The “material-turn” in the humanities and social
sciences has brought increased attention to
the study of craft across diverse fields, ranging
from art and design history, decorative arts,
and material culture studies to anthropology,
science and technology studies, and curation.
Artists, architects, urban planners, engineers,
and computer scientists are exploring the craftlike
nature and implications of their research and
professional practice in new ways. Institutions
are combining the investigatory and teaching
strategies of traditional academic disciplines with
“learning by doing,” and the influence of global
studies has led scholars to seek out, understand,
and contextualize craft outside of the studio craft
or the arts and craft movements. The study of
craft is at a critical moment as more researchers
turn toward this subject and expand its
geographic, temporal, and intellectual boundaries.
The 2018 Shared Ground symposium explores
cross-disciplinary approaches to craft studies,
with an eye towards intersecting and divergent
theories, methodologies, and sites of practice.
September 20
Welcome and Keynote Discussion
September 21
Welcome and Introduction
Blurring and Crossing Part I
Making and Building
Naming and Claiming
Concluding Remarks
September 22
Welcome and Blurring and Crossing Part II
Unsettling Coloniality: Resources and Strategies for New Teaching Models and Pedagogies
Shared Ground: Cross-Disciplinary Approaches
to Craft Studies is organized by Elissa Auther,
Catherine Whalen, and Marilyn Zapf, and is
presented by Bard Graduate Center, the Center for
Craft, and the Museum of Arts and Design with
support from the Windgate Fund at the Community
Foundation of Western North Carolina.
