Leather crafting as a motivational art experience

Includes bibliographical references (pages 16-17)Includes recorded audio files in WAV and MP3 formats, 6:08 in length.Includes digitized images in JPEG and TIFF formats.The value of art experiences is that they develop\ud feelings of self-worth, they enable exploration of the inner\ud self, and that they may open areas of self discovery that\ud were previously closed off. Many people refuse to open themselves to art experiences,\ud judging them to be impractical. This prejudice\ud crosses age barriers for many individuals. Every individual\ud needs experiences that reach the inner self by exploring\ud artistic perception.To overcome this reluctance to make the attempt at\ud artistic expression a strategy is needed. The strategy\ud which is the basis for this graduate project is to select\ud a popular craft area, generally regarded as being practical, and to use this area to entice people into making artistic efforts. The area of leather crafting has traditionally had as\ud its practical goal the making of useful objects. This popular\ud craft is in need of re-direction. Its strength is its emphasis on the practical. The great weakness evident in current uses of the medium is that imitation has become the standard. The project here undertaken attempts to re-direct\ud this craft toward the individual choices which are a characteristic\ud of creativity. The project consists of a thesis, a motivational visual presentation, and an instructional program