Then & Now- Education
Education Throughout History | Education Today |
Industry Resources For Teachers |
Public Education Through Media Campaigns
Education throughout history
Throughout the past 60 years and the many, many changes in the craft industry, one aspect that is as clear today as it was in the mid-1940s is the importance of craft classes. Like a test drive when buying a new car or tasting food samples at a grocery store, the opportunity to participate in classes is a key element in the growth of the craft industry. Classes put product in the hands of the consumer. Classes encourage creativity that leads to new products and projects. And classes provide that personal exchange that not only teaches skill, but develops the confidence that provokes the exclamation, “I can do this.”
In the mid 1940s, it was craft classes offered by the USO that lead Jim Gick to open a craft shop when he returned from WWII and led him to start working with others to develop what would become a global industry. Hazel Pearson Williams was teaching craft classes at a California college long anyone envisioned a craft shop. She recognized the appeal of crafts and the desire for more hands-on instruction so she took her projects to the public via an industry trade show.. And when a 19-year-old florist named Aleene wanted to spur sales for her corsage kits in the late 1940s, she developed enthusiasm for her product by presenting home classes, lectures and demos on TV.
Crafts had long been a popular group activity among children in schools, scout groups and Sunday school. When the activity was extended to adults, the craft industry really took off. Priscilla Hauser learned tole painting at a class offered at the local YWCA. That led to a new technique that was first taught to her neighbors then in classes at her own store and then to thousand through classes at retail outlets throughout the country. When the famous Craft Caravan of the 1950s traveled the country developing a market for craft supplies, it was product presentations in the form of demos and make-it and take-it projects that hooked consumers and created the demand that got the attention of demos.
Today, craft classes are apart of every successful craft business from the manufacturer to the retailer to the designer. It’s not uncommon to see stores offering a monthly schedule of classes reflecting the trends of the day and new products on the horizon. Manufacturers have jumped into the mix, too, not just promoting their products on the trade show floor, but developing traveling creative teams to visit individual retail stores to present classes directly to consumers providing first-hand product knowledge while gathering instant feedback and consumer input. In the 1980s, it was the Delta Force that promoted stencil creams and a new line of paint products. In 2006, it was the Fiskateers and the Word of Mouth campaign bringing a trunk of surprises to retailers and interacting with consumers through Internet blogs, charity events and cropping parties.
Craft classes were a key part of growing the industry in the early years and they continue to be a key to maintaining success in an industry that relies on personal touch and creative energy.
Bob Ferguson
Drive more business through creative events – hear about Yarn Yoga and Crop-A-Latte
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Industry resources for teachers
The Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) introduces their newly revamped website designed just for teachers, www.teacherplace.org. The updated site is chock-full of information for educators including creative project lesson plans, craft tips, educational research, testimonials and information about how teachers can work with local craft retailers.
Teacherplace.org was originally inspired by an educational study entitled The Academic Value of Hands-on Craft Projects in Elementary Schools that concluded that students are better able to comprehend when teachers link hands-on projects to the core curriculum, such as dioramas, building models, or using clay to illustrate what students read about in their text books. “The study confirmed what many teachers have believed for years – student learning improves when classroom lessons incorporate hands-on craft activities,” stated Steve Berger, CEO for the Craft & Hobby Association. “The teacherplace.org site contains an assortment of helpful ideas to enable teachers to do just that.”
Public education through media campaigns generate mass appeal
National Craft Month
The National Craft Month promotion in March is a time when retail craft stores around the country hold special activities, events, workshops and demonstrations to familiarize consumers to the many joys and benefits of crafting. The 2007 National Craft Month Media Tour featured Terri O. via satellite on morning TV shows all over the country. In September, another media campaign, Celebrate the Season with Crafts, reaches millions of consumers. Throughout the year, the CHA craftplace.org provides an inspirational source for crafts and hobbies.
In 2005, Make it! Month launched in the U.K.
Following continued success in the US craft market, the Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) is now focusing its attention on the UK with the launch of the first-ever Make it! Month – a promotional campaign to “Get Britain Crafting” and drive sales for craft retailers all over the UK!