American Craft Council Show Comparison To Renegade Craft Faire in San Francisco- Part 2
August 08, 2013
Miss Charlotte Kruk (left) and Harriete Estel Berman visiting the booth of ACC exhibitor emiko oye.
Part 1 raised the questions:
What is the impact or purpose of an entry fee?
What is the role of music in the shopping environment?
Impact of lighting in the sales environment.
A price comparison between Renegade and ACC.
Part 2 CONTINUES the comparison ...
CLOTHING REPORT:
Renegade Fair:
Miss Charlotte Kruk reported "that the clothing seemed to lean toward
the edgy...aligning with the spirit of the faire which I think is
tremendously charming, relevant, and frankly fun, thrift store remade,
recycled, reassembled, reinvented eclectic style. This is an aesthetic
that I have always related to, make and wear myself; I was raised in the
thrift store on the paternal side of the family and under the sewing
machine on my maternal side. (My family often went to the second hand
store and every time my grandmother would say "whatever you can't live
without." - pretty funny when you think about this kind of "spoiling")
ACC
had every style and fabric you could imagine all leaning toward the
artist made creative aesthetic with a price tag that reflected the
makers development, growth in process, personal style and materials.
Some of the fabric was loom woven, but more were painted silk, fabric
applique, or specialized technique. I did notice that this year at the ACC show the clothing was more fitted
and fashionable than in previous years. One of my favorite jackets was
by Susan Bradley Designs using neoprene (such as would be used for scuba suits).
TYPE OF WORK for SALE:
Renegade
had a lot of the t-shirts and cards with graphic images that have
become the predominate merchandise. Charlotte added that a lot of the
merchandise used the laser cutter. "Seems like when one person is doing
something it catches like a rash. The predominant rash in the Renegrade
craft community right now is going to the Tech Shop and using the laser
cutter. "
We both love the Tech Shop, but Miss Charlotte has a point: "To what end of unique and hand-made is this tool when the
artist isn't taking time to develop the object beyond the industrial
mass produced?"
Miss Charlotte said there was a contrast between
Renegade and ACC in the diversity of the objects, skill and aesthetic
voice. "I enjoy the raw, gritty renegade aesthetic for its spirit of "I
MADE THIS" pride." By comparison, ACC was a very serious gathering of
makers, who have spent a multitude of years developing their voice,
understanding the consideration that lighting, sound, negative space,
color, height, etc play on the viewing of the object. ACC sellers say "I
made this" and stand firm in the numbers they're asking for their
craft, their vision, their labor, knowing what it takes to establish the
aesthetic voice that it takes to reach the platform of the ACC.
WHATS NEW?
A
few years ago, the Renegade shows were all the rage garnering a
reputation based on a new and trendy appeal, along with questions about
the direction of this craft movement. Charlotte says, "It thrills me
that at the Renegade you watch a guy on a sewing machine with a device
he's invented to power it by riding his bicycle...And there he sits
freehand stitching truly elaborate and inspiring patches, each unique
because his hands will never do exactly the same thing twice, nor would
he want them to. I LOVE RENEGADE for its gritty energy, it's youthful
vibe of makers who desperately want to earn a living from their ability
to "make" but are maybe just getting started with refining their vision
and fine-tuning their personal aesthetic and creating a market that is
truly individualistic."
I asked Miss Charlotte Kruk after the show:
How is the “I made this
“ from Renegade different than the “I made this” at ACC?
Charlotte's answer: "The point I
was trying to make was the voice of a sweet child (the renegade artist) that
cannot be ignored "I made this" and you stop to acknowledge because
it's important to build pride vs. the refined voice of an accomplished actress
(in this case our ACC ARTIST); who has repeated the phrase over and over in so
many different fonts and italics through intonation that it becomes a statement
of control."
FINAL THOUGHTS:
"What a pleasure to slow down and
really "view" the show with Harriete. I'm sure at that pace, I would
have seen a whole lot more than at the racing speeds my family zipped
through the Renegade Craft Fair."
"I think the highlight for me was getting to the reception at Velvet da Vinci and
seeing all those makers who you took the time to congratulate and
educate, together in one space. It was amazing to me to see all these
dynamic artists in booths from the farthest corners of Fort Mason
representing the farthest corners of the United States all sharing a
bite of cheese and "bologna" together. Aahahaaaa ...but seriously, I
enjoyed the second viewing of their work in the cases and seeing their
faces again and together...and was pleased to see how each with their
own unique style and vision had this great spirit of appreciation for
one another. "
"Wonderful. (thanks again Harriete, for letting me be the
Robin to your Batman...great stuff.), I'd repeat that experience
anytime! cheers, Miss Charlotte."
Super wonderful to spend the day with Miss Charlotte. Hope we do it again soon.
Harriete
Previous posts in this series:
Observations at ACC San Francisco 2013
American Craft Council Show Comparison To Renegade Craft Faire in San Francisco- Part 1