A b o v e: C rea tin g fu n c -

tional o b jects such as th is

p o rcelain b o w l appeals

to B ray m an b ec au se he

can s u rp ris e p eo p le.

“ P eo p le aren ’t ex p ectin g

m uch fro m a d in n e r

p la te ,” h e says.

O p p o site : B ray m an

w o rk in g on th e m ain

flo o r o f th e M a tte r

F acto ry w ith a low -tech

re n d e rin g m ach in e o f

h is o w n d esig n .

W i t h th e im m in e n t c lo s in g o f h is s e c o n d a r y a n d m o r e c o m m e r c ia l

b u s in e s s , E a s y C e r a m ic D e c a l s , B r a y m a n ’s M a t t e r F a c t o r y is o n th e

b r in k o f r e in v e n t io n a n d r e n a is s a n c e .

A f t e r t e a c h in g s t in t s in N e w Y o r k a n d a t B e n n i n g t o n C o l l e g e

in V e r m o n t , B r a y m a n s e t t le d in K a n s a s C i t y , K a n s a s , a n d in 2 0 0 5

s e t u p h is b u s in e s s e s in a fo r m e r fa r m e r ’ s m a r k e t fr o m t h e 1 9 3 0 s th a t

s it s , a s h is w e b s it e n o t e s , “ a t th e c o n flu e n c e o f th e M is s o u r i R i v e r

a n d t h e K a w R i v e r . ” B r a y m a n , w h o a lm o s t o b s e s s i v e ly h a r v e s t s

in s p ir a tio n fr o m h is s u r r o u n d in g s , in v e s t e d p a r t o f h is h o n o r a r iu m

fr o m s p e a k in g o n th e “ N e w A r t i s t s / N e w W o r k ” p a n e l a t th e A m e r -

ic a n C r a f t C o u n c i l ’s 2 0 0 6 “ S h a p in g t h e F u t u r e o f C r a f t ” c o n f e r -

e n c e in th e p u r c h a s e o f a 1 9 5 6 A lu m a c r a f t b o a t f o r b e t t e r e x p lo r in g

t h e s e n e ig h b o r in g r iv e r s .

F r o m t h is h u g e s p a c e , a s q u a r e f o o t a g e d e f in it io n o f M i d w e s t

b r e a t h in g r o o m , B r a y m a n fo u n d e d th e M a t t e r F a c t o r y a n d E a s y

C e r a m ic D e c a ls . “ I w a n t e d to s t a r t t h e d e c a l b u s in e s s t o b e t h e d e m -

o c r a t ic w ill- p r i n t - a n y t h in g - f o r - a n y b o d y m o d e l, t o t a l ly c o m m e r -

c ia l,” h e e x p la in s , “A n d t h e M a t t e r F a c t o r y w o u ld b e m o r e c u r a te d ,

le s s c o m m e r c ia l.” T h e d e c a l b u s in e s s t o o k o f f a n d b e c a m e w h a t

B r a y m a n r e f e r s t o a s “ t h e s u g a r d a d d y ” f o r t h e M a t t e r F a c t o r y .

“ E v e n i f I 'd h a d a t o n o f m o n e y to b e g in w i t h , I w o u ld n 't h a v e

k n o w n w h a t t o d o w i t h i t . I le a r n e d a l o t b y p r in t in g e v e r y t h i n g —

fr o m c o o l p r o je c t s fo r a r tis ts t o m e m o r ia l p la q u e s fo r d o g s w h o ’v e

d i e d .” T h a n k s t o th is d e m o c r a t ic a r r a y o f j o b s , B r a y m a n w a s a b le

t o b u ild u p a c o lle c t io n o f e q u ip m e n t t h a t w i l l a llo w h im t o p r o d u c e

h is o w n w o r k a t a h ig h t e c h n ic a lly p r o fe s s io n a l le v e l.

