Documents on Contemporary Crafts
is a book series published by Norwegian Crafts in collaboration with
Arnoldsche Art Publishers. The series provides a critical reflection of
contemporary crafts in a wider context and in doing so asks questions
about the ties between contemporary craft, fine art and design, thus
helping to redefine the concept of crafts as such. The five volumes
discuss such topics as skills, materiality, curating, collecting,
perception and New Materialism. The more than thirty contributors range
from leading craft theorists, such as Jorunn Veiteberg, Glenn Adamson
and Liesbeth den Besten, via academics outside the craft tradition, such
as Roger L. Kneebone, professor of surgical education, Trevor Marchand,
professor of social anthropology, and Margaret Wasz, consultant
psychological therapist, to emerging voices like Sarah R. Gilbert,
Marianne Zamecznik and Stephen Knott.


No. 1: Museum for Skills.
Skills are essential to the crafts discourse. Yet in an art world that
for the last 50 years has become increasingly focused on conceptual
strategies, we have seen the tendencies of deskilling and outsourcing.
In Museum for Skills, the contributors analyse the current
situation for skills by drawing on experience from the fields of brain
research, surgery and anthropology.


No. 2: Materiality Matters.
If materiality is a quality-related concept in both contemporary crafts
and contemporary art, are we talking about the same notion? Or is there
a fundamental difference between, on one hand, a maker's confidence in
his or her materials, and on the other, a contemporary artist's use and
adaption of a given material?


No. 3: Crafting Exhibitions.
Curatorial discourse has been an increasingly important aspect of
contemporary art. The curator took on a new role as the 'author' of the
exhibition. Crafting Exhibitions introduces some of the
processes that go into making an exhibition, from developing concepts to
the physical realisation. The contributors offer different approaches
to exhibitions.


No. 4: On Collecting. Collections make up
an important part of the contemporary arts and crafts infrastructure.
Collectors and museums help improve the financial situation of artists.
Additionally, to be included in the 'right' collection or museum can
give an artist a high level of recognition and preserves the art works
for the future. On Collecting offers insights into collecting
from different perspectives and sheds light on some of the structures
that determine the 'collectability' of works of art.


No. 5: Material Perceptions.
Contemporary craft objects can be perceived for instance, as works of
art in ceramics, glass, textile, metal and wood, or as functional,
handmade and everyday objects. Material Perceptions
investigates contemporary crafts as representations of reality that do
not rely on the concept of autonomy, unravelling the dualism between
aesthetic objects and everyday things.



Norwegian
Crafts is a non-profit organisation founded by the Norwegian
Association for Arts and Crafts in 2012. Norwegian Crafts initiates and
produces exhibitions in collaboration with Norwegian and international
institutions, curators and artists. The aim is to strengthen the
position of contemporary craft from Norway internationally, contribute
to the development of the artists' careers and stimulate further
exchange across national borders in the field of crafts.