Essay

Edith Kramer in a Toronto TV studio

Remembering Edith

Herschel J. Stroyman

Not all the great warriors of our era were decked out in military field garb and survived to engage “another day.” One exceptional warrior was Edith Kramer. Her skills were awe-inspiring and not to be taken lightly. She was fond of saying, only slightly ironically, “Well, art is beautiful and therapy is good. Everyone agrees. So what’s to argue about?”

But Edith Kramer was a warrior, and her fields of engagement are still notable, and her writings instantly summon the impulse to admire with an enviable frequency, considering they were written in English, which was not her first language.

In an article titled “Art and Craft” published in the July 1966 issue of Bulletin of Art Therapy, Edith stated that the term “arts and crafts” is in itself a sign that in our culture, there is little understanding of either art or craft. She felt that “arts and crafts” was an emasculated hybrid, which fulfilled the function neither of art nor of craft.

Read the essay here (DOC)