Andersen Design Economic Evolution Discourse

Purchase Baby Penguin online HERE A recent post is about an apprentice grant for which we are seeking an apprentice  to be our co-applicant. The grant will be used to train the apprentice in making our products as independent contractor who can work in their own studio, a lifestyle that allows for an individualistic blend of home and work, adaptable to the requirements of sheltering in place.  The ceramic making process is an engaging activity, especially when done in a home studio. The apprenticeship grant will set up a year long training plan, involving training in making many of our products which can create a steady stream of income. As co-applicant we will work together to establish the terms. There is still time! Preferred deadline October 10, absolute deadline November 1st! Please contact Elise at 207 350 3558 or mackenzie@andersendesign.biz for further information. In the meantime , we need to raise some immediate cash to cover for a series of unexpected expenses.   We have

Rare Standing Robin, circa 1980's. PART ONE in a series in which I  place Andersen Design's vision of economic development in the economic development environment in Maine Introduction I was raised in a home business, similar to a farm, but instead of producing crops, we produced ceramics. From the beginning,  Andersen Design , was  conceived of as part of an economic development philosophy. My father Weston Neil Andersen, often expressed the value of creating jobs.  In this 1964 letter, by my father  as he sought capital for the next phase of development, He talks about increasing the number of employees of our small company and about the benefit that the ceramic industry can have for  Maine's feldspar industry . Our company was small but this is the stuff that real economic development is composed of, creating new avenues of wealth and connecting resources, not merely redistributing existing supplies of wealth. We created a product line of classic ceramic desig

Father's Day is June 16 This email is devoted  to honoring our father, Weston Neil Andersen,  the founder of Andersen Studio and Andersen Design, 91 years old. Last night I sat with Dad alone on our front porch overlooking the pond and he spoke of  concerns for his family and the future of the business. Dad is a man who cares profoundly about others, both in the sense of family, which is the deepest concern of all, and the terms of community, as in an extension of family.   I often throw tarot cards. The card most often representing Dad is the Hermit Card , showing an old man on a mountain holding up a lantern. Weston has wisdom, of the sort that one wonders  who will carry it on after he is  gone. Today old values are slipping away like the Mists Of Avalon -  a book I read many years ago about the transformation of culture as it evolved from paganism to organized religion. These times are as transformational and Dad is now an icon of the past. The Herm

      The Stoneware Emperor Penguin was recently added to Andersen Studio's Online Store Dad was right about working on my sculpture from feeling only. The Tufted Titmouse is moving ahead faster than before as I find I have a clarity about what I want to achieve by working in this way.  Dad seems fascinated by the sculpture as an object of study that he frequently caresses. He is doing amazingly well. Meanwhile, I continue to work on getting the items of our line published online. Once they are up, they can be activated and deactivated at will.  Yesterday I published t he Emperor Penguin. Our KickStarter Project is stalled at 12% of our minimum goal needed to retain any funding. We have however seen an increase in email sales and sign-ups on our website.  I am already brewing some ideas related to this effort but now is not the time to reveal them- however I may release them early to our email list for which one can sign up HERE Whatever the results of the cur

This is the current Introduction to our soon to be launched KickStarter project- still a Work in Progress A Ceramic Slip-Casting Studio: An Art, A Business, A Philosophy and A Way of Life by Susan Mackenzie Andersen Andersen Studio's Mold Making Kickstarter Project is a foundational process  for kickstarting  our envisioned evolution of a historical family run ceramic design and production studio, established in mid-century by our esteemed parents, the twentieth century ceramic designers, Weston and Brenda Andersen.  Our dream is to pass on the creative lifestyle and a living legacy in the form of the Great American Ceramic Designers Craftsman Network built on our brand, Andersen Studio- Andersen Design Stoneware established in 1952. A page from Images of America showing Andersen Studio Andersen Design in the early 1950's when we were known as Ceramics by Andersen. Click to see more. Andersen Studio is a local historical landmark on the Boothbay

TWEET THIS ! http://goo.gl/FBBf9D  Andersen Studio is not a school but it is a place of learning. When Weston and Brenda  brought their ceramic slip casting studio to Maine, there were no other slip casting studios in the area and so they taught the skills of ceramic slip casting, glazing, and decorative techniques to local women who had formerly worked in the fish-packing industry. Weston and Brenda also created their own marketing brochures. We still create our marketing in house but today it includes web design , social networking and related skills which we can also teach to others. as we encourage them to learn on their own. This historic Maine Coon Cat was modeled by Brenda Andersen probably in the late fifties. It is featured in Images Of America . There were a few pieces cast but the mold was retired early on because the Coon would split in the mold. As you can see, this Maine Coon has places at both ends that hold the mold in place. As the clay dries in

 Our Stoneware Wren Sculpture is a popular classic  from our Ceramic Birds collection  When, as described in the previous post , I  presented my pitch to Mr Burns, I believe that he responded to the what he perceived to be a large scale idea, but did not recognize that the the need for a larger scale arises from the need to accommodate the breath and depth of our line of designs as well as the development of new designs. Our designs have retained their marketability for over half a century but because we use a hand crafted production process, our designs never saturated the market. The reason for envisioning  a number of networked production studios is because of the complexity of producing such a large line. If one can contract the crafting of designs to other studios, those studios can then focus on the specific skills and artistry involved in specific designs. Each individual piece has individual tricks that one has to keep in mind. Some pieces suc