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♪ MUSIC ♪
KEYSER: I THINK WHAT'S
TRULY UNIQUE ABOUT THE SCHOOL
FOR AMERICAN CRAFTSMAN IS THAT
IN ONE PLACE YOU HAVE FOUR
DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES, ALL WITH
MAJOR PROGRAMS WHERE THE
STUDENTS MAJOR FROM THEIR
SOPHOMORE YEAR ON AND IT'S
SIGNIFICANT TIME IN THE STUDIO.
I THINK AILEEN WEBB HAD MANY
CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE WORLD OF
CRAFTS.
PERHAPS THE GREATEST WAS HER
VISION.
EARLY ON, BACK IN THE FORTIES,
SHE WAS PROMOTING HANDIWORK AND
TRYING TO HELP INDIVIDUAL
CRAFTSMAN MARKET THEIR WORK AND
SO SHE HAD THIS VISION, I
THINK, OF DOING THAT ON A
LARGER SCALE.
SMITH: MRS. WEBB WAS BORN INTO
A VERY RESPECTED HUDSON RIVER
VALLEY FAMILY, THE OSBORN
FAMILY.
SHE MARRIED INTO THE VANDERBILT
FAMILY AND WAS BROUGHT UP IN
WHAT MIGHT BE TERMED A VERY
PRIVILEGED ENVIRONMENT.
MEMBERS OF HER FAMILY WERE VERY
MUCH CONNECTED TO CULTURAL
ACTIVITIES SO FROM AN EARLY AGE
MRS. WEBB WAS EXPOSED TO THE
ARTS AND BECAME EXTREMELY
INTERESTED IN THEM.
AND IT WAS DURING THE
DEPRESSION THAT SHE SAW THE NEED
TO HELP PEOPLE WHO WERE OUT OF
WORK AND NEEDING TO EARN MONEY.
ROCHFORD: SHE DECIDED TO
ACTUALLY START UP THIS PUTNAM
COUNTY PRODUCTS, WHICH WAS A
LOCAL KIND OF CO OP WHERE PEOPLE
COULD BRING THE THINGS THEY
EITHER GREW OR MADE THROUGH
THEIR OWN HANDS. SHE ALMOST
RIGHT AWAY STARTED THINKING
ABOUT HOW CAN WE GET THIS WORK
INTO THE CITY, FINDING A RETAIL
OUTLET?
SHE ALSO HAD TO DO A LITTLE
CONVINCING OF THE PEOPLE OUT IN
THE CITY AND THE KIND OF
TRADITIONAL ART COLLECTORS THAT
THIS WAS REALLY ART WORTHY OF
THEIR ATTENTION AND WORTHY OF
REALLY THEIR PROTECTION IN THE
SENSE THAT SHE UNDERSTOOD THAT
THROUGH COLLECTING THESE THINGS
WERE PRESERVED.
SHE ALSO HAD TO EDUCATE THE
CRAFTSMAN TO UNDERSTAND WHAT
PEOPLE ON PARK AVENUE WERE
GOING TO BE ATTRACTED TO
PURCHASING.
SMITH: THEY FOUNDED THE
AMERICA HOUSE, WHICH WAS A SHOP
IN THE VERY SOPHISTICATED AREA
OF MANHATTAN FOR SELLING
HANDMADE WORK.
THEY DEVELOPED A SMALL GALLERY
SPACE FOR CHANGING EXHIBITIONS
AND IN 1956 THE MUSEUM OF
CONTEMPORARY CRAFTS WAS
LAUNCHED.
MRS. WEBB NEEDS TO BE CREDITED
AS A FOUNDER OF THE MUSEUM,
WHICH IS NOW LOCATED AT
COLUMBUS CIRCLE UNDER A NEW
NAME, THE MUSEUM OF ARTS AND
DESIGN.
ANOTHER VERY IMPORTANT RESULT
OF HER EXPANDING VISION WAS THE
FOUNDING OF A SCHOOL.
REALIZING THE NEED FOR TRAINING
YOUNG PEOPLE IN A PROFESSIONAL
WAY.
KEYSER: WITH THE INTENTION OF
PROVIDING TRAINING FOR
SERVICEMEN FROM WORLD WAR II
AS THEY RETURNED TO THE STATES
THAT THEY COULD OBTAIN TRAINING
IN THE CRAFTS AND WITH THE
POTENTIAL OF EARNING A LIVING,
SHE FOUNDED THE SCHOOL FOR
AMERICAN CRAFTS AT DARTMOUTH.
IT WAS THERE FOR A COUPLE OF
YEARS.
IN 1946 IT MOVED TO ALFRED
UNIVERSITY.
ROCHFORD: RIGHT ABOUT THE TIME
THAT THEY WERE REALIZING THAT
THEIR DAYS AT ALFRED WERE KIND
OF NUMBERED, SHE MET A MAN
NAMED MARK ELLINGSON WHO
CONTACTED HER AND SUGGESTED
THAT THERE MIGHT BE A HOME FOR
THE SCHOOL AT RIT.
SHE AND ELLINGSON HAD A VERY
CLOSE FRIENDSHIP, A VERY WARM
FRIENDSHIP FOR MANY YEARS.
SHE WAS VERY INVOLVED WITH THE
DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEW CAMPUS
WHEN RIT MOVED FROM DOWNTOWN
ROCHESTER TO HENRIETTA,
ELLINGSON TAPPED HER TO HELP
WITH THE PROJECT.
SHE HAD A REAL GIFT, HE NOTED,
FOR UNDERSTANDING WHAT PEOPLE
NEEDED AND UNDERSTANDING
HOW THE PEOPLE WHO WERE USING
THESE THINGS WOULD BE IMPACTED
BY HOW THEY WERE SET UP.
KEYSER: WHILE I WAS TEACHING,
AILEEN WEBB WAS INSPIRATIONAL
FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF
TEACHING PEOPLE TO POTENTIALLY
EARN A LIVING FROM THEIR CRAFT
AND THAT WAS AN INSPIRATION TO
ME THAT SHE HAD THAT VISION WAY
BACK WHEN AND HAD TAKEN STEPS TO
PROMOTE THAT.
SMITH: MRS. WEBB WAS TRULY AN
INNOVATOR AND CREATED MANY
INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS.
BUT I CONNECTED VERY MUCH WITH
CREATIVITY THAT TO EXPLORE AND
DEVELOP SOMETHING BEYOND WHAT
ALREADY EXISTS IN A NEW WAY OR
A NEW FORMAT IS VERY IMPORTANT.
OF COURSE INNOVATION IS VERY
MUCH RELATED TO SCIENCE,
BUT IT'S ALSO RELATED TO THE
ARTS AND ADMINISTRATION AND
ORGANIZATIONS AND I THINK IN
THIS CASE MRS. WEBB QUALIFIED IN
ALL THESE DIFFERENT AREAS.
ROCHFORD: I THINK IT'S VERY
HARD TO JUST SAY, "WELL,
INNOVATION IS WHEN YOU DO
SOMETHING NEW."
I THINK SOMETIMES IT CAN BE
VERY INNOVATIVE TO TAKE A STEP
BACK AND LOOK AT MAYBE A
SIMPLER WAY OR A MORE
TRADITIONAL WAY.
IT'S ALMOST JUST A BYPRODUCT OF
BEING PASSIONATE ABOUT
SOMETHING AND BEING COMMITTED
TO SEEING IT HAPPEN AND THEN
REALLY JUST FOLLOWING IT WHERE
IT TAKES YOU.
SO I THINK THAT IN A LARGE SENSE
IS WHAT SHE DID.
♪ MUSIC ♪