How Envy Killed the Crafts Movement: An Autopsy in Two Parts

The first publication produced by Museum of Contemporary Craft in partnership with Pacific Northwest College of Art, “How Envy Killed the Crafts Movement: An Autopsy in Two Parts,” is now available on lulu.com. The book is based on the lecture of the same name given by Garth Clark on October 16, 2008, co-presented by MoCC, PNCA and Oregon College of Art and Craft. “With characteristic humor, Clark’s lecture surveys the past 150 years...Arguing that the desire for parity with the fine arts by artists, crafters (as Clark prefers), collectors, academia and institutions created the demise of the movement itself, Clark expresses concern that nostalgia and envy plague an aging community. As a result, he wryly quips, success is measured by escape from the 'penitentiary' of craft into the 'nirvana' of the art world. Instead of seeking a bridge to the fine arts, Clark advocates re-unification with design.” -Namita Gupta Wiggers