#CitizenOfCraft: Redefining The Meaning Of "Craft"

On March 14, 2015, the Ontario Crafts Council launched an online campaign to gather people around the idea of locally made craft. Called Citizen Of Craft, this movement is defined by a 10 points manifesto that highlights the main characteristics of craft. At least four points out of ten are about the uniqueness of handcrafted objects compared to the standardization of mass produced objects. The other qualities listed on the manifesto are the value of traditional processes, the fact that hand crafted objects can also be contemporary, and most importantly the notion of community. Indeed, handmade objects connects the maker and its culture to the user.

The misuse of the term “craft” is what prompted the Canadian Craft Federation and Craft Ontario to design this movement. They felt that today, many things are said to be “crafted” even though they are mass-produced, making it harder to advertise authentic crafts and their singularities.

It is true that new technologies are available to industries, allowing them to produce more unique objects. This phenomenon called “mass-customization” allows customers to get affordable yet original objects or clothes. This topic was also discussed by Neil Gershenfeld in his book Fab.

In mastering these emerging means for personal fabrication, they're helping bring individual expression back into mass manufacturing
Fab, Neil Gershenfeld, p27

So what does it mean? If uniqueness is the main characteristic of crafts and if it is now possible to manufacture one of a kind objects, then where is the boundary between these two worlds? For now, the processes are still different and the quantities produced are incomparable. But with technologies such as 3D printing being used by both industries and individual makers, is becomes harder to make a clear distinction based on the techniques only.
To me, the main difference lies in the story behind the object. What does a mass-produced object tell-us? It is one among thousands and thousands and was probably made in Asia by underpaid workers using cheap materials. But a hand made object tells the story of a place, of carefully selected materials, of hours and hours of work, of someone who dedicated his life to create meaningful objects. And I believe we are more likely to feel a connection to an object so full of meaning. Why do we hold on to our grandmothers dishes, even though they are chipped? Because there is an emotional link, a background: it is not just an object but only a small part of a greater whole.

If you are a supporter of crafts, check out the Citizen Of Craft website and spread the word. The next phase will all allow people to connect with makers, associations and studios through an app. If you live in Canada, 2015 is also the Craft Year: the official website references all the exhibitions, workshops and conferences happening across Canada until December 2015.

And if you want to read more, I suggest reading this short text about whether mass-produced objects can be referred to as craft, and this article that questions the idea of the "Maker".

Gershenfeld, Neil A. Fab : the coming revolution on your desktop--from personal computers to personal fabrication. New York: Basic Books, 2005. ISBN: 9780465027453