zo o m
S h o p T a lk
G
o o d D
e s i g n
A K A R
2 5 7 E a s t I o w a A v e .
I o w a C i t y , I A 5 2 2 4 0
3 1 9 -3 5 1 -1 2 2 7
a k a r d e s ig n .c o m
F r o m M u m b a i, I n d ia , w h e r e
t h e y m e t as s tu d e n t s , t o t h e ir
h o m e t o d a y in A m e r ic a ’ s h e a r t -
la n d , h u s b a n d -a n d -w if e te a m
S a n ja y a n d j i g n a j a n i h a v e c a r -
r ie d w it h th e m a c o r e b e l i e f th a t
in s p ir in g o b je c ts all c o m e fr o m
th e s a m e c r e a t iv e p la c e , b e it
a b u ild in g , h a n d b a g , p a in tin g
o r p o t . A t t h e ir a r c h ite c tu r e
firm a n d g a lle r y
a k a r O
( S a n -
s k r it f o r “ fo r m s a n d s h a p e s ” ) ,
t h e y ’ v e p u t th a t p h ilo s o p h y in t o
p r a c tic e , o f f e r in g a w id e ra n g e
o f a r t a n d d e s ig n w it h a s p e -
c ia lt y in c e r a m ic s , s u c h as J e n n y
M e n d e s ’ s
Friend PartyQ
a n d
J o y B r o w n ’ s
Reclinerwith Head
in HandG,
w h i c h t h e y r e g a r d
as “ th e c lo s e s t r e la t iv e t o a r c h i-
t e c t u r e in a r t.”
Y o u t a k e a b r o a d , in t e g r a te d
v i e w o f a r t , c r a f t , d e s ig n ,
s c u lp tu r e , f u n c t io n , h a n d m a d e
a n d m a c h in e -m a d e . H o w h a s
t h a t t r a n s la te d in t o a b u s in e s s
010 american craft
aug/scp 10
©
a n d m a r k e t in g a p p r o a c h ?
S J : M o s t g a lle r ie s t e n d t o p u t
h a n d m a d e a n d m a n -m a d e in
a s e p a r a te b a s k e t , s o t o s p e a k .
W e a re b a s ic a lly a r c h ite c ts , a n d
w e th in k a r c h ite c ts , c e r a m is ts
a n d d e s ig n e r s a ll s t r iv e f o r th e
p e r f e c t b a la n c e b e t w e e n fo r m
a n d f u n c t io n , t o d e s ig n s o m e -
t h in g p e o p le fa ll in lo v e w it h .
T h e r e a r e d if f e r e n t a p p r o a c h e s
a n d m a te r ia ls , b u t th e g o a l is
a lw a y s th e s a m e —t o g e t p le a s u r e
o u t o f an o b je c t w h e n y o u u s e it.
J J : W e o p e n e d th e g a lle r y in
1 9 9 7 , a n d fr o m th e v e r y b e g i n -
n in g t h a t ’ s h o w it w a s d e s ig n e d .
SJ= T h e a r c h ite c tu r e b u s in e s s
a n d th e g a lle r y g r e w t o g e t h e r ,
a n d f e d e a c h o th e r c lie n te le . W e
d o h ig h -e n d c u s to m r e s id e n tia l
a r c h ite c tu r e , a n d c lie n ts a lw a y s
b la m e d u s f o r h a v in g t o o m a n y
s h e lv e s . I a lw a y s s a id , “ I k n o w
a p la c e w h e r e y o u c a n g e t th in g s
t o fill th e m w i t h . ”
Y o u h a v e a v e r y in t e r a c t iv e
w e b s i t e , w i t h lo ts o f lin k s . Y o u
F a c e b o o k , y o u T w e e t .
. .
S J: I t ’s th e o n ly w a y to d o th in g s
n o w a d a y s , I t h in k . W e w e r e
p r e t t y m u c h th e fir s t c e r a m ic s
g a lle r y [ to e x p a n d ] in t o a
w e b g a lle r y p la tf o r m . I m e a n ,
w e ’re in I o w a C i t y , p o p u la tio n
6 5 ,0 0 0 . O n c e w e k n e w th e k in d
o f g a lle r y w e w a n t e d , w it h c e -
r a m ic s , w e k n e w w e c o u ld n o t
s u r v iv e in a s m a ll t o w n w it h o u t
a W e b p r e s e n c e . W e d e s ig n e d
o u r o w n s ite . T h e r e ’ s b e e n a lo t
o f r e s e a r c h a n d le a r n in g , th in g s
th a t t o o k u s y e a r s t o fig u r e o u t.
