Reading 7

   The article, “Homer, Ceramics, and the Marketplace Anxieties”, gives a brief
history of ceramics.  Not having as stable a history as painting, of which it was
compared, I felt that Bernard Leach was its main drawback.  When he unethically
stated that pieces should be affordable and then went to Japan and sold pieces for

higher prices, he set back potters, ceramists, and sculptors in marketability, and
divided the community.  The ceramic field is slowly coming into its own, but
variable pricing still impacts.  People in the field vary their pricing standards. 
Those who sell low hurt those selling higher, which comes across as a lack of
uniformity and cohesiveness in the field, leading to uncertainty of the value of
the field as a whole.

   Anyone starting out in this career should have a good day job, and work their way
towards a full time career in ceramics because of the market as it is today.  With
established artists crossing over from other fields, competition becomes stiffer.

To do well the individual has to market themselves.  It’s no longer good enough to just
make and sell.