ERIC Number: ED226111
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1982-Jun
Pages: 229
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Crafts-Artists in the United States.
Cerf, J. George; And Others
Following a preliminary study of crafts membership organizations in the United States, a survey was conducted of members of these organizations in order to determine their number, kind, media of work, personal characteristics, and geographic location. A sample of 5,146 craftspersons who were members of these organizations was mailed a questionnaire. The response rate was 74 percent with 2,637 identifying themselves as crafts-artists; the remainder were dropped from the sample. Analysis of the data gathered showed results such as the following: (1) about 375,000 member crafts-artists live in the United States; (2) the most accomplished and successful craftspersons are members of organizations; (3) crafts-artists are likely to be white females, with a median age of 45 years, married (72 percent), college graduates employed in a crafts, technical, or professional occupation, with incomes about 35 percent higher than the average; (4) fiber is the primary medium of 42 percent of the craftspersons, followed by clay, wood, and metal; (5) about 25 percent of the craftspersons consider their craft work to be full time; and (6) the majority of craftspersons are self taught, but workshops and college or university courses in crafts were also frequent avenues to the crafts. The study leads to public policy implications for training, exhibits and shows, awards and financial support, and the imbalance of supply and demand in the crafts fields. (KC)
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Endowment for the Arts, Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: Mathematica Policy Research, Princeton, NJ.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A