Andrea Specht & artist Whitney Simpkins : Crafting Perspectives with American Craft Council

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Rob Lee
Welcome to the truth in This Art. Your source for conversations at the intersection of arts, culture and community where we talk to artists, creative thinkers, makers and cultural leaders. I am your host, Rob Lee. Today I've got a special episode for you. As you may know, this month is National Crab Month, which is an annual celebration of creativity and crafting that takes place every march since IS Crafts month.

00;00;34;20 - 00;00;55;06
Rob Lee
I have a conversation about craft, specifically the American Craft Council and the American Craft made Baltimore Marketplace. Today. It is my pleasure to welcome two guests. Please welcome executive director of the American Craft Council, Andrea Specht, and Baltimore based ceramic artist Whitney Simpkins. Welcome to the podcast.

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Andrea Specht
Thank you.

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Whitney Simpkins
Hi. Thanks for having us.

00;00;59;02 - 00;01;18;05
Rob Lee
Thank you both for coming on. And it's this is kind of like, I think maybe the third year that I've worked with the ACA. It's fun. It's fun to say. So I feel like I'm moving up the ladder. It's just like getting great people, but then getting other great people and then like different titles are popping up. I see ceramics.

00;01;18;05 - 00;01;40;00
Rob Lee
So let's, let's get into it. Let's get into it. So what I always try to open the podcast with because I think there's a lot of power in it, is giving the guest the space to introduce themselves. And I do that because, you know, we have these artist statements, we have these bios that are online and it's like something's always missing.

00;01;40;01 - 00;01;55;03
Rob Lee
Like, I've talked to people and like an artist and basket works, all of these different things. I was like, You forgot I'm a boxer as well, bro. I'm like, Wow, so allow the guest to do it. So can we go from Whitney first? Can we can you introduce yourself?

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Whitney Simpkins
Hi, I'm Whitney Simpkins. I am a Baltimore based ceramicist. I've been doing it for cause I always get asked this. How long have you been doing this? For about eight years now. And yeah, another thing that I like to do that's not usually in the bio, I guess, is baking. I really love to bake. It has some of the same kind of like scientific alchemy as ceramics and pottery kind of overlap.

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Whitney Simpkins
So yeah.

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Rob Lee
So.

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Andrea Specht
Andre well, hello. Thanks again for having us on your podcast. So like Whitney, I'm part of the Baking Caucus and Whitney, I think we're meeting for the first time on this podcast, so I'm really looking forward to seeing you, Ira, all the Baltimore Convention Center coming up here quickly, but it's fun to already know that we have this in common, not only the kind of craft, again, that that people will be able to see at the Baltimore Convention Center when we're there with the show.

00;03;04;20 - 00;03;34;12
Andrea Specht
But baking. So I have been doing my line of work, which is nonprofit management and leadership for I hate to say it, but like almost 25 years, I just hate to say it because it's hard to believe it's been that long. But before getting into that line of work and now doing nonprofit management at the American Craft Council, I am trained as an artist myself, so my undergraduate degree is in studio art.

00;03;34;12 - 00;03;56;08
Andrea Specht
I was a maker for I mean, throughout my childhood. I know I think for some of your questions, deal with influences and all of that. And so I've really been thinking about that. I mean, just the important role that learning to make art and finding my community through the visual arts, how important that was to me growing up and then, you know, gone through college and young adult years.

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Andrea Specht
So this work that I'm doing at the American Craft Council really brings brings a lot of different parts of my life together.

00;04;04;05 - 00;04;30;21
Rob Lee
Thank you. That's great. And will stay with you. As with this next question, because I want to learn a little bit about the because I need to start talking about roles. You're up there. So talk a bit about like the mission of the American Craft Council. And I'm like, what is it that resonated with you that this was going to be the next like, you know, space and next opportunity that you were going to work with then?

00;04;30;21 - 00;04;42;26
Rob Lee
Because in doing the research, like your name pops up so often about these great huge changes. I was looking at a YouTube video again yesterday and I was just saying, All right. Am I qualified to have this conversation?

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Whitney Simpkins
So, my gosh.

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Andrea Specht
So like that just makes me laugh. I have to say it because I actually feel the other way around, like, am I cool enough to be on a podcast? But anyway, so let's see. Well, the first thing I want to say about the mission of the American Craft Council is that I think what's compelling about it, I mean, to me and I hope to a lot of other people, is that we're really working to help working artists.

00;05;07;28 - 00;05;35;26
Andrea Specht
So working artists and makers make a living from their work. And to me, you know, that's a very compelling thing. And it solves the other part of what we do is that we're working to help build a large audience, a large and appreciative audience of, you know, fellow people, right? Fellow Americans, people in the United States who want to support the work of people who make things by hand and artists in particular, or craft artists.

00;05;35;26 - 00;05;59;10
Andrea Specht
Because when you think about it, it's very difficult to make a living as an artist if you don't have a diverse, you know, younger generations as well as established generations who appreciate what you do and who are willing to choose to, for example, purchase things that you're making as opposed to purchasing a mass produced alternative. So we're really trying to work on both sides of that.

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Andrea Specht
I mean, directly supporting artists and makers through professional development and by producing events like the Baltimore marketplace and then through our publishing storytelling work and the events also really working to build that audience for artists and makers. And I'm again as a person who has trained myself as an artist and has always found my community in the arts and through the arts, I just feel very passionately and it's personal to me to, to help artists, you know, find their way in the world, find a community and be able to make a living from the work that they make.

00;06;33;16 - 00;06;56;20
Rob Lee
And so that's huge. It's important. And, you know, as a person who's an appreciator, who I dabble, but I have these conversations and, you know, I've attended, you know, the last I think at least the last two year, the Baltimore marketplace. And my partner, she she went there. She's got a few pieces. And I may be selling I have this this running bit where I'll buy stuff directly in front of her.

00;06;56;20 - 00;07;21;17
Rob Lee
That's a gift. And she'll see it like six months later. She's like, When did you get that? I was like, Oh, the Baltimore marketplace. And I'll say that she I remember she she went by. It was it was is one of these makers that had like she's really into the Kawai stuff. And it was a it's like a ring that she has that has a peppermint that's like lacquered and every city we go to, she has it on the like, where did you get that?

