The sculptor I work with has been producing art since the '50s and this dead horse discussion has been chasing it's tail for as long as he can remember
He's a firm believer that if you want to own the "statement" you have to own the process - Physically bringing your message to life is a matter of letting every bit of that process run through your own hands.
That's not to say that you can do it all alone, it's tough to pour 400 pounds of molten metal without having someone else on the other end of the yoke-shank or shifting an 800 pound segment of a sculpture into place solo. You need help, that help just has to be kept in perspective by all the parties involved.
I've been working for him for 13 years and I pour the metal, weld the armatures, form the preliminary clay, form and pour the molds, load the kiln, prep the surfaces, etc, etc. When it's all said and done, I don't claim one inch of a completed piece as "my own". It's his message, it's his work - I just participated in an "act of legacy" in bringing it to life. I get no credit or mention when his work is discussed. His description of me to outsiders is "Neil is my right hand man" - thats enough for me and a distinction I can live with and am very proud of.
For myself, I differentiate the artist/craftsman thing this way - if you have something to say with your work, a message to convey, then you're an artist. If your purpose is solely to perform a task or satisfy a function (no matter how many aesthetic elements you include) then you're a craftsman . . . both have validity and being one or the other in a true sense is something to be proud of.
Your relationship with the folk who own the concept is up to you - like all relationships, if it's all one sided or unhealthy, then it will never be good and you should get out - it's up to each of us to serve it in the way that works best for us.