Andersen Design Economic Evolution Discourse

When my parents decided to create a handcrafted product, affordable to the middle class, they "innovated " their own category which existed somewhere between factory made table top ceramics and handcrafted art ceramics sold in high-end art galleries. There has always been a great deal taking place in ceramics that does not fall into any of these categories because ceramics attracts so many individual artists working in many different ways, and so this statement is made  within the frame work of larger categories, which are used by galleries, organizations, competitions, shows and governments. For instance design shows tend to focus on designs that are reproduced in a factory setting. For some, factory settings have a bad name  as a throwback to the days of the "sweat shops" but that is not what I intend here. Factory reproduction uses "precision methods" which often involve the use of jiggering machines to create the desired uniformity . They usually

This is an image of the last sculpture that my father, Weston Neil Andersen, did before the day he fell down on the pavement  and suffered a brain injury. The sculpture, in my view is the most gentle and tender sculpture that Dad ever did. It invites one to enter into the intimate activity of looking for food. It seems quite daring to do a sculpture in which the beak is not complete as it is buried in the sand, the form of the belly is so round, full and sensuous. the curve of the neck so natural and our brown slip treatment of the surface seems to melt, lifelike, into the form. The last sculpture that Dad is likely to do, is actually a new direction for him and it is interesting in respect to the fact that the brain injury prioritized a different aspect of Dad's personality. It brought his own gentleness and tenderness to the surface, and it rearranged his experience of time so that we get to know our father at many different ages of his life. As a child he was raised on a

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

In 2009 I attended a competition for what I thought was a small business grant, but later I found was "an investment". I made this mistake in part because I learned of it through the Maine Art Commission which had been sending announcements all year about the availability of stimulus grants - but when one opened the link, it was inevitably and exclusively for non-profits. When The Maine Arts Commission announced a competition for small business investment from an anonymous source I assumed it was a grant for a variety of reasons, including that it was for a very modest amount and that the source was anonymous. I wasn't paying much attention to those details as I had never entered such a competition before and there was a lot to processing taking place in a short amount of time. As later became apparent the anonymous source was the Small Enterprise Growth Fund , an investment corporation chartered by the Maine legislature to serve as an "instrumentality of

As I am thinking about this, all kinds of ideas are connecting with one another, which is how a network functions in essence.. Kickstarter is about projects but there are projects within projects within goals within goals. Andersen Studio is a goldmine of projects but I want to start from the top down, talking first about the ultimate goal , which is transforming Andersen stoneware into something in which future generations can be involved and feel a part of as much as we feel a part of this family business. Today I am thinking that this network, which I have envisioned for so long , fits like a glove with KickStarter.com.  My idea is a network of privately owned businesses that share some connections such as productivity rights for selected Andersen designs and marketing, which is an area in which Andersen stoneware has an established presence with roots going back to the mid-century . The reason I came up with this concept is because I meet so many people who want to be the owne

  Portfolio of images of stoneware baby seal by Andersen Studio Greetings World, I am starting today this journal of our first KickStarter Project. This is a process within a process.. At this stage in our history our ultimate goal is to transform our creative and unique family business into a form that can be carried on by others beyond our own family  so that  future generations of Americans can have the opportunity to participate in what we feel is a very rewarding occupation and lifestyle. I formulated my idea of how this can be done around about 2007, which you can read HERE and also learn about our history in the process. The link dated 2012 was written more recently in pursuit of the same vision. Both were written before I had heard about KickStarter . Kickstarter is a natural fit  for Andersen Studio as we are a small ceramic art, design and production studio operating in the private sector. Since we opened our gallery doors in 1952, our work became collectible