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Rob Lee
And it's almost like she's doing a commercial yet a global marketplace.

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Andrea Specht
I have to tell you, Robb, I know the artists and I have her work myself and it is amazing work. Yes.

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Rob Lee
Is definitely a statement piece and being able to connect with some of the folks and you know, whatever, there's an opportunity to to do these sorts of conversations, it's important to to to keep it going because I think, you know, these these conversations and highlighted because I think, you know, for me, I'm very curious about like culture and cultural preservation and the point you were making a moment ago about sort of these mass produced things, it's a different feeling when you're able to talk with the maker and like, oh, you did this, you you made this.

00;08;04;03 - 00;08;10;22
Rob Lee
Tell me more about it. You're getting some of the story with it. And I guess that's very, very right. I guess that's very important.

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Andrea Specht
I agree that it is really important that it's I think one of the things that events are particularly good for, you know, we're all familiar now with the opportunity to buy all kinds of things online, including the handcrafted. And there are a lot of craft artists who who do amazing marketing again and are able to advance their careers through online sales.

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Andrea Specht
And I think it's particularly true, again, of younger generations. People are comfortable buying things online, but what you don't necessarily get online as much right is the opportunity to interact directly with artists and makers, hear the stories, get to know who that person is, what their path has been. And it makes the the thing that you're then going to live with, you know, so much more meaningful, I think.

00;09;00;11 - 00;09;20;22
Rob Lee
Yeah. And as a person who's very selective opiates in one's home, if I'm there and I'm able to really experience the item, experience what was being made, you know, I can see it online is great. And whenever I go to, you know, any of any, any marketplace faces, any cons, I go there with like a bunch of money, like in my pockets, like, look, I'm buying stuff.

00;09;20;29 - 00;09;42;10
Rob Lee
The plan, this is intentional, but also it's definitely the connection thing because I do this as well. And if I'm able to talk to someone and I am getting like a really cool conversation, not only am I going to buy something, but I'm like, Hey, let's do the community thing. Let's do this connection thing, let's do this Baltimore artist conversation thing, which is a little bit of a segue way to Whitney.

00;09;44;07 - 00;10;02;07
Rob Lee
So, Whitney, if you will, could you share a bit of your journey into ceramics? Because I read somewhere that it evolved as a hobby until like best personal, best ceramics. Talk a bit about that sort of evolution and any of the highlights on that journey.

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Whitney Simpkins
Well, I started throwing when I throwing on the potter's wheel when I was in middle school, I learned how to just through a community class, just exactly like the type of classes that I've taught in the past. And I was really into it for for that time. And then I went to Art High School and I went to art college at Mica, and I majored in painting, which I loved.

00;10;38;03 - 00;11;18;20
Whitney Simpkins
But I didn't circle back around to ceramics until about eight or nine years ago. So let's see. But then right after I got back into ceramics, I joined the Potters Guild and Baltimore, which is the Potters going to Baltimore is just really like kind of paramount and pushing me to like explore and expand my ceramic practice. And I still belong to the Potters Guild, but I have my own studio now.

00;11;19;16 - 00;11;56;07
Whitney Simpkins
But the people at the Potters Guild were just really they're really inspiring and supportive and it's kind of like a little family. And it also taught me logistically how a studio is run. So now my studio that I have had a lot of good insight about what works with things. So yeah, I, I started out just making things for myself, giving things as gifts, giving things as gifts, whether people kind of wanted them or not.

00;11;57;03 - 00;12;21;23
Whitney Simpkins
And then they got things. They got better and better and people started to say, Well, maybe you should sell this. And I started to say, Maybe you're right. I did a couple of markets and face to face connection that you both were talking about was it felt great. It was there. People were seeing me and it's a little bit validating.

00;12;21;23 - 00;12;26;08
Whitney Simpkins
So I just kept going and I just kept growing from there.

00;12;27;03 - 00;12;45;01
Rob Lee
It's great. It's great. And you have I have a follow up to that actually, because yeah, I go through and I look at these different questions and, you know, as I was, you know, mentioning a moment when something sparks my curiosity, it eventually turns into a question. Both of you know, more than I do. I just see what a microphone as all I got it, you know.

00;12;45;22 - 00;12;59;20
Rob Lee
So I see that there's a bit of whimsy, there's a bit of play that that's in your work. So to talk a bit about the importance of play of exploration and just as I say, you mess around, you find out.

00;13;00;05 - 00;13;31;13
Whitney Simpkins
Well, the whole concept of making something from clay is you start with squishy, get around in your hands, right? Whether the squishing is just messing around and pinching or it's super intentional, like wedging a piece of clay and putting it on the potter's wheel and throwing a ball. You start by playing around with the with the material itself.

00;13;31;13 - 00;14;07;09
Whitney Simpkins
So from that and because Clay is so versatile, so from that, there's lots of different decisions that you make along the way and you can decide for things to be really straight up and down, really neutral, or you can decide to just go ham and go all out and make kind of the wildest, your wildest dreams decisions. And to me it's like, what's more fun, right?

00;14;07;22 - 00;14;43;08
Whitney Simpkins
So I, I like to and from my painting, from my painting background, I kind of like to focus on surface design a lot and surface decoration. So my forms are pretty straightforward. Usually a typical mug shape, a typical ball shape, a shape. But what I really like to play with and where I like the alchemy and the glaze mixing comes in, is all of the patterns and design so that you can get from from surface technique.

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Whitney Simpkins
I just think it's really cool and it's just there's infinite possibilities, which I think is really fun.

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Rob Lee
It's great and play is important. Like you reminded me of the last time I did this, this sort of team building thing with the day job and me and my my peers. We went to a pottery place in India, in Baltimore City. And, you know, we were going in there as a team building thing. It was like getting together.

00;15;11;12 - 00;15;29;14
Rob Lee
And, you know, the bowls are already kind of mostly done, but it was like, hey, you guys are going to paint this, you're going to do this, you're going to make this your own. And so I left out with very just two colors, nothing big, you know, but left them with a bowl and a shot glass. And I think I've had both of those items.

