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NOTE: This is a *NEW* website. If you have any problems regarding the operation of this site, please don’t hesitate to contact us directly. Thanks!

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Located in the U.S.A.
, we have handcrafted tools for the Ceramic Arts for over 50 years. Here at Kemper, we have employees that have been here for over 30 years. Today that says something. Each employee takes great pride in the quality of their work. Rewarded for quality, safety, and even birthdays Kemper has proven to be a successful family environment in which everyone thrives. Kemper truly is “The American Dream”.It all started in 1947, a friend asked Jack Kemper to make a tool for his class. Jack made his first ceramic tool in his garage in California. As you can guess, soon everyone wanted one of these tools. The first tool was functional and well constructed. However, Jack was just not satisfied and took his simple design and improved it with the intent of making it comfortable in the hand of the artist as well as a nice looking tool.

Interest became widespread as Jack’s reputation grew. Ceramists, sculptors and hobbyists turned to Jack for special tools. After studying tools from the early Romans, Jack was able to combine practical knowhow and a sense of design. A few of the tools we have bear a resemblance to those of olden days; however, most do not have predecessors. Under the tutelage of 96 year old mastercraftsman, Anthony Rigotty, Jack studied techniques in creating fine wood modeling tools. A short time later, Jack purchased the Anthony Rigotty Company and incorporated many of those designs and patterns into the Kemper product line.

Listening and responding to the needs of the artist, teacher, professional, and hobbyist alike, Jack’s ability to adapt to the forever changing field put Kemper on the map as the world’s largest manufacturer of quality ceramic art tools.We grew and grew, expanding throughout the United States and into twenty seven foreign countries. In the early seventies, Kemper MFG. moved to Chino, California. In 1981, Jack Kemper retired selling the company to Kempers’Vice President, Herb Stampfl. Herb, having originally started working at Kemper as an engineer, is the acting President, serves on organizational boards, and still has a hand in designing new tools and innovative products. In 1982 a line of doll making tools was added. Designing tools to fit the needs of doll artists was just the beginning. Needing components to create a doll from start to finish, Kemper added a complete line of accessories.

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Today, KEMPER still stands
for quality tools, superior service and affordable prices. We are proud to be a progressive company, bringing you new innovative art tools to craft the hand of the artist.



Kempers’ got a new look!

This catalog is “BUYER FRIENDLY”. Designed for you, the buyers, we color coded the market sec, tions, cross merchandised our tools in each section, added a selling feature to the technical description and included color photographs for reference. We hope this new look serves you well.

Kemper would like to thank the following artists for the use of their artwork shown in the catalog, and
their continued support:

  • Carolyn Phillips
  • Kris Richards
  • Lisa Pavelka
  • Marie Segal
  • Sunny Segal
  • Karen Williams Smith
  • Hal Wardell
  • Twyla Wardell

Copyright © 2004 Kemper Enterprises. All rights reserved.