In article ,
dkat wrote:

snip

That is what I think this tread started on. The feeling that we as
a country do not value potters and that is relevant to the group. Or at
least I think it is.

DKat

This is so true. I made a lamp. The base was wheel formed and hand
built, then wood fired. The shade was my own design--executed by me
in stained glass. I did all the design work, glazing, hours on the
wood kiln, glass work, and wiring of the lamp. I paid for the
materials, time in the studio, and firing fees. I have a degree in art
from a good art school, plus I've been studying beyond art school for
years. Someone at work asked me if my lamp was for sale. I quoted a
price of $400, and this person was visibly shocked. I work with
mathematicians who would think nothing of charging 3 or 4 times as much
as that for the same amount of hours that they invest in one of their
research projects.

I think people have an idea that art doesn't need to be valued because
they think that anyone can do it. Or maybe that it doesn't have any
value in our fast moving technological world, where the bottom line
rules. Art represents the humanity in all of us, and that seems to be
an undervalued commodity all around.

Of course, the big question is, how do we turn this around?

Deb R.