00;15;29;14 - 00;15;47;05
Rob Lee
Actually, one was a gift for my partner because she always gets something. But that bowl has a certain degree of reverence because it's like you, I didn't make it, but it's like you worked on that. This was something your hands were involved in. And I even go back to thinking about sort of the the local like stuff here.

00;15;47;05 - 00;16;08;20
Rob Lee
And this ties to this next question I remember going to is a fundraiser years and years ago and this is a fundraiser for for empty bowls. And it was the you know, and you auction off these bowls. And I remember buying bowls that were made by people that were there. And I had these bowls for years. It was like, this is my cereal bowl and this is my chili bowl.

00;16;08;20 - 00;16;26;23
Rob Lee
It's like both of them have specific and you don't cross the streams. It's Ghostbusters, you don't cross. But it was just something about sort of the, you know, I don't know if maybe it's corny, but it's like I felt like love or something that went into it wanting to that being made and so that the memory and all of that stuff is attached to both.

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Whitney Simpkins
Exactly.

00;16;28;00 - 00;16;59;20
Andrea Specht
Am I? So here's what I'm thinking as you say that, Rob, again, going back to what makes the handcrafted special, again, why people might choose it over a mass produced alternative. It does sound a little hokey, but I think that there's a soul in objects that are made with great intention and great care by a human being. And that is these objects have souls in ways, again, that mass produced things simply do not.

00;16;59;24 - 00;17;06;09
Andrea Specht
And I think that's what I'm hearing you say when you're talking about the bowl that you eat the cereal in the bowl for the chili.

00;17;06;23 - 00;17;09;11
Rob Lee
Yeah, there's that. A little Shintoism there I was hearing.

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Whitney Simpkins
Might be.

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Andrea Specht
Like one bowl has a chili soul and one bowl has a cereal soul where you go.

00;17;16;15 - 00;17;52;04
Rob Lee
About you're going to hear it in the chili bowl, chili bowl and cereal. So all on this podcast. Yeah, I want to switch gears a little bit specifically to, you know, Marketplace coming up. So could been both with all of these questions that are remaining there like sort of back and forth for both of you, just getting your insights on it, how you envision the you know, the American craft made Baltimore Marketplace contributing to like sort of the local scene here, whether it be from the makers, the marketing, the you know, the artists, like how does it impact the community?

00;17;52;04 - 00;18;07;03
Rob Lee
Because I see it here, it's, you know, doing great things. I see a lot of people there and I feel like an energy there. But when I hear life sort of, you know, both of your insight as someone on the one side of it and someone who's the artist that that's attending and then having work there.

00;18;07;20 - 00;18;12;09
Andrea Specht
Do you have in mind whether you'd like Whitney or me to jump in first on that?

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Rob Lee
You can go first. I would.

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Whitney Simpkins
Just even.

00;18;14;22 - 00;18;16;06
Rob Lee
Go now, Whitney. Initially.

00;18;16;22 - 00;18;23;03
Whitney Simpkins
No, you can go first because you're you're you're very involved. And I'm I'm in a different.

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Andrea Specht
Way, right?

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Whitney Simpkins
I am. Yeah. Yeah.

00;18;25;23 - 00;18;45;16
Andrea Specht
So I'm going to be really interested to hear, you know, how much Whitney Whitney will keep me honest, maybe on some of these things. I mean, so from my perspective, because I don't live in Baltimore, I do love Baltimore. And I'm not just saying that it's been one of the joys for me. And coming to work at the American Craft Council is getting to know the city.

00;18;45;16 - 00;19;08;11
Andrea Specht
I had never been to Baltimore before taking this job and, you know, being part of of our work to produce the show there. And by the way, this American craft made marketplace in Baltimore, we're doing it for the 47th time this year. So, I mean, this is a generational all this is a multigenerational, you know, a legacy here in Baltimore with this particular event.

00;19;09;00 - 00;19;31;23
Andrea Specht
And so when I think about how it has meaning for the city of Baltimore itself and how it advances Baltimore makers and artists and the city overall, I think of a couple of things. One is that you talked about kind of the energy and the vibe. So this is an event that brings people together and people do come from all over.

00;19;31;23 - 00;19;58;02
Andrea Specht
I mean, they come from all over the region. They come from all over the country, both the artists and people coming in to appreciate and interact with artists. But of course, it has a particularly strong draw for Baltimore and communities right around Baltimore. So I think it becomes a kind of a, you know, just a great gathering of people who love the handcrafted and want to celebrate that and see, you know, kind of who's out there, what what are people making?

00;19;58;07 - 00;20;19;10
Andrea Specht
So, you know, like, I mean, a lot of events do that, right? Bring people together, create a sense of community in that way. But this is an event that is bringing people together who have this particular interest and passion in the handcrafted. So I think there's just a great energy around that. There's a feeling, a kind of of a sense of community appreciating this together.

00;20;19;10 - 00;20;48;07
Andrea Specht
And I think the makers and appreciators, you know, we all are appreciator is right. I think if people are making things, they appreciate them as well. So there's that. I think it's an opportunity for Baltimore based artists and makers to, yes, see one another and see the work of other Baltimore artists and makers. But it's also a chance for people based in Baltimore again, to see the work that others are doing who are coming in to town to be part of this show.

00;20;48;07 - 00;21;14;02
Andrea Specht
It's almost like a crossroads, in a way, of of artists and makers from all over the country. And that's inspiring and exciting for people to see work that they may not see. On a typical weekend, like in their own, through open studios and other things. I think communities, you know, we tend to know who's kind of out there in our own community and what people are making, but we don't necessarily as often have the chance to see what people are doing in other regions.

00;21;14;02 - 00;21;44;07
Andrea Specht
So this event, you know, like I said, it's it's a true idea of a marketplace or a crossroads, a coming together of people from a lot of different making traditions, a lot of regions. And I just think that's really stimulating and exciting for local artists and makers to. And maybe the other thing I'll point out, that is something I wouldn't have thought about until I had a conversation with somebody working at the Baltimore Museum of Art is just the legacy of this show having.

