American Craft Enterprises has changed it’s rules to exclude from
participation in it’s only West Coast show all craftspeople who do
not wholesale or whose wholesale policies aren’t “standard”. Most,
if not all of ACE events support the retail artist as well as those
who wholesale. I don’t believe ACE has another show with this
exclusion.
What impact does that have on the choices and impressions of the
west coast retail customer?
Should they believe that an individual craftsman doing one-of
-a-kind work is no longer valid or available?
That attending a craft show will provide little they can’t find at a
shop or gallery?
If so, then what affect will that have on retail attendance to
future shows?
What impact does that have on development of young artists on the
West Coast?
What message of respect/disrespect does that send about it’s support
of artists who chose not to wholesale (or, at least not to wholesale
in a “standard” way) for whatever reason?
I wanted to send these questions to American Craft Magazine and to
American Craft Enterprises but I couldn’t find an email address for
either
Comments?
Marianne Hunter