“KEEP THE FIRE ALIVE”: a transcontinental match for arts and crafts. We are Tammeron and Anna Francis, a husband and wife united by our passion to create with hands and teach arts. Tammeron was born in Ohio and raised in Michigan, Anna is from Bulgaria, Europe. We met online and started dreaming of a family business dedicated to arts and crafts. During our American-European virtual dialogue Tammeron shared a book with Anna: a ceramic textbook by Mary Chase Stratton, the founder of Pewabic Pottery in Detroit.
Tammeron’s grandmother studied ceramics under Mary Stratton. Stratton signed the book with the words “Keep the fire alive.” The year was 1941. When we started our family life in the USA, we decided to take pottery classes together. Among the many opportunities, we selected Pewabic Pottery for wheel throwing classes.
In 2018, we started our own arts and craft studio in a family property in a lake/forest area in northeast Indiana. We have since moved to Muncie, Indiana and have built a small studio there using an innovative panel system designed by the Minnesota architect Rick Peterson. Part of the costs for the project were provided through an On Ramp fellowship grant by the Indiana Arts Commission.
Before moving to the United States Anna enjoyed a dynamic library career in Bulgaria. As an officer for the Bulgarian library Association her duties took her to professional exchange in Europe, United States, South America and Africa. Tammeron’s background is in architecture and design. During that carrier he contributed to a number of award wining projects including his mother’s house in Franklin, Michigan that won an AIA Michigan award. Anna has been a ceramic artist and started selling on Etsy in 2014 as Clayana. Tammeron first touched clay in 2016 when he bought a wheel while preparing the studio. With his broad experience in architecture, design and drawing, the move to clay as a new media of expression did not take long and very soon yielded results.