00;21;44;07 - 00;22;35;05
Andrea Specht
Again, this show has now existed for close to 50 years in Baltimore. And what this curator told me was that as a result of this event being in Baltimore and the generations again of people who have come to appreciate the handcrafted and who have purchased things from this show, and then ultimately, in some cases, donated those items as parts of collections to the Baltimore Museum of Art, to, again, their collection of decorative arts and craft that actually has resulted in an even stronger collection at this, you know, again, beautiful museum based in Baltimore, you know, a stronger, maybe more diverse collection than would have otherwise existed because of the HCC show or marketplace being in

00;22;35;05 - 00;22;46;14
Andrea Specht
Baltimore. So I just thought that was a really fascinating thing to hear about the impact again of 50 years of this event, close to 50 years taking place in Baltimore. That would have never occurred to me.

00;22;47;11 - 00;23;10;19
Rob Lee
Wow. Thank you. That that is that is that is great. I think it really brings in definitely with the I want to get your your your insights. But definitely it gives the it gives but again, it gives the that extra context that I think a lot of folks like, you know, you do those searches on like famous things about a given city, famous things about a given town.

00;23;11;07 - 00;23;33;17
Rob Lee
I didn't know it's been nearly 50 years. You know, I feel quasi ignorant in saying that, but I didn't know. It's been nearly 50 years and seeing that that's been a part of it. And when you ask folks like about artists, about makers, you hear like, you know, this is generational. You hear this is, you know, half a century nearly it's like, you know, that's embedded in the culture that's here that's sort of making DIY culture.

00;23;33;17 - 00;23;46;21
Rob Lee
All of that stuff is kind of sitting there and often is, is overshadowed, which, you know, that just that notion of the creative economy that's here is overshadowed. And I think, you know, that is right up my alley for what I want to achieve in doing this podcast. So thank you for sharing it.

00;23;47;04 - 00;24;14;22
Whitney Simpkins
So when I first moved here to go to Maker Books about 20 years ago now, I went to an American Craft Council show for the first time. I took the light rail down there. I still take the light rail down there when I'm not exhibiting and I was like, this is this is amazing. This is I bet every city has this right.

00;24;15;04 - 00;25;03;10
Whitney Simpkins
Why would it just be here? And then I later on learned that it's it's it's us. We we're one of the few places that gets to have something this special and enormous and really just all encapsulating of all different types of craft, which is really exciting. And just as a person who's, who is taking the light rail there and paying for a ticket and coming in, what has always struck me is getting to see so many artists of disciplines that I didn't even really know existed and then went home to learn more about, say, like broom making.

00;25;03;10 - 00;25;32;14
Whitney Simpkins
There's like a there'll be people who make specifically just brooms and then there's bespoke shoes, people who are cobblers still in the 21st century. Just all of these disciplines that you don't really think are still alive and well, and they are and they're all in one place. Another thing that strikes me when I walk through because I like to do the exact through every single aisle, so I don't miss anything.

00;25;33;15 - 00;25;52;16
Whitney Simpkins
I like to see where everybody is from. And I say like, Wow, this person came so far. I'm going to take it. I'm going to take a look. Right. So somebody I see that they're from Portland, Oregon. Oh, yeah. I'm going to take a look because maybe I want something from them because I don't want them to ship it.

00;25;52;16 - 00;26;16;22
Whitney Simpkins
I want to get it right now. Doesn't mean I ignore the people from Baltimore, Philly, the surrounding areas. But it is exciting to know if people come from so far as like there, maybe they've got something super special to offer. So I like to look I like to look at everything and what like what you were saying before.

00;26;16;22 - 00;26;38;23
Whitney Simpkins
I just have those conversations with the artist that you can't really get that experience online. Just through online shopping and all that. But you can do a lot through online shopping, but you can ask the artists about what their what earrings they're wearing. And then they point to a booth that's two rows over and say, I got it from that person.

00;26;38;23 - 00;26;48;04
Whitney Simpkins
So there's a lot of connectivity like that that I just it's really, really amazing.

00;26;49;00 - 00;27;16;15
Rob Lee
Yeah. And, you know, the camaraderie and thank you. The the camaraderie that is there again, you know, when, you know, I was there being, you know, a spy and trying to do the mystery shop there, but also doing doing a connection. It's just like putting on different hats at that time. And, you know, also in doing any of these these cons or any of these marketplace, any of these, you know, opportunities to be in different communities, it's like, one, I'm going to know a bunch of people there.

00;27;16;24 - 00;27;42;28
Rob Lee
And it's it's always like going over there to connect and, you know, it's like love. Because if there's anything that I can do and I find it sort of those markets and and, you know, like, like the marketplace, when you're talking with someone, people are down to connect and collab and figure out how to work together. And it is this sense that wall on a very similar level while doing different things and even going back to it.

00;27;42;28 - 00;28;01;15
Rob Lee
You know, you mentioned a moment ago when the cobbler. Right and you know, you have conversations with people and it's like, do you know how shoes are made? You know what I mean? And they need to have like this is a thing that someone is still doing and carrying on in this sort of traditional way or updating it or whatever it may be.

00;28;01;15 - 00;28;07;02
Rob Lee
But it's not just shoes, just come in a box. That's how you get shoes is like, no, someone had to make these somehow.

00;28;07;06 - 00;28;08;13
Whitney Simpkins
Yeah, yeah.

00;28;08;21 - 00;28;25;10
Rob Lee
Even a broom. I'm not even. That's why I was like, you know, I was a little gobsmacked. I had to make sure because I'm real, I'm on camera. I was like brooms all over on that back pick things you just hear, like, how does a podcast made, huh? But I think that's that's sort of the importance of it.

00;28;25;10 - 00;28;48;16
Rob Lee
And again, I think being here, being in the city, especially like, you know, downtown where it's at and you know, it's a lot of things that that happen in that part of the city. But I think it is a good microcosm of what the city has. Like we have the you have the, you know, the stadiums there is easy to get to be a light rail on a light rail to it's near, you know, near the Inner Harbor.

