Syllabus & Tentative Calendar, ACD376, Fall 2018 Dr.

Mark Bassett— page 1

AMERICAN CRAFT HISTORY

MW 5:00-6:15 pm – Room 111
Instructor: Dr. Mark Bassett Email: [email protected]

Phone: 216-221-6025 (home). Please do not call later than 9 pm. Thanks!
Office Hours: To be arranged. We could easily meet during most MW lunch periods, or briefly after class.
Office: My desk is just inside Room 101A (across the hall from the Writing and Learning Center, Room 103).
If you have an appointment, knock on that door. [Andrea Kohoot in Room 101 is our departmental
assistant, but do not knock on her door; I cannot hear you from there.]

Course Description (from CIA catalog)

This course will necessarily focus on American crafts. However, an effort will be made to incorporate other
expressions (especially non-Western) into the mix too. For example, there are readings in Adamson on the
Scandinavian sløjd system, Bauhaus aesthetics, the Japanese concept of mingei, the Indian notion of svadharma,
the Mande blacksmiths of West Africa, and subversive (feminist) stitchery, in addition to writings by Anni
Albers, Karl Marx, Frank Lloyd Wright, Ellen Gates Starr, George Nakashima, Carole Tulloch, Garth Clark,
and many more. Visual Culture Emphasis course. 3 credits. Books and supplies to be determined by instructor.

Overview
In ACD 376, we will focus primarily on the American studio crafts of the 20th century (1900-2000), especially
in the mediums of ceramics, glass, jewelry+metals, fiber, and wood. However, our survey of this broad subject
will consider both older and more recent developments. Notably, this semester’s incarnation of the course
coincides with CIA’s Craft Biennial, so we will also participate in the ThinkCraft symposium, exhibitions,
workshops, lectures, and other activities. For details, visit https://www.cia.edu/academics/craft-biennial.

The field of craft history is relatively new—much more recent in its evolution than the field of art history in
general. While some craft writers, teachers, and artists view their work as distinct from the worlds of art, design,
and industry, others contest those boundaries and call for new perspectives on craft history. In this course, we
will also explore the emerging field of craft theory, to complicate and enrich our understanding.

Course Goals and Learning Objectives

At the end of the course, you should be able to …
• Name and explain the significance of at least a dozen makers and “shakers” who influenced American
craft history in particular ways
• Comment on the connections between fine art movements, on one hand, or large cultural movements,
on the other, and the history of American studio crafts
• Summarize the history of a particular craft medium in the United States during the 20th century
• Describe some of the ways that a particular culture or community assigns spiritual or communal values
to the crafts differently than mainstream America does
• Explain several alternative ways in which an author/researcher might focus or organize a new book on
the history of American crafts
• Offer multiple definitions of the term craft, which might influence one’s decisions about how to
research and write about American craft history
• Take a stand on the relationship between craft and design, industry, or fine art (or all of the above)
• Indicate some of the possible benefits and difficulties of studying primary sources (like oral history
interviews), as part of one’s research on American crafts makers
• Name and describe a few different theoretical or philosophical approaches to crafts
• Build an argument that connects a particular craft theory to studio work in more than one field (even in
an endeavor that is not typically considered one of the crafts)
Syllabus & Tentative Calendar, ACD 376, Fall 2018 Dr. Mark Bassett— page 2

Required Books and Resources

• REQUIRED: Janet Koplos and Bruce Metcalf, Makers: A History of American Studio Craft (2010)
• REQUIRED: Additional readings, to be posted on myCIA
• REQUIRED: Selected readings from Glenn Adamson, ed., The Craft Reader (2010). Also on reserve.

Link to Course (and Additional Readings) on myCIA

https://my.cia.edu/ICS/Academics/ACD/ACD__376/2018_FA-ACD__376-00/

Recommended Resources
• Purdue University’s OWL (Online Writing Lab): http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
• ARTstor: a visual resource available through Gund Library
• The Makers web site: www.americanstudiocrafthistory.org/

NO LATE ASSIGNMENTS!

