Hendrix, Taylor J. on sun 23 mar 03
Tommy and all,
I'm sure Lee Love could tell you that the mad farmer, W. Berry, thinks
this kind of thing is terrible. A local pottery effected by forces far
outside its local. Community is about interdependence and building a
meaningful and sustainable local economy, not about dubious short-term
gains. It's about investing in the leaf mold that will build beneath
the trees every thousand years, not how can wring the last drop of blood
from this turnip. Now we have infinite choices and none of them
sustainable. None of them contribute to the long term health of the
community. None of them are sustainable And we have let this sort of
think happen. We demand 5000 different choices for shoes, or
silverware, or toilet paper. We demand low prices, yet we complain when
some robot makes 200 of them an hour in central Asia? We pass the local
hardware store, where Keith, the owner, will personally take you to the
plumbing part you keep having to replace, and instead pull into Home
Depot so we can save a few bucks while we hunt for that damn part
ourselves. For some stores, it's about moving product and nothing more.
They buy 5000 units off shore and push, push, push. For others its
about cultivating customers and sustaining the community. Keith is not
going to leave once he has made his billion and runs the Lowes across
the street out of business.
I've got a Marshall pot. It's a gret bigo popcorn bowl, heart shaped.
Says "Ain't no mo" in the bottom. I was happy when Marsha and I got it
for a wedding present. When I had heard that Marshall Pottery twern't
what she used to be, I was mad. Now I realize that local potters were
let go because they couldn't push the pots. Selling okay 'locally' but
compared to whosville thousands of miles away, they were destined for
the glue factory. Seems share holders who are nowhere near east Texas
are calling the shots. Why would we let anonimous shareholders,
strangers really, effect the health of our community?
I've visited three 'local' Texas potters since being bitten by the clay
bug--Jim Dale, Dale Neese, and David Hendley--and I have bought a pot
from each one of them. I've bought their pots because "Support your
local potter" is more than support your local potter! David buys clay
from a local clay guy, and I'm willing to bet he tries to get his
materials locally as well. David supports the local clay guy when he
does that. The local clay guy can then hire some other local guys to
help. Jim sits behind the counter and sells his own pots then takes the
time to talk to a newbie. He walks the hundred or so steps to his
studio and he DOESN'T unload a pallet of pots off the truck. Newbie
goes home with some good ideas for his raku kiln
All of us have the opportunity to contribute to the viability of our
local economies when we can. We can choose to contribute to the health
of where we live or we can "go cheep for power" as Berry says. It's not
easy for sure. Very complicated at times; it's sometimes easier to go
the easy route. I'm guilty of it myself, and I am beginning to see that
we as us have fallen into a way of life that is both destructive to the
world at large and to our local communities about us.
You can blame Wendell Berry for opening my eyes and Suzi Gablik for
reminding me.
Taylor, in Waco. Come and get me.
-----Original Message-----
From: Tommy Humphries [mailto:tjhump75670@YAHOO.COM]=20
Sent: Saturday, March 22, 2003 10:25 AM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Re: the China trade
A story...
I work for Marshall Pottery,( www.marshallpottery.com
-www.marshallpotterystore.com ) in Marshall Texas....
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