traditional crafts guardian article

[robin wood]

Big article on traditional crafts from the Guardian online.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/mar/22/heritage-crafts-at-risk

[AnnieAnna]

I love the schools vision

But is anyone out there listening?

AnnieAnna

[TePe]

My personal opinion is that we will never see any real move to fund the craft scene from the establishment.

As we on here are all craft orientated we tend to look at this through rose coloured glasses, where as in their hey day ’craft workers’ did it purely to earn a crust. There was nothing easy or glorious about it, and I’ve never read about any past craft worker who earned more than a subsistence wage from their endeavours.

As much as I agree with trying to keep the old crafts alive for future generations, unless you can make a good living from it I doubt it just ain’t gonna happen. Plus let’s be honest most craft skills are not really needed any more, unless it is things like thatching, stone walling, and so on, but even these could be replaced with better materials these days. They just don’t look so good to the nostalgic amongst us, of which I am unashamedly one.

Also as much as I hate to say it, I don’t think we are going to see the possibility of any cash help in the craft scene for at least the next couple of decades. Certainly not in the financial environment we are in now.

[AnnieAnna]

Tam - I've watched the historical reenactment ...er...what to call it? ...movement? scene? grow over the past 15 years.
I have visions of traditional crafting wanabees being paid to be caged in historic workhouses as interesting exhibits.
(Don't knock it - I'm doing just that in museums and fields at the moment ).

Robin - I heard you on Radio 4 the other day! Your message is dripping into the nations brains. Keep up the good work.

AnnieAnna

[Critchley]

Looking at it from the more mercenery side, we are a small island, our crafts are part of our heritage, our heritage is a big part of our tourism industry which is, in turn a very large money pot in our overall income. What a shame we are still looked on as serfs by the powers that be.

[wood-u-like]

Shouldn't we just let bygones be bygones and focus on the future. It is just turning Britain into a nostalgic ruritanian theme park and we want to be more than some heritage museum. LC

[AnnieAnna]

No! I've just bought Cyril Hobbins Tradional Toys book.
I want to throw everything up in the air and become a traditional toy shop.
The toys are brilliant!
I love the Chileans (I think it's the Peruvians who make them actually. The Chileans cleverly sell them on to me.). Anyway they are still producing toys that were popular in Victorian England!
AnnieAnna
www.anniethepedlar.com
www.littlechile.co.uk

[Critchley]

Shouldn't we just let bygones be bygones and focus on the future. It is just turning Britain into a nostalgic ruritanian theme park and we want to be more than some heritage museum. LC

Of course we are more than ' some heritage museum' we are a very complex society.Taking our history forward with us doesn't stop us moving forward. Crafting is just a small part of the overall.