FROM
THE DESK OF OUR EDITOR
Hi
there! If it seems like we haven’t been in touch for awhile,
well. . .we haven’t. Your Editor (that would be me), spent part of February in the
hospital with pneumonia and influenza, and liked it so much (ha ha) he returned
there at the end of April for triple bypass surgery. Thanks to exceptional
health care (and the ministrations of “Nurse Hank”), I’m doing well, and
zooming down the road to recovery (knock on wood!)
Anyway,
hospital stays and recuperation meant no CAS
Collectors Quarterly for awhile. But we’re back
at it, with plenty of goodies in this issue which will hopefully make up for
the time away! There’s all the info on the WPA Show & Sale and
our CAS Collectors Informal Dinner, both set for August 23rd
in
So what are you waiting for?
Settle back with a cold one, and enjoy the Summer issue of CAS Collectors Quarterly.
(As
for me, I think it’s time for yet another cardio rehab session. Or a pill. Can
never remember which!)
AND
THE WINNER WAS. . .
In
the “
“Lots
of folks say I have a radiant expression. Well, that’s how it is with new
mothers. I’m wearing my pink robe today, but sometimes I change to my white or
blue one. Uh-oh. Have to sign off. Time to feed the
Baby!”
Our
first correct answer came courtesy of Sheri Knepl,
who responded “the Madonna with Child.” For her winning efforts, Sheri
selected our 2012 Commemorative, the CAS Travel Mug. Congrats, Sheri!
AND
THE NEXT CONTEST IS. . .
This
issue’s “CAS Trivia Contest” query is right in tune. Here are the clues.
“We’ve
been making beautiful music together for quite some time now. . .but we never
seem to get any older! Who are we?”
Think you know the answer? Well,
of course you do! As always, you’ll find the solution included somewhere within the articles of this
issue. Once you’ve located it, rush your response to Editor Don Johnson (donaldbrian@msn.com).
The lucky winner will receive a Convention Commemorative of his or her choice.
(Check the Classified listings, to see what’s available.) Who will it
be? Maybe you!
SNOW SURFERS
Well sure it’s summer. . .but try
telling that to Winter Willie and the assortment of Pixies cavorting
over the snowbank on the cover of this issue! Thanks to Jan Jaworski for
catching them in the act, and sending in the photo.
Just the thing to help us beat the summer heat!
WE’RE EVERYWHERE!
Did you see Pamela Anderson in The
Last Showgirl, her acclaimed 2024 movie? In one scene, she’s studying her
face in the mirror. The camera pans across the piles of this and that filling
her vanity shelves. Pretty much what you’d expect. . .until the camera zeroes
in on the CAS Ballet Dancer Man & Woman gracing one shelf. They’re
not in the best shape (the Man seems to be missing a leg) – but then, by
that time, neither is Pam’s character. But hey – CAS finally made it into a
movie!
CAS also makes occasional appearances in
non-Studio-related promotions. Check out the photo on the cover. It’s from the
booklet Parties With Purpose, illustrating a
soup supper with an Asian theme. And there, front and
center, are Ting-A-Ling & Sung-Tu. The booklet came out in 1949, the
same year the CAS duo made its debut. Then and now, Ceramic Arts Studio
continues to add some “pop” to pop culture!
LETTERS, WE GET
LETTERS
It’s always a treat to hear from our
readers, especially those who have some connection to Ceramic Arts Studio. Recent
correspondence from Barbara Unger of
“My aunt Bertha Wagner worked at Ceramic
Arts Studio when I was young. In October, 1993, my
cousin said there was going to be a Ceramic Arts show at the Arena in
Bertha is listed in the “Glazers and
Waxers” employee category, on page 58 of Ceramic Arts Studio: The Legacy of
Betty Harrington. Barbara ordered a copy of the book to take a trip down “
SEE
YOU IN
President
Hank and Your Editor will be staffing the CAS table at the WPA Show &
Sale on August 23rd in
WE
WANT YOU!
