Interview with Jamison Brumm, September 15, 2009

Partial Transcript: The interviewer is Amanda Fickey and the interviewee is Jamison Brumm with the Sheltowee Artisans.

Segment Synopsis: Brumm talks about her early life and attending college at Virginia Tech for education before moving to several states with her family until they settled in Somerset in Eastern Kentucky. She discusses how she became involved in the crafts industry after taking pottery classes and started selling products at art and craft fairs. Brumm describes how she transitioned from making pottery to porcelain jewelry and later fabric and silk jewelry in the microwave.

Keywords: Art classes; Belt buckles; Children; Craft industry; Craftspeople; Education; Marriage; Microwave; Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Virginia Tech

Subjects: Art fairs.; Artisans; Craft festivals.; Handicraft.; Jewelry making.; Kentucky.; Porcelain jewelry; Pottery.; Textile jewelry.

Partial Transcript: Now will you talk a little bit about the jewelry that you make now?

Segment Synopsis: Brumm talks about shifting from fabric and silk jewelry to aluminum jewelry because more minimalistic jewelry began to become popular in the 1990s. She discusses how she was able to gain success in the crafts market through aluminum jewelry and has been working in that type of jewelry-making ever since. Brumm also talks about her work in the Kentucky craft industry, how she got into participating in arts and craft fairs, and receiving help from the Kentucky Craft Marketing Program.

Keywords: Aluminum jewelry; Craft industry; Craftspeople; Fabric jewelry; Kentucky Craft Marketing Program; Minimalistic jewelry

Subjects: Art fairs.; Artisans; Craft festivals.; Handicraft.; Jewelry making.; Kentucky.; Textile jewelry.

Partial Transcript: And so I guess that's going to be a good segue for me to start asking you, I know you work with a lot of local artists here in Somerset and Monticello and with regional artists in Eastern Kentucky in general.

Segment Synopsis: Brumm talks about the various positions that she has held in the Kentucky craft industry, such as ones with the Kentucky Craft Marketing Program and the Kentucky Guild. She discusses helping to found a craft group known as the Sheltowee Artisans and its mission, which is to provide different types of assistance to craftspeople throughout Kentucky and places near the state's borders.

Keywords: Craft guilds; Craft industry; Craftspeople; Help; Kentucky Craft Marketing Program; Kentucky Guild; Relationships; Sheltowee Artisans

Subjects: Art fairs.; Artisans; Craft festivals.; Handicraft.; Jewelry making.; Kentucky.

Partial Transcript: So through the evolution of the Sheltowee Artisans, what are different ways that you've worked with crafters?

Segment Synopsis: Brumm talks about the different ways that the Sheltowee Artisans worked with craftspeople, which included mentoring, providing advice in monthly meetings, helping host events that benefited crafters, and creating a relief fund for health care and loss. She describes how the Sheltowee Artisans encourages craftspeople to be self-reliant and has not directly gone to craft shows and set up art work on behalf of the artists.

Keywords: Advice; Craft guilds; Craft industry; Craftspeople; Meetings; Mentoring; Relief fund; Self-reliance; Sheltowee Artisans

Subjects: Art fairs.; Artisans; Craft festivals.; Handicraft.; Kentucky.

Partial Transcript: So one more question to add to that.

Segment Synopsis: Brumm talks about the process of opening the Sheltowee Artisan Co-op Art Shop in the Carnegie Community Art Center and finding members for the shop. She discusses the ways that everyone is equal in the art shop and have to work together to maintain it. Brumm describes the payment process for purchases in the store and how the artisans get paid for their pieces that are sold.

Keywords: Carnegie Community Art Center; Cooperative; Craft guilds; Craft industry; Craftspeople; Payments; Relationships; Sheltowee Artisan Co-op Art Shop; Sheltowee Artisans

Subjects: Artisans; Craft shops; Handicraft.; Kentucky.

Partial Transcript: Okay, so money for supplies in the store, is that--how do you have additional income flow beyond just paying the rent?

Segment Synopsis: Brumm talks about how each member of the Sheltowee Artisan Co-op Art Shop contributes money for maintaining the store. She discusses how the members decided to operate the store in a completely consensual manner and how every cooperative art shop needs to find its own balance instead of following a strict approach. Brumm also describes how the Sheltowee Artisans is a loosely organized group without formal positions, but now needs to create a more formal structure because it is seeking designation as a non-profit organization.

