A while back, I started doing peer reviews for Humanities and Social Science Communications.
The first paper I reviewed was about Marx. The paper said that Marx said that the social outsider has to change the system to become part of it. It was no mere coincidence that I was given this paper to read. I am the outsider, and I must change the system to fulfill my inherited legacy, which involves being the custodian of the hundreds of original molds for classic slip cast designs created by my family business, Andersen Design, as well as the brand name and the national and international base of collectors.
But most importantly, it’s the philosophy. Andersen Design was established in response to its time, which was still a response to the Industrial Revolution and the replacement of Cottage Industry manufacturing with industrial factories. My Dad grew up on a farm in Iowa at a time when corporations were taking over farms. In response, he created a business in a home, very similar to a farm, but designing and making ceramics. Instead of the conventional decorating techniques, he let the artist’s individualized hand be a part of the process. Instead of static glazes predictable for production, he designed the ceramic bodies and glazes himself and made them fluid and interactive. My mother created repeatable decorative patterns that interacted with individual artists’ hands to create functional forms and wildlife sculptures in which no two are ever alike.
To day I cojntinue the tradition in the context of our times. Follow the story and join in.