Joseph Bennion on wed 10 dec 97
Since reading Mel's post about his cider-sales I have been thinking a
lot about the direction of pottery and crafts in America. I dropped
out of the fair/gallery mill a few years in an attempt to bring my
work to a market closer to home. I have five open house sales per
year. I only send work to galleries ( one or two) willing to buy the
work at the same price that I sell to people coming to my shop. I
don't consign. I don't look down my nose at potters/artists who use
those venues for sales. I don't find them a comfortable place for the
work I do. They feel out of place. If someone is willing to buy the
work whether for their home or for their gallery it is OK with me. I
prefer selling my work to people who I get to meet when they come to
my shop. I also leave the shop open when I'm out so people can make
their selections and leave me a check or cash. It works well for me
and I am able to sell as many pots as I care to make.
Wendy Rosen's post on slide submissions got me motivated to write
this one. I've known for a long time that good color transparencies
are necessary for publication. That was taught in grad school. Other
things were taught there, not by precept but by example. I noticed at
some point after that schooling that, though I was talking about
domesticity, I was throwing and firing pots specifically for the
photographer/publisher. When I looked at a fresh batch of pots I
looked for the ones that had the potential of making a great
image...maybe a cover image or a foldout. I was imagining those juicy
images in print while I was selling the not-ready-for-print pots out
the door. The realization of where my priorities had drifted shocked
me and motivated me to pull my work from faraway shops and galleries.
I began concentrating on making pots that would not command a lot of
attention in print as much as they would bring pleasure in use; long
use it is hoped. I looked for ways to sell those pots to people who
live near enough to come here to get them. Eleven years after my MFA I
am happy to be rid of many of the notions I picked up in school and to
be selling 90% of my pottery at the point of origin. Please don't read
here a slam of academic training. I value my school experience. I just
picked up some bad habits.
Now, Wendy, for you as a publisher a picture is worth a thousand
dollars. For me a thousand published images won't ever equal the
satisfaction I find in knowing my pottery is woven into the fabric of
a thousand family's meal time. I enjoyed very much the free issue of
AmericanStyle that came to my mailbox this week. It was an education
since I don't get out much. The fairs and galleries who advertise with
you and who market the work you publish have different objectives than
I do. I respect what you do as I do the work of all honest artists and
wish you the best.
Sincerely
Joe the Potter
===
Joseph Bennion "stay together
PO Box 186 learn the flowers
Spring City, Utah 84662 go light"
801-462-2708
joe.the.potter@rocketmail.com Gary Snyder
_________________________________________________________
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Mmpottery on thu 11 dec 97
Hi All. After reading Joe the Potters post I got to thinking.....I received
the issue of American Style a few days ago. I feel like so many pots I see in
the "Fine Craft" magazines are : Slick, Shiny, Bright Colors, Hard
Edged,.....I can't think of any more words right now. Is this the direction
"Handmade" is going? So much work looks like it has come out of a machine. Or
is this what is called "Contemporary"? Is this what is "In" now?? Just
Wondering.
Michelle the Potter- ess
Wendy Rosen on thu 11 dec 97
The wonderful thing about this community and the "market it serves" is that
it is so multi-faceted that today you can CHOOSE your customer and your
market based on your own individual and very personal needs! The Lucero
photos in AmericanStyle are a perfect example of how to manipulate the
media (me) and get the attention you need to sell the kind of work YOU want
to make! Everyone here knows that ML doesn't work in a silk shirt with
those clean black pants rolling slab on the floor of his lovely loft....
the "staging" of those photos was an art in itself.
Some of the schemes that top glassblowers (one in particular) have
concocted to get attention and creat a marketplace (and a secondary
marketplace) have been pure genius!!! We'd all like to believe that
curators call out of the blue and offer to buy your best piece... or that
collectors donate an entire collection of your work to a museum providing
you with enough clout to sell to thousands of collectors... but it all just
doesn't happen without someone pulling the strings behind the gray
drapes!!! Unfortunately, MAKING great art just isn't enough... you have to
photograph it, promote it, and sell it too. Cheers to all the spouses,
friends, gallery owners, collectors, curators and others that help to make
things happen... and hats off to the artists who can "help" them along the
path!
Wendy
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>
>Since reading Mel's post about his cider-sales I have been thinking a
>lot about the direction of pottery and crafts in America. I dropped
>out of the fair/gallery mill a few years in an attempt to bring my
>work to a market closer to home. I have five open house sales per
>year. I only send work to galleries ( one or two) willing to buy the
>work at the same price that I sell to people coming to my shop. I
>don't consign. I don't look down my nose at potters/artists who use
>those venues for sales. I don't find them a comfortable place for the
>work I do. They feel out of place. If someone is willing to buy the
>work whether for their home or for their gallery it is OK with me. I
>prefer selling my work to people who I get to meet when they come to
>my shop. I also leave the shop open when I'm out so people can make
>their selections and leave me a check or cash. It works well for me
>and I am able to sell as many pots as I care to make.
> Wendy Rosen's post on slide submissions got me motivated to write
>this one. I've known for a long time that good color transparencies
>are necessary for publication. That was taught in grad school. Other
>things were taught there, not by precept but by example. I noticed at
>some point after that schooling that, though I was talking about
>domesticity, I was throwing and firing pots specifically for the
>photographer/publisher. When I looked at a fresh batch of pots I
>looked for the ones that had the potential of making a great
>image...maybe a cover image or a foldout. I was imagining those juicy
>images in print while I was selling the not-ready-for-print pots out
>the door. The realization of where my priorities had drifted shocked
>me and motivated me to pull my work from faraway shops and galleries.
>I began concentrating on making pots that would not command a lot of
>attention in print as much as they would bring pleasure in use; long
>use it is hoped. I looked for ways to sell those pots to people who
>live near enough to come here to get them. Eleven years after my MFA I
>am happy to be rid of many of the notions I picked up in school and to
>be selling 90% of my pottery at the point of origin. Please don't read
>here a slam of academic training. I value my school experience. I just
>picked up some bad habits.
> Now, Wendy, for you as a publisher a picture is worth a thousand
>dollars. For me a thousand published images won't ever equal the
>satisfaction I find in knowing my pottery is woven into the fabric of
>a thousand family's meal time. I enjoyed very much the free issue of
>AmericanStyle that came to my mailbox this week. It was an education
>since I don't get out much. The fairs and galleries who advertise with
>you and who market the work you publish have different objectives than
>I do. I respect what you do as I do the work of all honest artists and
>wish you the best.
>
>Sincerely
>Joe the Potter
>
>
>
>===
>
>Joseph Bennion "stay together
>PO Box 186 learn the flowers
>Spring City, Utah 84662 go light"
>801-462-2708
>joe.the.potter@rocketmail.com Gary Snyder
>
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>
>_________________________________________________________
>DO YOU YAHOO!?
>Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
*******************************************
Wendy Rosen
The Rosen Group
Niche & AmericanStyle Magazines
http://americanstyle.com
3000 Chestnut Ave #304 Baltimore, MD 21211
Voice: 410/889-3093 Fax: 410/243-7089
*******************************************
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