Craft vs Art and Where I Stand

Yes, I view my ceramics as art. But that doesn't mean I don't also see my work as a "craft"! This is a very common question I get, and a hotly debated topic, is whether ceramics is craft or art. I think it was my professor who brought this up to me first, naturally. He wouldn't tell his opinion but just got me thinking about it and told me that most people in the art world view ceramics, especially functional pottery, as craft rather than art. Again last semester I was reminded of this when I was installing a piece for my final critique. A different professor of mine, whom I had for painting, saw my functional mugs and asked me "aren't you going to keep making art?" and I told him this was my art (and it kinda annoyed me). Some people may assume that in our current contemporary art mindset, that the craft vs art debate would be long and dead. But its surprising how many ceramic artists have to defend their work. Most people who have the idea that functional pottery is not art, believe that its functionality is what makes it a craft. For example, this previous semester, I made a wall mounted piece which defeated the purpose of the cup attached to it. And I think it is easier for people to view that as “art” rather than “craft” because it is hung on a wall. Just because it is not functional? Or can't something just be art because someone has created it out of nothing?

I don't want people to think that calling what I do a craft is an insult to me, I do believe I am a born craftsperson, but I am also an artist, who happens to prefer ceramics to painting. And I believe that the larger, non functional sculptures I make are just as much art as the mugs I make. What is special to me about ceramics is that I can create something from a material that comes from the earth, and make it into something that someone can appreciate and use. Yes a painting can be beautiful, but it sits on a wall and perhaps eventually goes unnoticed. But mugs can also be beautiful and I think the idea of someone holding it in their hands each day, is so much more warm and intimate. So, I wanted you all to know where my pottery is coming from. From my hands to yours.