The Politics of Craft: The Renaissance of Textiles and Ceramics in Contemporary Art

When & Where

25 February 2025 - 1 April 2025 ( 12 hours, 6 weeks )
Tuesday
View course timetable
Waterloo Centre

Quick Facts

Availability Yes
Tutor Sabine Casparie
Course Code W24PDGB13A
Suitable For 19 year olds and up are permitted on this course

What you will learn

This course, which is delivered in a lecture format, examines the resurgence of textiles and ceramics in contemporary art, emphasizing their political, cultural, and social dimensions. Textiles and Ceramics are centuries-old media, yet in most of Western art history they have been viewed as inferior to painting and sculpture. When Anni Albers wanted to study at the Bauhaus, she was automatically enrolled in the textiles division, as women weren't allowed to study painting. Recently, however, craft has made a comeback, with many museums staging exhibitions and re-arranging their collection to foreground textile and ceramics works. We will study artists in the 20th century who paved the way (Sheila Hicks, Eva Hesse, Louise Bourgeois, Ruth Asawa, Magdalena Abakanowicz) and younger artists who use the medium to criticise the power structures of today (Cecilia Vicuna, Teresea Margolles, Margorzata Mirga-Tas, Grayson Perry, Igshaan Adams). Studying Rosita Parker's influential 1984 book 'The Subversive Stitch', we will explore how craft offers artists a way to express ideas of resistance, studying feminist and queer, post-colonial and indigenous practices.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

Identify the leading textile and ceramics artists of the Post-war period and how they paved the way for younger generations of artists in the 21st century
Be aware of and understand some of the central issues, debates and themes around textiles and ceramics, and how these materials have been used in feminist, queer and indigenous practices
Be familiar with some key textile and ceramics artists and seminal works produced
Have a greater understanding of the skills of visual analysis

Cost

Full fee

£125

Concession fee

£100

Click here for information on Fees, Funding and Concessions (including financial support)

Class format and activities

course is taught in an informal lecture/ discussion format with presentations shared on screen. There will be a 10-minute break in the middle of the session. You are encouraged to engage in discussion and lecture materials will be shared by email. Constructive and supportive feedback from your tutor will help you succeed during the class.

Entry requirements

There are no entry requirements. This course will be accessible to you if you have no prior knowledge of art and design and is open to learners with varying backgrounds, as well as art practitioners