American craftspeople project : oral history, 1984-1992.

Scope and Contents

This project, designed and undertaken by Richard M. Polsky, seeks to document the development of the American craft movement (particularly during the preceding thirty years) through extended interviews with craftspeople in five specific areas: ceramics, fiber, glass, metal, and wood. The interviews attempted to define the position crafts occuppied in American society, to learn in what ways that role has changed over time, and to examine when and why these changes have taken place. Craftspeople from different generations illustrate the transition from a more European tradition through a period of growing public acceptance to a time when sale rather than use has become the dominant factor. The project examines the relationship of the artist and the craftsperson and focuses on the interaction of aesthetic and economic factors in American culture at the time of the interviews. There are interesting sidelights on new materials and techniques. Readers will find a variety of opinions on the roles of galleries, of dealers, and on the challenges of teaching. Participants and pagination of transcripts: Adela Akers; Anni Albers, 52; Michael Aschenbrenner, 105; Rudy Autio, 80; Dorothy Gill Barnes, 64; Mansfield and Ruth Bascom, 79; Bennett Bean, 60; D. Y. Begay; Howard Ben Tre; Jamie Bennett; Christine Bertoni; Doug Beube, 134; Sonja Blomdahl, 92; Jon Bonner; Robert Brady; Daniel Brush; Lidya Buzio; Wendell Castle, 125; Marek Cecula; Paul Chaleff, 178; Dale Chihuly; Linda Christianson, 85; Sharon Church McNabb; Garth Clark; Jon Clark, 80; Sas Colby, 96; Lia Cook, 79; Michael Croft; Anne Currier; Dan Dailey, 70; William Daley, 119; Amanda Degener, 70; Fritz Dreisbach, 63; John Dunnigan, 96; Robert Ebendorf, 80; David Ebner; Stephen Dee Edwards; David Ellsworth, 82; Timothy Ely; Fred Fenster, 53; Viola Frey; Tage Frid, 65; Donald Friedlich, 92; Max Frolich, 51; Andrea Gill; John Gill; Hank Gilpin; Peter Goufrain; Lisa Gralnick; Gary Griffin; Chris Gustin; Dorothy Hafner; Henry Halem, 90; Susan Hamlet; Audrey Handler; Jiri Harcuba, 46; Maurice Heaton, 15; Ana Lisa Hedstrom; Doug Heller; Helena Hernmarck, 44; Catherine Hiersoux; Wayne Higby; Judy Hoffberg; Harry Hopman, 49; Mary Lee Hu, 53; Tom Hucker, 175; Michael Hurwitz; Participants and pagination of transcripts, continued: Diane Itter, 76; Kiyomi Iwata; Ferne Jacobs, 82; Robert and Ardis James; Michael James, 83; C.R. "Skip" Johnson; Warren and Bee Bee Johnson; Jamie Johnston, 82; Mary Ann Jordan; Peter Joseph; Janet Kardon; Alec Karros; Daniel Kelm, 116; Stuart Kestenbaum, 57; L. Brent Kington; Gerhardt Knodel, 65; Carol Kumata, 52; Heidi Kyle; Polly Lada-Mocarski; Shereen LaPlantz; Jude Larzelere; James Lawton; Stanley Lechtzin, 63; Janice Lessman-Moss; Mark Lindquist; Marvin Lipofsky, 127; Harvey Littleton, 48; Tom Loeser, 58; Randy Long; Michael Lucero; Warren MacKenzie, 77; Andy Magdanz, 107; James Makins, 150; Sam Maloof, 74; Paul Marioni, 82; Graham Marks, 60; Wendy Maruyama, 97; Alphonse Mattia, 107; Rod McCormick; Tim McCreight; Judy McKie, 25; John McQueen, 73; Fran Merritt, 64; John Paul Miller, 86; Norma Minkowitz, 37; Richard Minsky; Judy Moonelis; Eleanor Moty, 110; Ed Moulthrop, 63; Louis Mueller; Ron Nagle; George Nakashima, 57; Lillian Nassau; Richard Notkin; Komelia Okim; Pavel Opocensky; Jere Osgood, 53; Albert Paley, 72; Robert Palusky, 150; Ronald Pearson; Mark Peiser; Mark Pharis; Jack Prip; Robin Quigley; Participants and pagination of transcripts, continued: Wendy Ramshaw; Debra Rapoport; Richard Reinhardt, 111; Jacquelyn Rice, 75; Victoria Rivers, 81; John Rohlfing; Ivy Ross; Phyllis Ross; Charles (Ed) Rossbach, 57; Margaret Ahrens Sahlstrand; Judith Salomon, 116; Jane Sauer; Helmut Schardt, 78; Mary Ann Scherr, 81; Ruth Scheuer, 123; Cynthia Schira, 61; Jack Schmidt; Carol Sedestrom; Warren Seelig, 94; Heikki Seppa, 67; Susie Shapiro, 72; Tommy Simpson; Paul Smith; Eric Spiller; Rudolph Staffel, 71; Paul Stankard, 84; Jerry Stelmok, 163; Lizbeth Stewart, 42; Susan Stinsmuehlen, 51; Toshiko Takaezu, 64; Byron Temple, 76; David Tisdale, 53; Karla Trinkley; Robert Turner, 77; William Underhill, 125; Bertil Vallien, 152; Yoshiko Wada; Audrey Walker; Dale Wedig, 86; Terry Weihs; Jean West; Susan Whitehouse; Robert Whitley, 75; Steve Whittlesey, 76; Paula Winokur, 88; Robert Winokur, 88; Margret Craver, 117; J. Fred Woell, 38; Betty Woodman; Nicholas Yeager; Tina Yelle; Arnold Zimmerman; Ed Zucca, 48; and Antonie Zwicker, 64.

Subjects

• Arts and crafts movement.
• Basket making.
• Folk art.
• Furniture making.
• Glass craft.
• Handicraft--Marketing.
• Interviews.
• Jewelry making.
• Oral histories.
• Pottery craft.
• Textile crafts.
• Weaving.
• Wire craft.
• Wood-carving.
• Woodwork.