00;28;48;19 - 00;29;05;25
Rob Lee
All of these these different things to get sort of that that dose as someone coming to visit, you know, even if they are semi local or coming from further away. And this is a question that you guys don't have, but I definitely want to ask it since we're kind of talking about Baltimore in this connection to the SCC.

00;29;06;11 - 00;29;27;23
Andrea Specht
And can I say one other thing before you do, Rob? There's one other thing. I feel like it's so important. So I just want to wedge this in before we move to that next question. The other thing I think is so important to think about is that we have a lot of young people come through the marketplace, and I've had a number of people tell me and, you know, like it will bring tears to my eyes.

00;29;27;23 - 00;29;47;25
Andrea Specht
Truly, I think I'm going to hold it together right now. But when when somebody is telling me this themselves directly and I'm hearing the story, it's really moving to hear people say things like, you know, my parents used to take me to this show, this marketplace. And until I came to this, like, I really didn't understand that it was even possible, you know, to make a living as an artist, for example.

00;29;47;25 - 00;30;16;27
Andrea Specht
Like, nobody in my family is an artist, you know, whatever else I didn't really understand that this could be an option for me until I experienced this in person and saw these artists here. And, you know, I heard that from a number of people. And that to me is a huge impact, right, of having something like this in the community, because it does provide that example for people who can be at that time in their lives where, you know, they might know they have an interest in art and they might they may love it, but they may not realize that.

00;30;17;06 - 00;30;24;26
Andrea Specht
Yes, it's not easy, you know, again, but there are people who do make a living, you know, from what they make. And it's a great example of that.

00;30;25;09 - 00;30;45;03
Rob Lee
Yes. Well, you know, in doing this and most of the interviews are here in cities that I think are very similar, it's a through line. I have to hear those those things. I have those conversations. I may have been told that at one point when I thought I was going to be a comic artist or that I was going to do this or that and chose sort of a different path.

00;30;45;03 - 00;31;13;25
Rob Lee
But it's almost like the trajectory of you. You start something earlier, think as you were saying earlier, Whitney, where it's like you were interested in ceramics and then kind of went to, you know, like painting and and but you eventually came back. It was kind of that like, you know, I did the business stuff, but I started off, you know, trying to, like, figure it out, make it on my own, do a a completely on my own, every piece of it, and, and then did the whole business thing for a while.

00;31;14;10 - 00;31;31;07
Rob Lee
And, and upon doing this podcast for 700 plus episodes at this point, was able to revisit doing comics because there was something about it. But also kind of hearing this, I don't know if there's money in it. I don't know if it's something that you can do, but it's just like, I'll figure that stuff out. The doing is the part of it.

00;31;31;07 - 00;31;51;23
Rob Lee
The love of doing it is the part of. And I think that's something that a lot of people who are makers and maker adjacent, I guess, are doing. That's what drives it. So I got to I have two more real questions and then I got those rapid fire questions. This is one of the I added so this is kind of we we were touching about the Baltimore and, you know, connection.

00;31;52;02 - 00;32;19;25
Rob Lee
So you know, and this is kind of just a quick question. What what from your perspectives, like one being, you know, local one being a visitor, what is Baltimore's cultural identity through like the lens of arts, the lens of making the DIY, all of that stuff. But what is that cultural identity like when you think of Baltimore through your work and sort of ramping up for for the marketplace, what comes to mind?

00;32;20;13 - 00;32;57;00
Whitney Simpkins
Whenever I think about Baltimore arts, ever since, as I was saying, I moved here for school, it's just been a really like kind of grassroots kind of do it yourself kind of scene. Like no one. No, it's I don't know how it loves to live in like a Soho loft in the seventies or whatever, but everyone's just kind of living where they can and paying what they can and doing what they can.

00;32;57;00 - 00;33;34;08
Whitney Simpkins
And the city is so kind of laid back and it's so small, and the scene is kind of so interconnected that it really gives you space to grow and and collaborate and play around and really get your footing without a whole lot of dire consequences. So I think that's that's one of the things that makes it really special is really it's really accessible.

00;33;35;11 - 00;33;43;21
Whitney Simpkins
You can walk around every neighborhood and find art. So yeah.

00;33;44;06 - 00;33;47;07
Rob Lee
It's like a version of the sagging at the marketplace.

00;33;47;07 - 00;33;52;23
Whitney Simpkins
You zigzagging all over the city to find things.

00;33;53;08 - 00;34;17;15
Andrea Specht
But it's fun because, again, as you both know, my perspective is, is that of an outsider, right? A visitor, you know, and I'm in a pretty great art city, too. I live in Minneapolis, Saint Paul. And we also have, you know, just a really strong history and tradition of support for the arts in all forms. I mean, people probably, I think maybe best known for theater and music maybe.

00;34;17;15 - 00;34;40;26
Andrea Specht
But we have a very strong visual arts and craft sector here, too. So, you know, I feel like I come from an area where I, you know, I'm blessed with a really rich scene, I guess, and community. But I from the first time I visited Baltimore and again, not just trying to curry favor with you as Baltimore residents, but like I knew there was something special about this city.

00;34;40;26 - 00;35;05;12
Andrea Specht
And I have I have really relished the opportunity to return, not just for the for the marketplace, but to to take a couple of other trips back to Baltimore, also just for some relationship building and getting to know the city better. And I guess as I think about, you know, what comes to my mind, first of all, I'm very aware when I'm I'm in your City of the Rich history and there's a lot more for me to learn about the history.

00;35;05;12 - 00;35;32;21
Andrea Specht
But I see how history creates a kind of a through line to the present, straight in making, you know, making related DIY making of all kinds. It's not a surprise that that this is really a rich part of Baltimore's identity because it goes way back, right? There's a history and a tradition of different kinds of making. And I think you can see that, you know, just in the architecture, in the you know, just the look and feel of the city.

00;35;32;21 - 00;35;59;20
Andrea Specht
And so there's a, again, a tradition that a lot of making, I think, emerges out of. And that's just something I can feel being there. I also find the just the community to be very hospitable, welcoming, hospitable. I feel like there's a warmth and, you know, just I feel welcomed when I'm there as somebody who is interested in the arts, you know, wants to learn about the arts community.

