Red Wing Collectors Society

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The RWCS logo Red Wing Logo.jpg
The RWCS logo

The Red Wing Collectors Society, Inc. has been dedicated to the preservation of Red Wing and other American pottery since 1977. The Red Wing Collectors Society is a special interest collecting organization in the United States with a membership of about 5000. [1]

Red Wing Pottery

Red Wing pottery refers to American stoneware, pottery, or dinnerware items made by a company initially set up in Red Wing, Minnesota, in 1861 by German immigrant John Paul, which changed its names several times until finally settling on Red Wing Potteries, Inc. in 1936. The pottery factory that started in 1861 continues to the present day under the names of Red Wing Pottery and Red Wing Stoneware. There was a respite in production when Red Wing Pottery Sales, Inc. had a strike in 1967 causing them to temporarily cease trading. The company still makes both zinc/Bristol glazed products as well as salt-glazed, hand-thrown, kiln fired items.

Pottery Craft of making objects from clay

Pottery is the process of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired to give them a hard, durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made by a potter is also called a pottery. The definition of pottery used by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), is "all fired ceramic wares that contain clay when formed, except technical, structural, and refractory products." In archaeology, especially of ancient and prehistoric periods, "pottery" often means vessels only, and figures etc. of the same material are called "terracottas". Clay as a part of the materials used is required by some definitions of pottery, but this is dubious.

Contents

Organization history

The Red Wing Collectors Society (RWCS) was founded in 1977 in conjunction with the Red Wing Collectors Society Newsletter, published by Dave Newkirk. The popularity of the RWCS Newsletter subscription and the publication of "The Clay Giants" by Rev. Lyndon Veil laid the cornerstone for a meeting of like-minded collectors to gather in Red Wing, MN in July 1977. It was at that one-day event held at the Goodhue County Historical Society in July 1977 that the RWCS officially became an organization. Those who attended the event and joined the RWCS that day are considered charter members of the organization. Of the 300-500 people that attended the event, just over 200 people became members and over 75 of those members are still active as of October 2008.

From its start the RWCS has been dedicated to keeping what its members refer to as the "Red Wing legacy" alive. Its members focus on continually learning about the pottery products made in Red Wing, Minnesota and on making that information available to others. [2]

Organization structure

The RWCS maintains a board of directors that is responsible for many of the decisions of the Society. Positions on the board include President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Historian, Auction Manager, Education Manager, Commemorative Manager, and two Representatives-at-large. The Society's Executive Director is a non-voting member of the board. Board meeting times and locations are published in the bimonthly newsletter and are open for any member to attend.

Board of directors board composed of directors

A board of directors is a group of people who jointly supervise the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit business, nonprofit organization, or a government agency. Such a board's powers, duties, and responsibilities are determined by government regulations and the organization's own constitution and bylaws. These authorities may specify the number of members of the board, how they are to be chosen, and how often they are to meet.

An executive director is a chief executive officer (CEO) or managing director of an organization, company, or corporation. The title is widely used in North American non-profit organizations, though many United States nonprofits have adopted the title president or CEO.

During the annual Convention, held the second weekend in July, there is a general business meeting in which all members of the Society present may vote on issues, bylaw changes, and elect new officers to the board during election years.

Membership

Membership is available to any individual who pays the annual membership dues. There are two levels of membership, Primary and Associate. A Primary member receives all benefits of membership, which include a bimonthly newsletter, the right to vote at the annual meeting, the ability to attend all portions of Society functions, the right to purchase a commemorative, and access to the Society's lending library of video materials. The cost of Primary membership dues is $35 annually as of August, 2013. An Associate membership is available to any member of a household in which there is already a Primary member (i.e. a spouse or child of a Primary member). Associate membership is $15 annually and includes all the benefits of membership with the exclusion of receipt of a newsletter.

Chapters

There are multiple local chapters of the Society. Each chapter is chartered by the RWCS and holds its own meetings and functions throughout the year. Many of them also hold smaller functions in conjunction with the two RWCS sponsored events, the July Convention and the MidWinter GetTogether, held in February. Membership in the RWCS is a requirement for membership in one of its chapters. Chapters often operate much like the Society but on a smaller scale, including the production of chapter commemoratives as a fundraising activity. As of 2008 there were sixteen chapters in the United States. Golden State Red Wing Chapter founded In 1987 in California. [3]

Annual events

The RWCS holds two official events every year, the Convention and MidWinter GetTogether.

Convention

The July Convention is held every year and is the original event of the society. The first convention was held in July 1977 in Red Wing, Minnesota. Since then there has been an annual convention and business meeting of the society in July in Red Wing. The most recent venue has been the Red Wing High School. Educational seminars, an auction, a show and sale, displays of pottery, and children's events are held.

Red Wing High School

Red Wing High School is a liberal arts, public high school located in the Mississippi River Valley, fifty miles southeast of the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area. The school is part of the Red Wing Independent School District and serves as the high school for Red Wing, Minnesota and its surrounding communities.

MidWinter GetTogether

The MidWinter GetTogether is held in February. Meant to be an event that may relocate to new locations if possible, it has been held in Des Moines, Iowa since at least 2003. It was held in Wisconsin in 2015 and 2016 and will return to Des Moines in 2017. This is a smaller event than the Convention and is attended by fewer members. Educational seminars, a show and sale, social events, and children's events are held.

Des Moines, Iowa Capital of Iowa

Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857. It is on and named after the Des Moines River, which likely was adapted from the early French name, Rivière des Moines, meaning "River of the Monks". The city's population was 217,521 as of the 2017 population estimate. The five-county metropolitan area is ranked 89th in terms of population in the United States with 634,725 residents according to the 2016 estimate by the United States Census Bureau, and is the second largest metropolitan area in the state after that of Omaha, Nebraska, which includes three counties in southwest Iowa.

Chapter meetings and events

Chapters of the RWCS hold meetings throughout the year. Depending on the chapter these meetings may be held anywhere from monthly to four times annually. Some chapters hold annual special events in addition to their regular business meetings. [4]

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References

  1. ↑ http://collectingclubs.com/Show_Club.asp?ID=820&fmt=1 ACC RWCS informational entry
  2. ↑ http://www.redwingcollectors.org/content/blogcategory/18/51/ About Us - RWCS
  3. ↑ http://www.goldenstateredwing.com/
  4. ↑ http://www.goldenstateredwing.com/
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