Left: The Ack

look at one of 1

tapestry ill list;

Right: Eve.' n

antique toys, including

this Moritz Gottschalk

dollhouse.

T h r o u g h th e 1 9 5 0 s , 6 0 s a n d 7 0 s , t h e A c k e r m a n s s u c c e s s f u ll y

s o ld t o t h e c o n t r a c t f u r n is h in g s a n d in t e r io r d e s ig n m a r k e t s , m a in -

t a in in g t h e ir s h o w r o o m o n B e v e r l y B o u le v a r d ( it la t e r m o v e d to

th e P a c ific D e s ig n C e n t e r ) , w h ile a tt r a c t in g c r it ic a l n o t ic e in im p o r -

t a n t m u s e u m s h o w s o f t h e d a y ( in c lu d in g t h e fa m o u s “ C a lif o r n ia

D e s i g n ” s e r ie s a t t h e P a s a d e n a A r t M u s e u m ) . T h e i r p a r t n e r s h ip

w a s a h a r m o n io u s b le n d o f c o m p le m e n t a r y t a le n t s a n d t e m p e r a -

m e n ts ; J e r o m e w a s t h e “ id e a g u y ” a n d s a le s m a n , w h ile E v e l y n w a s

h a p p ie s t b e h in d th e s c e n e s , in th e s tu d io . “ H o w m a n y c o u p le s c a n

w o r k t o g e t h e r a n d la s t ? N o t m a n y ,” s h e o b s e r v e s . “ I f I c o u ld n ’ t d o

s o m e th in g , h e d id it . I f h e c o u ld n ’ t d o i t , I d id .” A l o n g w i t h r a is in g

t h e ir d a u g h t e r , L a u r a , b o r n in i 9 6 0 , “ w e j u s t w o r k e d , a ll t h e t im e .

I t ’ s w h a t w e w a n t e d t o d o .” T h e y s t o p p e d m a n u fa c t u r in g in 1 9 7 9 ,

a f t e r w h ic h J e r o m e c o n t in u e d to s e ll e r a p r o d u c t s a lo n g w i t h q u a lit y

lin e s b y o t h e r s . E v e l y n w e n t o n t o w r i t e s c h o la r ly b o o k s o n a n tiq u e

d o lls a n d d o llh o u s e s ( h e r c o l l e c t i n g p a s s io n ) a n d d e v o t e d a lm o s t

t w o y e a r s t o c r e a t in g h e r m a s t e r p i e c e , a s e r ie s o f 4 0 e x q u is it e c l o i -

s o n n é e n a m e l t ile s , e a c h t e llin g an O ld T e s t a m e n t s t o r y , n o w in th e

c o ll e c t i o n o f t h e R e n w i c k G a l l e r y ( a n d a h ig h lig h t o f t h e M i n g e i

s h o w ) . I n th e 1 9 9 0 s J e r o m e r e t u r n e d to c e r a m ic s , m a k in g u p d a te d

e d itio n s o f J e n e v d e s ig n s fr o m o r ig in a l m o ld s , a s w e ll a s u n iq u e h a n d -

t h r o w n p ie c e s s h o w n a t g a lle r ie s a n d m u s e u m s .

T h e s e d a y s th e A c k e r m a n s a re g r a t ifie d , in t h e ir m o d e s t fa s h io n ,

t o s e e a n e w g e n e r a t io n d is c o v e r a n d a p p r e c ia t e t h e ir w o r k . T h e y ’re

t ic k le d w h e n t h e ir p ie c e s , in c r e a s in g ly c o lle c t ib le , p o p u p o n e B a y .

I n a w a y , t h e M i n g e i r e t r o s p e c t i v e h a s g iv e n t h is e n d e a r in g c o u p le

a c h a n c e t o r e d i s c o v e r t h e m s e lv e s . “ Y o u lo o k a t [ a n o ld p ie c e ]

a n d s a y , ‘ O h m y , d id I d o t h a t ? ’ ” E v e l y n m a r v e ls . “ A n d I s a y , ‘ Y e s ,

E v e l y n , y o u d id t h a t , a n d y o u w e r e p r e t t y d a m n g o o d , ” ’ J e r o m e

a ffir m s fo n d ly . L o o k i n g b a c k o n t h e ir a c h ie v e m e n t , h e r e f l e c t s ,

“ W e d id it o u r w a y , to q u o te S in a t r a . W e d id . W e d id n ’ t h a v e a n y

h e lp . W e d id n ’ t h a v e m u c h m o n e y . B u t w e h a d a d r e a m .” +

“We did it our way, to quote

Sinatra. We did. We didn’t have

any help. We didn’t have mucTi

money. But we had a dream.”

—Jerome Aclcerman

G im m e M o r e !

m in g e i.o r g

jun/julo9 american craft 03c