The Invention of Craft
"Glenn Adamson is a friend of craft, but in The Invention of Craft he has come to deconstruct the narrative and many of the beliefs ofboth the practice and the discussion of craft as it operates in the 21st century...His arguments are clever and natural but complex...But, that being said, he has made this book for arguing. Reading the last seven lines of the book, the reader sees not only that Glenn Adamson is a friend of craft but that he is doing everything possible to take us and the whole field further." - Leopold J. Kowolik,Studio Magazine"Adamson presents an array of contextual arguments grounded in rigorous research, which allow the reader to draw their own comparisons as one delves further into the book...By shifting between different centuries and fast-tracking to the present day, Adamson carefully illustrates how craft is not only rooted in modernity but also how it has constantly manipulated itself to remain relevant to contemporary technology." – Zara Arshad,DesignersandBooks.com"The work is written well and provides a thought-provoking take on the subject. Students and other scholars of art history and the philosophy of art will find many uses for this work…VERDICT Recommended for only the largest libraries and only where there is very strong interest in the academic study of art history" - Jennifer Naimzadeh, Richland Lib., Columbia,Library Journal"Adamson here offers an impressive, authoritative revisionist historical analysis of the origins of craft...Adamson understands the concept of craft as a modern invention...A wide-ranging, deeply informed, and occasionally brilliant book, this important contribution to clear thinking about things made and their makers will appeal to sophisticated readers. Summing up: Highly recommended. Graduate Students, researchers/faculty, and professionals/practitioners." - K.L. Ames,Bard Graduate Center