A PROGRAM f~R AMfRICAN ~RAfTSMfN

A PROGRAM f~R

AMfRICAN ~RAfTSMfN

TH[ AM[RICAN CRAfTSM[N'S [OUCA TlONAl COUNCil, INC,

TH[ AMERICAN CRAFTSM[N'S COOPERATIVE COUNCil, INC,

485 MADISON AVENUE, NEW YORK 22, N, Y.

A PROGRAM F OR AM ER I CA N CRAFTSMEN

FOREWORD

T

HE HA:\D ARTS of thc rnited States wf- fered an almost tota I ecli pse following the great indllStrial expansion of the Jate 19th Century. Within the pal't twenty years, throu1!h thc efforts of far seeing individual;: and orl!anized groups, craftsmanship has slowl~- be- gun to find its way back to the forefront of .-\merican life.

The problellls involved in a "nccet'-sful revival of craftsmanship are many. They include an unden,tanding of marketing and its component parts: del'i1!n and adaptation of materials to modern use: finer techniques: t he building of a closer understanding betwcen the artist, the craftsJIlan. the designer, and the public. Above all elt'e the,- demand a reanalYSis of the role of the hand al:t" in the modern \,:orId. It goes with- out saying that the handmarlc object cannot compete \,-jth the machine made one. The Hand _-\rt5 lIlust therefore develop a special niche of their own in the field of merchandising. If the Hand Arts can be brought to the point where they can suppl~- the growing demand for cllstom fabrication of accessories for personal and hOllse- hold me. thcir po;:itioll in the eeollomie ~chellle

win be a;:"merl. Cntftsnlamhip will then again fionri"h in _-\l)Icric<l anti brill1! jo~- and employ- ment to lIlan'-. An additional result will be a wider artistic-appreciation of all art by Illany people.

The clIllllleratioll of the~e problems hrings into hjdl relief their rliver"ity and at the same tillle th~ir rlependcnec on olle ~nother. They fall, howeve!". illto three hroad. component parts - erluealioll. production. HIl(l Illarketing. The goal of all lho~l' illterested in craftsmanship must be to brillg about the illte!:!ratiol1 of all three divi-

2

sions with ('ach other and into the 1II0dern sccne. The desirc to hclp accomplish thi~ t<l~k has guided the actions of the Dircctor~ of thc Ameri- can Craft~ll1en'" Educational COUJlcil. ll1c. and the AlIIerican Craftslllen'" CooperatiYt~ Council.

Inc .. and will contiuue to Iluidc thelll in plan- ninf! for a furthcr orf!<lnization to pmlllote pro, duclion which is 11011' under lI'av.

AMERICAN CRAFTSMEN'S COOPERATIVE COUNCIL, Inc.

Direr/or.s

MRS. Y.,\:\DERIIILT \\"EBB .... yrl'.,ic/r,llt

MR. HOR.-\cE H. F. ].-\Y:\E ...... hrst T·ire-Pr".5ident :Mlss A:\:\E }rOHGA:\ ... Ser{)lIr/ j 'if'f'-Pr"sirlellt

MISS }L-\RY '-AIL A:\DRE .. S ... Serre/(I!·'·

MR. 'f ILI.I-\:U

J.

B.-\HRETT.. ... ... Tr('(lSllJ'l;;·

MR. RICI-URD F. B.\CH }IRS. R. G, \\'ILLI,UIS MR. D'-\\II) R. C.-\.\IPBELL }IHs. DOHOTH Y LII-:BI':S MRs. DOHOTHY DRAPER MRS. FHA:\CES }IILLEH MR. ALU:\" £'-\TO:\" :\IISS DOROTHySHHER MRs. L. C. EICH:\"ER }rHS. O\\T:\ D. YOL':\"G

T[lE A:UEHlC.\:\" CRAFTS,\JE:\'" COOPERATI\'E

COU:\C1L. I:\"c. wa,. thl' firH l!J'onp to be organized and this was dOlle ill 1939. _-\1\ those activities of the l'mgram which are diJ'f'eth' concerned with husiness cOllie nnder its jurisdiction. It is a cooperative nOIl-pmfit organization. incorpo- rated under the laws of the State of j\"ew York.

Starting with "pven group" in 1939. by 19-1,5 there wel'e tweIlI~- five group", represf'nting in thc neighborhood of 6.500 craftslllen affiliated with the Council. _-\bollt 350 indiyidual craft~­

men, not alrcady melllbcl's of an affiliated I!l'OUP, have joined the Handcraft Leal!ue Crart~l11ell

and w enjo\' thc benefits deriyed throuf!h aE~O­

cia tioll wi t h the COlillci I.

