Kristin McNab, Debbie Johnson*
Southeastern Louisiana University
Full manuscript: http://www.kon.org/urc/v8/mcnab.html
Abstract The purpose of this study was to document textile arts and handcraft participation in the Florida Parishes region of Louisiana. Six women (of varying ages) participated in the interview-survey procedure; each interview took thirty minutes to one hour to complete. The study primarily helped to gain knowledge about five important factors related to arts and handcraft. First, the questions in the interview process were specifically directed to people who sew (or perform other handcraft techniques) on a regular basis. Second, the interview collected the demographics of the women and when they started partaking in arts/handcraft activities. Third, participants were asked to summarize creative activities over time. Fourth, the interview inquired about skills for specific arts/handcraft techniques. Fifth, participants were asked about level of enjoyment of handcraft activities.
Introduction Arts and handcrafts have been denoted as pastimes, jobs, or necessities in the lives of women. This domestic lifestyle, embodied by women (and at times men) or homemakers, dates back as far the eighteenth to the early twentieth centuries during the Arts and Crafts Movement in England (Betjemann, 2008). According to Betjemann, “[T]he era of Arts and Crafts Movement thus developed ways of thinking about crafts that are skeptical of practiced, learned, or reproducible technique” (p. 183). The Arts and Crafts Movement was a significant time in history and paved the way for the incredible talents that are witnessed today.
Read the full manuscript: http://www.kon.org/urc/v8/mcnab.html