Important Note: Regardless of your average in ACD 376, to earn a final grade of D- or
higher in ACD 376, and receive credit for completing this required course, you must

(1) participate fully in the course, as an engaged, professional class member at all
times, missing no more than 6 class meetings, for any reason;
(2) complete all the major writing assignments; and
(3) submit them on time. (Your instructor will determine whether to accept late work,
and if so, what the grade penalty will be. He is not obliged to accept any late work. If
you submit your work ahead of time, you won’t have to worry about this eventuality.)
ACD 376 Projects & Exams (with proportional weight toward the final course grade)

• Major Writing Assignments (weighted as shown, making 90% of the course grade). Altogether, these will
equal approximately 20 pages of polished written work.

-10% Project #1: An 8.5 x 11" poster on one American maker or “shaker”

-15% Project #2: A group presentation in response to the ThinkCraft Symposium

-20% Midterm: Comprehensive exam (short-answer format, plus ID’s)

-20% Project #3: A 4- to 5-page descriptive analysis of an Oral History conducted with an American
maker or “shaker” (based on transcripts provided by the Archives of American Art)

-25% Project #4: Labels, rationale, images, and a bibliography to accompany a mini exhibition at the
Cleveland Museum of Art.
Syllabus & Tentative Calendar, ACD 376, Fall 2018 Dr. Mark Bassett— page 3

General Policies
• Class Meetings.
-Attendance and participation in all class meetings will be expected. This course requirement strengthens
our community and builds your individual critical thinking skills. Absences will adversely affect your
C.P. grade, and as noted above, missing more than six class meetings will earn an F in the course.
-Note: If I’m going to miss class, I’ll leave a note on the door (and will also try to email everyone in
advance). If I’m late, you must wait for me. (I commute from Lakewood.)

-Arrive early, not late. Come to every class prepared, having read and thought carefully about each reading.
-Be ready to participate fully and enthusiastically in all activities, even an unannounced quiz.
-Bring a print copy of the assigned reading selection to class with you, to assist you in making specific
comments and engaging in writing workshops and other activities.
-Take notes during class and also while reading the assignments. Bring your notes to class.

-No iPads or other electronic devices will be allowed during class meetings, except when everyone is
working on material found in electronic sources. Then you will be permitted (or perhaps required) to use
them during class. This rule was agreed to by the Liberal Arts faculty during the Fall 2011 semester.
- Otherwise, no cell phones, no IMs, no email, no Twitter, no headsets, no chat, no pagers, and no music
during class time. Anyone disregarding these rules will be marked absent from class.

-Field trips in the Course Calendar (if any) are required (see Syllabus). Be sure to notify your other
professors in advance, if necessary.
-No eating meals during class, although a quiet snack and a non-alcoholic beverage are sometimes ok.
-Napping, lounging across the tables, or other unengaged nonverbal behavior will be recorded as an absence
from class.

• Submission of Graded Assignments.

- See the individual prompts for deadlines and submission medium of homework, projects, and exams. No
late submissions! The instructor reserves the right to penalize or reject work not submitted on time and
in the correct format.
-For citations, use the parenthetical system in the MLA Style (8th ed., 2016), and attach a comprehensive list
of “Works Cited.” For examples, see https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/02/.

-All emailed work must be submitted as specified—whether a Microsoft Word .DOC or PDF file. Do not
use the default settings in Word. Instead, use 12-pt. Times New Roman font, double spaced, with 1"
margins all around. Do not add extra space between the paragraphs in a typescript file (such as Projects
2, 3, and 4). In contrast, space should be a design element in the poster assignment (Project #1).

-Include a HEADER line comparable to the following:

ACD 376, Project #1, September 14, 2018 Author’s Full Name

-Center an informative and interesting title at the top of the first page. Number the other pages.
-Keep multiple electronic backup copies of all work done on a computer.

