This experience-oriented seminar explores the paradoxical ideals and artistic production of the Arts and Crafts movement, from its beginnings in late Victorian England to its spread in Europe and the United States.  Inspired by the foundational ideas of John Ruskin and William Morris that were dedicated to reversing the devastating environmental and social effects of 19th century industrialization, architects and designers believed that by revolutionizing domestic architecture and interiors, and by replacing mass-produced objects of everyday use with beautiful, handcrafted ones, they would improve the lives of all classes, especially of suffering workers.  The movement went through several regional re-interpretations and applications as it spread through style magazines of the1880s to early 1900s in Europe and North America, and Asia.The movement’s urban architectural legacy is recognizable to educated eyes today, including a widespread presence in the Bay Area.  In Northern California, Arts and Crafts values and practices inspired Frederick Meyer to establish in 1907 the school that became CCA—originally the School of the California Guild of Arts and Crafts--whose present curriculum still reflects the wide range of mediums that Arts and Crafts designers addressed.  They created interiors with coordinated designs for textiles, furniture, metalwork, glass, and ceramics, in addition to influencing industrial design, graphic design, illustration, photography, and painting. As part of the course, we will study the early history of CCA.  Students are also encouraged to research paper topics in the Arts and Crafts history of their chosen mediums of study and to consider how Arts and Crafts principles are perceived or practiced in their disciplines at CCA today. Field trips to important Bay Area architectural icons and collections will additionally reveal the considerable presence of Arts and Crafts in our environment. In fact, a current measure of the movement’s importance is the renaissance that Arts and Crafts architecture and design enjoy in today’s marketplace.

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