I first became aware of the need for numbers following the first Rhinebeck Craft Fair I ran in 1973. Those questions initiated the collection of sales data at the end of each fair. The compilation of data gave me something to report to the press. The more impressive the growth statistics, the better press coverage we received the next year. I am convinced that the reason Rhinebeck got so much press coverage was because we were able to quote numbers.
Statistics give industries credibility.
Because the craft industry has never had facts, figures and quotable numbers in dollar-denominated form, it has never received the attention it deserves as an important contributor to the national economy. Right or wrong, we are a society that keeps score. The craft community has never really kept score, and I have always wondered why. Several thoughts occurred to me. First, most of what we define as contemporary craft comes out of the art and education world, not the business world.