working together with others will motivate you and inspire you.

• Utilize your community. It’s common for skilled artisans to be connected, geographically. Some places become well-known for their crafts: wood-fired ceramics of the American Pacific Northwest; bamboo weaving of Kyoto, Japan; mola textiles of Guna Yala, Panama; Pueblo pottery of the American Southwest; blown glass in Murano, Italy; bookarts near Iowa City, Iowa; woodworking in Bucks County, Pennsylvania; and so forth. In many cases, an ecosystem of skills, materials, artists, and audience combines to form a magnet in that particular discipline. Any given city might have micro-ecosystems of their own, too. Seek them out.

• Join up. Organizations that provide resources and encouragement are more widespread than you may realize. It’s just that they’re under the radar. These might include organizations, societies, and associations that you can join. In your browser, type: “association for…” and then insert the object that appeals to you. Origami? Weaving? Letterpress? Knifemaking? Quilting? Antler carving? Lapidary? There’s a society for everything and a place for you.

• Go deeper. Every skill has a spectrum of accomplishment, and learning basic skills might lead you to something that becomes a passion. Don’t stop learning. Keep abreast of like-minded people around the world through publications, books, and websites. A Midwestern American quilter, for example, who has mastered the kaleidoscope techniques of “stack and whack,” might find Japanese quilt artists to be a revelation.

• Share. Artists make things to communicate. How will you share the objects you’ve made? Friends and family first; that’s easy. Then go bigger: Display your work in your home; post images on social media; enter a local show, fair, or competition; create a website or social media feed dedicated to what you are making; as appropriate, let commercial and artistic entities know of your work. Why not?

Get inspired by a stop motion video by artist Steven Stallings Cardenas, Jazz Rock Latin.

We asked Steven to make a video to show how Jazz Rock Latin was created. Here it is.