• Plagiarism.
-Plagiarism is an act of theft, presenting another writer’s ideas or language as your own. At CIA, the
minimum consequences of plagiarism (even “unintended” plagiarism) will be a failing grade on the
assignment. Read the section below, for details of the sanction process, including more severe penalties.
Syllabus & Tentative Calendar, ACD 376, Fall 2018 Dr. Mark Bassett— page 4

-Unfortunately, several students each term find themselves dealing with this issue, dragging their professors
into an unpleasant situation and embarrassing themselves. For a brief discussion of how to avoid
plagiarism, you might study this site: http://www.writing.northwestern.edu/avoiding_plagiarism.html.

• Students with Disabilities.

-If you have a documented disability that inhibits learning or other participation under the standard
circumstances, Student Services has already contacted me. We will make whatever adjustments seem
necessary to improve the learning environment. Please let me know if you have questions or issues.

• Center for Writing Support and Other Resources.

-Meeting with someone in the Center for Writing & Learning Support (in 103) is a valuable way to share
ideas, improve reading & writing skills, obtain an objective response to a draft or outline, or delve into
the details of standard academic writing. (Your instructors receive an email after each visit.)
-Your instructor may suggest or assign topics for you to study individually.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Supplementary information from the Student Handbook and CIA Catalog

CIA Attendance Policy (from the Course Catalog):

It is in students’ best interest to attend all sessions of the classes in which they are registered and to attend all
associated lecture programs and meetings. Progress as an artist depends not only on completion of assignments but
also on full participation in dialogue with studio and academic classes. Each faculty member has discretion in taking
attendance and penalizing habitual absences or tardiness, and will advise the class about what will be considered
acceptable attendance for the purpose of grading.

Students who expect to miss classes or activities due to religious observances should speak with their faculty
members well before the expected absence. Students are responsible for the missed work, and it is up to the faculty
member to determine how they will “count” that absence.

Three weeks of class absences may result in failure. Four weeks of absences will result in failure. Students must
notify their faculty member if they will miss a class, and Academic Services if they will miss more than one class. If a
student has a problem with missed classes, they should meet with an Academic Services staff member to discuss
options.

Individual faculty members may require written documentation of a student’s illness or injury. Note that Student Health
Services (SHS) does not provide documentation for class excuses. Under certain circumstances, UHS will give you
written verification of the date of a visit to their office. A student who is hospitalized or has an extended illness is
asked to give HIPPA permission to a specific advisor in Academic Services so they can communicate with UHS and
the hospital regarding the student’s illness and assist as needed. Students should contact their instructor(s) as soon
as possible after an unavoidable absence. An unexcused absence from a final critique or exam will result in automatic
failure of the course. Students are required to notify a staff member in the Office of Academic Services prior to missing
a final exam or critique.

CIA Policy on Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty (from the Student Handbook):

All acts of academic dishonesty diminish the integrity of the Institute and are taken very seriously by the school.
Students being accused of Academic Dishonestly will participate in our judicial process and if found responsible, will
be subject to appropriate sanctions. Sanctions may include, but are not limited to any one or a combination of the
following:

• Formal warning/censure/academic alert.

Syllabus & Tentative Calendar, ACD 376, Fall 2018 Dr. Mark Bassett— page 5

• Reduced grade including a failing grade for the assignment.

• Reduced grade including a failing grade for the entire course.
• Forfeiture of student leadership positions, and/or restrictions on participation in Institute
activities.
• Academic probation
• Suspension
• Expulsion from the Institute.

CIA Grade Descriptions and Grading Policy (from the Course Catalog):

Letter grades are a means by which faculty members communicate their professional assessment of students’ work.
The primary purpose of assigning grades is to provide a realistic standard of reference by which students can
measure their progress while enrolled at CIA.

