The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #3130   Message #15889
Posted By: Will
06-Nov-97 - 10:09 AM
Thread Name: Songs about Artists, The Arts, and Crafts
Subject: RE: Songs about Artists, The Arts, and Crafts
Dear Shula and Akiba-

I agree. My point was and is that art and craft do not separate neatly on objective criteria, if at all. There was a response back up there, somewhere, which seems to have disappeared or else I just don't see it, that seemed to worry ever so slightly about the distinction.

Having said that, let's recognise that words, and semantics, do matter. There is a difference between "art" and "craft". But as you suggest, much of the difference is cultural, rather than deriving from the seemingly more objective criteria of skill, practice, and dexterity. That is, "art" tends to be activities that the ascendent culture focuses on (quick aside: does that make golf an art?), while "craft" is what the other people do.