Keywords: Consensual; Consensus; Cooperative; Craft guilds; Craft industry; Craftspeople; Informal structure; Leadership; Relationships; Sheltowee Artisan Co-op Art Shop; Sheltowee Artisans

Subjects: Artisans; Craft shops; Handicraft.; Kentucky.; Nonprofit organizations.

Partial Transcript: Just to go back to the topic of approaches and what the Guild has been doing with artists and I certainly think that the shop's a benefit to those artists who can join and be a part of the shop.

Segment Synopsis: Brumm talks about other ways that the Sheltowee Artisans have helped craftspeople and promoted their work, such as encouraging everyone to have a website and sharing information on website creation and design. She discusses how the Sheltowee Artisans have created a booth displaying members of the guild's work at larger art and craft fairs. Brumm also mentions that the Sheltowee Artisans share information and resources related to selling work at shops, art shows, and local events.

Keywords: Craft guilds; Craft industry; Craftspeople; Help; Information sharing; Networks; Promotion; Resources; Sheltowee Artisans; Websites

Subjects: Art fairs.; Artisans; Craft festivals.; Craft shops; Handicraft.; Kentucky.

Partial Transcript: To, to transition from that, I'm really interested in the crafters that you're working with, and I have some specific questions that I want to ask you about those crafters, and they don't have to just be within the guild, but within the region of Eastern Kentucky.

Segment Synopsis: Brumm talks about how she never personally worked with a male crafter, and in both the Sheltowee Artisans and the region of eastern Kentucky as a whole there seems to be more female artisans. She discusses the smaller number of male artisans and the types of crafts that they typically engage in. Brumm explains the reasons that she thinks that the Sheltowee Artisans is a little more female than the craft guilds in urban areas and that there are a much higher number of women in leadership roles in the regional craft industry.

Keywords: Craft guilds; Craft industry; Craftspeople; Eastern Kentucky; Gender composition; Leadership; Rural areas; Sheltowee Artisans; Urban areas

Subjects: Artisans; Gender.; Handicraft.; Kentucky.

Partial Transcript: The next question I'm interested in is a question of income. So when you think about Guild membership, do most of the artists that are--or crafters that are guild members, is this a primary source of income?

Segment Synopsis: Brumm talks about how the Sheltowee Artisans is approximately equally divided between artisans who are full-time and acquire their primary income through their craft work and artisans who work part-time and have other sources of income. She discusses how most of the part-time craftspeople desire to become self-sufficient artisans. Brumm talks about how, in both the Sheltowee Artisans and the region of Eastern Kentucky, there is a mix of those who engage in traditional and contemporary types of crafts. She also explains that the Sheltowee Artisans encourages its members to work at the level that they want and the guild just wants to help them reach their goals.

Keywords: Contemporary crafts; Craft guilds; Craft industry; Craftspeople; Eastern Kentucky; Goals; Location; Primary income; Secondary income; Self-sufficiency; Sheltowee Artisans; Traditional crafts

Subjects: Art fairs.; Artisans; Craft festivals.; Handicraft.; Income; Kentucky.

Partial Transcript: And for the Guild members, when you have guidelines for membership, what is the issue with traditional methods versus equipment?

Segment Synopsis: Brumm talks about how the Sheltowee Artisans mainly want its members to work on hand-crafted products and how the group has not had an issue with one of its artisans creating items that are too mass produced. She describes how the craft industry is an important part of the Eastern Kentucky regional economy because of the need for jobs and the ease with which a person can become involved in the industry. Brumm also mentions some successful examples of craft organizations in Eastern Kentucky and her opinion on the ideal role of a craft guild.

Keywords: Craft guilds; Craft industry; Craftspeople; Eastern Kentucky; Economy; Guidelines; Ideal role; Mass produced; Sheltowee Artisans

Subjects: Artisans; Handicraft.; Income; Kentucky.

Partial Transcript: Do you feel that the craft industry within the region of Eastern Kentucky, but within the state as a whole, do you feel that it's strong and that it's going in the right direction, and what do you think some concerns of the future might be?

Segment Synopsis: Brumm talks about how the craft industry in Eastern Kentucky is fairly strong and has a lot of people who support it, but there is not a large amount of money in the industry. She explains that she is concerned about the future of the craft industry because sustaining it once the dedicated leaders like herself pass away will become a problem. Brumm discusses how the craft industry is currently an older person's career choice and there is generally a lack of younger craftspeople, but that she thinks a younger generation will eventually take over the industry.

Keywords: Changing generations; Craft guilds; Craft industry; Craftspeople; Eastern Kentucky; Leadership; Money; Problems

Subjects: Artisans; Handicraft.; Kentucky.