Grades are reported twice each semester: mid-term grades after the first eight weeks and final grades at the close of
the term. The mid-term grade is a preliminary indication of your progress to date.

Semester and cumulative grade point averages are reviewed by Academic Services each term to determine each
student’s academic status. Each transcript includes the semester Grade Point Average (GPA) and the cumulative
GPA.

Letter grades have the following meaning:

A, A-: Work of consistently outstanding quality, which displays originality, and often goes
beyond course requirements

B+, B, B-: Work of consistently good quality, demonstrating a high level of proficiency,
knowledge and skills in all aspects of the course

C+, C: Satisfactory work that meets the requirements of the course and conforms to the
standards for graduation

Per the minimum grade policy (above), a C– or lower grade in a studio course required for the major will not
be accepted toward the degree, and the course must be repeated.

C-: For studio courses required by the major, any student earning a C- or lower must repeat the class. In Foundation,
Liberal Studies and Elective Studio Classes, a C- is a satisfactory grade for passing the class.

D+, D, D-: Work deficient in concept or execution but acceptable for course credit

F: Work unacceptable for course credit and does not meet the standards for graduation
Syllabus & Tentative Calendar, ACD 376, Fall 2018 Dr. Mark Bassett— page 6

TENTATIVE CALENDAR

Introduction (Week 1)
Week 1. Preview of Coming Attractions
• Monday (8/27): Before the first class meeting, read the Preface to Makers; and an essay by Céline Browning
(both on myCIA). Also watch this 10-minute video with Glenn Adamson, editor of The Craft Reader:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiQFfGi0hNg.

• Wednesday (8/29): Read Makers, pp. 1-8 (Industrial Revolution & the Arts and Crafts Movement); 13-14
(early world’s fairs); and 37-40 (American life, c. 1900). Dr. Bassett will make a presentation on American
crafts before 1900.

Part I: Traditional Accounts of American Craft History (Weeks 2-4)

Week 2. Early 20th-Century, including the American Arts and Crafts Movement
• Monday (9/3): Labor Day. No class meeting. Read Makers, pp. 57-58 (reform movements & settlements); 74-
80 (arts and crafts societies and communities, manual training movement); and 85-86 (modernism at The
Armory Show). Also watch these two short videos, (1) a curator’s introduction to a 2011 traveling
exhibition about Gustav Stickley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LTvnwisD2Q; and (2) a travel
advisor’s introduction to the Roycroft Inn, which she over-enthusiastically dubs “the birthplace of the
American Arts and Crafts Movement”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pwoJHR7w-g.

• Wednesday (9/5): Meet at the Cleveland Museum of Art. We will view examples of crafts on view today,
from multiple countries of origin. Before arriving at CMA, read Makers, pp. 106 (1920s postwar
prosperity); 114-117 (colonial revival and art deco styles); 134-140 (Southern craft revivals); and 145-146
(influences in the 1930s).

• Friday (9/7): Deadline for choosing your Project #1 topic. (Email Dr. Bassett your #1 and #2 preferences.
Each student will work on a different topic, so your selections will be posted on myCIA ASAP.)

Week 3. American Crafts from the Great Depression to Mid-Century

• Monday (9/10): Read Makers, pp. 152-53 (MoMA in the 1930s); 172-173 (Hispanic craft revival); 181-183
(World War II and foundation courses); 214-215 (MoMA and “good design”); and 212-213 (1950s postwar
prosperity, again). Also before class, watch two videos, about basket-maker Mary Jackson
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oe_mhMeqpYM) and basket-maker Pat Courteney Gold
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGSGdTft3D0).

• Wednesday (9/12): Before class, read Ezra Shales, “Corporate Craft” (on myCIA). Also watch this video on
Timberline Lodge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHKUMQl0iug.

• Friday (9/14): Project #1 due today.

