Traditional Connections / Contemporary Practice
Nicole Gilbert, MALS ’15, Exhibitions Coordinator, Hood Museum of Art
Published by the Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College
2013, 2 pages
A dichotomy between craft and art has long been present in critical Western art history, founded largely on a deep-rooted system of aesthetic values. These definitions and values have often ignored the contribution of women artists. The most obvious example of this is women’s capacity within the world of craft—a term typically associated with a form of “low art” largely created by women in the domestic sphere to which they have been relegated. Some contemporary women artists have chosen to use traditional techniques associated with craft and utilitarian objects to produce unique and innovative works of art, in the process challenging the largely male-dominated art world to overtly acknowledge their talent as artists.