» Issue 02/2010: Craft and economy
Gallery Format experienced several sales at COLLECT 2010 at Saatchi Gallery in London. Photographer: André Gali
Craft in a global economy
Text: André Gali
Published: 15 Jul 2010
A recent report tells of an increasing market for craft in the UK. In contrast, a Norwegian survey shows that Norwegian craft artisans suffer from the world-wide financial crisis. Could increased participation in international fairs be the answer for the Norwegian craft sector?
Earlier this year Morris Hargreaves McIntyre, a cultural sector management consultancy, was commissioned by the British Crafts Council to research ‘the current size, value and characteristics of the contemporary craft market in England.’ 
According to a report following the research, named ‘Consuming Craft: The contemporary craft market in a changing economy’, the size of the total craft market in England is 26.5 million people, (63% of the adult population). The total craft market includes both people who previously have bought craft (40% of the adult population), and people that has not yet bought craft, but would consider buying craft in the future, (23% of the adult population). The market for original contemporary craft is currently between £913m and £1.87 billion.
Rosy Greenlees, Executive Director of Crafts Council, states that the new report shows that ‘craft matters not only to thousands of people across the UK but also to the economy in general.’
Important marketplaces
While the UK market is considered the most important market for crafts in Europe, a Canadian study from 2003 states that ‘the American craft market is widely seen as the largest and most important for craft in the world’.
The study, called ‘Profile and Development Strategy for Craft in Canada’, quotes a survey done by the Crafts Organization Development Association (CODA) in 2001, where an estimate of craft activity in the US amounted to ‘U S$13.8 billion in 1999, including a direct economic impact of between US$8 billion and US$10 billion’. The CODA survey estimates that ‘between 107,000 to 127,000 craftspeople were active in the United States in 1999/2000’.
There are indicators that the American craft market still is strong, despite the financial crises.
Steady sales
Both the recent UK report and the older Canadian report show that craft fairs are significant venues for showing and selling craft objects. 
In the United States, the Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Fair (SOFA) is considered one of the foremost fairs for masterworks bridging contemporary decorative, fine art and design. SOFA holds expositions in Chicago, New York and Santa Fe, and is the premier American organization presenting galleries at art fairs. It functions along lines more or less similar to Art Basel and COLLECT.
SOFA NEW YORK says its fair ‘enjoyed buoyant sales and steady crowds’ this year.
‘Approximately 18,500 collectors, curators, architects, interior designers, art advisors and new enthusiasts took in SOFA NEW YORK,’ a press release states. SOFA NEW YORK represents approximately 55 galleries and estimated sales are $10 million USD per show:
‘The mood on the floor was energetic and more upbeat compared to last year. Many dealers reported their top offerings sold quickly at the preview and sales held steady throughout the fair’, president and founding director of SOFA fairs in New York, Chicago and Santa Fe, Mark Lyman said. Lyman could also reveal that opening day ticket sales were up 60% and sales on Saturday up 72%.
SOFA CHICAGO is the biggest of the three SOFA fairs and has an average of 85 dealers and 35,000 persons attending each year. The sales at SOFA CHICAGO are estimated at $15 – 20 million USD per show.
Exceeded expectations
In London, COLLECT holds a high position as an international fair for contemporary objects. According to a press release, this year’s fair at the Saatchi Gallery ‘enjoyed abundant sales with many galleries reporting they had “exceeded expectations”’. 
COLLECT has established itself as a place to view and buy the very best in contemporary craft, and the press release states that ‘a number of significant acquisitions were made by high profile national institutions including the V&A, MIMA (Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art), The National Museums of Scotland and the British Museum’.
The press release also reveals several exciting sales: ‘Japanese exhibitor Yufuku Gallery reported [its] best year ever with over 30 sales made. Two pieces were acquired by the British Museum: a ceramic piece by Akihiro Maeta and a celadon work by Atsushi Takagaki. Galerie Rob Koudijs from the Netherlands sold a brooch by recent graduate Alexander Blank to the National Museums of Scotland and a necklace by Gemma Draper to CODA Museum in The Netherlands.’
The Norwegian galleries Format and Kunst1 were also happy with sales at COLLECT this year.
Consumer trends and craft values
In addition to analysing market size, UK researchers have mapped current trends in the craft market. One important observation is that there is ‘a strong correlation between wider consumer trends and craft values’. These trends show a tendency within the market to appreciate objects that are not mass-produced, and that ‘consumers appear to be particularly concerned with looking for more personal, unique and ethical routes for consuming objects’.
Similar conclusions concerning consumer trends where reached by a Canadian study from 2005 mapping potential export markets. ‘Canadian Fine Craft Niche Market Study’, commissioned by The Department of Canadian Heritage, Trade Routes program, concluded that ‘baby-boomers in large numbers are expressing their disdain for large retailers selling mass-market goods, by buying greater numbers of higher-end custom and luxury goods’.
The Canadian report shows that the end buyers of craft works in export markets are typically wealthy, well educated professionals. And many buyers ‘fall into the category of junior or senior collectors and are very knowledgeable about craft, art and design in general’.
