Computerized Craft Arts?

[Amanda E. Stark]

During my undergraduate studies the world of metalsmithing was just starting to see the birth of specific 3-D modeling computer programs for jewelry design. Since this was so new to the field there were many
different discussions taking place. Some artists were supporting the use of the
computer in the craft fields while others were shunning them. I did not get the
opportunity to use a 3-D modeling program until my time as a Graduate student.
While I spent 3 months learning the rather intense program I could see some
positive aspects to using a modeling program, but also realized that I could
spend the remaining time for my education learning and mastering it. At the
time I could not justify the amount of time that I needed to master the program;
my artwork was exceptionally time consuming and I could not see how the program
would help me to shorten the execution of each piece. So I chose not to spend
my time learning a program, but instead chose to dedicate myself to mastering
the materials of my field.

I now look at all the schools who are adding CAD to their curriculum and I am starting to wonder what is going to happen to the future of the craft arts? I wonder this because of the concern that a friend brought to me when she
met recently graduated students who received their BFA in Jewelry and
Metalsmithing but who had never touched metal. I am not necessarily against CAD
but I am a little worried about whether or not we are losing the idea of the
handcrafted and I am curious about how other craft artists feel about CAD being
brought into the field of Fine Art Craft. Does it belong or not? Should it be
left in the design department? Do we need to see it as an additional new tool
for us to use? If it is a new tool how do we incorporate it as just another
tool and not something that we become dependent on? These are just a few
questions but I will leave it at that since I want to hear what others have to
say.

Amanda

[Linda Kaye-Moses]

Amanda,

I, too share your concern about the loss of hands-onto-metal (and other media) learning. There have been a number of schools that have closed their metals programs and installed computer labs in their place (ask John Cogswell about that experience), expense and low enrollment being the excuse.

I think you share my love of directly handling and working with the materials we love . The loss of skills-training programs that focus on this approach is disturbing. Perhaps I state the obvious when I say that there does seem to be a large population today that is more interested in keeping it's distance from the object, from people (consider texting, constant "social" networking, blogging), from interaction with the material world.

Forgive me, as I am an old fart, perhaps stuck listening to a different headset, but I believe that, as much as I love and need my computer (that's how I wrote my book), computers, and all their apps, have contributed to this isolation. For some, that is welcome, but for me, I need to use my hands to form the objects the materials will become and I really like to talk face to face with the people I care about.

All of that being said, I have just contributed above to a computer file on this topic, which seems somewhat of a conundrum. However, the current decreasing of opportunities for direct learning of metal working/smithing/jewelry making/etc. is a concern. The opportunities are out there, there are just fewer of them. That may be OK, if the number of students who are seeking that information is equal to the number of opportunities available. Somehow, I suspect this is not the case.

Thanks for bringing up this topic,
Linda Kaye-Moses

[Glen S. Gardner]

Hi Amanda,
When this topic comes up I always imagine that similar discussions must have taken place when steam replaced wind power, electric replaced steam, etc. I always conclude, that if Cellini had access to carbide rotary tools he would have used them. So I believe that a tool, any tool, is just a dumb thing, and worthless without a skilled master. And here is the rub! Author, Anthony Burgess wrote these words:
"Art begins with craft,and there is no art until craft has been mastered. You can't create unless you are willing to subordinate the creative impulse to the constriction of a form. But learning a craft takes time, and we all think we're entitled to short cuts...... Art is rare and sacred and hard work and there ought to be a wall of fire around it".
Never before have these words rung so true. The new electronic tools are not the problem. It's the mentality and purposefulness that needs to be upheld.
-G

[Dawn M. Miller]

Way to go Amanda! This is something that has been bothering me for quite some time...

I believe mankind has veered away from the very thing we are made of: Nature. To hold your work in your hand, to mold it and shape it, there's something to be said about the touch... The one on one interaction and the energy transfer from your piece to you. Metal is one of the greatest of energy conductors, and if it becomes warm - that means there IS energy present!

I've worked with CAD and it is very time consuming to create something from this type of medium, and in the commercial world it has it's purpose... But I have to tell you, I believe it's the lazy mans way out of work. For I hold true a value that seems to be lost, who cares about Quantity?! With all due respect, when did we loose our faith in art, purpose, and meaning just to become the robots and slaves to technology?