Syllabus & Tentative Calendar, ACD 376, Fall 2018 Dr. Mark Bassett— page 7

Week 4. Late 20th-Century Crafts; plus “20th- and 21st Century Makers and Shakers”
• Monday (9/17): Read Makers, pp. 224-232 (abstract expressionist ceramics); 256-258 (societal upheavals);
299-300 and 320-321 (funk art); 310-311 (new technologies & publications); 346-349 (wearables &
performance textiles); 349-351, 357-359 and 403-406 (feminism, identity, politics); 376-379 (craft
institutions); 375-376 (conceptual furniture); 381-388 (classicism & postmodernism); 434-436 (new
jewelry); 446 (ambiguous 1990s); 477-485 (pluralism); and 485 (conclusion).

• Wednesday (9/19): Choose three of the “Makers and Shakers” whom your classmates selected for their focus
in Project #1, and study those sections of Makers before class. Meet at the lobby of the Cleveland Museum
of Art today, for a private viewing of Cleveland-made crafts, with the curator of decorative arts, Stephen
Harrison.

Part II: ThinkCraft Symposium (Weeks 4-5)

• Thursday 9/20 – Saturday 9/22: All of Dr. Bassett’s ACD 376 students are required to attend three events
this weekend, by selecting three of the four options listed below. Details appear in the prompt for Project #2.

(1) attend one of the concurrent workshops in CIA’s craft studios;

(2) attend a Keynote address;
(3) attend the screening of the film J. Fred Woell: An American Vision; and
(4) attend the closing panel discussion, which will include all presenters.

Week 5. Followup to ThinkCraft Symposium and Posters

• Monday (9/24): Read these two essays by the ThinkCraft speakers: (1) Glenn Adamson, introduction to
Fewer, Better Things: The Hidden Wisdom of Objects (Bloomsbury, 2018):
https://www.glennadamson.com/fewer-better-things/; and (2) on myCIA, Stuart Kestenbaum, “Art and
Community: Discovery and Rejuvenation” (The View from Here, pp. 125-139). Discussion of Project #2.

• Wednesday (9/26): Choose three of the “Makers and Shakers” whom your classmates selected for their focus
in Project #1, and study those sections of Makers before our class meeting. Today we’ll also have a work
session on Project #2.

Week 6. Presentations in Response to the ThinkCraft Symposium

• Monday (10/1): Group presentations today in response to the ThinkCraft Symposium.

• Wednesday (10/3): Group presentations today in response to the ThinkCraft Symposium.

Part III: Alternative Approaches to Craft History (Weeks 7-8)

Week 7. Other Threads
• Monday (10/8): Read Michael Ettema, “Technological Innovation and Design Economics in Furniture
Manufacture” (in The Craft Reader, pp. 92-98). Also read the file “CraftsIssueMedium” (on myCIA). Then
browse through Dr. Bassett’s various medium-specific files, each based on quotations from Makers. (Read
one of them in full, while paging through the Makers book to see the accompanying images too.) Brief
discussion of Denis Diderot’s Encyclopédie.
Syllabus & Tentative Calendar, ACD 376, Fall 2018 Dr. Mark Bassett— page 8

• Wednesday (10/10): No reading assignment. In class today, Dr. Bassett will present the key points in Glenn
Adamson’s book The Invention of Craft (aided by a Keynote presentation).

Week 8. Midterm Week

• Monday (10/15): Review for the Midterm.

• Wednesday (10/17): Midterm Exam today.

Part III: Primary Sources and Research (Weeks 9-11)

Week 9. Artifacts and Exhibition Catalogs
• Monday (10/22): Read “Artists of Our Region” (Cleveland Museum of Art, 2006):
https://www.clevelandart.org/sites/default/files/documents/teacher-guide/ArtistsOfOurRegion.pdf. During
class, Dr. Bassett will share examples of ceramics from his personal collection.

