In 2018, AMCAW was started by a handful of metal clay artists who had a vision for uniting and supporting the international metal clay community. Two of the original board members, who sat down with the organization’s three founders and a few others to begin to craft AMCAW from nothing six years ago, are retiring from our leadership team this year.
Julia Rai and Robert Dancik joined AMCAW’s first board of directors and took early leadership roles in the fall of 2018. Julia created the artist challenges, initiated the annual print publication of a calendar, created the Superbly Sintered exhibition, and most recently chaired SINTER24. Robert served on the Curating team, presented at both SINTER events, and is perhaps best known for creating the stunning museum-quality exhibition displays for Superbly Sintered, with each display tailored for the displayed item.
Also retiring is Martha Vaughan, who joined by the end of 2018 to lead the Marketing and Communications team. We sat down with all three and asked them to share some of their memories and thoughts with us.
It’s no surprise that all three were recruited by Lis-el Crowley! “My journey with AMCAW began one fateful day when Lis-el asked me to lunch,” says Robert. “She had invited me under the pretense of wanting to ask a few questions about some local arts organizations. It soon became evident that this was not the case. Within 20 minutes, I had been invited, persuaded, and cajoled into being on the board of this nascent organization. Before I left her that day, I had also promised to aid her in enlisting people I thought might be good candidates to serve the cause!”
Julia was similarly recruited. “At one of the You Can Make It events in the UK, Lis-el told me about this idea that she and some friends had for an organization for metal clay artists. I was very skeptical about whether there was actually a need for it at all. With the advent of YouTube and social media, metal clay artists had started connecting in a more organic way. I couldn’t imagine why anyone would pay to join an organization to learn about metal clay, but Lis-el kept on at me to be part of it so I told her that I would only join if I could be the voice of doom, the devil’s advocate, the thorn in the side of any overzealous ideas being presented. She said that was what was needed, they already had enthusiastic people on the team but someone with a pragmatic and questioning approach would be a good balance. And so, I joined the board in 2018 on that basis and volunteered to chair the Curating team and also serve on a couple of other teams operating in areas in which I felt I had some knowledge and experience.”
Martha met Lis-el Crowley at the 2018 MCAS. “I was attending my very first metal clay event and heard Lis-el talk with enthusiasm about this new organization. Lis-el later cornered me at a reception (as she did most of the attendees!) and asked me to volunteer. AMCAW was in its infancy, with work just beginning on a logo, branding, etc. As I had retired from a long career in marketing, this sounded like fun! And it was. Within a few weeks, I was knee-deep in fonts and designs and writing our communications.”
“One of the first things we established in the Curating team was the artist challenges which launched with the Flash and Fire Challenge in Spring 2019,” says Julia. “I had always believed that challenging yourself to step outside your comfort zone was a great way to grow as a person and as an artist. Giving members the chance to win substantial prizes and have their work evaluated by experts was one of the first member benefits offered by AMCAW.
“The Curating Team also introduced the Calendar of Exceptional Work which gave artists a chance to have their work juried into a printed publication. The first one was the 2020 calendar.
“The other major thing I led was the establishment of member-only tutorials. AMCAW had offered the Flash and Fire Tutorial Collection as an incentive to become a member when it launched. In early 2020, having taken over the Member Engagement team, I felt that having some tutorials written by well-known and established metal clay artists would complement the more factual articles in the Learning Centre. If we could make these exclusive to AMCAW, we could really offer something special to members.
Robert used his connections to help connect AMCAW with key artists working in metal clay as well as other mediums. “I set about to seek out other artists that I knew were working in metal clay and to run the idea of AMCAW past them to see if they would be interested in becoming part of the organization or adding to the cause in some other way,” says Robert. “In addition to metal clay artists, I also contacted other artists who, while not working in metal clay, might have some thoughts concerning the best way to establish this new group and position it in the larger context of makers.
“Along with artists, I also contacted people I knew in various art organizations and arts venues. I had been fortunate enough to serve on the boards of a number of these arts organizations and venues. So, in an attempt to avoid some of the possible pitfalls in starting a new artistic endeavor such as AMCAW, I began to seek advice from folks who held various positions in other organizations and gain knowledge of where to look further for more advice and who might be the best people from whom to get this advice.
“Once AMCAW was established, I agreed to serve on whatever committees Lis-el and others thought might be most appropriate for me.”
Martha helped create and develop the AMCAW brand. “Wendy McManus (one of the three founders of AMCAW) had already started working with a designer on the logo and had an initial set of designs. Together we worked to refine it, select specific colors for the gold, silver and copper, select fonts, write usage specifications, and create a brand kit. It was great fun to bring the brand to life in emails, social media posts, and more. By that time, I had the help of some wonderful team members to make it all happen, and we spent hours and hours in Zoom meetings to collaborate and make sure everything got done.
