Places
When Art Intersects Manufacturing
In August 1974, the Arts/Industry program was officially piloted by the John Michael Kohler Arts Center and hosted and sponsored by Kohler Co. Artists Jack Earl and Tom LaDousa participated in a one-month residency in the Kohler Co. pottery.
“Life without labor is guilt; labor without art is brutality” John Ruskin
Walter Kohler, who led Kohler Co. from 1905-40, long favored the quote by British art critic John Ruskin: Life without labor is guilt; labor without art is brutality.
Those words embody the ideal that artistry is a pillar that has guided Kohler Co. design for over150 years and was foundational to a one-of-a-kind collaboration of industrial manufacturing and contemporary art, the Arts/Industry artist-in-residency program formed in 1974 between the John Michael Kohler Arts Center (JMKAC) and Kohler Co.
An artist residency involves artists being invited to live, work, create, and experience culture in new and unique locations outside of their studios.
There is typically reciprocity in that both the artists and the hosting organizations are left with a lasting positive impact and some distinctly creative artwork. Hundreds of different artist-in-residency programs exist and yet the JMKAC-Kohler Arts/Industry program remains one of the most unique artist residencies in the world.
In 1973, the same year Kohler Co. was celebrating its 100th anniversary – Ruth DeYoung Kohler II, then Director of the JMKAC and sister to Kohler Co. CEO Herbert V. Kohler Jr. was launching a national ceramics exhibition titled The Plastic Earth at the Arts Center; she saw an opportunity to connect ceramic artists to a company with an extensive history of working with clay. The seed of an idea was planted. Word of the exhibition spread quickly within the ceramic arts community and 87 artists responded to the invitational event.
In conjunction with the exhibition opening, a one-day seminar at Kohler brought artists together with factory associates for workshops and demonstrations of industrial ceramics. That seminar generated enthusiasm within both the arts community and among factory associates, laying the groundwork for the residency program.
In August 1974, the Arts/Industry program was officially piloted by the JMKAC and hosted and sponsored by Kohler Co., Ohio artist Jack Earl and Louisiana artist Tom LaDousa participated in a one-month residency in the Kohler Co. pottery.
The two artists spent most of their waking hours in the factory and created over 120 artworks from altered ceramic plumbing products.
The success of this inaugural residency spurred the development of an ongoing, year-round artist residency program that has garnered international acclaim and, to this day, continues to thrive.
Studios in Kohler’s Pottery and Foundry Factories
After years of accepting only ceramic artists for the residency program in the pottery, Arts/Industry expanded and began hosting artists in Kohler Co.’s cast iron foundry as well.
The Arts/Industry studios are unique spaces fully integrated into the active manufacturing environment with no walls or locking doors. The artist studio in the pottery contains communal glaze-mixing and mold-making spaces with Kohler providing the plaster, clay, and glaze. Color variations are made by adding ceramic stains to a variety of clear and white glaze bases. With access to Kohler’s R&D laboratory, artists can develop new glazes.
The cast iron foundry artist studio contains communal metalworking and woodworking spaces, plus a tool room. Artists cast or free-pour iron shapes, create their own patterns from an array of materials, and use resin-bonded sand to make molds and cores. In addition, the enamel shop offers the opportunity to layer enamel powders directly on red-hot iron. The enamel lab allows artists to experiment with Kohler’s enamel colors or mix their own custom blends.
Residency Process & Completed Works
Arts/Industry exists to support each artist’s creative process. Many artists come to the program with little to no experience in clay or metal materials, but they come away with a whole new set of skills and a new appreciation for the manufacturing associates at Kohler Co.
Although a written and visual proposal of artwork to be created within the program is required when an artist applies for the residency, most artists’ projects diverge from their original proposals – especially as they find inspiration and explore what is possible within the factory setting.
Each year, up to 12 artists are selected for the Arts/Industry program through a competitive jury process to participate in the three-month residency. To date, more than 500 artists have been accepted into Arts/Industry. Some artists have been so moved by the experience that they return for additional residencies within the factory.
At the end of their residencies, the artists donate two of their works created during the program; one goes to the JMKAC and one to Kohler Co. The artist-in-residence and program director decide together on which works to donate.
Around the Village and Kohler Co. campus, visitors can see some of these donated artworks on display, as well as finding Arts/Industry pieces on display at many Kohler Signature Stores in the U.S. and Kohler Experience Centers around the globe.
