Many years have ebbed by since I last researched the value of arts education. It used to be of particular interest to me when I taught piano to very young children, four years old and up. At that time I consumed the research that justified how this training can affect healthy brain development. This week, however, during a reading raid on the magazine section of the local book store, I again became intrigued with some research. This time my interest peaked when examining a copy of Craft, a magazine produced in the UK. Thumbing through this publication, I landed on an article in the Archive section written in 1997 by Mike Penn. This is a reprint of “A New Vision in the Making” which has been retitled “What Has Craft Given Us?
The article discussed and commented upon information gained when the Crafts Council in the UK sponsored a project that explored and defined craft learning. (http://mikepress.wordpress.com/2007/03/16/craft-research-2/) While there was a pedagogical bent to this article that seemed to question how institutes of higher learning approach craft education, I felt it could engage thought among those of us interested in craft as a hobby and/or vocation.
One quote in this article grasped part of my belief in the value of craft for all of us. While I probably would not agree with much of what Harry Braverman, who was an American Socialist, wrote, I do appreciate the following quote:
“We think of craftsmanship ordinarily as the ability to manipulate skillfully tools and materials of a craft or trade. But true craftsmanship is much more than this. The really essential element in it is not manual skills and dexterity but something stored in the mind of the worker . . . it is the knowledge which enables him to understand and to overcome the constantly arising difficulties that grow out of variations not only in the tools and materials, but in the condition under which the work must be done.”
I certainly enjoy my craft, but other than a source of joy and a small income, what does it do for me? That can largely be summarized by the term “problem-solving”. Craft makes me solve problems and inherit in problem-solving is creative thinking. Ok, you are thinking. How can solving the problem of something like how to solder a little metal angel so that the solder doesn’t spill onto her copper body possibly be of any value other than the singular product? How does solving a jewelry design problem help in the grand scheme of my life?
It’s a matter of brain exercise. We all would most likely acknowledge that in elementary school we became faster at learning to add through repeated practice of the addition facts. Remember those wonderful flashcards? Did you try to be the fastest in your class? Problem solving is the same. We’ve got to practice it to become proficient. I choose to practice problem solving through craft. At times the problem is as simple as “what am I going to do with this expensive piece of sterling silver sheet metal I purchased?” Yet, each time I creatively solve a problem, I become a little better and a little faster at the process.
The issue is not whether problem solving in craft is valuable, but rather whether it is transferable. Does the type thinking involved in solving the problem of what to do about the solder on the metal angel transfer to problems in other areas of life? For some the transfer is automatic while it may not be so for others.
I believe that those who succeed at transfer are either encouraged and taught to transfer this learning or consciously work at it. Craft pedagogy, including local jewelry classes or workshops at bead festivals, could easily encourage problem solving transfer. Many of these already do encourage creative thinking and problem solving is usually inherent. As students, we can look for these experiences and appreciate those instructors who value craft for something beyond the product.
Don’t get me wrong; the product it usually why we craft. Yet, I believe we should also value the process and the brain stimulation it offers us. In a phrase: KEEP ON CRAFTING!