Susan and Mayer
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by Susan Page; photos by Steven and Cathi House

My husband, Mayer Shacter, was a person who was driven by his passions. He never had the least hesitation when he wanted to start a new endeavor, and he started four of them over the course of his life. He was fond of saying that life gives you endless opportunities to reinvent yourself, and he did this himself, over and over.

He had a long career as a ceramic artist. When he became infatuated with ceramics, he didn't find someone else's studio to work in. He opened his own business, The Venice Pottery Gallery in Venice, California. It was successful and exciting for him. Still, when he had the chance to move to a spectacular 160 acres of redwood forest on the coast of Mendocino, even though his gallery was successful, he didn't hesitate to close it and embrace a new adventure.

He showed that quality of clear determination and passion when he eventually left behind his outstanding ceramics career of 27 years and ventured into the antique business, and again, when the high-end antique collective he was in would not let him sell mid-century, because it was not antique enough. No problem. With great clarity of purpose and undaunted by the challenge, he opened his own showroom for mid-century furniture. It was another huge success and enormously satisfying for him. But again, when he had the chance to fulfill a lifelong dream to move to Mexico, he didn't hesitate to close that business and strike out again.

When Mayer opened Galería Atotonilco in 2006 here in San Miguel, he traveled all over Mexico to find the finest authentic Mexican folk art. It's no wonder that his gallery was soon recognized as "the finest exhibition and sale of Mexican popular arts in the country," according to Alberto Ruy Sanchez, editor of Artes de Mexico. There are many galleries of Mexican folk art, but no one else had the vision and passion to create the most comprehensive and high-quality gallery in all of Mexico. Mayer's background in the arts, his deep knowledge of craftsmanship, and his keen eye for beauty combined with his natural skills as a businessman made all of his projects dazzling. Whether it was his antique gallery, his mid-century showroom, or his folkart gallery, there were always two groups of people: the "oh wow" people and the "oh my god" people. No one was neutral about walking into one of his creations.

Mayer actually said that the theme of his life was to leave everything better than he found it. The property he created near Atotonilco is a superb example of this. He transformed an abandoned ruin into an estate. Over his lifetime, he left ten other houses better than he found them. He loved bringing gorgeous old furniture back to life, restoring it to its original glory. Whether it was a lump of clay, a work of art, an antique, a piece of land to develop, a house or building, a family or person in need of support, or a dog. He left everything better than he found it.

House and gallery by House + House Architects
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A case could be made that Mayer actually even left Mexico itself better than he found it. He definitely created an important collection of folk art. And his collection of serapes is a significant contribution to Mexico.

Mayer had a genius for snooping out quality and value where others might miss it. He alone noticed that beautiful handmade nineteenth and early twentieth century Mexican serapes were being neglected and were so undervalued that they were attainable. With great excitement, he began searching them out and collecting them. It gave him enormous pleasure, every time he found a new serape. He has gathered together a collection of over 200 mint-condition, spectacular hand-woven serapes that before had been scattered all over the world in individual hands. Now, because of Mayer, all these serapes are together, in one collection. This is a major contribution to Mexico, one way in which he has left even this country better than he found it. This precious collection is now available for purchase.

Galería Atotonilco
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Mayer was entirely self-taught. He simply acquired the skills and the knowledge that he needed whenever he developed a new passion, feverishly read all he could get his hands on, and then attached himself to mentors. He quickly became the expert everyone else would turn to.

Mayer had a huge heart. He took care of and touched the lives of so many people throughout his life. He deeply loved the folk artists whose work he so admired, and they adored him. From a customer in the galley to his many long, cherished friendships, everyone loved Mayer. He shared his delight, his passion and his knowledge. His warmth was infectious, and his enthusiasm was legendary.

photo: David Fialkoff
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Susan Page is the former Director of Women's Programs at UC Berkeley, where she helped to found the Contraception Clinic at the Student Health Service, and to create one of the first university-based Human Sexuality programs in the U.S. She helped establish the first safe house for battered women in Contra Costa County. A best-selling author, Susan has appeared widely on national television and radio, including the Oprah Winfrey Show. She founded and is president of the San Miguel Writers' Conference and Literary Festival and of Gáleria Atotonilco.

www.susanpage.com

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Cathi and Steven House, the founders and principals of House + House Architects, have received over 50 design awards for their work in California, Mexico, Africa and the Caribbean, and have been featured in prestigious publications throughout the world including two monographs, House + House Architects: Choreographing Space and Houses in the Sun: light movement embrace. Their studies of vernacular architecture have been published in Mediterranean Villages: an architectural journey, and in Villages of West Africa: an intimate journey across time, which document the people, villages and unique architecture. Cathi and Steven lecture extensively and created CASA, The Center for Architecture, Sustainability + Art, a study abroad program based in Mexico.

House + House Architects' work reflects Cathi and Steven's passion for soulfully designed buildings intimately responsive to their site and to their inhabitants.

www.houseandhouse.com

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