-Cat Head- still bank c. 1920

Editor: So, this is the "-Cat Head- still bank," crafted around 1920 by an anonymous artist. It’s ceramic, and… surprisingly green! It's much smaller than I thought it would be. The color gives it this fantastical, almost alien quality, despite it just being a cat. What’s your take on it? Curator: The color definitely jumps out, doesn’t it? Its decorative style points to the rise of industrial ceramic production methods coupled with a sentimental, almost folkloric ideal. Note that the utilitarian object of the "still bank" gained appeal within working class family culture, it encouraged the ethic of saving. Consider what a child, circa 1920, might make of it. Editor: Interesting… it's folk art, but produced industrially? Does that take away from the “folk” aspect? Curator: That’s exactly the tension, isn't it? Industrial processes allowed for wider accessibility, democratizing art objects. Yet, there’s an interesting dialogue created in tension between handcrafted traditions and mass production. How do these forces alter our appreciation, even now? Does this accessible price-point, aimed at popular consumers, detract from the artwork itself? Editor: I see what you mean. It kind of makes you rethink the idea of “high” and “low” art. I guess accessibility changed how people interacted with art in their everyday lives, and even maybe, its social standing. Curator: Precisely. An everyday object became a vehicle for saving and potentially an affordable, mass-produced object to reflect on shared community aspirations, regardless of means. This ceramic cat encourages financial wisdom but speaks of democratized cultural values. I will ponder this unique tension today.