• Material Properties • Self Expression and Process • The 'Art/Craft' Debate

Thinking about ceramics: the ‘art/craft debate’ Ceramic works are variously categorised as ‘art’ or ‘craft’, according to how they are made, used and displayed. What are the implications of labelling objects in this way? For many people, ‘craft’ implies something made by a time-honoured method, using traditional materials. We might think of a wicker basket. Such an object has associations with nature and the rural, rather than the urban, environment. Nowadays it is generally accepted that ‘art’ represents something - whether it be real things, or ideas, or simply a state of mind. In theory at least, there is no limit to the forms that art can take, nor to the materials that it can employ. Broadly speaking, craft is made to be used; art is made to be contemplated. The intellectual aspect of the art object means that it often attracts higher status - and higher prices - than the craft object. Many of the exhibits here are for sale, and a maker’s prices can give an indication of the way they expect their work to be regarded. At £350 and £400, for example, Elly Wall’s cylindrical vessels are unlikely to be used principally as containers. (You can view Elly Wall's work in the Discussing the Work section.)