B r a y m a n d o e s n 't e s c h e w c o m m e r c ia l le a n in g s , b u t h e d o e s e s -

c h e w s t a g n a n c y . H is m a in g o a l is t o k e e p h im s e lf n im b le c r e a t iv e ly .

“ E a s y C e r a m ic D e c a ls is g o in g s t r o n g s o I ’m s h u ttin g it d o w n . I ju s t

c h a n g e d th e m e s s a g e o n th e m a c h in e to d a y . I fe e l lik e I g o t a w a y w i t h

s o m e t h in g , b u t it s t o p p e d f e e li n g c r e a t iv e s o I b e c a m e le s s in t e r -

e s t e d in d o in g i t . ”

I n h is o w n c r a f t , B r a y m a n d e s c r ib e s h is p r e d o m in a n t w o r k i n g

m o d e l a s t h a t o f a s t u d io p o t t e r . “ M y b a c k g r o u n d is d if f e r e n t th a n

a d e s ig n e r ’ s. I s t a r t a s a p o t t e r . S o , I s t a r t w i t h s e r ia l p r o d u c t io n a n d

in a w a y I s till g o b y th e m o d e l I le a r n e d in s c h o o l: y o u c r e a t e a b o d y

o f w o r k , t h e r e ’s a c r it iq u e , t h e n y o u c r e a t e a n e w b o d y o f w o r k . ”

H e a ls o h a s u n e r r in g c o m ic t im in g a n d a w r y ir o n ic in c a n t a t io n

r e g a r d in g t h e e v e r - p r e s e n t d e b a t e s a b o u t t h e t h e o r y a n d p o lit ic s

o f c r a f t . A s k e d i f t h e e r r o r m e s s a g e t h a t g r e e t s a n y o n e f o l l o w i n g

th e “ t h e o r y ” lin k o n h is M a t t e r F a c t o r y w e b s it e is a n in t e n t io n a lly

c o m ic s t a te m e n t a b o u t h is in t e r e s t in t h e o r y , B r a y m a n la u g h s , “ N o ,

b u t t h a t ’ s a g r e a t id e a .”

A f t e r a n e d u c a t io n in c e r a m ic s t h a t in c lu d e s a

b . f .a .

f r o m th e

U n iv e r s it y o f K a n s a s a n d a n

m . f .a .

fr o m A l f r e d U n iv e r s it y —a s o r t

o f I v y L e a g u e f o r p o t t e r y —B r a y m a n c a s u a lly p e p p e r s c o n v e r s a t io n s

w it h r e fe r e n c e s s p a n n in g c e n t u r ie s o f c e r a m ic h is t o r y t o c o n t e m p o -

r a r y c r a ft - d e s ig n h y b r id s lik e D r o o g . I n a

Ceramics Monthly

e s s a y h e

r e c e n t ly p u b lis h e d , “ T h e N e w F a c t o r y ,” h is fu t u r e - f a v o r e d a p p e a l-

' s

a fie ld , w e a r e p a r t i c u la r ly g o o d a t t im e t r a v e l , b u t r e a lly o n ly

in o n e d i r e c t i o n ___ W e c a n , a n d s h o u ld , s t a r t t o l o o k f o r w a r d -

f u r t h e r a n d m o r e o ft e n th a n w e d o ” —w a s c a r e fu lly b a c k e d u p b y an

e r u d it e s u m m a r y o f t h e p r e v a i lin g p e r c e p t io n o f t h e p o t t e r a n d

h is s t u d io a n d t h e p o s s ib ilit ie s p r e s e n t e d b y t h e 2 1st c e n t u r y .

In e s t a b lis h in g h is o w n s t u d io , B r a y m a n c o n fe s s e s th a t h e d e v e l-

o p e d a “ s p ie l” a b o u t m a k in g fu n c t io n a l p o t t e r y . “ I d o n ’t w a n t t o s a y

I ’ m d e v o t e d t o i t b e c a u s e I ’ m n o t a fr a id t o d o o t h e r w o r k , b u t i t is >

042

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