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Abstract

The contemporary crafts movement was a phenomenon in the Western world, including
Australia, from the 1940s.
Its roots were in the philosophies of the British Arts and Crafts movement of the late 19th
century, and in the simultaneous expression of ideals of a new democracy through
community life that included aspirations towards self-suffiency through crafts production.
It was encouraged by progressive education policies from the 1920s and the related model
of expressive individualism in the United States from the 1940s. It also reflected post-war
responses to ideals of economic 'progress', to domestic consumerism, to new industrial
products and processes and to the development of Modernism in art, design and industry.
The leaders of the contemporary crafts movement used the terms 'the crafts' or 'craft' as
an umbrella for a wide range of practices under which to present a perception of cohesive
identity and political force. In the early 1970s the movement gained the support of
government funding, influenced the inclusion of crafts courses in educational institutions
and developed a wide popular marketplace.
The contemporary crafts movement's early ideals and values placed an emphasis on the
revival or re-invention of traditions of skilfully making beautiful, utilitarian objects by
hand from natural materials. From the late I 960s, however, in seeking the status of art
and artists, an increasing number of craftspeople started to pursue instead, the ideals
followed by the fine arts at that time, ideals that themselves shifted during the 1970s and
;.vere contrary to crafts traditions.
This thesis will review the historical background of the Australian contemporary crafts
movement's pursuit of art ideals, discuss the tensions that developed between different
philosophies of crafts practice and account for the parallel relationship with design and
industry. In particular, it will review the subsequent effect of the crafts movement's
pursuit of art ideals.
While the influence of art ideals clearly served to successfully challenge conservative
aspects of crafts traditions, I will argue that the pursuit of these ideals also contributed to
a loss of identity in crafts practice, a loss that has been under review from the mid-I 980s.
I will argue that craftspeople should have confidence in acknowledging and valuing the
wider histories and traditions that underlie their contemporary practice, including, but not
without critical appraisal of, the influence of contemporary art values.

Item Type:	Thesis - PhD
Authors/Creators:	Cochrane, G
Additional Information:	© 1998 the Author. The Copyright in this thesis belongs to the author. All rights are reserved. You are permitted to download a single copy for private study and research. Some images in this thesis have a separate copyright. They are copied and communicated under section 200AB of the Copyright Act 1968. Any further dealing in the images may constitute an infringement under the Act.
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