Craft Is Not Creative 2

[Andy Coates]

As the original thread was getting a little off track I thought I'd this here...

I have sat (with my AWGB hat on) on two government originated bodies that were "looking" at craft(s). I have also been part (personally - but always with my role on the AWGB in mind) of a Department of Business Innovation  Skills program about 18 months ago. The AWGB also had a role on the Crafts Blueprint body (Reg Hawthorne attending on behalf of the AWGB). So we have been active in these processes over the last few years. The Heritage Crafts Association are also acting as Craft Advocates and actively seeking to redress this proposal.

The consultation process closes on June 14th.

For those who feel strongly enough, you can read the appropriate documents here and also complete the questionnaire and have a voice...

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/classifying-and-measuring-the-creative-industries-consultation-on-proposed-changes

[thebowlerhattedturner]

Thanks for this link Andy, on looking at it I realise I should have paid more attention at school as I am not clever enough to understand it at all.
Regards
John
BHT

[thebowlerhattedturner]

So I've been trawling through all of this information and trying to understand it. This part was fairly interesting.

                       " We recognise that highend craft occupations contain a creative element, but the
                         view is that in the main, that these roles are more concerned with the manufacturing
                          process, rather than the creative process."

When you look at some of the data they have, the lines for "Craft" are mainly empty,this demonstrates to me that there is an insufficient amount of information regarding craftwork industries that can be included in the data. Incidentally silversmiths,goldsmiths and other similar occupations have also been lumped together as "other skilled trades" so we are not alone.
Regards
John BHT

[woodndesign]

Expanding on what John (Right Honourable Learned Gentleman) has posted.

The review uses the idea of “creative intensity” (the proportion of people doing creative jobs within each industry) to suggest which industries should be included. If the proportion of people doing creative jobs in a particular industry is substantial, above a 30% threshold, the industries are candidates for inclusion within the Creative Industries classification.

Similar to the outlook in our current Creative Industries Economic Estimates, the “creative intensity” approach focuses on industries where the creative activity happens.

The intention is to produce a classification which provides direct estimates of employment and the contribution to the economy, with no double counting–rather than attempting to capture all activity further down the value chain, for example, retail activities. The classification
generated in this way can be used as a starting point for indirect estimates which include
wider economic effects along the supply chain.

CRAFTS

"Most crafts businesses are too small to identify in business survey data, so while there has been a crafts section in the former classification, we’ve not been able to provide GVA data.

The removal of a number of craft roles from the latest update to the ONS occupational coding (removal of Goldsmiths, Silversmiths, Precious Stone workers, for example) into themore generic ‘Other skilled trades’ occupational group has made crafts even harder to identify.

We recognise that high-end craft occupations contain a creative element, but the view is that in the main, that these roles are more concerned with the manufacturing process, rather than the creative process."

Art - Antiques - Crafts ......  Not included in proposed classification

we could come under Design and designer fashion .... 74.10 .... Specialised design activities ...

Cheers   David


 

[Bryan Milham]

I don't know about any of you but I don't think anything that can be described as 'Designer Fashion' could be pointed at me!

[woodndesign]

So plan 'B' ...  How do We promote Woodturning ... not an Art Form and now not a Creative Craft ...

TV Creative ..  ...  ya  Couch Potatos ...

[hughie]

Well how about 'wood turned art' ?

[TONY MALIN]

If craft is not creative the moon really is made of cheese and pigs fly to it.

So those in the CM & S involved in this exercise, who are specifically removing it, really need to spell out the purpose of the exercise.

I'm a bit concerned that the petition closes on 8th August, whereas the consultation closes on 14th June (At midnight !! ) and the response will be published in July.
Presumably not later than midnight on the 30th.

Another point -- the petition refers to a contribution of £3 billion, but at last week's Crafts Council awards ceremony the figure they gave was £4.4 billion.
One winner makes baskets another makes parchment.

[Andy Coates]

DCMS have issued a clarification document

[urlhttps://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/198735/Summary_of_our_approach.pdf][/url]

[karyudo]

DCMS have issued a clarification document

[urlhttps://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/198735/Summary_of_our_approach.pdf][/url]

You got a bracket in the wrong place Andy, here's a working clicky link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/198735/Summary_of_our_approach.pdf

[burywoodturners]

When we applied for a Lottery Grant, we were turned down as we were an 'Arts group' and told to apply to the Arts Council!
Burywoodturners

[woodndesign]

An Email which I received regarding update.

The e-petition 'Petition to stop the government reclassifying craft as non-creative' signed by you recently reached 27,766 signatures and a response has been made to it.

As this e-petition has received more than 10 000 signatures, the relevant Government department have provided the following response: As a result of this consultation, many people in the crafts sector have the impression that the Government is considering dropping crafts from the creative industries. This is not true – the definition of the creative industries will continue to include crafts. The purpose of the work is, rather, to grasp the nettle of how we measure the contribution of the creative industries (including crafts) to our economy. That is why the Department for Culture, Media and Sport worked with the Crafts Council, amongst others, to prepare this consultation. This is the problem: when we measure the value of the creative industries, we have to use official statistics – namely the industrial and occupational codes used by the Office of National Statistics. These codes are agreed internationally, and they have never adequately reflected the contribution of crafts. For example, the ONS recently reclassified silversmiths as “other skilled trades”, making it even harder to identify specific crafts. Most craft occupations are subsumed within occupational and industrial codes which are mainly non-creative. In the consultation, therefore, we have asked people to make suggestions about how we identify crafts, so that we can make representations both to the Office of National Statistics, and in international fora, to ensure that crafts are appropriately identified and measured. We of course welcome consultation responses which propose robust technical solutions for how Crafts, as well as other creative sectors badly served by the official codes, might be better teased out from the official data sources and using the existing codes. Further clarification is provided here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/classifying-and-measuring-the-creative-industries-consultation-on-proposed-changes This e-petition remains open to signatures and will be considered for debate by the Backbench Business Committee should it pass the 100 000 signature threshold.

Cheers...........

[Andy Coates]

update culled from another website:

The Department of Culture, Media & Sport has confirmed that it “clearly sees craft as a creative industry, and is not intending to reclassify craft as non-creative”.


After the government released a consultation paper announcing its proposal to reclassify craft as a non-creative industry in April, many in the industry have been voicing their opinion on the matter.

Property developer and broadcaster, Sian Astley felt so strongly about the plans, that she created a petition raising her concerns, which has since received more than 27,000 signatures.

In response to the industry’s outburst of concern, Creative & Cultural Skills announced that it was working with Creative Skillset to review the classification currently used by the Office of National Statistics to measure the creative and cultural industries.

As a result, the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) released a summary to explain its proposal to change how it classifies and measures the creative industries. It reads: “We have been using our current approach to measuring the creative industries since 1998. Our consultation on proposed changes to classifying and measuring the creative industries seeks views on the practical problem of improving these estimates by better identifying creative occupations and creative industries in available data sources, so that we can produce estimates which are comparable with the Office of  National Statistics.”

The DCMS has been in discussions about the proposals with partners across the creative industries for some time, co-ordinated by a working group, including Arts Council England and the Crafts Council.

The statement went on to say: “The consultation is not intended to pass judgement on which industries are creative and which are not. What can be measured in the DCMS Creative Industries Economic Estimates should not be confused with what are recognised as creative industries by DCMS.”

The DCMS public consultation on classification closed on June 14. Based on the outcome of the consultation, DCMS intends to publish an updated Creative Industries Economic Estimates in autumn 2013 which will be updated annually.