00;36;00;15 - 00;36;27;18
Andrea Specht
People are very happy to talk about it. They are eager to share the community with, you know, with me and help me understand the great things that are going on. And it seems like also just a very grounded place, you know, not sometimes when when arts and culture are a big part of a city's identity, it can feel kind of off putting, right, like alienating in some way or kind of overly I don't know.

00;36;27;18 - 00;36;44;29
Andrea Specht
I don't even know what the word is. I want to use like like as if there's kind of a bubble, right? And if you're not in the bubble, then you're just you're an outsider. And I feel the exact opposite. You know, I feel like from the minute you start talking to artists and makers in Baltimore, they want to embrace, you know, like you as a visitor.

00;36;44;29 - 00;36;50;12
Andrea Specht
Like I said, share what they're doing. It just feels very warm and grounded and welcoming to me.

00;36;51;10 - 00;37;12;28
Rob Lee
Thank you, sir. Both great answers. So this is sort of the last real question. This is more of the, you know, what's what's what's to look forward to at the marketplace, like sort of those those last moments, sort of like insights. What are you most excited about? What are you looking most forward to? I'm sure it might be going there, being there, you know, getting there.

00;37;13;07 - 00;37;18;10
Rob Lee
But share your thoughts on that. If we can start off, Andrea, if you will start off there.

00;37;19;07 - 00;37;40;08
Andrea Specht
Sure. Well, I mean, for me, it's a chance to reconnect with artists that I have talked to in in prior years, people I maybe do just get to see once a year. So I look forward to just walking through walking around. As Whitney said, try to make it all the way through also the marketplace and try to, you know, see and talk to as many people as I can.

00;37;40;08 - 00;38;01;24
Andrea Specht
So it's the reconnecting with people, meeting new people as well, seeing artwork that I get really excited about, you know, things that just seem really fresh and new to me. This job is not easy on my pocketbook, as you can imagine, because like, you would be like I'm I'm there, like, I'm there to talk to people and to do my job, of course.

00;38;01;24 - 00;38;24;21
Andrea Specht
But I'm also I also try to actually, you know, add to my own small C craft collection while I'm out the show for me, you know, I mean, again, it really does take our whole staff pretty much to produce this event. Everybody plays at least some role. And so we have a pretty, you know, pretty good contingent of actors there at the show.

00;38;24;21 - 00;38;50;03
Andrea Specht
And it's it's really an amazing opportunity for us to work together in a different way and in a different setting. You know, teamwork really comes to the fore, as you can imagine, right? It's it's like our Super Bowl, right? It's a Super Bowl. So for those of us who work day in and day out at the organization, it's a chance to spend that kind of time together and with artists again, really be reminded of why we do what we do.

00;38;50;03 - 00;39;16;19
Andrea Specht
And I guess the last that I would say and, you know, these are things that are more maybe personal to me, they're not they're not necessarily the very same things that I think a person coming to the marketplace, you know, as a appreciator would get excited about. But for me, it's instant feedback and that is something a lot of us in our jobs, we don't get the opportunity to necessarily immediately get, you know, response from people about how something is going or what we're doing.

00;39;17;03 - 00;39;36;28
Andrea Specht
And I don't know, you know, Whitney, if this resonates with you, but I was talking a couple of days ago with another artist who has done our show in Baltimore, the marketplace, for about six years. And she was talking about, you know, this event and other events. And she was saying that as an artist, it's you know, the thing about experiences like this is that you get real time feedback from people.

00;39;36;28 - 00;39;54;26
Andrea Specht
You see what they like in your work. You know what, they don't you just by observing them, I mean, like whether you're talking with people or just observing them, you get a lot of information as an artist and that that is not necessarily true with other kinds of art that you can do or other ways of presenting it or showing it.

00;39;54;26 - 00;40;11;02
Andrea Specht
But in a marketplace environment like that, you get that like real time feedback and that's true for us to write like it's true for for me and for my staff, you know, we for our staff, I should say, like we get real feedback, you know, real time feedback from artists and others as we're, as we're there at the show.

00;40;11;02 - 00;40;15;20
Andrea Specht
And I sometimes it's painful, but I look forward to it. I look forward to it.

00;40;16;22 - 00;40;22;27
Rob Lee
And we'll close on this portion before we get to the Rapid Fire with you. Whitney, please. What are your thoughts?

00;40;23;17 - 00;40;47;19
Whitney Simpkins
I mean, everything everything that was said of of I'm also as as an exhibitor walking around buying art. That may be a maybe I should I have a few things too many in my cart, but I never regret it. I sometimes I overbuy, but I never regret it.

00;40;49;19 - 00;41;20;23
Whitney Simpkins
And I'm always before I was a participant, I always looked forward to the emerging artists section just because logistically their booth is is so is half the size of a regular sized booth. So I'm always like, how is this person going to like tell me who they are in a half size little space? And they always they always do it a big they do it just as well as the full ten by ten space.

00;41;21;11 - 00;41;56;03
Whitney Simpkins
So I'm looking forward. I always look forward to see how everyone's got everything set up, what everyone's style is, because going from going from booth truth is like visiting little different worlds, just like a little peek into who that person is, what they're, what their style is, how they design things, which I always think is really interesting and which always, always corresponds to what they make like you see, you see the font that they choose, you see the lighting, and you're like, This makes sense.

00;41;56;13 - 00;42;16;14
Whitney Simpkins
So it's that like kind of holistic. This is the person to, I don't know, kind of loves, loves that design kind of stuff as well to see how everybody's got everything set up, maybe that's just a probably really personal thing. But yeah.

00;42;17;10 - 00;42;31;06
Rob Lee
I, you know, I think it's important to even though paying attention to these items, like I go there to see someone set up, I'm saying, all right, I guess, or like, wow, you really close this area. So, yeah, you know, people are paying attention.

00;42;31;06 - 00;42;32;25
Whitney Simpkins
Let's okay.

