Arts and crafts - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
Arts and crafts comprise a whole host of activities and hobbies that are related
to making things with one's own hands and skill. These can be sub-divided into
handicrafts or "traditional crafts" (doing things the old way) and the rest.
Some crafts have been practised for centuries, while others are modern
inventions, or popularisations of crafts which were originally practiced in a
very small geographic area.
Additionally, this term refers to the Arts and Crafts movement which was a
design movement of the late 19th and early 20th century, whose proponents
included William Morris and Edwin Lutyens. They believed that medieval craftsmen
achieved a joy in the excellence of their work, which they strove to emulate.
These activities are called crafts because originally many of them were
professions. Adolescents were apprenticed to a master-craftsman, and they
refined their skills over a period of years. By the time their training was
complete, they were well-equipped to set up in trade for themselves, earning
their living with the skill of their hands. The Industrial Revolution and the
increasing mechanisation of production processes gradually reduced or eliminated
many of the roles professional craftspeople played, and today 'crafts' are most
commonly seen as a form of hobby.
Most crafts require a combination of skill and talent, but they can also be
learnt on a more basic level by virtually anyone. Many Community centres and
schools run evening or day classes and workshops offering to teach basic craft
skills in a short period of time. Many of these crafts become extremely popular
for brief periods of time (a few months, or a few years), spreading rapidly
among the crafting population as everyone emulates the first examples.
Ceramic Miniatures and Figurines