Some of us spend numerous amounts of hours leaving our essences on our work, and often times even bleeding for it... It's almost as if it feels like a sacred ritual or sacrifice. To me, there is nothing in the world that can compare to this feeling of oneness. I give a part of my very spirit for the work I sell... That is more true and pure than anything a program could ever produce!

I'm not saying the pieces created using the program have no meaning, they can have meaning... But, there will still be a missing link. I feel the work then becomes an object, rather than a true piece of art. Forgive me, because I am bitter at the direction society has chosen. I also know that not all of you will share my view on this topic. Though please ask yourself, what peace has our modern conveniences really given us?

[Ann Davis]

I can admit to being intrigued by the CAD programs, and downloading a couple of them for trial, but as you say, they are very time consuming and it's just a plaything for me.

There are some shapes that I can visualize but probably not carve in wax...imagine a balloon blown up, then take your two fingers and push them in till they meet, now imagine the skin at the meeting point dissolving and you have a tunnel, do that a few more times...If I had that 'printed' out I could cast it...I find that compelling and delightful, but then if I was one of those graduates who never touched metal how would I finish it off?? Couldn't..... would have to send it to a craftsman, a caster who would do that. I think that would make the creator of something they couldn't finish a designer not a metalsmith. It kind of reminds me, back in art history, of the Arts and Crafts movement where the craftsmen started doing their own designing and creation from start to finish taking it out of the hands of the designers, it was a small scandal that certainly caused a spirited discussion in the arts at the time.

I have no problem with designers, I have one friend who designs knits, all on computer for a sock manufacturer, and another who designs rugs for a major hotel, again...all on computer, right down to choosing color and texture...It seems to be the way industry is going. Perhaps it's all nomenclature and those people who graduated with a 'metalsmithing' degree should properly be called industrial designers. I do find that misuse of terminology vaguely unsettling, like the ground is shifting beneath my feet.

But everything changes, change is the essence of life. I feel like I should try to keep up with this new 'thing' because I have so much skill to bring to it. And when you think about the new graduates...taking the time for the computer and then having it printed(expensive), and then sending to a caster/finisher, won't that make 'one-of's so expensive that it will not be cost effective? I think that is my advantage as an artist/craftswoman....that I don't have to design for the mass market unless I want to.

I would like to know what institutions are issuing these degrees. Perhaps there should be letters of protest from some of our guilds. It's an interesting conundrum, it's the old world and modern world clashing....again. The modern world seems to always win though..... Look at what the internet has done to newspapers, it's probably what the Kindle will do to books...... and how many master portrait painters are alive today with the advent of the digital camera??? The times...as Dylan sang.. they are a- changin'.....

[Teresa Perry]

YAAAY Amanda! This is a topic that has been needling me for some time, too. Like others that have posted here, I have a very close relationship with my work. Often my PIECE tells ME what it will be, either completely changing or sometimes just altering my original design. That is not something that a CAD operator experiences.
Not to say that I have not seen a digital work of art that has inspired me or moved me in some way either. I have and do find that there is a place for digital arts, and jewelry design can be included in my assessment. But I DO find it amazing that a student can graduate from a Metalsmithing program without EVER having lay hands on the media. How do you call yourself a Metalsmith? I believe there is a disconnection there that needs to be addressed in the educational system.
The Encyclopedia Britanica defines a metalsmith as: a person skilled in working metal. Wikipedia goes further on to describe the root of the noun, "smith": A craftsperson who works metal into desired forms using a hammer and other tools. As far as I know the computer as tool does not shape metal. I know I am being very literal in the translation, but sometimes I feel we are too loose in translating some things; that we allow progress to reshape our thoughts too much. I just cannot for the life of me see a computer designer as a metalsmith if they do not have the skills to shape and form the media. No offense to those that design jewelry at all. I have a lot of respect for the time you have devoted to learning your design craft, but you are not a metalsmith by definition.
Also, I applaud Dawn as well in pointing out that there is a part of the craftperson in the work they create with their hands. It is something that a computer designer cannot fathom if they have never laid a hand to a tool, mastered the skills required to wield a hammer, or the precision cutting of a engravers hand.
To me, naming a CAD jewelry designer a metalsmith would be like calling pixels on a screen a masterful painting. Its just NOT the same when drawn by a computers zeros and ones. A computerized image is nothing but code; although it can be manipulated into wonderful designs it's not the same as hand drawn or painted work. It does not have the texture, the dimensionality nor the soulful impression that is left in the very marks upon the canvas of a master painter.
Maybe that is not exactly the way to verbally express what I mean, and Dawn says it with more eloquence when she said, "Some of us spend numerous amounts of hours leaving our essences on our work, and often times even bleeding for it... It's almost as if it feels like a sacred ritual or sacrifice." I totally agree!
There are applications, Cad is fantastic for mass production, or even one of a kind pieces, but I still cannot fathom calling someone a metalsmith if they have never worked with metal. And I too am concerned about our educational system removing the human connection to the work itself.

