March events!!!!

CRAFT MATTERS:
I went to see another presentation of the new initiative by the CRAFTS COUNCIL called CRAFT MATTERS. As far as I understand, all they want us to do is sign a petition and the only reason I can see them needing a petition is to drum up support for the Crafts Council. They have only managed to collect 6000 signatures, despite the fact that there are 35,000 registered makers in the UK.

I can't help wondering if they would get more support if they laid out why it is worth supporting the Crafts Council and what they intend to do for makers in the future.

Craft is enjoying a resurgence in the Art world and while some get bogged down in the meaning of words and the relationship between design and making, the new generation is bored with 'cerebral conceptualism' and is re-discovering the 'magic of making'.
Whether the creative student pursues a career as an artist, investigating process as a means to an end or as a craftsman who aims to master a particular skill, is not for anyone to decide. What is clear, is that there is again a real interest amongst people to learn new craft skills or to take their existing craft skills further.

What the Crafts Council do well is publish CRAFTS magazine. In the current issue there is an article covering the exhibition due to be held at MAD in New York, underlying this very issue.
http://madmuseum.org/


Two Exhibitions that I shall be going to are both at the CAA
http://www.caa.org.uk/

Pins by Brother Vicki Ambery-Smith are on show at:
The Honey Bee and the Hive is at Contemporary Applied Arts from 26 March - 1 May

and before that

Intelligent Trouble: A Curious Exchange

19th February - 20th March

Discussions will be
facilitated in the gallery
by Helen Carnac, Lin
Cheung, David Clarke
and David Gates (see images of cabinet attached) on:
Wed 10 March 4pm
Wed 17 March 6.30pm

All of whom came to the Guild recently to meet a number of Brethren and hear about the Guild's past and present goals. We hope to welcome them to Ordinary Meetings soon.