Julia Hallewell, who manages the shop at Dundee Contemporary Arts, offers advice and help in our craftscotland guide to buying craft.
Why buy craft?
Where can I find craft to buy?
How much should I spend?
How can I pay?
How do I look after craft?
If you’re reading this you are obviously already thinking about buying craft work or at least you’re thinking about craft work! Why buy craft? Any object which has been handmade by someone who has thought about why they are making it, what it’s to be used for and thought about how it looks, will have far more presence than a machine made object. You can’t easily explain it but there is just a feeling that makes you know that you just have to have it. Part of the personality of the maker will have imbued itself in the piece making it completely unique. Once you get it home, and start using it or decide where it should go, you’ll find yourself noticing different things about it every time you look at it – as the light catches it at a certain time of day, if you move it slightly or stand it next to another piece in your collection. Years of pleasure can be had from owning craft work!
The applied arts are still very good value in this country. Work by the top craft makers in the country can be bought at a fraction of the cost of a mediocre painting. It will often have taken years of training, experimentation and experience for the craft maker to have arrived at the point of making the piece you're buying from them. If you think about all that plus the cost of materials, overheads etc the price is often incredibly good value for money.
- Find craft outlets in listings in Crafts magazine, Ceramic Review, Selvedge, Artwork, AAS Bulletin, craftscotland website
- Get your eye in by going round as many craft galleries/craft fairs/workshops/degree shows as possible
- Ask staff in the galleries if you have any questions about the work in stock – most galleries are staffed by extremely knowledgeable people – often craft makers themselves –who are more than happy to talk about the work on show. Don’t be afraid to ask what may seem to you to be a silly question – you have to build up your knowledge somehow!
- You can pay anything from a few pounds for production pieces (repeatable items) made by an up-and-coming maker to several thousand for a one-off piece by an established maker whose work may be in public and private collections around the world. In between those two extremes there is work at all prices depending on the size, the materials used, whether it is part of a range of production pieces or a specially commissioned piece of work. There is a huge variety of work out there with a correspondingly huge range of prices – there will always be something to suit every pocket.
- Choose depending on your disposable income/ space you have available
- Buy what you like – it’s not a good idea to think you’re buying as an investment – fashions change, different disciplines go in and out of favour and values will go up as well as down. Buy to get enjoyment out of the piece for many years to come – if it becomes valuable then that’s an added bonus.
- Always ask to see something out of a glass case – the texture, handle and weight of the piece will affect the way you feel about it.
- Payment in most galleries and shops will be by cash, card or cheque (although do check first that cards can be taken – not everywhere has the facility to take credit and/or debit cards)
- Payment at craft fairs/degree shows/makers workshops will usually be by just cash or cheque although some stands may have the facility to take credit cards – especially at the more prestigious events such as Chelsea Crafts Fair
- There is now an interest free credit scheme – Own Art – which is supported by the Scottish Arts Council. Around 20 galleries are currently part of the scheme but many more are joining up over the next year. The scheme allows you to pay for work priced between £100 and £2,000 over 10 months interest free. You fill in the form in the gallery, a phone call is made and, assuming you are accepted, you will be able to take the work away with you. This scheme allows you to buy larger or more expensive items that may previously have seemed out of your reach.
- If you’re far from home when you see something you want to buy and the item is not easily transportable, talk to the gallery staff about it – most places are happy to pack and send work to you. You will have to pay for the P & P, or for the cost of the courier, but this is usually worth it for the knowledge that the work is going to arrive home safely in the correct number of pieces!
Meeting the maker is always an added bonus to buying handcrafted work – finding out about what inspired them to make the work, what methods they use, what their background and experience is, always adds to the pleasure of owning something that has been handmade. Craft fair stands are usually manned by the makers themselves, many craft workshops are open to the public at specific times – especially the ones in rural areas, giving you the opportunity to see the maker at work. Do phone and check before you set off though.
Galleries will usually give you a copy of the makers CV and a statement about their work. Apart from anything else, this will help remind you who made the item so you can keep in touch with their new work or, if the piece is a present, the recipient will know that the present is handmade and not just something bought on the high street!
When you buy a piece of craft work, and you’re at all unsure about how to care for it, do ask the maker or gallery for as much information as possible. If the piece requires some specialist care the makers tend to make that clear in any information they’ve provided with the piece.
My main advice would be to treat everything with respect:
- Don’t put anything in a dishwasher, microwave, washing machine or tumble drier unless you are absolutely sure that it’s alright to do so!
- Avoid direct sunlight on textiles or works on paper which have the potential to fade
- Dust with care
- Wash by hand with care
- Don’t clean jewellery that contains stones, pearls or enamel by using Silver Dip or similar – use a cloth or soft brush and possibly some washing up liquid.
- Ask an expert if in any doubt but mostly………..
- Use your common sense!
I would always recommend keeping receipts, if only because it’s good to remember where and when you bought something. If it’s something valuable I would also take a photo of it and keep it in a safe place for insurance purposes. If you’re lucky enough to be buying a valuable piece you should also insure it separately and not just under your general household insurance.
And Finally……..
Many people find the idea of going into a gallery intimidating. I think there is often a fear of making fools of ourselves. We don’t feel we know enough about something to talk knowledgeably about it and subsequently there is the fear that the people in the gallery will somehow talk you into buying something you don’t really want at a price you can’t afford! Galleries wouldn’t survive if they were selling people things they didn’t really want-bad news travels too fast!
With a few rare exceptions (mostly in London) most craft galleries stock work at a wide range of prices because not every customer is going to spend hundreds of pounds every time they come in. We all realise the importance of the customer who is buying something small whether it’s all they can afford at the time, it’s a present or the first tentative steps to starting off a collection (consciously or otherwise). We want people to feel they can come back regularly and not feel that they have to buy something every time they come in. When you do have the need (or desire) to spend more money then you’ll be back as long as we’ve made you feel comfortable and welcome. I think it goes without saying that there are some galleries that are more intimidating than others but imagine what you might be missing if you don’t go in for a look!
>>craftfocus - the craftscotland online exhibition shows world-class work by designer makers based in Scotland.
