Library   •   History Of The Movement   •   Colorado's Arts & Crafts Movement The Arts & Crafts Movement began in 1860s England with the ideas of philosopher John Ruskin and designer and poet William Morris. These influential thinkers idealized medieval times, and held that society would benefit from a return to an economic system in which workers were valued and natural materials and painstaking handiwork were highly regarded. During the Middle Ages, craftsmen were held in esteem and the guild system monitored their efforts, ensuring high standards for all goods Pride of workmanship and a sense of accomplishment were social benefits that would come with fine design and well-made goods. Not all of the exponents of the British Arts & Crafts Movement rejected the machine in favor of handcrafting. A notable exception was the Englishman Christopher Dresser, who believed that it was the way machines were used that was misguided; he favored instead a reinvention of machines and processes to emphasize quality designs and products. Even William Morris, considered the father of the Arts and Craft Movement, thought that drudgery could be eliminated with machines, provided that the rest of the work was done with care by hand. A middle-class society made happy and whole by a return to the basic, simple styles of the past never really materialized. In England, only the wealthy could afford the beautiful, lovingly crafted pieces. What persevered instead was the idea that people could achieve dignity, respectability, and refinement by surrounding themselves with furnishings of quality and style. The Arts & Crafts Movement found its own expression in North America from about 1890 to 1920, evolving into a style distinct from its British counterpart. Elbert Hubbard and Gustav Stickley, American visitors to England, listened to the philosophy behind the Arts & Crafts lifestyle and came back to New York State to put the theories into practice at the Roycroft Shops in East Aurora and United Crafts in Syracuse, respectively. Artisans at these communities, and other American Arts & Crafts designers as well, embraced the machine rather than abandoning it, giving the Arts & Crafts Movement in North America a different twist. In North America, furnishings of good design and quality workmanship became a reality-at least at the upper-middle-class level. The new attitudes toward nature and its healing properties were detailed in lectures and several Arts & Crafts magazines. The Craftsman was published by Stickley; two Roycroft periodicals, The Philistine and The Fra, took the message to subscribers, while Hubbard went on the lecture circuit. The reverence for nature inherent in Arts & Crafts philosophy soon gave birth to the environmental movement. The creation of national parks became a priority, and the National Geographic Society and the Sierra Club were born. "Wilderness escapes" became the thing to do. As part of this movement back to the land and to simpler times, Native American primitive designs (rugs, pottery, jewelry, and baskets) were preserved and vacation homes in the style of lodges, cabins, and seaside bungalows became popular. Physical culture, good nutrition, and personal responsibility for one's own health were advocated. The wise marched off to the seashore, lakeside, mountains, or countryside for healthful vacations, and some even stayed there. California, especially, drew those who were interested in these new attitudes, and consequently there are more bungalows in California than anywhere else. At the same time, the three-hundred-year-old Spanish missions that dotted California and the Southwest gave these new pilgrims inspiration, and preserving these historic buildings became part of their agenda. The term "Mission" became associated with the style, a subset of Arts & Crafts, that grew out of admiration for the old Spanish buildings and their furnishings. The Arts & Crafts style left its mark in the Midwest as well. Called Prairie to match the landscape, the Prairie style was adapted by regional designers, who established their own societies and varied the architecture and furnishings to suit their surroundings. The Prairie style had its own vernacular expression; buildings were seen as part of the environment, where the use of natural and indigenous materials was an integral part of the movement. The Arts & Crafts ideal fit the American ethic of work, health, wealth, and individuality so well that it became the style. Not only did the philosophy influence social behavior, it revolutionized architecture and interior design as well. Each region had its own vernacular expression; buildings were seen to be part of the environment, and the use of natural materials was an integral part of the movement. Arts & Crafts style as interior design depends on simplicity and harmony among the home's many elements. The lifestyle it advocates is holistic and planet-friendly, an attitude even more relevant now than it was a hundred years ago. In the last third of the twentieth century, the Arts & Crafts renaissance emerged as a sophisticated alternative to more modern designs, in which the importance of the individual in the creation of his home is often ignored. Arts & Crafts enthusiasts are growing in number, attracted by the style's comfortable emphasis on quality, communication, and family values. An appreciation for Arts & Crafts era history helps us redefine the look in a more sophisticated way for today. Called a backlash to the Industrial Revolution, the original Arts & Crafts Movement was a reaction to technological progress, a refocusing on creations of the heart and hand. As we explore Arts & Crafts interiors, it is clear that the style is not a new fad, but rather a trend becoming a classic.