Turning Craft Into Fine Art

​I have nothing against crafts. I even wrote THIS book on how to explore cultural crafts. They are a valuable way to learn about the art of cultures in a very hands-on way. I feel though, with a little planning, crafts can become expressive works of "ART." My best go-to for turning a craft into art is "The Emotional Color Wheel" book. There are 2 posters as well that can be great visual helpers in a classroom setting, and apply to far more classroom projects.
 
In this particular lesson, I partnered with my Latin American students who taught us about the traditions of the Ojo de Dios.  I then had students write 5 words they felt described themselves. (I model this by listing my five words so they understand.) Then another 3 to describe how they perceive their future. (Again, I do the same). We ended with 2 more words to describe their family dynamic.

We paused as I read through the book, referencing the poster as a place to reference if they needed help. It's fairly intuitive, Red = Blood, so it is the most angry color. Orange is like a hot stove burner, so potentially dangerous, but also helpful. Yellow like the sun is joyful and warm. Green, like vegetables, is healthy and represents growth. Blue is life-giving and cool. Purple is calm and quiet. Gray is strong like stone, but boring. Brown is like dirt, full of potential but needs hard work to flourish. Black is not evil, but full of mystery. Gold for riches and achievements. Silver for metallic strength, technology... and the list goes on and on.

Each student reflected on personality descriptions and chose expressive colors to represent each. These were the colors of yarn they chose to weave with. The center was their most personally identifying colors and as they moved outward, they added more information about their world and point of view.
 
Their parents were astounded that colors were chosen NOT based on favorite colors, but what each color meant. At the end, every child could tell a story about what their weaving meant and what they learned from their peers about the "Ojo De Dios." It went beyond the making of a decorative item, and became and expressive, highly personal, culturally connected work of ART.

You can see that this idea of tying colors and shapes to emotional values could be used in ANY craft-related project. Baskets woven with family descriptions, pinch-pots with points of view, or fiber-works that tell a story as vivid as Madame Defarge's in The Tale of Two Cities. I have more examples of using color and shape expressively in THIS POST as well.
 
The Emotional Color Wheel is a book I wrote and can be had on Amazon, or via NASCO with school funds, or direct from the publisher at 30% off at the bottom of the page HERE.
 
I have 2 helpful posters on my Zazzle page. I always suggest you get it when Zazzle runs a sale, which is pretty often. One focuses on both color and shape, while the other included more detailed information about color.
 
Before you think that my color research is based on opinion, I spent several years researching the topic of color and related emotional values. In the book I make note of cultural differences, like how red is universally thought of as blood, but in China, it is the color of joy and weddings. You can use these resources to go as deeply as you like. This is a lesson I have taught for more than 20 years, with resources I created myself and have now begun to publish as I near retirement. I hope you find them as helpful as I have.