Week 1, session 2:
What is art? What is craft? Classification activity. Present a variety of images and artefacts of art, crafts, and calligraphy to Student Teachers. You could put the images on cards or display them on PowerPoint slides. Examples could include a piece of mirror embroidery from Balochistan; a wooden spoon from Gilgit; a painting by Abdur Rahman Chughtai; calligraphy by Anwar Jalal Shemza, Sadequain, Ismail Gulgee, and Shakir Ali; tiles from Masjid Wazir Khan in Lahore, pottery from Multan; a sculpture by Huma Mulji; a decorated truck; etc. Present as many images and artefacts as possible. Ask Student Teachers to work in small groups to categorize the items into art or craft. They should keep a note about why they put a particular item into the category Item by item, ask each group to say which category they put the item in and why. Note points of disagreement. Make notes on the board or chart about the criteria they mention; for example, purpose, value, or an item’s rarity. Use the discussion and criteria listed to develop an understanding of how art, craft, and calligraphy are the same but different. Defining craft is perhaps easier than defining art: craft is an activity that uses specific materials with a certain goal in mind. Usually a craft has a set of directions and skills to get to a finished product. Art is generally much less directed and more creative; the goals of a piece of art are less well defined. The difference between the two may be in the hands of the craftsman or woman and the artist: it depends on the purpose of the piece. Calligraphy is difficult to categorize: if the viewer is looking at the technique that was used, then it might seem like a craft; if they are moved or affected deeply by the calligraphy, it might seem more like art.