We are now into our third
week of the Strand exhibition here at Bridport Arts Centre and the show
continues to interest, engage and impress gallery visitors. As well as being a beautiful show, the
work raises all sorts of questions, both directly through the themes explored
by the artists, and indirectly by challenging the perception of what it is to
be a ‘textile artist’.
This was one of the main
themes of the conversation I had with Erica Steer, Director of the Devon Guild
of Craftsmen, on the opening day of the exhibition. We explored the much-visited territory that seems to
separate ‘craft’ from ‘fine art’, surrounded by work that clearly shows great
‘craftsmanship’ whilst also being ‘critically engaged’ in terms of its subject
matter – all terms that are in themselves contentious.
We heard from many of the
exhibiting artists, as well as other artists who were at the talk, about what
terms they use to describe what they do.
The main position seemed to be that terms such as embroiderer and
quilter had been dropped in favour of the broader terms ‘artist’ and ‘textile
artist’, in large part because the other terms didn’t have the respect and
regard that the work deserved, rather than a deliberate attempt to claim the
right to title of ‘artist’ (although that was the motivation for some).
Its often tempting to say,
lets not get too caught up in semantics and just get on with the business of
making work. This was the argument
favoured by Erica on the issue of the name of the Devon Guild of Craftsmen, a
question greeted with wry smiles from many of the (all female) artists. Certainly in practice, the Strand
exhibition has utilised the accessibility of craft to introduce audiences to
different issues and ways of working.
So does the terminology matter?
I can’t but think that at some level it does. We are a culture dominated by language and therefore the
words we use do carry weight and power.
But encouraging more people
to see high quality work remains our priority and I want to thank the Brunel
Broderers for putting together an exhibition that is doing just that.
Polly Gifford
Director, Bridport Arts
Centre
