International studio (54.1914/1915)

The National Society of Craftsmen


The national
SOCIETY OF
CRAFTSMEN
BY MAUDE E.
WOODRUFF
The National Society of Crafts-
men, an allied society of the Na-
tional Arts Club, held its eighth
annual exhibition and sale in the
gallery of the Club during De-
cember. Unusual interest at-
tached to the exhibition this year,
owing to the announcement to the
members of the Society that the
trustees of the National Arts Club
had placed at the disposal of the
Society a $1,000 second mortgage
bond for a life membership in the

JEWELLERY DESIGNED BY
GRACE HAZEN


fore, the person who longs to
use his hands in creating things
of beauty must “screw his
courage,” likewise his patience,
“to the sticking point,” and
determine to leave no oppor-
tunity unimproved to work and
experiment in his medium and
to learn by his failures until he
is in command. That several
among the exhibitors had al-
ready gone far in such an ex-
perience could be seen by a
critical observer.
The wall hangings and table
covers were contributions of
stencilled, block-printed or
dyed velvets, silks and linens,
and hand-woven rugs. A

club, to be awarded as a prize at the exhibition
to the member exhibiting who should be adjudged
by a competent jury to be the best craftsman or
craftswoman.
The exhibition exceeded those of other years in
its simplicity and beauty of setting, the individ-
uality of each department blending into an im-
pressive whole, an impression which speaks for
the permanence, seriousness and value of the arts
and crafts movement.
While there are still some people who seem to
believe that anything queer and rather badly
made is arts and crafts, and while there are others
who through ignorance or indolence continue to
offer work that fails in beauty of design and execu-
tion, a steadily increasing number of men and
women show the results of serious and persistent
study and effort toward true self-expression in
their chosen medium. To be a master craftsman

noticeable example was in Pompeian reds and
greens, with motif of peacock feather tips. The
decorative quality of these textiles was very
marked. This note was carried on a step in the
Herter portieres of fancy weaves in silk manu-
factured from guncotton, which will wash like
linen. These had a lovely lustre and were
double-faced in colour, to harmonize with two
rooms. There was also a characteristic tapestry,
and a triplex painted by Mr. Herter himself
was a splendid addition to the room.
The dyed and stencilled fine silks from a few
leading workers showed charming results in
colour, that of Miss Amy Mali Hicks being very
rich; and the embroideries on linen, the cut
work, the block-printed and embroidered com-
bination and the lace work revealed the beauty
won for our every-day needs of clothes and table
linen.

one must go to the very depths and search out the
nature, the limitations and the availability of his
chosen medium as a means of expressing his ideas
to his fellow men.
In America it is exceedingly difficult to gain a
thorough education and training in craft work,
and apprenticeship is next to impossible. There-

Mrs. Philip Holzer’s exhibition of a stole is a
high example for the layman and the student.
The stole was designed by Mrs. Holzer; the blocks
for colour-printing the design on the coat (nineteen
in all) were carved by her. All the silks for the
embroidery were dyed by her for this special piece
and the embroidery was an original application of

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