Arts, Crafts And Entertainment

The Arts and Crafts movement was a reformist movement Inspired by the writings of John Ruskin and a romantic idealization of the craftsman taking pride in his personal handiwork. It was at its height between 1880-1910. In the United States, the terms American Craftsman or Craftsman style are often used to denote the style of architecture, interior design, and decorative arts that prevailed between the dominant eras of Art Nouveau and Art Deco, or roughly the period from 1910 to 1925.

The Arts and Crafts movement basically began as a search of authentic and meaningful styles for the 19th century and a reaction to the eclectic revival styles of the Victorian era and to the "soulless or heartless" styles of machine made "Industrial Revolution". Considering the machine to be the root cause of all repetitive and mundane evils, some of the protagonists of this movement turned entirely away from the use of machines and towards handcraft, which tended to concentrate their productions in the hands of sensitive but well-heeled patrons.

In 1861, the Arts and Crafts movement got its' biggest support when Morris founded Morris, Marshall, Faulkner and Co., a furniture, design and decorative accessories company that stressed time-honored craftsmanship and natural materials. The timing was perfect for in 1862 the London International Exhibition showcased never-before-seen Japanese arts and Crafts, which had an immediate effect on design. England quickly became enamored with this new look and began shedding the layers of Victorian clutter from its homes.

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Most of us have had arts and crafts classes in school, when we were growing up. We remember building log cabins out of Popsicle sticks, making friendship bracelets, or funny insects and animals out of pipe cleaners. But few of us know the real history of this ancient practice.

Man is a naturally creative animal. He has been making things with his own two hands for tens of thousands of years. Some of the earliest examples of handicrafts were pieces of ornamental jewelry, vases and tapestries. People have always enjoyed decorating themselves and their home environments.

The popularity of crafts reached its zenith in Medieval Europe. Craftsmen studied and practiced for years to produce certain saleable goods. Whether jewelry, pots, shoes or pans, craftsmen made a good living producing items they had been making since childhood. All of that ended with the Industrial Revolution.

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Like Florence in 16th century in Italy under the Medici ruling, Glasgow in 19th century was the one of the most powerful and wealthiest city of English Empire.

In the beginning of 18th century when Scotland turned to the Atlantic, Glasgow, as west coast city, was ideally placed for shipment of merchandise between England and colonies of New World and America. Glasgow was supplying United Kingdom as the rest of Europe in some quantities of products such as tobacco, for example.

Next, in 19th century, during the Industrial Revolution city grew in power and became more richer with many of millionaires fortunes. Expansion of successive sectors of industry like textile production, glass-making, soap-making and  lastly, shipbuilding and locomotive construction caused increase of number of many factories as a consequence of population and thousands of new jobs. Its huge industrial impact had a reflection in artistic and cultural ambition of the city. Inspired by Arts and crafts movement of William Morris, many of rich citizens and representatives of middle and upper-middle classes were interested in art and craftsmanship objects and other once wealthiest citizens, families or institution were able to became patronages for artists or gifted persons.

The most remarkable public institution at that time in Europe was The Glasgow School of Art, founded in 1845 as Government School of Design had an ambition to participate and develop new artistic trends and support modern artistic ideas.  Philosophic, cultural, social and artistic activity of William Morris in 19th century changed approach to art, importance of artists and art as a whole in contemporary world. Lots of artists and craftsmen at the end of 19th century came from the whole Europe provoked by his Arts and Crafts movement ideas and began to research their own artistic inspiration in natural world, organic forms and clarity of design.

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Arts and crafts include a whole host of activities and hobbies that are related to making things with one's own hands and skill. These can be sub-divided into handicrafts or "traditional crafts" (doing things the old way) and the rest. Some arts and crafts have been practiced for centuries, while others are modern inventions, or popularizations of crafts which were originally practiced in a very small geographic area.

The specific name Arts and Crafts movement was also given to a design movement of the late 19th and early 20th century, whose proponents included William Morris and Edwin Lutyens. They believed that medieval craftsmen achieved a joy in the excellence of their work, which they strove to emulate. These activities are called crafts because initially many of them were professionals. Youngsters were apprenticed to a master-craftsman, and they refined their skills over a period of years. By the time their training was complete, they were well-resourced to set up in trade for themselves, earning their living with the skill of their hands. The Industrial Revolution and the increasing mechanizations of production processes gradually reduced or eliminated many of the roles professional craftspeople played, and today 'crafts' are most commonly seen as a form of hobby.

Most crafts require a combination of skill and talent, but they can also be learnt on a more basic level by almost anyone. Many Community centres and schools run evening or day classes and workshops offering to teach basic craft skills in a short period of time. Many of these crafts become very popular for brief periods of time (a few months, or a few years), spreading rapidly among the crafting population as everyone emulates the first examples.

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