Perception and definition of artistic craft within cultural and creative industries based on the qualitative data analysis
Abstract
Culture and creativity are integral to European cultural and creative industries, pivotal in shaping Europe’s identity and global prominence. The focus on crafts within the cultural and creative industries ecosystem underscores their cultural significance. However, classifying crafts as artistic or traditional needs more systematic indicators. This article addresses this gap by proposing a methodology to evaluate the artistry of crafts. Twelve indicators were identified based on literature and in-depth interviews with Czech craft organizations to evaluate the artistry of the particular craft. Chosen respondents (legal entities and natural persons) self-evaluated these indicators, assigning weights based on importance. Results revealed varying weights, with mastery of the craft and originality deemed most significant. The proposed methodology offers a scalable approach to determining the artistry of crafts and aiding enterprises and policymakers in supporting cultural and creative industries. This study contributes to theory as well as practice by providing a comprehensive framework for identifying and evaluating artistic craftsmanship within the cultural and creative industries.
Keyword : art, artistic craft, creative clusters, creativity, cultural and creative industries
How to Cite
Rydvalová, P., Michalová, T., & Škaloudová Puchmajerová, L. (2025). Perception and definition of artistic craft within cultural and creative industries based on the qualitative data analysis. Creativity Studies, 18(1), 150–170. https://doi.org/10.3846/cs.2025.20796
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
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Sennett, R. (2008). The craftsman. Yale University Press.
Sombart, W. (1912). Umění a řemesla. Umělecký průmysl a kultura (Kniha 8). Jan Laichter.
Stejskal, J., Kujová, Z., Štěpánová, A., & Plevová, L. (2015). Mapování tradičních řemesel v regionu Uherské Hradiště: v kontextu kulturních a kreativních průmyslů. Kreativní Česko/Institut umění/Divadelní ústav.
Suryansyah, S. (2019). Legal protection on intellectual property rights in the development of creative economy in Mamuju regency. Substantive Justice: International Journal of Law, 2(1), 54–70. https://doi.org/10.33096/substantivejustice.v2i1.30
Zhan, X., & Walker, S. (2019). Craft as leverage for sustainable design transformation: A theoretical foundation. The Design Journal: An International Journal for All Aspects of Design, 22(4), 483–503. https://doi.org/10.1080/14606925.2019.1613040
Adamson, G. (2018). Thinking through craft. Bloomsbury Publishing. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781350036062
Angoso de Guzmán, D. (2021). Expertizaje, peritaje y tasación. La problemática de la conservación-restauración en el ecosistema del mercado español del arte contemporáneo [Art expertization, appraisal and valuation. conservation issues in the Spanish contemporary art market]. Ge-conservación, 20, 303–317. https://doi.org/10.37558/gec.v20i1.1071
Arora, P., & Vermeylen, F. (2013). The end of the art connoisseur? Experts and knowledge production in the visual arts in the digital age. Information, Communication and Society, 16(2), 194–214. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2012.687392
Ayu Sadnyini, I., Wistama Putra, I. G. P. A., Sri Rahayu Gorda, A. A. A. N., & Tini Rusmini Gorda, A. A. A. N. (2021). Legal protection of interior design in industrial design intellectual property rights. Jurnal Notariil, 6(1), 27–37. https://doi.org/10.22225/jn.6.1.3614.27-37
Bakule, J., Marošková, T., & Peřinka, P. (2021). Strategie rozvoje a podpory kulturních a kreativních odvětví. https://www.mk.gov.cz/strategie-rozvoje-a-podpory-kko-cs-1301
Barrowclough, D.; Kozul-Wright, Z. (Eds.). (2008). Routledge studies in contemporary political economy. Creative industries and developing countries: Voice, choice and economic growth. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203086704
Becker, H. S. (1978). Arts and crafts. American Journal of Sociology, 83(4), 862–889. https://doi.org/10.1086/226635
Bertacchini, E. E., & Borrione, P. (2013). The geography of the Italian creative economy: The special role of the design and craft-based industries. Regional Studies, 47(2), 135–147. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2011.628652
Blažíček, O. J., & Kropáček, J. (2013). Slovník pojmů z dějin umění. Názvosloví a tvarosloví architektury, sochařství, malby a užitého umění. Aurora.
Bloom Rexrode, S. (2014). Studio craft and the production of the heirloom [Master Thesis, University of North Carolina at Greensboro]. ProQuest LLC.