00;42;33;12 - 00;42;56;19
Rob Lee
So, all right. So I've got two last things. They're they're they're housekeeping in my head. And this pocket is in my pocket is housekeeping. It's rapid fire is indulgent. So please, please indulge me here. So, you know, way to this works is don't overthink these questions. Just answer them as quickly as possible. And from there, we'll close out with these sort of shameless plugs like that sort of laughs.

00;42;57;07 - 00;43;04;21
Rob Lee
All right. So here's the first thing, because I'm an active listener and you both enjoy baking, what are your favorite things to bake? Yeah.

00;43;05;10 - 00;43;34;12
Whitney Simpkins
Yeah. I really enjoy making Japanese milk bread as of late because it's it's basically I grew up on on like squishy white wonder bread type bread and it's basically that but it's fresh and you can add you can add matcha, you can add sesame paste, you can you can really do it up. So it's kind of like kind of a fancy grown Wonder Bread and I really like making it.

00;43;35;09 - 00;43;45;18
Rob Lee
So, so, so Baltimore, right? I've never had this, this, this one, this is Japanese style. You got my ears. I got headphones on, but you got my ears perked up a little bit.

00;43;45;18 - 00;43;46;27
Whitney Simpkins
That's really good, right?

00;43;47;15 - 00;44;01;02
Andrea Specht
I'm going to well, I was going to say I would second that, but that would mean that it's my favorite thing to make right now. I don't mean that. I just mean everything Whitney said about how good it is and how fun it is. That is very true, and it often has a fun shape, too. It's often.

00;44;01;09 - 00;44;01;17
Whitney Simpkins
Like a.

00;44;01;27 - 00;44;25;22
Andrea Specht
Square shape loaf, which is kind of fun. So I would say my answer, Rob, would be anything with a laminated dough because people freak out. It seems like it's this super fancy thing. All the laminated dough, just me. It's like a course on dough, basically, or a Danish pastry where you think like layers and layers, and that's made with just butter and butter.

00;44;25;22 - 00;44;41;01
Andrea Specht
I'll just say that. And it's fussy. It is fussy to make a little bit, but it's not as big of a deal as people think. If they taste it or they see it, they're like, Oh my God, how did you do that? You know, it's the reaction is really fun for something that it just takes a little practice.

00;44;41;01 - 00;44;42;02
Andrea Specht
It's not that big of a deal.

00;44;42;14 - 00;44;48;10
Whitney Simpkins
Ken, can I ask can I ask, do you make you usually make a rough puff pastry or you make a full puff?

00;44;48;23 - 00;45;01;23
Andrea Specht
I've done both. But I mean, the rough puff is so fun because the the return, the investment of time. Right. Is so great. Again, you get the have you got a big wow factor for not really bad taste.

00;45;02;12 - 00;45;04;24
Whitney Simpkins
Yes, I feel about me too.

00;45;05;22 - 00;45;25;06
Rob Lee
We're going to have a spinoff podcast about baking all in all, because here's the thing. You know, there have been times and I don't say this, this is not bias. I hang out at pastry shop sometimes. So I've seen folks like, you know, soccer Asuka and, you know, you know, you know, I used to just hang out. I'm like, oh, how many layers?

00;45;25;06 - 00;45;31;07
Rob Lee
Player Yeah. Oh, queen them on. Okay, I see what you're doing. Yeah, I know. I'm in a know that.

00;45;31;07 - 00;45;33;27
Whitney Simpkins
So if you've ever been the cafe dearly on.

00;45;34;10 - 00;45;34;13
Rob Lee
An.

00;45;34;17 - 00;45;42;04
Whitney Simpkins
Egg, the egg sandwich that's on milk bread. So if you had that you've had milk bread then yeah.

00;45;42;04 - 00;45;45;03
Rob Lee
The Tamagotchi. Yeah. So the egg. Yes. Okay.

00;45;45;09 - 00;45;45;14
Whitney Simpkins
Yeah.

00;45;45;28 - 00;46;09;15
Rob Lee
You know, like I'm a day removed from when I go back to adding carbs back into the diet. Usually don't I. The closest thing I can do, I'll think about a croissant or something and then I've gained £5. So I just eat not to do that to the weekends. Here's the next one. And again, this is this is sort of like whatever the first thing that comes to mind, a preferred mode of communication called texts in person conversation.

00;46;09;15 - 00;46;10;27
Rob Lee
What do you prefer?

00;46;10;27 - 00;46;12;03
Andrea Specht
In-person conversation.

00;46;13;25 - 00;46;20;16
Whitney Simpkins
In-person conversation. If I can runner up as is call, I always call and I'm going to.

00;46;20;28 - 00;46;22;02
Andrea Specht
I'm going to say runner up.

00;46;22;10 - 00;46;22;26
Whitney Simpkins
Email.

00;46;23;11 - 00;46;24;02
Rob Lee
Email's good, although.

00;46;24;02 - 00;46;34;26
Andrea Specht
It is the bane of my existence and I get way too many of them. I'm responsible for that because I keep sending them out. So you know.

00;46;34;26 - 00;46;55;17
Rob Lee
So here's the next one. I'm however you deem work because this isn't really work for me. This is more like play for me, right? Because I get to make a fool of myself sometimes and ask people questions. What is your favorite time to work like when you're work? Work when you're engaged, you're locked in like some people are.

00;46;55;24 - 00;47;05;05
Rob Lee
Hey, I got to get everything knocked out. I'm up at 4 a.m. and I'm bugging because I can get a lot of stuff done and other people are more like night owls. When is your your favorite time to work.

00;47;05;25 - 00;47;06;14
Whitney Simpkins
To PM.

00;47;07;27 - 00;47;09;10
Rob Lee
Very specific time. I like it.

00;47;09;15 - 00;47;18;01
Whitney Simpkins
Too. It's right after lunch and I feel like I'm I have all that energy so I'm not a morning person and I can't do night anymore.

00;47;19;03 - 00;47;30;15
Andrea Specht
I'm going to say 8 a.m. so like not break of dawn. But you know, like before we're getting into kind of, you know, mid-morning. So so I'm going to say 8:08 a.m..