You’ve
probably figured out by now that your CAS Collectors Quarterly doesn’t
write itself. We want (and need) you! Included with this mailing is a “Chat
Room” form. Just fill it out and send it (with a photo of your choice, if you
have one), and we’ll feature you in an upcoming issue! Plus, if you have a
favorite antique mall or shop in your part of the world, jot down some notes
about it, and send those (along with a brochure or flyer, if available), and
we’ll take it from there, for an upcoming “Antique Mall of the Quarter”
article. Emails can be sent to Editor Don: (donaldbrian@msn.com)
or mailed to: Donald-Brian Johnson,
We’ll
be crossing our fingers in hopes of your contributions, and
offering our thanks in advance!
FROM
A DECORATOR’S KITCHEN
A
highlight of CAS Collectors Quarterly has always been a mouthwatering
recipe from one of our favorite CAS decorators, Marlys Wilkinson!
During
their years at CAS, Marlys and her co-workers exchanged many recipes, which
we’ve included in previous newsletters. After awhile,
those ran out – but Marlys was kind enough to provide us with additional
delicious recipes from her own kitchen, plus tried-and-true recipes from
favorite cookbooks and magazines. For this issue, we’ve selected a quick and
easy summertime refresher from one of her favorites, Dining With The
BIG
MARY’S LOW-CAL FRUIT SALAD
1
can (30 oz.) fruit cocktail (drained well)
1
apple (red Delicious), cored and cut in pieces
1
banana, peeled and cut in pieces
1
peach, peeled and cut in pieces
1
small bunch green or red grapes, halved and pitted
Orange
juice (any frozen brand, made according to package directions)
Place
fruit in a pretty glass bowl, and cover with orange
juice. Chill and serve.
Now that’s
a recipe I call heart-healthy! Enjoy!
. .
.and enjoy your Summer edition of CAS Collectors
Quarterly!
Donald-Brian
Johnson
Editor
REMEMBERING REUBEN
By Donald-Brian
Johnson
Reuben Sand, founder of Ceramic Arts Studio, died on October 21, 2005 of double pneumonia. As per his wishes, Mr. Sand’s ashes were distributed in Half Moon Bay, near his San Mateo, California home. On November 4th, Reuben Sand would have celebrated his 90th birthday.
The story of Mr. Sand and the Studio has, over the years, been told so many times that it has assumed the status of familiar legend. How, in 1940, Reuben and potter Lawrence Rabbitt teamed up to turn a deserted lean-to on Madison’s Blount Street into the loftily-named “Ceramic Arts Studio”. How the Studio’s early hand-thrown pots met with little success (and how many of them leaked!) How a chance meeting in 1941 with the amazing designer Betty Harrington led Reuben and the Studio in an entirely new direction—the creation of figural ceramics. And how, thanks to Betty’s talent for design, and Reuben’s talent for production and marketing, the little lean-to in Madison soon became the nation’s top supplier of decorative ceramics.
What’s often forgotten is just how young Reuben Sand was when he embarked on his CAS venture—only 25. And, while collectors see the Studio years—from 1940 until 1955—as an endless source of study and enjoyment, for Reuben Sand this was just one stop along the way, in a long and successful life and career.
That may be why, for many years, Mr. Sand resisted the urge to reminisce about Studio days—he had, after all, done so much more! Collectors were overjoyed when, in 1993, Reuben agreed to travel to Madison for the first-ever comprehensive Ceramic Arts Studio exhibit, sponsored by the Wisconsin Pottery Association. A touching, final reunion between entrepreneur Reuben and designer Betty was a highlight of the occasion. Then it was back to California, and on with life.
When it came time to begin work on our book Ceramic Arts Studio: The Legacy of Betty Harrington, my co-authors and I felt it was extremely important to include current commentary by the man who started it all—Reuben Sand. We already had, thanks to Betty Harrington’s diligence, and the generosity of her family, extensive materials documenting her part of the story. Thanks to CAS researcher Roseann Lindner, we also had detailed recollections by Lawrence Rabbitt. We’d spoken with many past Studio workers. What we needed was Reuben.
Every several weeks, I called and left a message at the contact number I’d been given. For months there was no response. Then one morning, the phone rang. I picked it up, and a deep, somewhat gravelly voice said, “This is Reuben Sand. Why do you keep calling me?”
I explained who I was, and the project I was working on. There was a pause, then Reuben began to express his doubts. He’d “been interviewed before”; they “always got it wrong”; they “never asked the right questions” and “never let him read it first”.