Carr, Ch., & Gibson, Ch. (2016). Geographies of making: Rethinking materials and skills for volatile futures. Progress in Human Geography, 40(3), 297–315. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309132515578775
Comunian, R., & England, L. (2019). Creative clusters and the evolution of knowledge and skills: From industrial to creative glassmaking. Geoforum, 99, 238–247. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2018.02.009
Comunian, R., & England, L. (2018). The resilience of knowledge from industrial to creative clusters: The case of regional craft clusters in the West Midlands (UK). In T. Baycan & H. Pinto (Eds.), New horizons in regional science. Resilience, crisis and innovation dynamics (pp. 326–346). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781786432193.00026
Connelly, F. M., & Clandinin, D. J. (1990). Stories of experience and narrative inquiry. Educational Researcher, 19(5), 2–14. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X019005002
Craft Scotland. (2025). Green crafts initiative. https://www.craftscotland.org/about/projects/green-craft
Design and Artists Copyright Society. (2025). Artistic craftsmanship. https://www.dacs.org.uk/advice/articles/what-is-visual-arts-copyright/artistic-craftsmanship
Dictionary.cambridge.org. (2025). Creativity. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/creativity
European Commission. (2025a). Creative and cultural industries ecosystem and LSP(s). https://pact-for-skills.ec.europa.eu/about/industrial-ecosystems-and-partnerships/creative-and-cultural-industries_en
European Commission. (2025b). Cultural and creative industries. https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/sectors/cultural-and-creative-industries_en
Fondazione Cologni Mestieri d’Arte. (2025). The international charter of artistic craftsmanship. https://www.fondazionecologni.it/en/chi-siamo/carta-internazionale
Friel, M. (2020). Crafts in the contemporary creative economy. Aisthesis. Pratiche, linguaggi e saperi dell’estetico, 13(1), 83–90.
Gordini, N., & Rancati, E. (2015). Entrepreneurship and growth of small family firms. Evidence from a sample of the artistic craftsmen of Florence. Sinergie: Italian Journal of Management, 33(98), 169–194.
Hoff, E., & Carlsson, I. (2015). She, you and they – more actors on the creativity research stage! Creativity: Theories – Research – Applications, 2(1), 38–43. https://doi.org/10.1515/ctra-2015-0005
Howie, L., Coulter, M., & Feldman, S. (2004). Crafting the Self: Older persons’ narratives of occupational identity. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 58(4), 446–454. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.58.4.446
Kaufman, J. C., & Beghetto, R. A. (2023). Where is the when of creativity? Specifying the temporal dimension of the four CS of creativity. Review of General Psychology, 27(2), 194–205. https://doi.org/10.1177/10892680221142803
Klamer, A. (2012, 21–24 June). Crafting culture: The importance of craftsmanship for the world of the arts and the economy at large. In 17th International Conference on Cultural Economics (pp. 1–12). Erasmus University. http://www.klamer.nl/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/crafting.pdf
Kouhia, A. (2012). Categorizing the meanings of craft: A multi-perspectival framework for eight interrelated meaning categories. Techne Series A, 19(1), 25–40.
Kurzycz. (2021). Kulturní průmysly v ČR: Audiovizuální a mediální sector – 2020. https://www.kurzy.cz/tema/6986681.html
Lazzeretti, L., Capone, F., & Seçilmiş, I. E. (2016). In search of a Mediterranean creativity. Cultural and creative industries in Italy, Spain and Turkey. European Planning Studies, 24(3), 568–588. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2015.1082979
Lucie-Smith, E. (1981). The story of craft: The Craftsman’s role in society. Phaidon.
Machátová, D. (2013). Studie o současné situaci uměleckých řemesel v ČR. https://prospero.idu.cz/publikace/studie-o-soucasne-situaci-umeleckych-remesel-v-cr/
Masiyakurima, P. (2016). Copyright in works of artistic craftsmanship: An analysis. Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, 36(3), 505–534. https://doi.org/10.1093/ojls/gqv030
Mathieu, P. (2025). Toward a unified theory of crafts: The reconciliation of differences. Studio Potter. https://studiopotter.org/toward-unified-theory-crafts-reconciliation-differences
Metro – Dynamics. (2020). The impact of arts and culture on the wider creative economy. https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/impact-arts-and-culture-wider-creative-economy
Plucker, J. A., Beghetto, R. A., & Dow, G. T. (2004). Why isn’t creativity more important to educational psychologists? Potentials, pitfalls, and future directions in creativity research. Educational Psychologist, 39(2), 83–96. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep3902_1
Power, D. (2011). The European cluster observatory. Priority sector report: Creative and cultural industries (Europa Innova Paper No. 16). Publications Office of the European Union.
Rossiter, N. (2003). Creative industries and the limits of critique from works cited. M/C Journal, 6(3). https://doi.org/10.5204/mcj.2208
Sennett, R. (2008). The craftsman. Yale University Press.
Sombart, W. (1912). Umění a řemesla. Umělecký průmysl a kultura (Kniha 8). Jan Laichter.
Stejskal, J., Kujová, Z., Štěpánová, A., & Plevová, L. (2015). Mapování tradičních řemesel v regionu Uherské Hradiště: v kontextu kulturních a kreativních průmyslů. Kreativní Česko/Institut umění/Divadelní ústav.
Suryansyah, S. (2019). Legal protection on intellectual property rights in the development of creative economy in Mamuju regency. Substantive Justice: International Journal of Law, 2(1), 54–70. https://doi.org/10.33096/substantivejustice.v2i1.30
Zhan, X., & Walker, S. (2019). Craft as leverage for sustainable design transformation: A theoretical foundation. The Design Journal: An International Journal for All Aspects of Design, 22(4), 483–503. https://doi.org/10.1080/14606925.2019.1613040