00;47;31;09 - 00;47;58;20
Rob Lee
Okay, this is the last one. And because I'm always curious and we talk a little bit about, you know, baked items so locally, right? So in the Baltimore space, what have you, you know, almost like thinking ahead a little bit, what is your like favorite spot to get a bite to eat? You know, from the local perspective and from a visitors perspective like all right, like Andrew, you don't come to Baltimore all the time.

00;47;58;20 - 00;48;08;00
Rob Lee
So it's like, I need to get a crab cake from here. I need to get this from this place. Where is that place for you to grab a bite. Now you're like, this is going to hit.

00;48;08;17 - 00;48;12;20
Andrea Specht
Oh, well, I mean, I can you can. Whitney, can you go first on this one?

00;48;13;23 - 00;48;39;21
Whitney Simpkins
There's so many places you just have like your Rolodex going right now because that's how I feel. I'm like, what's who can I shout out? I love so many places. If I'm if I'm going out and I'm it's the middle of the day, I'm probably going to good neighbor in Hamden and I'm getting matcha and whatever pastry they have if they have one.

00;48;39;21 - 00;48;49;17
Whitney Simpkins
But if they don't, I'm just getting the biggest nightmare they have because I'm a I'm a fool for milk. I love I love a big, milky tea.

00;48;50;05 - 00;48;53;21
Rob Lee
You referenced every place that I go to, which is really funny, is like.

00;48;53;21 - 00;48;54;03
Whitney Simpkins
Definitely.

00;48;55;05 - 00;49;06;07
Rob Lee
Good neighbor. All of the places. Yeah, definitely. I'm on a cortado kick, so I'm definitely the milky rob. I guess I don't like the name. I'm I'm I would take that one straight that one more.

00;49;06;07 - 00;49;29;17
Andrea Specht
Okay. So I'm going to maybe save myself some, some ribbing because instead of and I and I have to say also, I don't think I have spent enough time in Baltimore. And that is very unfortunate. Right, to say that I have sampled many restaurants and I can tell you what is my favorite. I'm going to instead say a couple of the places I have been to recently that I have really enjoyed.

00;49;29;17 - 00;49;52;11
Andrea Specht
So this is like just places I've gone to, either the most recent trip or the one before that. It was introduced to a new bar called Dutch Courage when I was in town recently and had an amazing gin cocktail and also a little like a light bite, sort of an appetizer. It was delicious. And I'm seeing you. Not Whitney.

00;49;52;11 - 00;49;53;13
Andrea Specht
So do you know this?

00;49;53;14 - 00;49;54;08
Whitney Simpkins
Yeah.

00;49;54;08 - 00;49;55;17
Andrea Specht
Yeah. Okay, so that was really.

00;49;55;20 - 00;50;01;05
Whitney Simpkins
A it's a gin bar. It's got all its lots of types of gin drinks, all the gin drinks.

00;50;02;04 - 00;50;18;23
Andrea Specht
And then top side, I have really enjoyed the view up there and had some really good food there as well. And then finally I had a chance to go to Gertrude's after hearing about Gertrude's for a long time. I got to go there on my most recent trip and that was really fun.

00;50;19;07 - 00;50;24;24
Whitney Simpkins
It's wonderful until, you know, you feel like such a patron of the arts when you get a go experience, like it.

00;50;24;24 - 00;50;31;10
Andrea Specht
Feels like it's like you walked into a movie or something. Yeah. Like you get into a time. Into kind of a time machine in a cool way.

00;50;31;13 - 00;50;33;11
Whitney Simpkins
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I love it.

00;50;33;22 - 00;50;57;02
Rob Lee
And big shout out to Dutch Courage. They were early guests on this podcast. I went to their shop earlier when they first opened. That was definitely when everything was shut down. Getting there, like really creative cocktails, like every weekend doesn't hurt that. They look like they they're they're they're they're shop is like the restaurant bar and gin. The whole setup is two blocks away from my partner's place.

00;50;57;02 - 00;51;03;12
Rob Lee
So I just walk down there, get a bottle. It used to come in a little medicine like bottles. I was like, Yeah, I need my medicine. What is that? Oh.

00;51;03;27 - 00;51;05;04
Whitney Simpkins
It's dangerous.

00;51;05;13 - 00;51;33;27
Rob Lee
Yeah. So that's kind of it for the podcast. So there's two things I want to do one, I want to thank you both for coming on and sharing and just, you know, enjoying this this afternoon with me. And I want to invite and encourage both of you these final moments to plug away social media websites, all of that good stuff, sort of tell folks, you know, sort of those last details about the marketplace and the closures.

00;51;34;04 - 00;51;34;16
Rob Lee
So please.

00;51;35;04 - 00;51;53;25
Whitney Simpkins
Yeah, I'm at personal best ceramics on Instagram. I don't do any of the other ones, so it's just Instagram and then personal best ceramics dot com. And I'll be I'll be at the marketplace at the emerging artists section.

00;51;54;28 - 00;52;17;04
Andrea Specht
Okay. So I of course I'm going to plug craft counsel dot org. That is the website of the American Craft Council and you can find all of our social there too. But Craft counsel dot org is the place to go to get tickets to the Baltimore marketplace. You can get them at the door as well. I want to make sure people know that, but there's a little discount for you if you get them ahead of time.

00;52;17;04 - 00;52;45;00
Andrea Specht
So I do recommend, you know, you're going to go, which of course you do. You could go to our website, get your ticket ahead of time and get a little discount. And you can also find out there on the website about how to become a member of the craft council as well. And since we're in the shameless plug section, something we haven't talked about much at all during the podcast, is the fact that we published this beautiful magazine that is a quarterly magazine and this is the great benefit of being a member.

00;52;45;00 - 00;52;51;04
Andrea Specht
So that's my final word. Go to Craft. I'm sorry. Yeah. Craft Council dot org, please.

00;52;52;04 - 00;53;13;28
Rob Lee
And there you have it, folks. I want to again thank Andrea Specht from the American Craft Council and artist Whitney Simpkins for coming on and talking a bit about craft and the American craft made Baltimore Marketplace. Hope to see you there.