Bravo Brandt and Boston
In your August/September
issue, you carried a wonderful
article about the Society of
Arts and Crafts, Boston. I was
particularly pleased to read
the story of the Society’s early
days. It happens that Beverly
K. Brandt did some of her re-
search at 175 Newbury Street
when I was president and di-
rector of the Society. I am
optimistic that the Society,
having survived wars and
recessions, will continue its
work. Our current director,
Beth Ann Gerstein, is doing
a superb job in keeping the
work going. For the sake of
artists and the public, I hope
that leadership in education
will continue.
HERTA LOESER
Canton, m a
A Lot More History
Michael Fallon’s August/Sep-
tember article, “The Twin
Cities-A Mecca for Craft,”
implies that “craft activity”
blossomed in the early 1980s.
I would maintain that it began
at least three decades earlier!
In 1962
, 1
began to sell pots
through the W alker Art Cen-
ter’s Book Corner, where
Warren and Alix MacKenzie,
established potters, and Chris-
tian Schmidt, a nationally
known local jeweler, were
already represented. The
Walker placed a strong em-
phasis on design and craft in
the 1950s and into the 1960s; a
MacKenzie show was held in
1954. An entire late 1950s issue
of the Walker’s
Design Quar-
terly
was devoted to contem-
porary American ceramics.
The Minnesota Craftsmen’s
Council (m c c ) was formed
in April 1965 (I was the first
president) and its first exhibi-
tion was held Nov. 17-Dec.
23,1965, with 36 members
participating. Almost all were
craftspeople with years of
experience. I could be wrong,
but I believe the Minnesota
Craft Council was a politically
correct renaming of the Min-
nesota Craftsmen’s Council.
It may have been resurrected
or restructured, but it seems
incorrect to say that it was
“founded in 1974.” (I was not
involved with the MCC then.)
PETER LEACH
Saint Paul, MN
Michael Fallon replies:
While I ’d have loved to give a
comprehensive history o f allpost-
war craft activities in the Twin
Cities, therejust wasn’t room for
that, nor time, nor did I think that
was the intent o f the assignment.
As I began researching the piece,
I saw that a lot would have to be
left out. Furthermore, after I had
spoken with nearly two dozen
people— including Peter, Warren
and the last director o f the MCC
—
I realized they all had diverging
memories of what had happened.
I focused on the vibrant craft
institutions/organizations that
today serve a host o f practitioners.
A nd I stuck to the official record.
In
Guidestar
I found, as I wrote,
that the Minnesota Craft Council
was officially established as a
legal entity in 1974.1 assumed
that readers would realize that
there was craft activity in M in-
nesotaprior to 1974. Still, I regret
that someone feels so aggrieved
that he must write in to “correct
the record. ”
Kalman Critiques
I am a potter and jeweler. I
find your October/November
article on Lauren Kalman dis-
gusting and a bad example for
the future health and talents
of young craftspeople. I would
like to see a retraction and
apology to the real artists and
your readers. It was the worst
of taste. You should consult
a doctor about this. It is not art.
MARLENE COLE
Fort Worth, t x >
300 N W I3TH AVENUE, PORTLAND, OR 97209
phone 503-227-0222 fax 503-227-0008
gallery@bullseyeglass.com www.bullseyegalle
17
.com
Find more magazines at www.magazinesdownload.com
