Power (of making) to the people?

Glenn Adamson asked some philosophical questions of curator Daniel Charney at the Power of Making symposium (see above). However, the symposium, like the exhibition of the same name (which was an exhibition of made things in a museum of... made things), for me at least, seemed to miss the point. The power of making lies surely with the people who make, not in the made artefacts. The power is being skilled, owning a skill and being able to apply it; being productive, being able to add value or meaning (even if just subjective) to a raw material. Because whether or not you would give a 10ft Gorilla made of coathangers a place in your front room, you can still admire the patience and skill that combined to realise the idea. An interesting differential then between 'making' and 'designing'.