Arts and crafts, the term used to describe the arts and crafts of all the various creative skill categories, is now more widely used than ever before. In a broader sense, it encompasses a very wide range of activities and hobbies, which may include hand-crafted fabrics, stone carving, metal working, woodworking, pottery, and painting. In a narrower sense, arts and crafts cover artistic practices, processes and materials used in creating art.
Art and craft have been the focus of much of artistic and historical attention. Indeed, the arts have had a tremendous impact on the creation and society in general. The arts in the modern period, which has been termed the twentieth century, have also had an extraordinarily great influence on the social and cultural patterns of the twentieth century.
The beginnings of the arts and crafts movement were in the rise of the Industrial Revolution. As the Industrial Revolution exploded across Europe and the world in the later half of the Nineteenth Century, there was a rapid growth in the development and manufacture of many new products, many of which were powered by machinery. As new industries developed, there was also a need for more storage space for these products, which led to the development of new industries focused on the production of wooden, metal, ceramic, cloth and decorative arts materials. The crafts people, who labored in the emerging factories, began to use their skills to create new products and to provide decorating accessories to accompany their products.
The Industrial Revolution, of course, turned everything within the realm of the arts and crafts upside down. Previously, craftsmen and artists had created and displayed their works in museums and galleries. But, with the Industrial Revolution, these became the possessions of the wealthy. And with this development came changes in how the arts and crafts were viewed, and how they were appreciated.
The industrial revolution ushered in changes in how the arts and crafts were appreciated, which led to the idea that there were distinct sectors within the arts and crafts movement. The decorative arts and crafts sector, for example, saw an influx of artisans who specialized in the production of textiles, clothing and other apparel. Textile craftsmen, in particular, designed clothing for both men and women as well as producing wall tapestries, wall hangings and other wall decorations. The textile arts and crafts movement would eventually eclipse the craftsmanship traditions of the artisan and become instead known as a style of dress associated with the rich and famous.
With the growing prosperity of the Industrial Revolution and the resulting wealth for many, the idea of arts and crafts eventually extended to include all aspects of daily life. In France, the so-called fashion academies emerged. These schools taught the skills needed to create modern clothes and encouraged the growth of tailors, makers and dressmakers. Arts and crafts architecture were another sign of progress, and soon there were entire towns dedicated to the production and display of exquisite furniture, ceramics and other natural materials. As the Industrial Revolution ended, the arts and crafts movement ultimately faded into relative obscurity, but it left a lasting impression on the world, and is remembered today as an important period of human history.
