The inaugural report on the Value of Craft argues that craft plays a critical role in addressing the challenges of our time.
What is the value of craft? The craft sector is challenged to argue for its importance in the face of more novel domains, such as technology. To help make this case, the Value of Craft Report 1.0 reflects the whole gamut of areas where craft plays a key role in our lives today.
For the past five years, a team of craft experts has processed hundreds of references. Their goal is to produce a comprehensive picture of craft’s contribution to our practical, symbolic, and ethical values. This process of “knowledge weaving” uses new information technologies to produce a complex web of claims about craft’s value.
The Value of Craft Report 1.0 was launched at the World Crafts Forum in Delhi on 22 November 2024 with a roundtable discussion involving the following participants: Dr Kevin Murray, Vice President of WCC-AISBL; Dr Darlie Koshy; Ms Sevra Davis, Director of Architecture, Design, and Fashion at the British Council (UK); Shri Amitabh Kant, IAS (Retd.), Former CEO of Niti Ayog; Mr Shombi Sharp, Resident Coordinator at the United Nations; and Dr Fatina Saikaly, Vice President of WCC-Europe and Founder of Co-Creando (Italy).
The result of this research is a comprehensive knowledge graph that includes fifteen values of craft organised into three domains: symbolic (head), ethical (heart), and practical (hand). These are tied to 54 verified claims, such as “Working with your hands stimulates mental development,” “Craft encourages greater care of the environment,” and “Craft makes an important contribution to the economy.”
The report highlights the vital role of craft in human life. Craft adds value to the full spectrum of existence, encompassing practical, symbolic, and ethical aspects: the heart, head, and hand.
Craft…
- provides meaningful work
- improves our well-being
- brings us together
- beautifies our world
- gives us identity
- connects us to the past
- helps sustain the environment
- addresses global inequity
- offers hope for those affected by trauma and disaster.
Craft is more important than ever in addressing what the World Economic Forum identifies as the polycrisis:
- Craft helps respond to climate change through the circular economy and responsible consumption.
- Craft counters increased polarisation and conflict by encouraging mutual respect between cultures.
- Craft connects us with our enduring humanity as Artificial Intelligence takes over many of our capacities. In rediscovering our embodied essence, craft contributes to the coming humanist renaissance.
Furthermore, the research demonstrates that craft contributes to 12 of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Among its recommendations, the report argues that everyone should have the right to learn craft and that craft should become a key part of the “care economy” in helping deal with increasing mental health problems.
This is a “living” report based on a constantly updated knowledge graph. Future versions will contain updates and responses to current issues. The report provides a platform for coordinated academic research into the claims of craft’s value.
The Value of Craft Report 1.0 was produced by the Knowledge House for Craft and supported by the Ghada Hijjawi-Qaddumi Foundation for Handicrafts and Arts as part of the celebrations for the 60th Anniversary of the World Crafts Council. The report can be downloaded here.
For further information, including interest in future participation, contact valueofcraft@knowledgehouseforcraft.org.
