Art or Craft?

When does a craft become art?

Dictionaries are no help in defining the difference. Merriam-Webster defines a craft as “an occupation, trade, or activity requiring manual dexterity or artistic skill,” while the Oxford English Dictionary defines art as “skill in doing anything as the result of knowledge and practice.”

Generally speaking, a craft is something that can be duplicated again and again, requiring skill but not inspiration and passion. Art requires inspiration and passion. It’s also implied that you can make a living with a craft, while the starving artist is a clichéd figure in our society.

So how do we define the pieces that Sarah Colby Levings makes? The bowls, mugs, and jars she makes definitely take skill. Throwing on a potter’s wheel isn’t easy. The technical aspects of working with ceramics, especially porcelain, which is Sarah’s preferred medium and is notoriously cranky, take practice and skill.

But you cannot deny that Sarah’s works are art. The forms and colors resonate on a level that raises them above mere craft. There is emotion and passion in each piece that elevate them above a useful object.

photo credit: Angie Garcia

Sarah Colby Levings is a North Texas girl, born and bred. Growing up in Red Oak, just south of Dallas, Sarah said it wasn’t until high school that she took a painting class. “There were only three of us in that class,” she remembered. “It wasn’t a heavily artistic town, and it was a typical small-town Texas high school – lots of football.”

That high school art class, small as it was, sparked something in Sarah. She realized that she had a talent for it. Art gave her an outlet, a means of expression. Like most young artists, Sarah’s early work was realistic, representational. “I found I was pretty good at a realistic style of painting, and I wanted to pursue it.”

Wanting to continue with her art education but not wanting to have to travel to far from home, Sarah headed to the University of North Texas (UNT) for college. “I wish I would have gone farther for college now,” she said. But it was while at UNT that she was introduced to what would become her life’s passion.

photo credit: Angie Garcia

“I took ceramics as an elective, and something just clicked,” Sarah said. “I was initially in their painting program and had shuffled around in a lot of different majors, as you do.” The ceramics class gave Sarah her artistic medium. “I found my niche. I was allowed to explore and experiment at UNT, and I took advantage of the program and the equipment that I wouldn’t have access to otherwise.”

After graduation, Sarah bounced back and forth between Dallas and Fort Worth, eventually staying on the cool side of the Metroplex for good in 2015. She found work managing the gallery at Fort Works Art under Lauren Childs, one of Fort Worth’s greatest mentors to upcoming artists. But managing an art gallery didn’t leave much time for Sarah to pursue her art.

And then the pandemic hit.

Like most places, Fort Works Art closed down during the initial shutdown. At a loose end, Sarah began to really pour herself into her art. “It was always my goad to make the leap to making pottery full time,” Sarah said. “Art is a viable profession; you can make a living from it. But you have to invest the time and energy into yourself. COVID gave me that time.”

photo credit: Angie Garcia

Ceramics is not an easy medium. There are so many things that can go wrong. At any point during the process, which usually involved at least two kiln firings, something can happen that will cause the piece to break. With ceramics, the artist has to balance technical know-how, brute strength, and a willingness to let the process take its own course. Sarah works with porcelain, which while it gives her pieces the pure while background she wants, is a notoriously temperamental clay. It is less forgiving than stoneware or earthenware, and many potters avoid it. But Sarah embraces it.

“When I was going through the painting program [at UNT], we were exposed to all theses masterpieces that are very realistic, heavily controlled, perfect works, and that’s what I tried to make early on. But then you start encountering and interacting with other [media]… It’s in my nature to be really controlling of my work, but when I started working with clay, it was a way for me to let go of control.”

photo credit: Angie Garcia

Sarah has turned the living room of the Arlington Heights bungalow that she shares with her new husband, Scott Levings, into her studio. “Scott is an artist, too. He’s turned the dining room into his studio.” She fires her materials at Firehouse Pottery. (It’s hard to fit a full-size kiln into a bungalow.) Firehouse owner Keith Thomson has become a friend and mentor. “Keith is amazing. I was connected to him through Art Tooth when I did a show with them a couple of years ago. He was willing to fire my stuff for the show, and our relationship has now kind of grown.”

Now that Sarah is making her pieces full time, she and her husband are hoping to take their art to the next level. While her Instagram account (@sarahandthings) shows her works, she hasn’t had an easy way to get her pieces into the hands of the public. So Sarah and Scott are launching a website which will feature both of their art, and their goal is to have a shared workspace where people can come see what each is doing. Scott grew up with local artist Jay Wilkinson (see page 10), and Sarah marvels at the interconnectedness of the Fort Worth art scene.

“It’s crazy how everyone is connected here. Everyone from the art scene and the music scene supports each other so much,” Sarah said. “We also have access to collectors and patrons, as well as museums and big institutions who want to support local artists. You really don’t see that anywhere else.”

After putting her pottery on the back burner for years, Sarah is finally allowing herself to really follow her passion. And while she’s not sure whether it’s an art or a craft, her followers firmly believe it’s the former.

“I don’t know whether it’s an art or a craft, but it’s really neat to be able to make something with your hand that people have been doing for thousands of years for people to use and enjoy.”

photo credit: Angie GarciaMade