The Journal of Australian Ceramics Vol 48 No 3 November 2009

Ceramic Spaces
Philanthropist Rod f yffe
photo; Chris Sanders
OR: Yes you can, sometimes - if you are known
for a particular style of work and in an exhibition
people expect to see that style of work, they are
disappointed if it's different. If it doesn't sell, that
discourages the maker.
AM: They should not be discouraged but should
just learn from it. With a recent exhibition here,
collectors came in for work that they missed out
on last time and it was different 50 they did not
buy. They asked if they could get some of the
older work. But others said, "What exciting new
work; I want to add that to my collection." This
exhibition succeeded, but if not I would have told
the artist that collectors were looking for the older
style of work and were disappointed, but not that
the exhibition was a failure; it was just not timed
right.
OR: There are galleries around that show a
different kind of negative. I could name a few but
I won't, where you go in and the people there
look down their nose at you as though you are
some kind of nuisance.
AM: Being in business with people you have to enjoy the people. They are your guests and the least you
can do is say hello. Artists have to be there with you . Artists and the collectors are no different. They are
both very impassioned, very dedicated. Once you are established with them there is a trust, and they are
very generous.
OR: Yes, there are collectors who are very well educated about the work, and it's very easy to talk to
some of them because you have so much in common.
AM: The collector and the artist both talk in "I" - the artist says, "I did this, and I did that, I am looking
for something, I have tried that" .. . and a collector will say, "I love that, oh, what that does for me" - it
shows me how close the species are. The collector and the artist should be in conversation all the time.
They are corners of a triangle: the artist, the art and the collector. That is extremely important because
galleries might come and go, but the triangle remains; it is the future.
OR: One of the ego things that happens with collectors is that if someone has your work and there is a
survey exhibition that they consider important, they show that work with the label, 'In the collection of'.
As with artists, they like to show off 'their work'.
AM: I don't think its ego. They cherish the work. Without collectors there would be no art for the
future. Go back to history and the art patron. Without them, how much art would we have lost?
90 THE JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIAN CERAMICS NOVEMBER 2009