Craft and its relationship with canon and tradition are undergoing redefinition in the arts. The transformation is propelled by other paradigm shifts in art and education, most notably the turn to equitable and culturally responsive teaching and socially engaged art and design. Craft in the Real World contributes to MassArt’s understanding of these changes and opportunities, and their roots in the relationship between craft and the world, and culture and identity.

The program explores key questions:

• What is craft? Is it something we do, something we learn, something we are born into?
• How do artists, designers, creative writers and other craftspeople understand the acquisition of skill, the history of their media and the production of their work? 
• What is the relationship between craft and culture? How do language, (dis)location, and translation shape the subject and process of learning? 
• How does our students’ understanding of craft shape their critique experience?
• Which craft practices and perspectives on craft will thrive at MassArt in the college’s next 150 years?

The evening begins at 5 p.m. with the opening of an art exhibition in the Brant Gallery in the South building, then continues in the DMC Lecture Hall at 5:30 p.m. for Matthew Salesses' talk and a corresponding conversation with a panel of artists, designers, and writers.

Panelists include

• Taylor Davis,
• Ryan Diaz,
• Isabella Febbroriello,
• Will Johnson, and
• Daphne Strassmann. 

This collaborative event is led by Studio Foundation's Brant Gallery and Humanities' Creative Counterpoints and Creative Writing Minor. Sponsors of the program include the Office of Academic Affairs, and the Office of Justice, Equity, and Transformation (JET). 

See library guide for more information. https://massart.libguides.com/craftintherealworld