Happy New Year, Fellow Pottery Lovers, It’s mid-January (already!), and I’m getting ready for the ACC Baltimore show February 19-21st. I’m making solid-colored tea-sets with tiny birds as the knobs on the teapots and sugar bowls–the sets are made to be presented on some vintage wooden trays I’ve found at various second-hand stores. And I’m making sets of tall-necked bottles in my poppy red, also to be presented on vintage trays, and beautiful lamps to go with the beautiful mica shades that Sue Johnson has sent me from Berkeley, California. It’s very exciting to face a new year and new projects. But it’s also daunting to be trying to put together a show schedule when it’s more and more difficult to be able to count on getting into the shows that are still worth doing. More than 1500 applicants typically apply for fewer than 150 spots in the good sho
ws. Each show is juried by three to five different jurors each year, so there is really no way to figure out how to pitch your work to a particular set of jurors. And most shows limit the number of accepted artists in each category to keep the show balanced–in many shows, there are 10 or fewer “ceramics” artists, including those doing both functional and sculptural work. I’m not complaining; it’s just the way it is for all of us. It does mean, though, that I have not been able to bring my work to certain states or cities in a long time. I just got my rejection notice from the Lakefront Festival of the Arts in Milwaukee, for instance, for about the 6th year in a row. I WILL be in St Paul in April, but that’s a long way for most Wisconsonites to travel. So, here’s my idea: I’m looking for a few volunteers among my customers to host, in their homes (or other fabulous venue), a pottery trunk show of Suzanne Crane pottery. It would be kind of like a lingerie party, but the guests would be invited to come to buy pottery instead of slips. The host would agree to let me sleep over for whatever length of time we decided was needed, would agree to invite at least 30 qualified (relatively wealthy) and interested buyers to come to their home, would agree to let me invite customers from my own mailing list to their home, and would set aside a room or rooms in the home for me to set up my pottery. (The room would not have to be cleared–just some space made on counters, shelves, and tables). I would, in turn, provide wine and snacks for the event, and give the host a $500 certificate toward purchase of my work. Please let me know if you might be interested in hosting a pottery party in the coming year. In the meantime, let me know what you want me to make in time to bring to Baltimore! Suzanne
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