The inspiring and ever-youthful ceramicist and Professor Emeritus of Art Bill Daley was the keynote speaker at our inaugural meeting last May 13. Bill spoke from his heart and many years of experience, commending the group present for their desire to build a community and create a dialogue with people of common interests and goals. He talked of his own early involvement with the National Council.
For Education in the Ceramic Arts, (NCECA) and how much that group has grown and evolved, while playing a major role in the education of its members and the public at large. Using a multitude of parables and metaphors, Bill prodded, inspired, and convinced us that what we were beginning was worthwhile and will make a difference in the years to come.
It may seem remote, but there is an opportunity for us furniture folk to contribute simply by making public our day-to-day struggles and documenting and sharing the results. You know-build it and they will come. Providing a strong educational base for all, young and old, professional and amateur, leads to a greater interest overall and increased appreciation for the thoughtfully wrought furniture object.
At a pivotal point in his talk, Bill turned to the poster boards we had used to identify and prioritize our needs and our interests. Marketing was obviously high on our list. Without chiding us, he made us rethink this issue from a larger perspective. It's tempting to focus on promotion, advertising, and business practices to solve those pesky economic problems we all have. But marketing, he promised, would take care of itself if we concentrate on the more fundamental, more powerful issue of education. And education, he pointed out, is easiest and has the greatest, longest- lasting effect on young people. It is leveraging to introduce young people to craft, art, handwork, and a creative relationship with the objects and furnishings of daily life. Don't ignore immediate, practical needs and solutions, he said. But know that our greatest impact will be with outreach programs in high schools, demonstrations for the public and illuminating explorations into the philosophy and psychology of design, aesthetics, and quality. With this long-term vision, perhaps we can duplicate the success of NCECA and influence the coming generations of collectors, gallery operators, curators, and most importantly the general public.
Bill Daley's talk reinforced what we already knew, that a community is stronger than the individual and that together we will all travel farther and faster.
(Report on William Daly's keynote address to The Furniture Society meeting held in conjunction with the Philadelphia Furniture Show).