[Glen S. Gardner]

I have been working as a metalsmith for about 40 years now. Recently I have been working part time for a company that designs and builds industrial rapid prototyping equipment. Specifically,
3-d printers that can create solid metal objects from metal powders. I was asked into the company as a consultant because I was a artist/metalsmith. It seems that none of the material scientists or engineers working at the ExOne Co. had a clue as to how the raw metal prints could be refined and processed into a finished object. They realized that that no amount of software tweaking was ever going to accomplish this. The work I do for them is fascinating and rewarding. Score one for our side, the technology industry recognizes the need for that "human touch"
ExOne produces/prints the work of several so called "digital sculptors". Almost none of these folks have ever hammered, welded, polished or chased anything but PIXELS. Some of this work really is amazing, spectacular even. However, it has become obvious to me that for the artists without a basic understanding of how materials behave and function, or how things should be put together for the real world many, many poor results and total failures occur. There is a brave new world out there. A new alchemy is afoot. But there will always be a place a NEED for clever hands as well as clever minds.

[2Roses]

Seems like the arguments are mostly about what we name this thing. Designer or Metalsmith. CAD/CAM has been around for almost 50 years. Its here to stay. Metalsmiths have been around for thousands of years. They don't seem to going extinct either. The history of the world is that every time a new technology is introduced, a portion of the community mans the ramparts to decry the innovation and declare the end of the world. Just ask Galileo.

We will continue our metalsmithing traditions. If not in large organized institutions, then in specialized schools, groups and apprenticeships, as we have done for centuries. It is inherent in our nature that we are driven to make things with our hands. We know our way around a computer as well as anyone, we still do things by hand because to like to, we like the connection to 3000 years of history. That said, we'll use a computer in a heartbeat if its the right tool for the job. We think it makes us better artists and craftspeople to have a knowledge and command of all the tools in our toolbox.

[Christine Simpson Forni]

I understand your concerns. I think the ability to create with your hands is becoming lost or not respected as a sign of intelligence in our society. Currently as an exercise to understand form & space, I've been creating various bones from the human skeleton system such as the sacrum and sphenoid, solid and hollow, with modeling clay using only my hands, no other tools. By doing this, I see form and colors with much more depth. It's quite amazing and has helped me with my metalsmithing skills on many levels.

I graduated with a BFA in graphic design just over 20 years ago, luckily I took every elective in metalsmithing and stayed at school for summers to take metal intensives with Chuck Evans. I believe the computer is just another tool to master that can be used to convey a concept in art, craft & design or The Blur Zone, as David McFadden would say.

[Christopher Darway]

Hello Amanda and company,

I couldn’t help noticing two camps at last year’s SNAG conference .Younger members, including students were either using CAD or were excited about starting to learn a program .When the subject would come up with some of the “old guard”, eyes would roll ,followed by shrugged shoulders .Personally I am ambivalent about CAD ,but feel it is a tool for the craftsman /designer. But ,like anything else ,garbage in garbage out .Just using a computer to produce, let’s say jewelry and not touch the material is wrong and short changes the person using it .Imagine learning to drive a car with a computer program .Or learning to play piano with a keyboard hooked to a computer .It can teach you the notes ,learn theory ,compose ,mix tracks ,do an album and even burn your disc .But hitting one note on a real piano, on a stage, in a real hall knowing your finger has activated a series of levers , bits of wood ,leather ,steel and has started a metal string to vibrate is just not the same as a digital note .I’m sorry .Pilots train on simulators but those units are multimillion dollar very sophisticated machines .I know Captain Chesley Sullenberger (the Hudson River Miracle) spent hours in simulators practicing emergency events but nothing prepares you for making goose pate with two jet engines in real time and figuring how to get everyone home for dinner .That guy is an artist ! Which gets back to being a craftsman then an artist .You have to know your materials. I liked that quote of Anthony Burgess, it was similar to an old Professor of my at PCA .Pop Renzetti used to say,” Be a craftsman first then become an artist “.

