PhD defence C. (Claire) Stasiewicz

Brief summary of the doctoral thesis:

Scholarly and social discussions on art and craft often marginalize the work of craftspeople, pigeonholing craft work as “women’s work” or defining it using terms like “quaint” or “kitsch”. Definitional discussions of craft often compare it to art, simplifying craft and its value. What the discussion on craft lacks is the voice of craftspeople and an understanding of the motives for practicing craft.

In looking at the values that are realized by craftspeople through their practice, we change how we discuss the value of craft. This work reviews institutions that support craft practices, including government institutions and educational systems. These institutions and systems primarily utilize the language of finance or traditional economic metrics to understand value, ignoring craft practice. Instead, I argue that our social, cultural, personal, and familial values all shape our decisions, and should be included in our evaluation of craft.

Through qualitative interviews this research look at the motivation for craft practice. In a period where many are feeling overwhelmed, dissatisfied, and frustrated in their working lives (Gallup, 2021 | Parker, et al., 2022), the personal satisfaction found in craft work may be an antithesis to careers that solely promote financial gain.

The singular purpose of craft work is not to produce a lot of products to sell for the highest price (as found in the interviews). Instead, the purpose of craft practice is wrapped up complexly in social connections, cultural connections, and personal passions which are explored at length in this work.