Comments on: Craig's pro bono polymer

By: Cynthia Tinapple

Cynthia Tinapple — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 15:49:05 +0000

Gabriel – Great article and spot-on. My knee-jerk reaction was to sense a pecking order when I read about a metalsmith hawking polymer clay. Nowhere in your article did you disparage polymer clay but I automatically assumed you would. My bad.

Thanks for the clarification.

Cynthia

By: Gabriel Craig

Gabriel Craig — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 15:31:02 +0000

Just a quick link you all might enjoy:

http://www.conceptualmetalsmithing.com/2008/07/crafters-craftspeople-and-artists-or.html

By: Ronna Sarvas Weltman

Ronna Sarvas Weltman — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:43:37 +0000

Oops. My bad. Check out Gabriel’s site and you’ll see his work is a lucid, intellectual and often elegant combination of art and message. Ironically, one of his artistic focuses is to open a dialogue about what is a precious material, and what are we to value in our society. His body of work (and one would surmise his life as well) is not about the medium, but rather about how art not only speaks to us in a different language, but how that language transcends the usual barriers and prejudice. And he’s teaching others how to hear and how to speak that language.

By: Shane Smith

Shane Smith — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 00:50:54 +0000

I have demoed polymer at countless venues and have found that it is so much fun. Big crowds, big attraction! Lots of noise. People love it and I’m constantly complimented for inventing it where, I have to correct them and inform them that there is a big society of polymer artists and that I can’t take credit. There are people drawn to guilds because of my demos. However, in my case, demos detract from sales…big time. As much fun as they are to do, people tend to love the free show without buying a thing. Most don’t even look at the finished work in my booth at the end of a demo. Every time I’ve demoed, sales were a disaster!

By: Gabriel Craig

Gabriel Craig — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 05:17:33 +0000

Thanks for posting about my article. I hope you enjoyed it, and I am glad to see it has made me a poster boy for polymer clay! I am glad to see there is a polymer clay lobby out there.

I wanted to quickly respond to the comment about polymer clay as a gateway drug. I don’t know where this notion of using polymer clay as “a gateway drug” came from, but that certainly didn’t figure in either my performances or the article. Polymer clay provided a practical way for people to participate in a hands-on activity. Believe me when I say that crafts should be an inclusive endeavor, and that I am not interested in hierarchies, only sharing the history and value of craft. I really view my performances as altruistic acts on inclusion, so much so, that I give everything away for free. Sorry if it came across any other way.

Best,
-Gabriel