Available September 2005 ISBN 1-55380-026-5 BISAC: CRA000000, ART009000 7 ½ x 10 224 pp trade paper 37 colour illustrations $26.95 CDN $21.95 US CRAFT THEORY AND PRACTICE

Craft Perception and Practice
A Canadian Discourse, Vol. II
Edited by Paula Gustafson

The series of Craft Perception and Practice volumes gives recognition to the exciting new developments in contemporary craft practice and scholarship. This second volume brings together 22 essays and critical commentaries by 19 independent critics and curators, professional artists, art historians, and studio art instructors. Illustrated with 40 colour photographs of works by some of Canada’s finest craft artists, the texts represent the depth and range of critical thought about Canadian craft presented at symposiums and in exhibition catalogues and arts journals. Exploring the diversity of current craft practice and theory, as well as craft’s intrinsic connections between traditional and contemporary art, these multidisciplinary texts discuss the conceptual, social and cultural significance of work in craft media. The authors engage linguistic, dystopian, mimetic and cinematic theories, as well as the aspects of sensual and tacit knowledge, to create a nuanced discourse about making and appreciating craft-based sculptural and functional objects. This seminal series of books asserts craft’s rightful place as a vital form of artistic expression. Craft Perception and Practice substantiates academic advancement of craft curricula and provides an authoritative springboard for debate and discussion among craft practitioners, curators and collectors.

"Essential reading for students of craft, craft history, craft theory, and critical thinking in Canadian universities and colleges and a welcome addition to a field that has only recently become the focus of serious academic interest."
— Jennifer Salahub, Alberta College of Art and Design

Paula Gustafson is both a contributor to and the editor of the series Craft Perception and Practice. She is the well-known editor of Canada’s award-winning magazine Artichoke: Writing about the Visual Arts and a regular contributor to other visual art magazines in Canada, Australia, England and Hong Kong. A life-long craft advocate and activist, she received the first Jean A. Chalmers Fund for the Crafts award for critical writing about contemporary Canadian crafts. She is the author of the definitive monograph on Salish weaving, published by UBC Press.