Thesc bcnefits divide into two categorie~. The first offers marketing opportllnitie~ through

A~TERIC.-\ HOrSE: The secolHl.ln'illgs melllbers .-, ,)

cCrlaill free edueatiollal "en-icc" 1'1'0111 the Edu- catiollal COllllcil.

A_'IER lC.\ Hot-SE at -1-85 .\ladii'01l _-\v(,1Iuc,

~t'w York Cit~- i;; already widely kllown to a laq!;e public. It is a nation wide center where handlllade articles of a high standard of excel- lellce, from all oyer the rniten States, Illav be found. There the Yariou!' needs of the eon;lOis-

;;eur, th .. trelleraJ public alld the store buyer are gratified b~- illdividual piece;; of the highest merit as IH:ll a;; 1hosc handlllade objects which can he 5l}cces;;fulh- repeated in quantity. The only criterion is fine craft;;ll1all5hip, \,-hether it he applied to "-ork froll1 a moulltain farm, a city studio, or a cooperative ~rou[l. Salc~ are made for the craftsllIen both at retail and wholc~ale, _-\1l1erica Housc aimi' to be a ;:elf-supporting business Ycnture, ,,;;kin!! for 1)0 ont"ide aid. Any profit ,,-hid) lllHY re;;ult from operations is di- vidt'ri alllong the affiliated groups on a pro-rata basis of the illllOunt of merehandi"f:' sold for thelll durin!! the preceding year.

The Cooperatiw Council al~o IJllhIi-hes a magaziuc, CR_'\FT HOBIZO'iS, ,,-hich appear;; four times a year. the ;;llb;;criptioll pricc beilJp: Sl.OO a yea r.

Gloonps affiliated ,,-ith the _lmerican Craft;;- men's Cooperative COllllCiL Inc. arc-

ASSOCJAoTEU H_-\,\D\\L\ \OERS CATSKILL _-\IlTS &: CHAFTS LU(;L-E

COLU:lIBL-\ COL-YfY LEAGl-E 1"OR _o\RTS _-\'iD !-l·\'iUI- CHAFTS

SOCIETY OF DESIG'iEH-CRAFTS:'>IE'i GREE:\\HCH HoesE POTTERS

HAi\IPSlllHE HILLS HA'iDICRAFT ASS''io )rH~E CRUT GULl)

)IJ[)[)LE TE'i'iESSEE CRAFT GULl>

MI2'iUTE 'fA:\' CRAFTS

NEW YORK SOCIETY OF CRc\FTS\IE'i

LEAGLE OF ~EW HA\[PSfIlRE _-\RTS &. ^CRAFTS

HANDCRAFT LEAGUE CHAFTS:\IE)."

OPPOHTUNITY., INC.

OREGO'\' CHAFTS.'IEi"

PUT,\,A\I COU,'iTY PHOOUCTS INC.

SOUTHF.H'I H[GHL.\'IOS HA'IO[CRAFT GULl) SOUTHJo:Hi\" HIGI-lLA:-IOEHS, INC.

SAHA[\;AC LAKE Sn.:Oy &: CR.HT GC[LO VER\JO'lT ARTS &: CRAFTS SEHYlCE VEH:\IO'IT CH.-\FTS:\IE:--

VER.\JO:\T GClLO VILt.\ H.\:-IOCR .. \FTS ROW.·\:-ITRJo:ES KIL)'"

WOODSTOCK GULO OF CHAFTS\IE)."

AGR[CliLTliHAL EXTE)'"SIO)'" SER\lCE. C)."IYERSITY OF PliERTO RICO

AMERICAN CRAFTSMEN'S EDUCATIONAL COUNCIL, Inc.

Trustees

MR. HORACE H. F. ].lYNE ....................... .Prcsidellt MRS. VANDERBILT \VERB

V ice-Presidellt alld Treasurer i\hss MARY Y-\[1. ..\.)."DRESS ... Secretary MR. \';' [LL1.-\\1

J.

BARRETT )IR. R. D ·H.-\R:\TONCOURT MR. KEN)'"ETH CHORLEY MR. GEORGE W. EGGERS

?lIHs. DOROTHY DRAPER MISS A"NE }IORGAN After several years of developing a marketiug program the lJeed for a scparate educational group becallle so overwhe]IIlil\gl~' apP<ll'ent that a Chartcr wa~ requei'ted from the Regents of the State of New York and in JIa,' 1943 the A\IEIUCA'I CIUFTS\IE"'S EOCCATIO'IAL COUNCIL, I:-Ic. wai' oqwnizeci. The underlying purpose of this Council j~ not to illlpose its ideas OIl indi- viduah 0\' groups. but rather, through educa- tional experimentation to develop a new [unda·

lIlentall~' l"olll)d appl'Oacll to the mallY problems involved. In March 194-1- contribution,: to. or me IIlberi'1I i ps in. t he Ed uea tiona I Counc i I he- callie tax exempt throutrh a ruling froln the

5

Treasury Department. This is eillphaoized here to makc it clear that the Educational Council is in no wise a busilless, but is supported through voluntary memberships and contributions from the general public.

