Anna Krejci came to Bolesławiec for the first time after a long absence. It was all because of the pandemic. She was unable to attend the Ceramics Festival in 2020.
Instead, she visited the city online and commented with istotne.pl on the opening of the 26th Bolesławiec Ceramics Festival.
During this year's trip, Anna met with her artist friends. She visited Ceramika Millena, spent a Polish evening making meat products at Kaola Ceramic, and admired the work of Rutyna and Manufaktura pottery factories. She also shared her entire visit with Americans on her Facebook page—Surroundings Polish Pottery.
“I spent the first day with my wonderful friends from Ceramika Millena,” says Anna Krejci, describing her visit to Bolesławiec. “It was very exciting, as I visited their new branch, which they will soon be opening in Grodziec. For me, it is extremely empowering to see people who work so hard to provide jobs for others, especially during the pandemic. They create wonderful ceramics and want to preserve the historic buildings around Grodziec Castle. I saw Jarek Rutyna's wonderful pottery workshop. I am very interested in technology. I would like to show people that creating ceramic molds is not easy, that it is not just about stamps. I also visited my friends from Manufaktura. I did it all to show the places where Bolesławiec ceramics are created, to present the history of pottery, where it is made and who makes it,” Anna adds.
Anna makes sure that customers in the United States learn about the ceramic traditions of Bolesławiec and its region and feel the charm of the smaller and larger ceramic factories that manufacture the products imported to the U.S. Living in Bolesławiec, we are so accustomed to ceramics that we do not always see the enormous potential hidden in clay products. Anna sees it and presents it in a simple and sincere way across the Atlantic and wherever she goes.
“Americans ask whether these beautiful pots can be put in the oven,” says Anna Krejci. “And Poles think there is only one ceramic manufacturer in Bolesławiec,” she says of her meetings with new customers.
Anna comes from southern Poland. She moved to the United States years ago and had never had any contact with the city of Bolesławiec until she became fascinated by cobalt-colored stamps during one of her visits to the Bolesławiec Ceramics Festival.
“I invited myself to Bolesławiec,” says Anna Krejci. “I came here for the Ceramics Festival and met extraordinary people: the team from Kaola Ceramic and my friend Wiesia from Ceramika Millena. And so it began,” Anna adds.
In Louisville, Anna runs her business and store, Surroundings Polish Pottery, located in a beautifully renovated wedding chapel.
“I have always restored old houses and had a hunger for tradition,” says Anna during a live interview on the opening day of the 2020 Ceramics Festival. “The windows of my store are decorated with beautiful stained glass by Jolanta Koźmin, a native of Bolesławiec. They create a unique atmosphere in the chapel that has been transformed into a store, combining American and Polish cultures,” said Anna Krejci.
This marriage of two cultures resulted, among other things, in the creation of large ceramic mugs by Kaola Ceramic, designed to meet the needs of American coffee lovers. The half-liter mug is named Anka, after Anna Krejci. The 0.7-liter mug was named Goliat. The Anna mug has a special design. Its handle is not glued on, and the mug is cast from a single mold. The Goliat mug is inspired by the beauty of Grodziec Castle and the history of the region. Both mugs also feature beautiful floral decoration highlighting their rounded, as Anna says, “feminine” shape.
Americans love the way Anna presents the culture of Poland and Bolesławiec. Jenny Murray wrote beneath a short video of Anna's stay in Bolesławiec:
We love Anna here in the U.S. The culture, beauty and art of Poland that she shares with us are wonderful! As a bonus, we also receive Polish language lessons! We can't wait to visit Poland and experience everything Anna has so proudly shared about her country!
Anna talks about her stay in the city of pottery in a short video recorded on the last day of her stay in Bolesławiec.
Polish version of the article: Anna doesn't sell pottery—she sells the charm and traditions of the City of Ceramics!