The most important factors in determining success in the export market were considered to be quality and uniqueness. The country of origin of the producer does not in any significant way appear to be a factor in the decision to purchase.
The UK report reaches similar conclusions: ‘On the whole craft buyers are more likely to be female, educated to degree level or higher, culturally active and outward looking and curious. They tend to be older (53% are aged 45 or over), independently minded and more likely to work in the education, health and charity sectors.’
About the consumer trends revealed by the new reports, Rosy Greenlees, Executive Director of Crafts Council, makes the following comment:
‘The desire for handmade, authentic and sustainable crafted objects is flourishing in an era of ever more mass production.’
Museums the most important customers
In Norway there are no high-profile fairs for crafts at the moment. (The annual ‘People Who Connect’-organized arts-and-crafts fair in Stavanger is venerable but non-juried, therefore not of the same calibre as SOFA or COLLECT. PWC’s fair has been going on for 34 years and now hosts approximately 200 Norwegian and international exhibitors annually.)
There are few ‘serious’ private collectors here in Norway, and the most significant buyers and collectors of craft are the museums for decorative arts in Bergen, Trondheim and Oslo. Three major Norwegian art museums also exhibit, buy and collect craft objects on some scale: Sørlandet’s Art Museum in Kristiansand, Lillehammer Art Museum and NordNorsk Art Museum in Tromsø. 
The director of Nord-Norsk Art Museum, Knut Ljøgodt, states that the museum has a budget of approximately 100,000 euros this year for purchasing works for the collection. This includes both fine art and craft. While the museum has an extensive collection of historical fine art, the craft collection consists mainly of modern and contemporary objects.
‘The collection consists of slightly over 1,550 works of which approximately 1/3 are craft objects’, Ljøgodt says.
‘In 2008 we bought a neck collar from Inger Blix Kvammen, and last year we bought an installation work from Aslaug Juliussen in connection with the exhibition Potensial that was shown in collaboration with Norwegian Association for Arts and Craft, department North. When it comes to strategy for purchasing works, we have a responsibility towards artists who work or live in this part of the country. This is also reflected in the collection.’
Ljøgodt explains that the regional profile is important, and that the artists have had a certain volume of production before they are included in the collection.
Hard times for Norwegian craft artisans
While the craft market appears to be strong in the UK and the USA, last year a Norwegian survey, ‘Cultural Production in Times of Crises’, showed that the craft market in Norway is experiencing the world-wide financial crisis first hand. 
The survey was conducted by the cultural consultancy Perduco Kultur in collaboration with the Norwegian Actors’ Equity Association, Norwegian Musicians’ Union, Norwegian Visual Artists Association, Norwegian Association for Arts and Crafts, Norwegian Film and TV Producers’ Association, Norway Festivals, Association of Live Music Promoters Norway and Norwegian Association for Performing Arts.
The objective of the survey was to measure the impact of the world-wide financial crisis on the creative industries, and the conclusion is that one out of three craftspersons is experiencing an economic setback due to it.
Lise Stang Lund, chairman of the Norwegian Association for Arts and Crafts, explains that craft artisans, already before the financial crisis, had a very low yearly income from craft production, only an average of 12, 500 euros a year. And a long-term decrease in sales could have a serious impact on the craft industry and create a situation where an increasing number of craft artisans must reduce their creative production – some might even experience bankruptcy.
‘Besides government grants and sales, craft artisans have few ways to make money,’ Lund explains. 
Export market
I t can be argued that there is untapped potential for Norwegian craft-fair organizers. Norwegians have tremendous buying power. And since no organizers (other than the PWC in Stavanger) have stepped forward to arrange large fairs, it stands to reason that there is great potential.
Meanwhile, as the Norwegian craft sector struggles to make ends meet, the international craft market increases. Last year SOFA expanded to a new venue in Santa Fe, and in Germany, EUNIQUE was established. This year the number of designer-makers who participated in EUNIQUE nearly doubled from 231 to 400. The British Craft Council’s recent report and the sales volume from SOFA and COLLECT are strong indicators that Norwegian craft artisans could benefit strongly from export markets and increased participation in international craft fairs.
(Read the related article; ‘International fairs and Norwegian markets’)
Guests in the Duane Reed Gallery booth at SOFA WEST: Santa Fe 2009.
Collector in the Browngrotta arts booth at SOFA NEW YORK 2008.
Henning Mortensen, owner of Gallery Kunst1, dealing with a collector at COLLECT 2010.
Potential customer at Gallery Format at COLLECT 2010.
Knut Ljøgodt, director of Nord-Norsk Art Museum.
Jewellery artists group Klink opened a show in Kunstnerforbundet last Thursday. As the craft market is weak, will the gallery manage to sell the works?
Craft matters. This is a work by Sigurd Brogner, presented by Galleri Ra at COLLECT 2010.
Swedish craft artists at EUNIQUE 2010.
Gallery Format experienced several sales at COLLECT 2010 at Saatchi Gallery in London. Photographer: André Gali