Mary Dixon/Steve Stanchfield on tue 9 sep 03
(also re. Handmade Issue)
BRAVO to Chris from North Carolina. I couldn't have said it
better.
I just got back home today (thank GODDESS I live close
enough to commute from home) from the final day of the AKKK
inducing Michigan Gift Mart in Northville MI.
I was TOLD that there would be other artisans in the
'temporaries' section of the mart. I was never told that the
temporaries would be put in a different building, two doors,
one street crossing and one outside stairway away! If I had
been, I would never have gone.
There were no other artists. It was all reps with lines
mostly from overseas that they could care less about. The
few lines that were not didn't make me feel any better as an
artist. My stuff was in its own booth, with no customer
traffic to worry about anyway, down the way from a mega-plex
booth of nothing but China crap.
If they only knew more about the conditions in those Chinese
factories and what it's doing to real american (or canadian,
british, whatever) artisans I would like to think they would
be smart and not sell them.
But the customer doesn't know the difference and an article
in a free magazine being given out (Country Business) sums
it up this way: Kathy from 'Primitives by Kathy' says in
that issue that in the issue of China made vs. American
Made, 'well, now our artists have more time to do what they
really enjoy doing...designing! Not doing the same
repetitive thing over and over again.' WELL, WHAT ABOUT
THOSE 10 YEAR OLD KIDS IN CHINA who make your tin stars and
resin snowmen? Who cares, right? They're not Americans.
They're our little slave colony, right? They are lesser
people than us. Almost non-human, right?!
This is the attitude (that as long as the price is right and
it looks good 'enough') that is hurting real commercial art.
Me included. I would never sell to a Target or Mejiers for
that simple fact that they could indeed send my stuff over
to China to be copied.
So don't sell to big box stores. The big sale never adds up
to the dozens of little sales from the bread and butter
stores who actually do care about good handmade product.
Mary in Ann Arbor (who was also approached by some Chicago
Merchandise Mart 'One of a Kind' show reps, which I know
nothing about...does anyone? And a rep from the real
Michigan Gift Mart building wants to rep me now. I told her,
with hurt pride in my voice, not until I see what else you
rep! But she had lots of good ceramic and glass from real
artists, so I felt okay about it. SIGH. What a business)
| |
|
