An education in crafts/craft design, folk art and artisanry will prepare students to work in professions in which they can create artwork using whatever type of artistic media they should choose. Crafts/craft design, folk art and artisanry students will take courses in which they will learn to understand the creative process, design, and techniques used in creating works of art.
While the exact course requirements will vary by school and program, students studying crafts/craft design, folk art and artisanry will study the creation of art in a variety of different mediums. Students will likely learn how to create art using:
Some schools offer students the opportunity to choose a concentrated course of study on one of these particular mediums so they can further master it before becoming a professional. Depending on the individual school and program, students will also likely take courses that will teach them to understand art as a business, thus preparing them to make it as professionals.
Crafts/craft design, folk art and artisanry programs are offered primarily in the traditional, on-campus learning format, as students will have to work with their hands in order to produce and learn their chosen art form. Learning about artistic theory is an important part of the students' education, but actually creating the art is what will help them to master it.
There are many different levels of education available to crafts/craft design, folk art and artisanry students. Certificates, associate's degrees, bachelor's degrees, and master's degrees are all available in this field of study. There are also a few doctorate degree programs available, including one in jewelry design and crafts.
There are several careers available to someone with an education in crafts/crafts design, folk art and artisanry, including working as an:
It should be noted that, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 60% of artists and field-related workers are self-employed. As is evidenced by that statistic, salaried jobs are highly competitive and are projected to continue to be so into the near future. Many creative people pursue art as a career, and even though art-related jobs are expected to grow “as fast as the average” for all occupations (bls.gov), there are more trained artists than there are jobs available in this field. Employers in this field are always searching for highly talented artists. Although maintaining art as a career may be difficult, it is certainly not impossible.