“Now we produce frequent newsletters and almost daily social media posts to keep our members informed and to reach artists just discovering metal clay. We have almost 3,000 followers on our main page, and it’s steadily growing.”
“I think it’s seeing people realise that AMCAW is a business, not someone’s hobby or vanity project,” says Julia. “When AMCAW launched, I had many people contact me to ask about it, mainly because they knew I was a sceptic about member organisations.
“It took a few years for people to see that AMCAW meant business and was run with rigor and rules and when we got the official 501(c)(3) non-profit status, it meant we were here for the long haul.”
Martha agrees. “The original team was really very small, and as a result it was run much like a start-up with a small group working fast and furiously doing everything, but still professionally organized from the start. Often we had great ideas but no manpower to work on them! Now the organization has six years under its belt, more than fifty volunteers, and has successfully moved to a sustainable business model with lots of room to grow in the future. We are now able to tackle some of those great ideas.”
“I believe the most significant change in AMCAW since its beginnings has been the size of the organization,” says Robert. “I don’t mean the general membership, but rather the number of people who are on the board, volunteers, and people involved in the ever-expanding offerings online and in real-time and space. It is only with the aid of so many people working together that AMCAW has been able to grow into the premier metal clay organization that it is.”
It’s unanimous: the people! “For me, being an artist is often a very isolated and solitary endeavor,” Robert says. “Most days I sit in my studio working on projects and occasionally visit, or am visited by, other artists or folks interested in what I’m doing. Being part of AMCAW has allowed me to meet, work, play, fret, brainstorm, commiserate, and succeed with other like-minded artists. I get to hear about what others are doing and see the fruits of their labors that manifest in objects, writings, and conversations.”
Julia agrees: “I’ve enjoyed meeting lots of new people that I may not have met had I not been part of AMCAW.”
“Metal clay people are simply the best,” adds Martha. “They’re creative, fun, and passionate about metal clay. Most of us are at the age when life events tend to happen, and when someone has to step back for a time for a personal reason, their team members step up to cover for them. I know people all over the world that I count as friends. Our Marketing and Communications meetings cross almost half the world’s time zones: when we meet, members in the Pacific Northwest have just gotten up and are having their first cups of tea, while another in Eastern Europe is dressed up and ready to go to an evening concert!”
For Robert and Martha, those occurred at SINTER22. “As part of my duties on the curating committee, I volunteered to design and fabricate the display of all the accepted artwork to Sinter22,” says Robert. “I made a separate display for each piece customized to fit each piece and show it to its best advantage. I then assembled the show in place at the hotel where Sinter was taking place. My most fond memory was not making the display or finally getting it up in place, but rather, it was seeing the look on each artist’s face when they saw their piece in place in the show. Every artist thanked me for the way I fashioned their display and had taken pains to exhibit their work with the respect it deserved.”
“My favorite memory is getting to meet in person at SINTER22 all the people I’d been working closely with for four years but only in Zoom meetings,” says Martha. “There were lots of hugs as we met in person for the first time! Plus, I got some surprises: some people I had assumed were short towered over me in real life!”
Julia also has fond memories of both SINTER events, but says: “There are just too many to count! We’ve had lots of fun, some issues, some grief and some hurdles but through it all, we’ve kept going and built a strong foundation for AMCAW.”
All expressed great optimism for the future development of AMCAW. “I believe that AMCAW is about the only site where metal clay artists can get answers to questions about the field, show their work, come in contact with other metal clay artists, take classes, have access to free tutorials, and have a chance to meet up with other metal clay artists at a convention every 2 years,” says Robert.
“I hope that AMCAW can continue with everything they are doing presently with all the various offerings and opportunities for folks working in metal clay. My only concern is that it doesn’t get so large that the original intent of the organization – to promote metal clay artistry – becomes diluted or even lost.”
Julia adds: “I hope the organization engages with the instructors who support new metal clay enthusiasts all over the world as these are the people who really need to buy into AMCAW. There are lots of good ideas for supporting and encouraging instructors already fleshed out within AMCAW, it just needs someone with the passion, time and organisational ability to lead it. In my mind, this is the highest priority AMCAW has at the moment and it’s the thing that has the potential to raise AMCAW’s membership and profile exponentially if it’s done right.”
Martha agrees with the emphasis on reaching out to and engaging instructors and adds: “With the whole world placing emphasis on earth-friendly sourcing these days, now is a great time for metal clay to shine. AMCAW can be a strong voice for metal clay as a medium, and help artists discover and use it. We need to provide resources for the beginner and the instructor alike so wherever you are in your metal clay journey, you’ll find the help you need to advance at AMCAW.”
We also asked the three retiring volunteers for any final thoughts or advice they’d like to share, and the responses we got were terrific! You’ll be excited to read them in Part Two, this coming December 31.
