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Preparing for excellence
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THE MÉTIERS D’ART WHEN THE PAST BECOMES THE FUTURE As Ruskin wrote, “fine art is that in which the hand, the head and the heart of man go together.” New business models arise in our society, where man must return to play a central, crucial role
The métiers d’art are playing a central role in our economies and creative processes, satisfying a global request for products that possess an identity and a soul, in which the added value is given by the time, the creativity, the sensitivity of the hands that were necessary to produce them and by their endurance to the passing of time. Year by year, the success of the European Artistic Crafts Days promoted by the Institut National des Métiers d’Art bears witness to the increasing public awareness and appreciation for authenticity, meaningfulness and customisation. This growing consciousness has had an impact on events such as the Paris Designers’ Days and the Design Weeks organised in Europe and worldwide, which in turn have had a positive influence on regional craft skills and materials. If design is first and foremost a method and an indicator of progress, know-how involves “knowing how to think”. Moreover, given that mastering a skill intrinsically implies the ability to comprehend, invent and create, the métiers d’art have become the meeting ground for tradition and innovation. This innovation relies on creative ecosystems in which a crucial role is played by the quality and diversity of the co-operations between the various sectors and actors. The ateliers of the maîtres d’art, where the worlds of business, technology and art intersect, have returned to be the true laboratories of innovation. The new technologies and the desire to break new frontiers has seen the emergence of a new generation of creative “designer-maker” entrepreneurs. John Ruskin, the father of the Arts & Crafts movement, once said that “fine art is that in which the hand, the head and the heart of man go together.” A generation that, revealing practices and renewing production, creates new business models along with open collectives and spaces for novel collaborations. Innovation
and the necessity to adapt to the markets have created distinctiveness, competitiveness and economic development, which are all key areas for the métiers d’art on an international scale. In France, similar spheres are also affected by another factor, which is equally vital for the future: INMA is guiding the reform of the educational and training system in the métiers d’art and I, as Chairman, am particularly keen to follow it to its completion. If we are to create the heritage of tomorrow and invent our own future, we need to ensure that even the training system evolves. We have to elevate its quality and adapt it to the market in a more consistent way, even at regional and local levels. We need to create an educational supply chain which covers the process comprehensively and which is open to research and innovation. We need to harmonise it on a European scale, creating mobility for French students across the whole continent.
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The métiers d’art foster careers and social emancipation in that they fully embody the “Slow Made” movement established in France in November 2012 by the Mobilier National and the INMA. More than being just a label, it is a collective hallmark for a lifestyle that encourages a new model of production and consumption, promoting high quality goods and durability. We want to give value to time: Slow Made means “made with the necessary amount of time,” the time needed by the working hand to perform its gestures, always at the service of research and innovation. Created around the métiers d’art, this movement is committed to grow beyond its sphere and embrace the entire ecosystem of creative professions. The professions of our past and our present are the key players in a changing paradigm of a social system in which all human beings are reinventing themselves. The métiers d’art are, above all, the professions of tomorrow.
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