Clay Culture: Pottery Paradigm Jonathan Kaplan
Appears in the February 2021 issue of Ceramics Monthly.
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Making a living during the pandemic by teaching and selling ceramics requires new approaches. A gallerist and artist shares his experience and advice.
Ceramics is a small field; we don’t exist in a cultural or societal vacuum and the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all of our lives. We tend to myopically view our field through the lens of our individual choices and experiences, but need to acknowledge that the impact of the epidemic has caused all of us to redefine and reexamine our core values as artists and craftspeople. Navigating our choices with an explicit understanding that what we once thought of as normal no longer is, and even what could be called a new normal changes on a daily basis. How we earn a living, teach our students, and operate exhibition venues and galleries have all changed dramatically. The only constants are change, adaptation, and a continued exploration of our options. We are a tremendously gifted, inventive, thoughtful, and creative community. Rather than viewing these current circumstances solely as dystopian, we can chart a new course through these difficult times and continue to make our art, earn a living, educate our students, exhibit beautiful objects, and be compassionate and loving human beings to our friends, families, and colleagues. We need to adopt different parameters, different expectations, and different types of critical thinking.
While the village potter is no longer a cultural imperative for the preservation of foods or liquids, each of us continues in that tradition when working in our studios, albeit with a different focus. The arts have a significant financial impact on everyone’s lives and contribute to vibrant economies and healthy communities. Much like our colleagues in academia who have adapted to pandemic-induced restrictions—finding ways to teach virtually, in hybrid models, or in much smaller groups—to survive financially as studio potters and artists necessitates expanded thinking.
The Concept of the Ceramic Pie
Visualize the sales and production of ceramics as a pie. Years earlier, potters and ceramic artists could be represented by a small number of slices. There were fewer of us and there was an ever-expanding base of buyers, stores, and galleries, creating a vibrant economy in handmade ceramics. Fast forward to today, and that pie is the same diameter, but the number of slices has increased: there are exponentially more potters now and the marketplace for handmade ceramics has been shrinking. Sales are now diluted by the increased number of people making ceramics as well as a tepid marketplace.
Redefining Your Paradigm
Now envisage the sales avenues for ceramic artists to sell work. Though these have shifted in prominence over the decades, in pre-pandemic times, traditional ways to sell work included large gatherings of people for physical events like gallery openings, retail and wholesale art/craft fairs and exhibitions, and craft or holiday markets. Right now, these are no longer viable. Virtual events are the new normal. There are many possibilities and options to expand this type of commerce. Here are some areas to focus on when redefining your paradigm:
It is important to realize that you and only you can create and define your particular path. Especially now.
Working with Retail Venues
Even as the pandemic continues to ravage other economic sectors, providing a visual respite from such stress by having art and beauty in our homes is still important. In my experience running Plinth Gallery, gallery customers are still interested in buying art. Here are some suggestions from a gallery perspective:
A View From Three Perspectives
As a maker, I continually need to challenge myself as well as sell my work. I balance this by making slip-cast one-offs as well as limited editions of usable, affordable pottery. I also make branded ceramic gift ware for the River North Art District (rinoartdistrict.org) in Denver, Colorado.
As a gallery owner, my job is to stay connected with ceramic artists and choose pieces that interest me and have potential for acquisition by collectors as well as impulse sales. I also must continue to work diligently for each ceramic artist I represent. While the gallery has seen a small decline in sales since the beginning of the pandemic, we still sell artists’ work at many different price points both online as well in person during the gallery’s open hours. Pieces with higher price points are selling online, but I am also intrigued by customers seeking that special piece, regardless of price, who come to the gallery. We can always depend on sales from the cup-grid display in the gallery, as these items are both affordable and all different.
Right now, our in-person guests are asked to follow specific protocols. Our monthly newsletter always includes information on how we are sanitizing common surfaces and the necessity of wearing a mask while in the gallery. In addition, we have a supply of small containers of hand sanitizer that we give away, and large pump containers of hand sanitizer at our checkout counter. Masks are always available, and we limit the number of people in the gallery at one time. If the weather is nice, we open the outside courtyard and it can accommodate more people at small tables if they wish. The City of Denver has provided small businesses with personal protective equipment kits including masks, face shields, and hand sanitizer. We also keep the door locked and customers must ring the bell to gain entrance. A sign is posted on the door reminding guests that they must wear a mask to enter.
As a thinker, I choose to be forward-looking, always including others with me on my path and sharing whatever resources I have. This can take many shapes including mentoring, demonstrating what I do to small groups, and planning small events that further our outreach. Broaden your network and make yourself available.
A story: The gallery receives an on-site inspection from the fire department once a year to see if our fire extinguisher tags are up to date, exits are accessible, and the smoke detectors have new batteries. Our recent inspection was a team of four firefighters. I gave each of them an art-district branded coffee cup as they left. Even though the fire station is three blocks away, none of them had ever been here before or knew that there is a working potter and a nationally recognized gallery close by. They were extremely grateful and enamored to receive a handmade coffee cup as a gift. It is important to continue to be an advocate for handmade ceramics, accepting that these are different and unsure times yet consistently focusing on the work. Having a sense of humor helps.
the author Jonathan Kaplan has a lengthy and active career as a ceramic artist, potter, ceramic designer, educator, and author. He also has a sense of humor. Since 2007, he has curated Plinth Gallery ( plinthgallery.com), exclusively exhibiting ceramics in Denver’s River North Art District. He serves on the board of Studio Potter and is a member of the International Academy of Ceramics.
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