Ikuntji jewellery making is a practice that has established a significant market within the Central desert region. They are widely distributed to a large number of galleries, art dealerships and souvenir stores in Alice Springs, where they are typically purchased as mementoes or fashion statements. The Ikuntji community, with the assistance of the art centre director, Doctor Chrischona Schmidt, has spent the past four years trying to establish a place on the market for their unique products that exists outside of tourist crafts. This essay will discuss the difference between fine art and craft and use this distinction as a framework to consider three different examples of Ikuntji seed art; wearable jewellery, traditional mats and the Story
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For example, Robin George Collingwood argued in his book The Principles of Art, that there are clear, indisputable boundaries between the two , while others, such as Howard Mounce, suggest that there are grey areas where an objects characterisation depends on the context in which it was created. Examples of these grey areas are evident in ancient Greek and Roman sculptures that depict prominent leaders and statesmen. The sculptures were almost always commissioned and their primary purpose was to present the subject in a positive light through the use of idealism and symbolism. The sculptors had little to no creative input, meaning that the objects technically fall within the definition of a craft. The general creative nature behind the intention of the work, however, is significant enough for them to be accepted as a fine art.
The socially accepted definition of fine art, as written in the Oxford dictionary, is; “creative art, especially visual art whose products are to be appreciated primarily or solely for their imaginative, aesthetic, or intellectual content.” In other words, fine art is generally accepted to be something that requires creative input by the artist. In contrast, craft is less specifically defined as “an activity involving skill in making things by hand.” Collingwood introduced six principles of …show more content…
Their wearable jewellery consists of a single or double strand of seeds that range in length from bracelets to long necklaces that can be looped multiple times around the neck. They typically use ininti, quandong seeds and gum nuts, which in some cases are decorated with acrylic paint. These wearable items are the most commonly produced form of seed art and have a retail price between $15 and $175, depending on their length, creator and complexity. According to the definitions established at the beginning of this essay, the wearable jewellery produced by Ikuntji artists is a craft rather than a fine art. It would be incorrect to say that the jewellery making process is not creative, however, the purpose of the jewellery and even the painting of the seeds is for decorative rather than intellectual
For example, Robin George Collingwood argued in his book The Principles of Art, that there are clear, indisputable boundaries between the two , while others, such as Howard Mounce, suggest that there are grey areas where an objects characterisation depends on the context in which it was created. Examples of these grey areas are evident in ancient Greek and Roman sculptures that depict prominent leaders and statesmen. The sculptures were almost always commissioned and their primary purpose was to present the subject in a positive light through the use of idealism and symbolism. The sculptors had little to no creative input, meaning that the objects technically fall within the definition of a craft. The general creative nature behind the intention of the work, however, is significant enough for them to be accepted as a fine art.
The socially accepted definition of fine art, as written in the Oxford dictionary, is; “creative art, especially visual art whose products are to be appreciated primarily or solely for their imaginative, aesthetic, or intellectual content.” In other words, fine art is generally accepted to be something that requires creative input by the artist. In contrast, craft is less specifically defined as “an activity involving skill in making things by hand.” Collingwood introduced six principles of …show more content…
Their wearable jewellery consists of a single or double strand of seeds that range in length from bracelets to long necklaces that can be looped multiple times around the neck. They typically use ininti, quandong seeds and gum nuts, which in some cases are decorated with acrylic paint. These wearable items are the most commonly produced form of seed art and have a retail price between $15 and $175, depending on their length, creator and complexity. According to the definitions established at the beginning of this essay, the wearable jewellery produced by Ikuntji artists is a craft rather than a fine art. It would be incorrect to say that the jewellery making process is not creative, however, the purpose of the jewellery and even the painting of the seeds is for decorative rather than intellectual