[Glen S. Gardner]

I don't think this debate is really about what creative people should call themselves. The discussion is more about the requirements that need to be fulfilled before anyone deserves to refer to themselves as an Artist or a Designer or a Craftsman, or any field of endeavor for that matter.

Also I think it should be taken into account where this discussion originated and why there might be a touch of hostility when talking about Modeling/Designing/manufacturing with computers. The membership on the CraftHaus forum is comprised mostly of people who have acquired their skills through a long process of learning the use of tools in order to manipulate materials. With patience, determination and ingenuity, this learning process provides a significant understanding of the nature of raw materials. A fluency if you will. In so gaining this fluency, a person may reach a point where they are truly free to create. And by create, I mean the ability to produce something of excellence, something with true purpose, meaning and significance. This "something" could be anything from a teapot a canvas or a heart valve. Don't get me wrong. Learning to MASTER 3d modeling software is no small accomplishment. These new tools and miracle machines have enormous potential. But just as in handing a child a lump of clay, that child might well produce a cup to hold water, but that is one Hell of a long way from producing a Ming vase!
So I say, learn all you can, and know there are dues to be paid before you claim to be ANYTHING. Technology is not and will never be a shortcut to excellence. To me, short cuts to creativity will mostly yield mediocrity, and this world has enough of that in good supply already.

[Phillip Renato]

I would love to know where there are students graduating who have never touched metal. That would be interesting just to see.

"So I chose not to spend
my time learning a program, but instead chose to dedicate myself to mastering
the materials of my field."

That's interesting. So the materials of your field are exclusively metal? That's the discourse you are involved in - exclusively about material and process? Does your fear about the future of our field extend to the people working with non-computer based plastics and glass and clay and found objects and... Or is this back to the 'importance of handwork'?

If so - let's do an experiment: let's have a workshop (at Kendall!) where the students are only allowed to use their hands - NO TECHNOLOGY - and see how what they come up with. Then we'll have an exhibition of the work. It will be interesting to see - because I've never seen metal worked by hand. I've only seen it punched, hammered, cut, cast, rolled, etched, engraved, soldered, welded, chased, etc. I guess we would start with forearm exercises and just go to work making a 'series of controlled bends' with our fingertips? The farce of handworked metal aside - I wonder what material we could use. Certainly hand built clay - we could bake it in the sun. Can you make fibers without a loom or needle - oh, sure - we could felt stuff maybe. The materials will likely still come from very sophisticated technology - but we can ignore the fact that all of our materials and tools are the product of 'mass production' as long as we don't personally/directly utilize it right?

Fun fact:
When I built the studio at Kendall - I really worried about the LASER welder. I thought that maybe once students started using it they would abandon solder and rivets etc - and they would be tethered to that thing for the rest of their lives. Psh - I demo it once or twice a semester - and it maybe has 200 hours on it in 7+ years. Why, because it's not as noble as solder? No, because it has a limited sphere of ideal uses AND it takes them longer to learn to do well, or at least as long, as solder. And they don't want to learn to dial in numbers and make minute adjustments. It's similar with CAD - for every student who uses it when they shouldn't - another 3 refuse to use it when it would be ideal because they aren't 'computer people.' As if it is anything but a skill set. I hear the exact same things about other skills - I can't draw, I can't solder, I can't blah blah blah. All of this is about discipline and passion. A student with these things will do good work with any material and process they learn/in any form they apply it to.

[2Roses]

Impressively articulate Mr. Renato. Well done, and we couldn't agree more.
Just had to ask, did you write this by hand? =)