notes on the wearable art scene

Sandi Atlas of the Wearable Art Blog recently mentioned to me that society doesn’t always value wearable art as highly as wall art. To Sandi and others handcrafted wearable art is personal and gives people incredible opportunities to make personal statements in ways that wall art doesn’t always do. And we love it for that.

Today even as society pushes us to conform-- as it always has-- there are forces pushing for individuality as well. I think that's part of what makes the scene so agreeable for wearable art.

Another thing is materials that haven't always been available-- think polymer clay, PMC, the chance to combine things imported from across the world with things from our backyards.

The other thing going for wearable art today is the DIY movement and the cyber-craft scene.

That's great for artists-- to quote Sandi, "In addition to innovations in the art itself, artists are increasingly using a variety of online vehicles, in tandem, to promote and sell their work: their own blogs, FaceBook, and Flickr. Online vehicles can be a very inexpensive way to get the word out."

But it's also great for the collector of wearable art and those who lack exposure but come to love the scene through what they can find online! There's something for literally everyone and they can most assuredly find it on the Net.

Why am I thinking along these lines? Part of it is my work on the Wearable Art Market blog on 1000 Markets. Part of it is a copy of BEADWORK-- a world guide. And part of it is discussion on Etsy that I read about studio vs. cyber art.