Handicraft, more precisely expressed as artisanal handicraft, sometimes also called artisanry, is a type of work where useful and decorative devices are made completely by hand or by using only simple tools. It is a traditional main sector of craft. Usually the term is applied to traditional means of making goods. The individual artisanship of the items is a paramount criterion, such items often have cultural and/or religious significance. Items made by mass production or machines are not handicraft goods.

Usually, what distinguishes the term handicraft from the frequently used category arts and crafts is a matter of intent: handicraft items are intended to be used, worn, etc., having a purpose beyond simple decoration. Handicraft goods are generally considered more traditional work, in traditional non-industrial and transitional societies created as a somewhat more necessary part of daily life (in comparison to industrial societies), while arts and crafts implies more of a hobby pursuit and a demonstration/perfection of a creative technique. In Britain in the late nineteenth century, however, the Arts and Crafts Movement was not a matter of hobbies, but of creating useful as well as creative work for people, using natural materials and traditional techniques. In practical terms, the categories have a great deal of overlap.

Handicraft di Indonesia,

Indonesia adalah salah satu dengan beragam keunikan produk handicraft tradisionalnya. Bahkan Indonesia juga menempati peringkat teratas untuk produk hasil kerajinan handicraft nya yang mampu menembus pasar ekspor ke mancanegara seperti Australia, Brazil, Canada, dan US.

Model handicraft dari Indonesia itu unik, karena setiap daerah di Indonesia mempunyai produk handicraft tersendiri sesuai ragam budaya daerahnya, ungkap Kiswoyo, seorang kolektor seni asal Jakarta. Di daerah Bali, jenis handicraft nya yang cenderung bernilai seni tinggi dan lebih menggunakan bahan baku utama dari barang-barang bekas disekitar masyarakat yang sudah tidak terpakai.