This went on for awhile. When there was a lull, I assured him that we had something different in mind. We planned on using his comments in the first person, just as he conveyed them, editing only for length or repetition. He would see the material before it went to print, and would have the right to correct (or delete) anything inaccurate.
Another pause. I could tell he was considering the idea. Then he continued: “What if my comments don’t agree with what other people say?”
“Well,” I replied, “folks will have the opportunity to read both, and can make up their own minds.”
Whether that did the trick (or whether he was just tired of talking to me), Mr. Sand agreed. I was to send him a list of the questions I would be asking. He would call me at a set date and time, and answer those (and only those) questions. “And I want a transcript.”
“No problem,”, I said, (instantly hoping to avail myself of Roseann Lindner’s transcription talents).
And so it began. On the set day, at the set time, the phone rang. I switched on the recorder. “Hello. This is Reuben Sand. Question number one---Donald-Brian Johnson asks. . . . Question number one---Reuben Sand replies. . . .”
Oh boy, I thought. Is this going to be tedious. But I’d put together what I felt were some pretty good questions, and at least we’d have those first-person responses, even if they were being read from a carefully prepared script.
I tuned back in, just as Reuben was intoning a very lengthy explanation of how he met Larry Rabbitt, and determined to start a business. “We found an empty lean-to at 12 North Blount Street that was 50 feet long by 25 feet wide, and at the time was used for storing rebars. . .”
“What are rebars?” I interrupted, in spite of myself.
“That’s not on the question list,” said Reuben, and continued: “Lawrence wanted the name of the pottery to be called the ‘Ceramic Arts Studio’. . .”
“Why?”
“I answer that in question number 5.”
“Oh”.
There was a pause. “But I suppose I might as well talk about it now. Larry had been making a few items such as ashtrays and bowls and little pots, and fashioned himself to be working in a ‘studio’—had sort of a nice ring to it—an ‘arts studio’. I simply said, ‘if you think that is a good name, OK’. Later on, people wondered how this ‘arts studio’ was kicking out thousands of pieces—there must have been a lot of artists hard at work!”
He chuckled, off script, and enjoying the recollection. From that moment on, the question-and answer list was forgotten, and the memories poured forth fast and furious.
This was just the first of many wonderful phone conversations I had with Reuben Sand. Over the next several years, we’d talk on a regular basis. Sometimes I’d call, to make sure I was explaining a particular facet of Studio life correctly. Sometimes he’d call, to clarify or expand on a previous response, or to tell me to look for “a package on its way” (thanks to Reuben, original Studio catalogs, copyrights, photos, and the like soon added to our treasure trove of research material.)
Sometimes, one or the other of us would call “just to talk”. And, true to my word, I always kept a transcript.
When our book was ready for print, I sent Reuben’s sections to him, as promised, for his approval. He was effusive in his praise, offering few corrections, and asking only for the elimination of one brief anecdote. (An early CAS worker had an unhealthy fondness for knives and other sharp objects. Reuben had found the story amusing when he first told it to me, but now thought it might be best removed. “Who knows?”, he said, “that girl may still be around. And she may still have those knives!”)
Basking in Mr. Sand’s praise, I couldn’t resist adding, “and your words are just as you said them—I’m sure you checked the transcripts.”
“Oh”, replied Reuben, “I never read those. I just wanted to see if you would keep your promise.”
Reuben Sand was easily one of the most fascinating, entertaining people I’ve met in my life—and I never even had the opportunity to meet him in person! Imagine the response he must have evoked in those who knew him and worked with him first-hand. Over and over in my research for our book, I would encounter former Studio workers who would describe Reuben as “the best boss”, and CAS as “the best job ever”. Somebody was doing something right—and that somebody was Reuben Sand.
I once asked Reuben if he ever gave much thought to the Studio “legacy”. A moment or two went by, and then he said, “You know, one of my biggest worries used to be that two thousand years from now some geologist would be digging, and nothing could be found but Ceramic Arts Studio figurines. And the pundits of the time would say, ‘in the years 1940-1960 or so, this was the state of the civilization that existed.’ A pretty good state though. Better than a lot of things they could be digging up. You know, I have so many fond memories of Ceramic Arts Studio and those I worked with. They were all solid, wonderful people. I guess I am just one of the luckiest guys in the world.”
We were the lucky ones, Reuben. Our thanks, for a life well-lived.
