Hello North Park Craftsman,
I can see that you and I could talk for hours on the many subjects of the Movement and this is in a way what I am trying to do each day and that is to educate others about the movement of the time and what it should/could be now if we were to put our minds and experience to the test.

The time periods of Stickley, Roycroft and also the Greene and Greene brothers are gone and there is nothing we can do to bring them back. However there is nothing to say that we can't produce the same style and declare them as pieces designed by the masters but, made in modern times. This way we will be able to carry on the theme of the masters and put a few pennies in our own pockets.

Oh, by the way, I welcome you to the forums and also wish to compliment you on your table that shows just what can be done by a craftsman who cares.

Respectfully,

Ralph Jones

Good Afternoon Friends,
I am sitting here pondering about where will the Arts and Crafts be twenty years from now?

Will they be a thing of the past and molding in history books or are there still going to be folks who even care?

If we are to keep the Movement alive we must educate those who would take an interest and work to see that it is not a lost cause. We can do this by bringing folks into the fold and educate them of the way things used to be but, now we need to direct their attention from the everyday junk they bring home and offer them a quality piece that they can also have a hand in building.

It makes no difference what ever the product is they can get their feet wet by working with craftsmen to produce the items at a reasonable cost and give them the opportunity to say, "I helped to build that piece of furniture over there." Whether it is a piece of furniture or a certain weave of a piece of cloth, carpet or what ever comes to mind.

Living in the past knowing that it is never coming back to life unless we breathe some life into it by making the same objects in todays market places, and making them affordable but, in the same hand making them in the same style as Stickley, Roycroft, Greene and Greene and many others. We would not be making them as our own idea or plan but honoring those who made them appealing and wanted.

These are my personal feelings and if one would care to add to what I have written please do so.

Respectfully,

Ralph Jones

Ralph --

I don't think you need to worry. The clean lines and workmanship of the A&C movement is going to be with us for a long time. The first movement was regarded at the time as a simplicity movement and return to basics. There are many excellent, contemporary crafts people who respect their tools and the rich legacy of their predecessors so they will continue to respond to their calling.

Much of the modern design movement is based on the philosophy of the Arts & Crafts movement, so there's plenty of opportunity to blend the best of the past with the best of the present. So regardless of whether you are a die hard purist and expert in the artisans like Stickley and Limbert or willing to combine new and old elements and push the design envelope like Wright and Stieglitz, there's lots to look forward to.

Rikki

Rikki,
I couldn't agree with you more and in a sense Frank Lloyd Wright showed us how to do it in the modern frame and I applaud his efforts.

With me being the age I am and seeing my friends whom some I went to school with,have now departed from this earth as we know it.

It kind of sends a shiver up the back and it seems to make you wonder of all that we have to offer those who will listen, knowing that our own time is limited. When that time comes I will welcome it with open arms but, until that time comes I find myself wondering if I am going to have the time to teach what little I know to the younger generations.

As someone once said,"why is it there is so much to learn, and so little time in which to learn?"

Respectfully,

Ralph

I think we need to appreciate the A & C legacy and take from it what we can, yet at the same time, I think it is important to add some originality to whatever it is we create. I've seen many talented craftspeople who simply ape the A & C designs without ever thinking outside of that "box." I am starting to work in hammered copper myself, and I am inspired by Van Erp and Elizabeth Eaton Burton the most; yet, at the same time, I don't want my work to be so derivative that an immediate comparison is made. Adding to the tradition is the most noble thing to do, in my opinion. Pay homage, but at the same time, go beyond.

I agree.

I watched a Ken Burns documentary last night on the Shakers (notable from 1775 to 1925). They believed that you should make what ever you do as perfect as possible ... to work toward perfection as though you had all the time in the world, but could die tomorrow. Granted theirs was a religious conviction, but I think many of us see the A&C movement in much the same way.

As such utopian movements go, the Shakers were remarkably successful, but were still done in by the Industrial Revolution even though they were inventive, creative, and hardworking.

The current "simplicity" movement which has been pottering along for at least the last 15 years has a new tendril on its vine ... the "slow home" movement considered to be a part of the "slow food" idea. All very interesting and all part of the A&C cloth ... craftsmanship and a desire to create beauty is a deeply spiritual force for many.

Rikki

Although I love the original Arts and Crafts styling craftsmen like Stickley, I definitely would have to agree with those on the forum who've noted the importance of creating new designs, rather than simply copying the work of artists who have gone before.

To me, the real legacy of the Arts and Crafts movement is its message that the beautiful and the useful are not contradictory, but complimentary (and often one and the same, as Frank Loyd Wright observed). The Movement will continue forever, whether Arts and Crafts furniture remains in vogue or not (this may be heresy, but I think a lot of modern "green" housing solutions are very much in keeping with the Arts and Crafts movement, whether they look like bungalows or not...).

Meggie --

If you haven't already seen it, you might enjoy the remodel of an Austin bungalow shown in the March '08 Dwell. To quote the homeowners, "We weren't trying to do an authentic restoration. It was more about respecting the house's basic elements." Both aspects thrill me when I see it done well.

I tend to love the heresy myself and find plenty of heroes among the A&C movement leaders. ;-)

R.

Good Morning Ladies,
With a lot of modern fasteners that can be used to day, such as pocket hole fastening in inconspicuous places to help speed up a project but, still not take away from the theme of Arts and Crafts is permissible when the method would almost never be seen is not taking away from the movement but only helping the maker of said furniture in a more quicker method.

One should not feel guilty of the use of different methods that help in the design and methods of building the various pieces one would make.

Respectfully,

Ralph Jones