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Conversations with Karin Kraemer

Today we’d like to introduce you to Karin Kraemer.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started as a Glassblower in college, in the early ’80s. I moved around and worked at glass studios, and then moved out to West Virginia. I wandered into clay there and later went to Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, where I received an MFA in Ceramics. I moved to British Columbia in 1996, and made art, and traveled all over the upper Northwest. 1998 brought my scientist husband and me back home to Minnesota in Duluth. I happily landed in the Duluth Art Institute’s clay studio, teaching and making my work for fine art fairs and galleries. It was a wonderful incubator and place to meet interesting folks in Duluth. I moved my studio to Superior, WI in 2001. The Duluth Pottery (Superior Division) had a space right on Hammond Avenue in the old Police Chief’s office. Later we moved to the other side of the building, connecting with the Red Mug.

The old City Hall (commonly known as the Red Mug Building) was developing and I was fortunate to work with a small group of artists to get interesting entities and events going there. We created the North End Arts Council then Superior Arts Council and brought funding, education, and professional opportunities to Superior and Northern Wisconsin Artists. The Red Mug Espresso coffeehouse was a great gathering place for everyone to eat, see art, and hear music. In 2017, I was needing more space for our growing business and started looking in Duluth for a building to move into. We are now at 1924 West Superior Street, in the heart of the Lincoln Park Crafts District. The gallery up front has my Maiolica art, Luke Krisak’s stoneware, and art by artists I know from the region. We also house the Warrior Princess Letterpress and Design. Janelle Turner-Miller and Stacie Renne do great wall art, cards, and custom printing on their historic presses. Their studio is in the back of our spot, just off Michigan Street. Our clay studio is wonderful for all we do! Luke and Karin make the cups for the Duluth Grill, and other restaurants and companies. We both make our own artwork and custom tile! We all love being in Lincoln Park, The community works well together here, and almost everything we need to make our art is right here!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Making a living in the Art world is challenging. You can teach, and this has some stability but doesn’t allow enough time to make art yourself. Also, there are not many positions that offer full-time work, and enough income to live on. I am really happy making things that people use, so being a potter is just right. You have to work at your small business, so all the challenges of doing that work go along with it. Being creative and making the work plus management, bookkeeping, advertising, searching for new opportunities, grant writing, and budgeting is a full-time job. The seasonal realities of weather, holidays and the changing economy make your year unpredictable. Artists have to budget like a farmer and make things stretch through the year. For example, when artists apply to shows for the year, it’s the way in advance of when they happen. So in the winter, we are waiting to hear what our schedule will be for the next year.

These last three years have been interesting. Everything is different than before, so we have all been creative and flexible with how to keep going. Whew. However, being my own boss and still able to work at art makes me very fortunate!

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I make functional and decorative pottery, art, and tiles. My main material and style is Maiolica glazed red earthenware clay. It is glazed in a white, opaque, nonrunny glaze, called Maiolica (think of Italian Maiolica, and tinware from the middle east). After the pots are glazed in this, I paint on the surface with stains made of the same recipe, but with colorants mixed in. The second glaze firing makes this all one and results in colorful, loose paintings and decorations. My designs reference things in my garden and nature, and the still-life around me. Not many artists in America, and especially in the Midwest use this technique.

Tiles are wonderful with this glaze too. I also use stoneware clay and glazes for other pots, and carved tiles. My favorite thing is when folks come in and say “I love to eat my cereal” or “drink my coffee out of this”. It’s bringing a little art into many homes. It’s also amazing to think of all the places our Duluth Grill Cups have gone since 2009.

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and are any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
The setback of Covid and the last three years have taught us to slow down and be flexible and patient with folks.

Hopefully, we can all appreciate each other more! After working so hard for years, I have a giant garden and got to stay home more. That was wonderful.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Peter Lee and Karin Kraemer

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