• Wednesday (10/24): Study the on-line virtual exhibition “Art and Artifice,” curated by Howard Risatti and
Steven Glass: http://www.blackbird.vcu.edu/v10n2/gallery/risatti_h/art_and_artifice.shtml. (Also posted on
myCIA as a PDF file.) Also read the file “Objects USA” (on myCIA). Discussion of Project #3 today.

• Friday (10/25): Choose your topic for Project #3 by today.

Week 10. Oral Histories & Interviews

• Monday (10/29): Read David Revere McFadden, “Living with Art: Collector and Visionary, Nan Laitman;
and Emily Zaiden, “An Unyielding Commitment to Craft: Aileen Osborn Webb and the American Craft
Council” (both on myCIA). Library instructional session today.

• Wednesday (10/31): Browse through the web site of the Bard Graduate Center Craft, Art and Design Oral
History Project: http://bgccraftartdesign.org/items. Then read this brief transcript of a 2014 interview with
Carol Sauvion, creator and producer of the PBS series Craft in America:
http://www.craftinamerica.org/press/craft-in-america-an-interview-with-carol-sauvion/.

• Thursday (11/1) – Strongly encouraged: Attend the opening reception of the craft alumni exhibition (on view
through 12/14). Only at the reception can you be assured of meeting many of these alumni in person. Take
photographs; record notes of your impressions; ask for business cards; be prepared to share your contact
information.

Week 11. Writings by Makers & Conference Proceedings

• Monday (11/5): George Nakashima, from The Soul of a Tree (in The Craft Reader 219-225); and Bruce
Metcalf, “On the Nature of Jewelry” (see http://www.brucemetcalf.com/pages/essays/nature_jewelry.html).
If you would like to watch a short video of Bruce Metcalf speaking, see
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkxNA6tEoQs.

• Wednesday (11/7): Marguerite Wildenhain and Charles Eames, “Asilomar Conference Proceedings 1957”
(The Craft Reader 569-576); and Julia Bryan-Wilson, Liz Collins, Sabrina Gschwandtner, Cat Mazza, and
Allison Smith, “The Politics of Craft: A Roundtable” (The Craft Reader 620-628).

• Wednesday (11/7): Project #3 due today.

Syllabus & Tentative Calendar, ACD 376, Fall 2018 Dr. Mark Bassett— page 9

Part IV: Theory and Craft Practice (Weeks 12-13)

Week 12. Critical Perspectives

• Monday (11/12): Read Julia Bryan-Wilson, “Eleven Propositions …”—a short but thought-provoking piece
from the March 2013 issue of Journal of Modern Craft.; and also Howard Risatti, “Metaphysical
Implications …” (on myCIA), a detailed & illustrated essay, from the exhibition catalog Skilled Work:
American Craft in the Renwick Gallery (1998). Both are on myCIA.

• Wednesday (11/14): No reading assignment. In class today, Dr. Bassett will present the key points in Glenn
Adamson’s book Thinking Through Craft (aided by a Keynote presentation).

Week 13. Looking Forward, Looking Back

• Monday (11/19): Read Michael Petry, “When Art Meets Craft” (on myCIA), introductory essay from the
exhibition catalog The Art of Not Making (2011). Dr. Bassett will give a presentation on this exhibition—
and also on the 2012 exhibition 40 Under 40.

• Wednesday (11/21): No class today. Happy Thanksgiving!

Epilogue (Week 14)

Week 14. Plenary Session
• Monday (11/26): Read “Pedagogy” (on myCIA). Then watch these two videos, about the North Bennet Street
School, Boston (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6kaysTCaJo) and about the Pilchuk Glass School
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6FUCHGa-SM). Then read the essay by M. Anna Fariello, “Making
and Naming: The Lexicon of Studio Craft” (on myCIA).

• Wednesday (11/28): Before class, watch this video featuring the UK artist Grayson Perry:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAdcD4ZCKak.

• Friday (12/7): Project #4 due today.