Letter From the President

I want to say "thank you" to all of our exhibitors and support staff who participated in the Clay and Glass Festival in Rinconada Park this year. Special recognition goes to our Festival producer, Mary Lou Atkins who made the transition to the park seamless, and to our publicist, Sharon Poyner,  who drummed up press attention for our group and individual members. Any remaining skepticism that they show would suffer from being in a new, temporary location was vanquished by strong sales for many exhibitors, and good attendance by our loyal customers. I think everyone agreed that the park was a wonderful place to hold the Festival, and many attendees did not even notice the new location!

So, what's next? As I'm writing this we are in the waning days of summer, which always brings mixed feelings of sadness and dread, a holdover from the many years of attending school and the loss of freedom it brought every September. Even to this day I cannot look at a yellow school bus without feeling anxiety. Maybe it's time for me to get over that. Now that I run my own life without much interference from outside authorities, September is a time to feel a renewed sense of energy after summer vacation. There is the holiday season coming up, which always holds promise for lots of sales and an opportunity to introduce the new work I've been rolling around in my brain. Then, there's also the recognition that I was just here, a year ago, and the holiday season is going to be over before I know it, as will the next year, and the year after that. Maybe that's what fall does to all of us. It reminds us that everything is temporary, even 12 years of school, time goes by so fast, and it's all going to be over before we know it. Dang, can I have just one more month of summer... please?

Letter from the President

July is just a few days away, and for many exhibiting members of the ACGA, that means the Clay and Glass Festival. For me, the Festival is one of the most enjoyable shows I do every year. It's a time to re-connect with ACGA members who I otherwise do not see throughout the year, as well as some of my customers and collectors. I put on the best game face I have for the Festival: my best work, my best display, and hopefully, my best self.

The show also signals that high summer is here, which means some well-deserved time off from the everyday production at my studio. I've been thinking lately about how the American work ethic is so ingrained in me that I often burn myself out at the studio, so when vacation time rolls around I don't even want to think about clay. It often seems like I'm going from one extreme to the other, working so hard that I hurt my brain and well-being, to working not at all to recover. I'm thinking this approach lacks balance, that magical state of being I hear people talking about. Is your studio practice balanced? If so, what are your words of wisdom for achieving balance, if only temporarily? If not, what practices do you think would help you have a more balanced approach? I often hear "balance" as a prescription for many things that ail us in our modern, fast-paced Western culture. What do you think?

I hope to see you all the Festival!

Palo Alto Preview

Here is a small sample of the amazing artwork to be seen at the Palo Alto Clay & Glass Festival. All of the pieces pictured here are from ACGA member artists who have shops on Etsy.com. Click on a piece you like and you will be taken to that artists shop on Etsy.

Letter from the President

It's countdown time for the artists participating in the Clay and Glass Festival in Palo Alto this year. The Festival is my biggest retail show of the year, and I'm sure the same is true for many others. It is also the ACGA's largest source of revenue, which allows us to not only put on the show again next year, but do all the other things that we do to make the ACGA a viable and useful organization. Each member plays a vital role in making the show a success, by making fabulous work that people want to purchase year after year, and by promoting the show to your community and customers.

Promotion can get overwhelming, especially for artists who are busy being creative in their studios. I've put together a "Promotion To-Do Checklist" for artists to take some of the guesswork out of it, so you have a little bit of extra energy to actually get it done!

• To do today: edit ACGA member web page with recent images and updated information.
• June 1-7: send a "save the date" email to customers with a digital postcard, links to the ACGA website and your website.
• Week of June 21: mail show postcard to customers.
• June 14-21: Post the event to your Facebook page, along with an album of recent work.
• June 27-July 1: send an email reminder to customers with your booth information and pertinent links.

A word about email: sending a regular email with lots of recipients will often wind up in people's "junk" mail. I strongly encourage you to check out many of email services that are available today so you can send out an email that is formatted for images and links, and will go straight to the inbox of recipients. You can also track who is opening your email! I've tried many of them, including Constant Contact, iContact, and Vertical Response. I use MadMimi, which I've found to be the most cost-effective and easiest to use for me. Most of these services offer the first month free, so take some time and check it out.

A final piece of business: in the ACGA's continuing quest to save money on printing costs and be more green, we've moved the Member Directory online. You can download it as a PDF if you want to keep it stored on your computer or even print it out, or simply log in to the ACGA website to access the member directory there. If you are now still receiving the newsletter in print form, we will be sending you a hard copy this time. But please be aware that member contact information is readily accessible by other registered ACGA members online now, and the ACGA "phonebook" is going the way of the Yellow Pages... onto the web!

More from Etsy

Here is another collection of beautiful work by ACGA members who have a shop on Etsy. Many of these artists will also be at the upcoming Palo Alto Clay & Glass Festival, July 9 and 10, at Rinconada Park in Palo Alto. For details visit www.clayglassfestival.com
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ACGA on Etsy

ACGA is now on Etsy, an on-line marketplace for things handmade. Here is a curated list, or Etsy Treasury, of work by some of our members.

Letter from the President

When news of the recent Japanese earthquake and tsunami reached our shores, I think many Californians felt an instant connection with what the Japanese people were going through, as well as a shared sense of dread of our own vulnerability and fault lines. I experienced the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake near the epicenter in downtown Santa Cruz, and while the experience devastated my 19 year-old sense of immortality, it also brought to light some basic truths: we all live fragile lives, everything can be taken away in a moment, and nothing stays the same. There are practical ways to respond, with earthquake preparation and emergency plans, but the bottom line is all we really have is each other in times of crisis. And maybe, a three-day supply of water and canned beans.

I went to Japan for a residency in 2007 and was so gratified to be in a country where pottery is respected as a fine art. My former host, Ryoji Matsumiya, runs a production pottery along with his many other artistic and business endeavors. Thankfully, his business was only superficially affected by the earthquake, and he and his staff immediately jumped into the relief efforts by pledging 15,000 handmade cups to the people who have lost everything. You can read about what they are doing and see their progress right here.

For me, I get overwhelmed by these disasters. The need is so large and I feel so small, and I always wonder about donating to big charities where the cost of their overhead can eat up so much of the donation. I was directed to the Mashiko Potters Fund by another ACGA member, where money is being raised by a gallery in Boston and sent directly to a group of artists in Japan to help them rebuild their kilns and pottery. I felt that my contribution, while small, was going to people who really needed every dollar, and would put it to immediate use. Perhaps more of our members know of other places to donate, where the money goes directly to those in need? If so, please post it on our Facebook page to help spread the word.