The activities of the Council are nUlllerous and are carried on f rOUl headquarters -in the gallerv of America House. Here a small lend·

i;lg libratT of hooks of intcrest to craftsmen is maintained for the ll~e of members, countless inquiries are answered, and exhibitions held.

Three committees conduct the special activities of the Coullcil under the overall guidance of the Trustees. a Design Committee, an Exhibitions CommitU'e. and the Di\-isioll for Group Educa·

tioll.

The De-igll COJllmittce. undcr the chairman·

~hip of :\lr;;. Dorothy Draper. acts in an advisory

capacit~- 011 all matters ,,-hieh \\-i11 lead to a closer rclation;;hip between the dcsigner. the artist. and the craftsman. :\ "lIb,colllmittee, of which :\11'. George " -illialll Eggers is the leading spirit is prcparing a Design Portfolio which will

demon~trate visl1al1~-. through photographs,

plate~ and color. the basic principles of dei'ign, relating them especially to the Hand Art~. The initial material will be fol1owed by subsequent periodic mpplements which will serve to keep the work fresh and up to date. These 1)ortfoli08 will he sellt as a hee ellucational St'l'vice to the affiliated groups of the Cooperative Coullcil. All

~uch 1!ronp 1I11:'lIIbers arc also ,;cnt CRAFT HORI- ZO:\S In-the Educatiollal Coullcii.

The Exhibition:, COllllllitlcc kecp:, ('on~lal1tly

hpfore the publi(' varying piJa:,c,; of craft~lllall'

ship thrOll!!h small exhibition;: \\-hich cover a wide ranl!e of suhjel'ls. Thi" pha:,c of the work is cOIl:,iilered of real value in puhlicizilll! the intrill"ic arti;:tic Ilwrits to be foullll ill the Hand Art;; awl thus In'illl!:' about a ~r('atcr nnrler"land·

ill1! of their \\-ortl1.

(i

To the Division for Group Educatioll of which )Ir. \X'illiam

J.

Barrell i~ chairman was givcll the ta;;k of plallnillg: ~OJ1\e form of re- habilitation for returnillg veterans. After much thought amI di;;eussioll a Illost far reaching.

COllstructive plan has been arrived at, one which is open not OJ1I~· to Veterans but to all who wish to have an rducation in craftsmanship with the objective of finding ell1plo~'mcnt when fully trained. Through this program new principles of teaehillg: and production in thc Hand Al,ts are

e~tablishc(1. If \\'idely accepted this should help br,ing unlilllited opportunities to the craftsmen of America. Slowly a new race of craftsmen will develop. fronl the'master craftsman creating his own de~igll~. to the technical craftsman, fabricat- ing the designs of others according to the level of his skilk Thi" program is of such importance that we give it a brief section of its own. Fur- thrr information will gladly be given on request.

School For American Craftsmen ::\ew England Division

The New England Division of the School for American Craftsmen is under the joint sponsor- ship of the American Craftsmen Educational Conncil. Inc. and the Dartmouth College Stu- dent Workshop. Its activities are directed by an Adm inist ra tive C 0111 111 i lief' rcpresenti ng both 8pon,or5.

Adrninistratil;e Co-Chairmen President E. )1. HOPKL\S MR. HORACE H. F . . J.U:\,E

Committee

Executive Officers

)IR. VIRGIL POLI:\G

)lRs. V. ^WEBB

\IR. \YILl.!.·\'I! .I. BARRETT

DEA:\ ^EAHL GORDO:\, BILL D.C.L.

)IR. Loc BLOCK

'fR. KE:\.\TTH CHORLEY

Dn. AnTHl'n H!LER Rl'GGLES. D.Se.

7

In arlrlition the following scrvc a;; an Advi;;on- Committcc:

DR_ DEAN A. CLARK

Chief' Medical Officer, Fcderal Security Agcncy.

Office of Vocational Rehabilitation DR. ROYAL B. F.-\R:\'u:\1

Executive Vicc President. Rhode hland School of Dcsi;rn

}IR. CARL GRA Y

Author of the Gray Plan: Chairman 01' the Reelll p loy men t Con'lIn ission. Conllecti Cll t }IR. DUULEY H.-\R:\IO:\"

Executive Vice Presirlent. i\"cw England Council

LIEUTE:\".-\:\"T GE:\"ER.-\L \rILLI.-\:\[ S. K:\,UOSE:\".

