Crafts Draw Crowds Across the Landscape of Middle America

Illinois Honors White House Crafts Collection

Corinne Granof, coordinating curator for the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art in Evanston, Ill., says that the White House Collection of American Crafts is nothing short of “extraordinary.”

From July 18-Aug. 24, the 70 objects that comprise the Collection will be on display at the Block Museum with the support of the American Craft Exposition, whose own crafts show will be held in Evanston Aug. 21-24.

The first official White House crafts collection, which was assembled in 1993 at the direction of President and Mrs. Clinton, represents imaginative approaches to various materials — wood, glass, metal, and fiber, says Granof. “The context of [the Collection’s] formulation … speaks to the imperative of the aesthetic object in our nation’s history,” she adds.

A platter by ceramic artist Erik Bright, an exhibitor at the American Craft Exposition show.

During the last four days of the exhibit, the American Craft Exposition will be holding its 19th annual crafts show where 150 exhibitors, chosen from a pool of over 1,000 applicants, will display their work. Last year’s show drew over 12,000 visitors and garnered more than $2.5 million in artists’ sales.

Rhode Island ceramic artist and show exhibitor Erik Bright says that the Exposition has consistently been one of his best shows. “To participate in a show that’s attended by buyers and collectors who are most appreciative of and highly educated in contemporary American craft is a real treat,” he adds.

“Inverted Arch #3,” made of fabricated steel and granite, by Ken Thompson, a participant in the “Art ‘Round Town” exhibit in Michigan.

Art in the Hills of Southern Indiana

Part of the tourist draw in Brown County, Ind., is its almost century-old colony of artists and craftspeople. In 1907, when artist T.C. Steele bought over 200 acres of land in Brown County, he probably never imagined that he was starting a trend; that nearly 100 years later, the county would be known as the “Hoosier Artists Colony,” with dozens of galleries and craft studios tucked into the naturalistic landscape.

Today, the county rallies behind its arts scene and promotes it through brochures, Web sites and economic initiatives. In fact, the Brown County Chamber of Commerce has proposed building an Arts and Cultural Center to further utilize the power of the arts in the area. Executive director Jon Waters tells us that a commission has been formed, headed by local painter Wayne Waldron, to develop specific plans for the new Center. Waters adds that they are planning to host a “world-class” crafts festival in the near future with national and international artists there to sell and demonstrate their work.

A rooster paper sculpture by Indiana artist Ann Johnson.

In Muncie, about 50 miles northeast of Indianapolis, paper sculptor Ann Johnson has been showcasing and selling her work to buyers from around the world since the 1960s. For the former teacher, not even a Presidential Outstanding Teacher of the Year award, given to her personally by President Reagan in 1986, could keep her from leaping into a crafts business full-time. And she says she wouldn’t do it anywhere other than Indiana.

“ The Midwest is such a good place to be an artist,” says Johnson. “Many artists on the East or West Coast tend to be influenced by external popularity cults. In the Midwest, artists have to reach into themselves for inspiration. It can be a lonelier dialog, but it’s so much richer.”

In 1998, the U.S. Small Business Administration honored Johnson and her crafts business, F.B. Fogg, with the Women in Business Advocate Award for the state of Indiana. Currently, Johnson’s imaginative sculptures and clocks are in over 1,600 galleries around the world and in the collections of such notables as Elizabeth Taylor and Steven Spielberg.

Michigan’s Pewabic Pottery Turns 100

What started 100 years ago in Detroit as a family-owned business has evolved into a non-profit arts organization that Terese A. Ireland, executive director, calls an “undiscovered national treasure.”

Pewabic Pottery, originally owned by ceramist Mary Chase Perry Stratton, is one of only three historic Arts & Crafts Period potteries in the United States. Housed in a 1906 Tudor Revival building, the organization is home to diverse education, exhibition, museum and design programs. “There is now growing awareness of [Pewabic] as a national crafts organization,” says Ireland. “Pewabic maintains a direct link to the values of our Arts & Crafts beginnings.”

To mark the centennial, a number of events will take place throughout the year — including an exhibition of renowned ceramist Jun Kaneko in September — which Ireland says will draw more visitors and recognition to the pottery. In addition, Pewabic has introduced new tile and vessel designs as a tribute to the anniversary. They are available at its museum store and through select galleries.

In Saugatuck and Douglas, the self-described “art coast of Michigan,” Art ’Round Town (ART) recently kicked off its annual juried outdoor sculpture exhibit. Through March 2004, sculptures from 24 different craftspeople will dot the landscape throughout downtown Saugatuck and Douglas. For gallery owners and local artists, the exhibit is a huge boon to business as it draws tourists and potential customers to the area. Each year, the event is publicized in national travel guides and tour maps of the exhibit are placed in participating galleries, inns and local businesses.

“ We’re pleased that the program brings such positive publicity to our area,” says Felicia Fairchild, executive director of the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. “It’s great publicity for the galleries, merchants and community in general.”

In the ski resort town of Belmont, the Arts and Crafts Association of America will be hosting its inaugural Art on the Slopes crafts show on Aug. 9. Show promoters working for the member organization of galleries, artists and suppliers admit that attendance cannot be predicted for this first-time event, however, they are hoping that a planned mix of 80 to 150 craft exhibitors will draw a substantial crowd.

In addition, promoters say that a variety of advertising methods will be used, including print, radio and signage, to help lure crafts consumers and make this a profitable show for exhibitors.

Southeastern Ohio Boasts Scenic Artisan Trails

Artist Peg Miller, a participant in Wisconsin’s Fall Art Tour, during which customers can visit artists at their studios.

Southeastern Ohio, home to over 300 artisans, is making a name for itself as a mecca for craftspeople, collectors and all-around crafts enthusiasts. Publicizing their work, the “Art of the Hocking Hills” guide to artists’ studios, galleries and cultural centers, was released this year with the help of the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio, Ohio State University and Ohio University.

In the book, and on its corresponding Web site, www.hockinghillsart.com, three artisan trails are mapped out to guide visitors to local craft studios, galleries and cultural centers. Carol Mackey, the community development agent for Fairfield County, Ohio, says, “Visitors and customers interested in the arts were always asking where the othergalleries and shops are located. We needed print and Internet media to guide them.”

The three trails, “Hike in the Hills,” “Off the Beaten Path” and “Wander Through the Woods,” all include visits to a combination of crafts studios, galleries and cultural centers and crafts schools.

Wisconsin’s Colorful Fall Art Tour

Every October, over 7,000 people come to Wisconsin’s scenic art communities of Baraboo, Spring Green/Dodgeville and Mineral Point to take part in the annual Fall Art Tour. From Oct. 17-19, the tour, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, will lead visitors through some of the region’s local crafts studios and galleries. For studio owner Harriet Story of Story Pottery, the sales during the three-day event account for over 20 percent of her annual business. “At this point, there are about 3,000 visitors through my studio during the three days of the tour,” says Story. “I work all year to prepare for this one event.”

Promotions manager for the Fall Art Tour, Char terBeest-Kudla, says that prior to the event each year, press releases are sent out to the local media and participating artists and galleries distribute thousands of brochures to increase interest in the event. In addition, she adds that the Tour’s Web site averages about 3,000 hits a month, which increases to 6,000 hits in the week before the event.

Heather Skelly is associate editor of The Crafts Report.