This hands-on and interactive short course looks into the visual and material culture of craft practices. Students will particularly learn about the theoretical framework of craft knowledge and performative methods (such as historical reworking) as methodology, as well as working with historical (craft) objects as sources for studying early modern visual and material culture.
To those who do not engage with crafting, skilled practices such as hand-coloring, needlework, and more are often seen as simple pastimes. However, these craft practices historically have been important to all kinds of developments in art, science, and technology, with many “innovative designs” in these fields borrowing from craft traditions (often without recognition or acknowledgement). Considering craft practices thus offers a way to rethink the different historical actors and their people and their skills and knowledge, and how they were in dialogues with scientific, religious, and/or other local and global cultural practices in the early modern period.
The object sessions and hands-on workshops of the course specifically work with early modern European hand-coloring and embroidery practices as case studies, as these two sectors were often done by (anonymous) women and children that enables many rich discussions. However, the overall aim of the course is to equip students with essential skills and knowledge that the students can apply what they learn to work with hands-on practices and objects from any place and time period.
Preliminary Programme
Day 1, 30 September
| Morning: Huygens Instituut | |
| 10:00-10:20 | Welcome and course introduction |
| 10:20-11:20 | Student presentations on their own experiences with craft works (5 minutes each) |
| 11:20-11:30 | Break |
| 11:30-12:30 | Reading discussions (theoretical framework and first impressions of the readings) & introduction to materiality of historical sources and hands-on research |
| 12:30-13:30 | Lunch and walk to Allard Pierson |
| Afternoon: Allard Pierson (reading room) | |
| 13:30-15:30 | Object session I: Hand-colored books in the Allard Pierson collections. Joined by curator Dr. Katell Levéant (Allard Pierson) |
| 15:30-16:00 | Break and walk back to the Huygens Instituut |
| Huygens Instituut | |
| 16:00-17:30 | Discussion on images and objects as sources & preparation for visit to the CCNL the next day |
Day 2, 1 October
| Morning: CCNL, Amersfoort Vathorst | |
| 10:00-12:00 | Object Session II: Embroidered objects from the Rijksmuseum stored at the CCNL. Joined by curator Dr. Sara van Dijk (Rijksmuseum) |
| 12:00-14:00 | Lunch and travel to the Huygens Instituut in Amsterdam together |
| Huygens Institute | |
| 14:00-16:00 | Workshop: Hands-on embroidery practices (materials and techniques) & discussions on needlework and craft knowledge |
| 16:00-16:20 | Break |
| Afternoon: Allard Pierson (reading room) | |
| 16:20-17:30 | Reflection on Object Sessions I and II & Workshop |
Day 3, 2 October
| Morning: Huygens Institute | |
| 10:00-12:30 | Workshop: Hand-coloring practices (materials and techniques) & discussions on hand-coloring and craft knowledge. Research presentation on historical hand-coloring studies by Dr Trude Dijkstra (UvA) |
| 12:30-13:30 | Lunch |
| Afternoon: Huygens Institute | |
| 13:30-15:00 | Presentation of hands-on work results and field notes & Discussion on insights gains from hands-on research Reflection on course readings after gaining perspectives from hands-on research and object sessions |
| 15:00-15:20 | Break |
| 15:20-17:00 | Discussion on how to apply hands-on research in participants’ own research interests and topics & concluding remarks |
| 17:00 | Drinks |
Learning aims and outcomes
After taking this course, students will have an introduction to the visual and material culture of craft practices and the methodology of hands-on and practice-led research. Students will also gain essential and transferable skills and knowledge to research other hands-on practices and objects from any time period that are not covered in the course.
Assessments and assignments
Students are required to complete the readings on their own and prepare for discussion points with guided questions before the course, as well as prepare a 5-minute presentation on their experiences with hand-coloring, embroidery, or other handicrafts. Students are also required to participate in all the discussions, object sessions, and workshops throughout the course and take field notes during the object sessions and hands-on workshops.
After the course, students need to write a reflection paper (2000-2500 words) on how the object sessions and hands-on activities change the ways they ask or consider historical questions and research, as well as how they can apply the learning objectives to their own research topics. Students who meet all the requirements will receive 3 ECTS.
Literature
– Students will be encouraged to read the books as further readings, but will only be required to read the introduction or a chapter from a book.
– Official reading discussions will take place at the beginning and end of the course, but the readings materials will also be referenced and discussed during the workshops.
You can download the reading list as pdf via this link.
