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Studio craft, though it takes many forms, can be thought of in general as the tendency to practice craft methodology in an environment similar if not equivalent to that of an artist's studio. Viewed in comparison to the practice of traditional craft, which tends to generate craft objects out of necessity or for ceremonial use, Studio Craft represents a contemporary shift by producing craft objects at the whim of the maker or intended owner, and which tend to be, at best, only desirable for use and sometimes outright in opposition to it. Because studio craft dissents from the approach of making objects out of necessity, it inspires significant comparisons to works of studio art which also tend to be made specifically to stimulate aesthetically rather than to serve functional purposes. It is often argued by contemporary craftspeople that because of their diminished reliance on making objects for functionality, the studio craft object becomes more viable for the kind of aesthetic critical theory which occurs in fine art theory. Though studio craft works do seem to have some of the necessary conditions required for injection into critical art discourse, simplifying craft theory as synonymous with art theory strikes some crafts theorists as problematic. Glenn Adamson has argued persuasively that the interesting thing about Craft is that it is perceived to be 'inferior' to art. In his book Thinking Through Craft Adamson presents an overview of this question by presenting five aspects of this supposed second-class identity supplementarity, sensuality, skill, the pastoral, and the amateur [1] Contrary to the implied second-class status of these themes, Adamson suggests that these are in fact the things that make craft significant and unique. One of the more recent developments in studio craft seems to be the emergence of a solidified do-it-yourself (DIY) movement. Since the mid-century turn towards the conceptualization of the craft object significant academic and institutional structures have emerged to support studio craft. As of 2008 there are hundreds of masters and even doctoral programs dedicated solely to working in crafts media and theory, and as many museums and cultural dedicated to contemporary craft. This trend however has not been without its opponents who claim that studio craft has undercut its origins by overinflating its product, making it entirely inaccessible to anyone who cannot afford the exorbitant prices studio craftspeople demand. These arguments have grown louder and three has been a significant trend towards listening to the voices of "DIYers," that is, makers whose training has not come from a necessarily institutional source and whose audience lies outside the narrow confines of "Studio Craft Institutions." DIY craft can be found in many places among them the internet hub Etsy and in many craft fairs and venues around the country. The work of "DIYers" is often pejoratively referred to as "Crafty Craft" or "Craft with a K."
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