Arts & Crafts




Arts and crafts comprise a whole host of activities and hobbies that are related to making things with one's own hands and skill. These can be sub-divided into handicrafts or "traditional crafts" (doing things the old way) and the rest. Some crafts have been practised for centuries, while others are modern inventions, or popularisations of crafts which were originally practiced in a very small geographic area.

Additionally, this term refers to the
Arts and Crafts movement which was a design movement of the late 19th and early 20th century, whose proponents included William Morris and Edwin Lutyens. They believed that medieval craftsmen achieved a joy in the excellence of their work, which they strove to emulate.

These activities are called
crafts because originally many of them were professions. Adolescents were apprenticed to a master-craftsman, and they refined their skills over a period of years. By the time their training was complete, they were well-equipped to set up in trade for themselves, earning their living with the skill of their hands. The Industrial Revolution and the increasing mechanisation of production processes gradually reduced or eliminated many of the roles professional craftspeople played, and today 'crafts' are most commonly seen as a form of hobby.

Most crafts require a combination of skill and talent, but they can also be learnt on a more basic level by virtually anyone. Many
Community centres and schools run evening or day classes and workshops offering to teach basic craft skills in a short period of time. Many of these crafts become extremely popular for brief periods of time (a few months, or a few years), spreading rapidly among the crafting population as everyone emulates the first examples.

The term
craft also refers to the products of artistic production or creation that require a high degree of tacit knowledge, are highly technical, require specialized equipment and/or facilities to produce, involve manual labor or a blue-collar work ethic, are accessible to the general public and are constructed from materials with histories that exceed the boundaries of western art history, such as ceramics, glass, textiles, metal and wood. These products are produced within a specific community of practice and while they differ from the products produced within the communities of art and design, the boundaries of such often overlap resulting in hybrid objects. Additionally, as the interpretation and validation of art is frequently a matter of context, an audience may perceive crafted objects as art objects when these objects are viewed within an art context, such as in a museum or in a position of prominence in one’s home.

Source: Wikipedia


Arts and Crafts Society
This US-based society provides an events list, photographs, bibliography, lists of early Arts and Crafts exhibitions and societies, classifieds, ...

Crayola Creativity Central : Arts and Crafts Projects, Inspiring ...
Crayola Creativity Central offers kids arts and crafts ideas for rainy day fun. We also have coloring books and pages, art and craft projects, games, ...

Arts and Crafts
Great place from All For Kids for beginners and advanced alike to come live chat, and pick up some tips. Need a question answered, this is the place.

The Arts and Crafts Home
We are providers of a complete home furnishing service, from a fork to a dining table to a whole house. We specialise in the finest replicas of the greatest ...

Founders Of The Arts and Crafts Movement
Anthology of writings on interior design by William Morris and his contemporaries; information about the early years of the movement in England and America.

Arts and Crafts
Gallery of children's drawings and paintings, as well as online coloring lessons. From the Australian Starlight Foundation.

Tour By Mexico ® - San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas State, Mexico
handicrafts such as:. costume dresses. tinwares. pottery ... This is one of the most interesting circuits in the state of Chiapas, since it stats in the ...