W h e n w e fir s t s ta r t e d , 10 o r
11 y e a r s a g o , I u s e d t o t a lk w it h
a r tis ts a n d s a y , “ I ’ m g o i n g to
p u t w o r k o n t h e I n t e r n e t ,” a n d
t h e y ’ d s a y , “ R e a lly ? Y o u t h in k
y o u c a n s e ll p o ts o n t h e W e b ?
A r e y o u s u r e ? ”
W h a t ’ s t h e n a tu r e o f y o u r
c o lla b o r a tio n ?
JJ: I ta k e o n m o s t o f th e c e r a m ic -
r e la te d b u s in e s s . M o s t o f th e
t im e h e ’s t h e o n e w h o c o m e s u p
w it h th e c r a z y id e a , a n d I h e lp
h im m a k e it re a l a n d p r a c tic a l.
S J : J ig n a is a lo t b e t t e r th a n
m e w h e n i t c o m e s t o o r g a n i z -
in g , d e f i n it e l y . I ’m g o o d a t
b i g d r e a m s .
E v e r y y e a r w e d o a y u n o m i
[ J a p a n e s e t e a c u p ] in v i t a t io n a l,
a n o n lin e - o n ly s a le . T h a t ’s th e
c r a z ie s t t h i n g w e e v e r t h o u g h t
u p , t o d e a l w i t h 2 0 0 a r tis ts an d
a t h o u s a n d p o t s . W e l o v e th e
y u n o m i; i t ’ s lik e t h e s m a lle s t
fo r m th a t a r tis ts c a n p o u r th e ir
s t y le in t o , a s im p le , e v e r y d a y
fo r m b u t v e r y d iffic u lt t o d o .
B u t t h a t s h o w is s o a m b itio u s !
Y o u j u s t h a v e t o b e in h a p p y
d e n ia l all th e t im e t o ru n a g a l-
le r y lik e t h is .—j . l .
I L / E v a n s t o n
© Henry Crown Sports
Pavilion on Northwestern
University Campus
American Craft Exposition
A u g . 2 7 - 2 9
a m e r ic a n c r a f te x p o .p r g
T h i s s h o w o f o v e r 150 w o r k s
b y n o t a b le c r a ft s p e o p le , in c lu d -
in g C h r is tin e A d c o c k ’ s
Spiral
Lecheguilla Basket,
is th e o n ly
v o lu n t e e r -p r o d u c e d e x p o s it io n
o f its c a lib e r in th e c o u n t r y .
K Y / P a d u c a h
National Quilt Museum
A Horse’s Tale
A u g . 1 3 - N o v . 16
q u iltm u s e u m .o r g
T h o r o u g h b r e d q u ilte r s r e fle c t
o n all t h in g s e q u in e in a tip o f
th e h a t to th e W o r l d E q u e s tr ia n
G a m e s , h e ld th is fa ll a t K e n -
t u c k y H o r s e P a r k in L e x i n g t o n .
M D / B a ltim o r e
Baltimore Clayworks
Encore!
A u g . 1 4 - S e p t . 25
b a lt im o r e c la y w o r k s .o r g
V i e w w o r k b y p a s t e x h ib it in g
a r tis ts a n d w o r k s h o p le a d e r s .
M A / B r o c k t o n
Fuller Craft Museum
The New Materiality: Digital
Dialogues at the Boundaries
of Contemporary Craft
to F e b . 6 ,2 0 1 1
fu lle r c r a ft .o r g
B lu r r in g b o u n d a r ie s b e t w e e n
t e c h n o lo g y , a r t a n d c r a ft , a r tis ts
u s e n e w t o o ls in ta n d e m w it h
tr a d itio n a l c r a ft m a te r ia ls
t o fo r g e n e w a r tis tic d ir e c tio n s .
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