A. "C. S.,

Dircctor of Production. "Lll' Departmellt :MR.

J.

FREDERICK LARSON, Architect

THOMAS A. C. RE:\":\"IE, "M. D ..

Associate Professor of P;;ychiatry. Ncw York

Hospital . ,

}IRs. OWEN D. YOLNG

Van Hornesville Comlllllllit\, \"'\-eaver,.

The School for American Craft,.mcn belicves that cl'aftsmen, thcir skills and pl"Oducts must be entirely representative of the cultural, social, and ecollomic patterns of their time,.. CPOII this basic idca a structure for traillillg ha~ beclI es·

tablished. This structure aprlic~ to modcrn craftsmamhip a combination 01' the old apprcn·

ticeship systellJ and pre;;('nt day production methods. II' craftsmen are to establish a place for themselves in the ('conomic lift' of our timcs, they lIlust develop lIew eml'lo~'mellt ob·

jectives. Thcsc can be achieved throll~h training for 'Mallual Industl'~- geared to soulld production

prin("ipJe~ which will offer ;raillful enlplo~-ment 1Il thr('c po~~ihle categorie-

8

- as indcpendcllt producers

- H:' lIIemhcrs of a Producing Group - elllploylllcllt in in(\u,;trics requiring

fi ne sk ills

_-\ two year course is contemplated by the

School for Amcrican Craftsmen in either ce- ramics, wood. metal, or textilcs. Training, how- ever, will bc kept completely flexible and adapted to the individual needs of the student. Through a contraet with the Vetcralls Administration, discharged Veterans a re referred to the School, and the first students enrolled in December 1944. The maxilllum enrollment at anyone time will be three hUlldred with one faculty member for eye,'y ten to fifteen students. Tuition of S-W.OO it -month is asked, Thus with extremely flexible planning, supcrviscd by practical teach- ing foremamhip, and impired by design ex- perts. the prog:re~s of studcnts will move steadih- from apprentice~hip to the status of producing craft:'men. Each phase of training and work experience will contribute to the stu- dent's understanding of why he is acquiring craft :,kins, ,,-hat their place is in our time, and how to employ tho;;e ;;kills in )!ainful occu- pa tiOIlS,

Each Traininl-' Centn of the School for Ameri- can CraftslIlclI is planned not olll~' as a training unit. but ai' an active producing group, These first groups will hccome thc nucleus of a far reaching production plan J)Cillp; developed as this pamphlet i;: \\Tittel1 in '[arch 19-1S. \VhCll they arc in operation the full pattern of an ideal craft program for American craft~l11en will be achicyed throup;h the work of the Erlnca- tional COllncil. til(' Production Gronps, allu the mat'ketin!! operati(Jll~ of the Coopct'ativc Council.

TJ-JE FUTURE

\~ihat of the futllre"? 'Vhat 1I111,t ~till he [lone to e;;tah1i;;h tIl{' Hand :\rt~ 011(,[' 1I10re firtn1v in

9

the lives of the American public? ,rhat mcans must be employed? Fair questions which must be asked if public support j, to be had. The Directors of the Coopcrative and Educational Councils offer the following program a;; their answer.

Fit'st and foremost all existing COlllleil activi- ties will be continued with increasing: efficiency as understanding of the problems involvcd be- comes grea tel', and the end of the 'nl r relaxes personnel difficulties and the flow of materials and supplies become 11ormal. CRAFT HORlzo:\"s will be enlarged and become a greater educa- tional force. New America House ullits will be opened in key cities of the United States and so increase the marketing opportunities of crafts- men and the knowledge of American Hand A 1't5

on the part of the public. Exhibitions will be continued at a high level. A national exhibition of the Hand Arts of America to be held at the Metropolitan Museulll of Art i, planned for shortly after the war. The potentialities of the School for American Craftsmen anrl the Produc- tion Groups will be carefully developed.

An open mind will be the keynote of polic~­

so that the ehan~illg conditions which the future will bring mav be )]wt with wisdom alld fore- sight.

The Councili' ask for the support of thl' public on their past record alld present policie;;;. Th(·\"

ask them to join through melllhel'ship and con- tributions to the Educational Council and in active participation in a progralll through which the Hand Arts will attain their ri;rhtflll lasting place in the World of Tomorrow.

AMERICAN CRAFTSMEN'S EDUCATIONAL COUNCIL, Inc.

J1PTIl bers/z ips

Annual ... S 5.00 Assoeia!e~ .......... S25.00 Su;;taininp: ... 10.00 Patrons ... .

10