One particularly interesting collection of essays entitled Craft and Contemporary Theory discusses many issued related to craft. Here I will try to relay some of these opinions, observations, and arguments.
Craft is closely linked to the human body and the human life span because the body and its senses are crucial to the making. “..craft brings the body into play. Posture strength, fine-motor skills, hand-eye coordination, balance, endurance-all these things are likely to contribute to the performance of the craft, and they change (not necessarily through deterioration) over a life time.” (Rowley xxiii) The senses are also closely involved. Our senses react to the weight, look, feel of an object. Those who make the object know through the use of these senses how the work is progressing (Rowley xxiii)

art versus craft
In his essay Craft, Modernity and Post modernity Terry Smith outlines the differences between art and craft. The relationship to materials: for artists they are a vehicle for craftspeople they are scared;composition: for artists and arrangement of imagery for craftspeople mainly surface effect; purpose: for artists a communication about something, usually beyond art for craftspeople the creation of an appropriate design to satisfy the desired use; for the user: artwork is about sight, ideas, suggestions, and concepts whereas craftwork is associated with the hand and touch. (Smith 21-22)
Here with the differences pointed out so clearly, the author goes on to mention the failed attempt by of the arts and crafts movement to fuse the two fields. The explanations as to why-when the architects left the crafts were left without support and that the modernist artist of the 1940 were interested in autonomy. (Smith 21-22)

Since the beginning there is the issue of human interaction with materials. The Ruskin and Morris driven movement emphasized the importance of combining all parts of the production process (mentioned earlier in relation to ceramics), nothing should be done by machine, everything should be done by hand. In modern times, where it is difficult to find things entirely made by hand (a machine is most certainly involved at some point) there is still the importance of the material and the body. I was intrigued by the observations made by Sue Rowely, how critical the body is in the creation of craft. As well the suggestion by Terry Smith that the difference between art and craft can be seen, for the user as well as the creator, in the relation to the haptic sense. Craft is experienced by touch. Tactility.

craft