Red Wing Collectors Society

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.

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 "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.

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.

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 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.

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