We Need Mentors! A message from Sue Bleiweiss, Mentorship Coordinator

Now that the mentorship program has been underway for several weeks I thought I would post an update on how it’s going and provide some statistics and other information about it. 

So far 12 matches have been made and all the mentees have met with their mentors at least once via Skype, FaceTime or telephone to talk about their objectives and goals and to set up a regular communication schedule with each other.   Everyone is very excited about their new partnerships and I couldn’t be happier about that.

You might be wondering who these mentors are so I am going to tell you!  I’m sharing their names with their permission of course and they are:
Pamela Allen
Sue Bleiweiss
Lisa Call
Jenny Bowker
Sherri Culver
Kathleen Loomis
Alison Schwabe
Pamela Druhen
Carol Ann Waugh
Susan Polansky
Phylis Cullen

Each of them have signed on to work with at least one mentee and a couple are working with more than one.   I am grateful for their willingness to sign on to be a part of this program because the success of the program really hinges on having enough mentors.  And that brings me to my next statistic…

I have 9 mentees on the waiting list waiting to be matched up with a mentor.  I need more mentors!
So I am once again putting out the call for mentors.  Now I know that being a mentor isn’t for everyone, and I absolutely understand and respect that. But I’m guessing that there are some of you out there who are thinking you might be interested but you’re not sure about it because you are not sure how to be a mentor or what areas or categories you can mentor someone in.  To answer those questions, just pop over to the SAQA website here:  http://www.saqa.com/memberArt.php?ID=3369

All the information about the program is there and if you take a look at both the mentor and the mentee applications (regardless of which you want to apply for) those will also help answer your questions.  If you still have questions or your unsure, then write to me at sue@....  I will be happy to talk with you about the program and how you can be a part of it. 

The mentorship program is just one of the programs brought to you by the SAQA membership committee.  The committee is chaired by Diane Wright and is made up of volunteers Clara Nartey (Secretary), Sue Bleiweiss, Paula Huffman Brown, Sharon Buck, Christine Hager-Braun, Candice Phelan, Allison Reker, Desi Vaughn, and Martha Wolfe.  We meet once a month to discuss, brainstorm and develop programs and initiatives related to areas of membership. Watch for updates about the committees other programs and initiatives in future emails.

By the way - if you're curious about what other committees that SAQA has you'll find that information on the SAQA website here:  http://www.saqa.com/about.php?ID=72

Sue Bleiweiss
MA/RI regional co-rep
Membership committee volunteer
Mentorship program coordinator
http://www.suebleiweiss.com

Deadline Next Weekend: ARTISTIC WANDERINGS, Norwich Arts Center (Norwich, CT)

Attention ALL visual artists! 

Don’t miss the opportunity to enter your artwork into “Artistic Wanderings” at the Norwich Arts Center (NAC).

Exhibition Dates: August 5 – 29, 2015
Opening Reception: Friday, August 7

Work must be dropped off at NAC for jurying.
Norwich Arts Center
60-64 Broadway
Norwich, CT 06360
http://www.norwicharts.org

Drop off dates: Friday, July 31 and Saturday, August 1, 2015
between 12 - 4 PM

Juror: Donita Aruny, Program and Marketing Director for the Shoreline Arts Alliance

**Over $1600 in prize money will be awarded!**

Available Awards: $250 for 1st prize, $125 for 2nd prize and for
3rd prize: free rental space for 1 month in “Gallery Too”, sponsored by NAC. Any 2-dimensional work is eligible (except photography)

Plus 5 additional $250 prizes for Fine Craft, sponsored by the Katherine Forest Crafts Foundation. Eligible work includes pottery, weaving, jewelry, textile, woodworking and metal.

PROSPECTUS for Artistic Wanderings 2015

ENTRY FORM for Artistic Wanderings 2015

For more information, visit the NAC website: www.norwicharts.org

Rita Hannafin Interviewed at Sacred Threads (Herndon, VA)

Congratulations to SAQA-CT artist, Rita Hannafin!

Rita was at the Artist Reception for “Sacred Threads” in Herndon, Virginia and was interviewed for the Quilt Alliance: Go Tell It at the Quilt Show. 

You can watch Rita’s and dozens of other artists’ interviews on the Quilt Alliance YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbRL8gNFw9DBEAuPT2fLHaehysLU9veeW

All the participating artists in “Sacred Threads” were invited to speak about their work. Accepted artists include SAQA-CT members Christina Blais, Diane Cadrain and Mary Lachman. A full list of participating artists can be found on Sacred Threads’ website: http://sacredthreadsquilts.com/html/artists2015.html

Rita’s quilt will now be listed in the National Registry of Quilts.  Rita enjoyed the reception, as she put it: “The catalogue is fantastic, and it was great having other artists sign it…  I was also interviewed for a documentary specifically being made for Sacred Threads, so this was a really great experience.”

Another piece by Hannafin, Threaded Cat Blues, was accepted into the “Out of the Blue” exhibit at the Whistler House Museum of Art in Lowell MA.  The Artist Reception will be on Saturday, Aug 15 and the exhibit runs until September 19th.

SAQA Trunk Show is on Display at the Lyme Art Association (Old Lyme, CT)

This week, SAQA-CT artists Catherine Whall Smith, Barbara Adams and Rita Hannafin brought the Studio Art Quilt Associates’ Trunk Show to the Lyme Art Association. Please stop by and take a look at these beautiful, handmade works of fiber art.

SAQA Members: You will have a chance to see the Trunk Show at our next regional meeting, which will be held at the Lyme Art Association on July 18 from 10am – 2pm.

The SAQA Trunk Show will be on display at the Lyme Art Association from July 15 – 22, 2015.

LAA's main floor Galleries will display over 50 art quilts. Each quilt is 10 x 7 inches, mounted on a black backing board, and sealed inside a clear envelope. The artist's location, artwork title, statement and information about techniques and materials are on the back. The quilts are not for sale.

Lyme Art Association
90 Lyme Street
Old Lyme, CT 06371
www.lymeartassociation.org

Diane Wright, Presentation on Fiber Art this Saturday (Guilford, CT)

Fiber Artist Diane Wright to Speak on Contemporary Quilts 

Saturday, July 11, 2015 beginning at 2 PM
At the Guilford Keeping Society
Medad Stone Tavern Museum
197 Three Mile Course
Guilford, CT 06437
http://www.guilfordkeepingsociety.com/

As a special feature of Guilford's town-wide summer quilt show, Diane Wright, nationally known art quilter, will speak on "Contemporary Stitches in Time,"  She will discuss the use of antique quilt patterns in the making of contemporary quilts and quilts as art. 

Diane has invited friends and fellow quilters from the Guilford quilting group, Sisters in Cloth, to join her in sharing their own contemporary quilts that have been influenced by tradition. Times change, but as Diane says, "It's always been about the hand and the stitch."

The talk will take place at The Guilford Keeping Society's Medad Stone Tavern, 197 Three Mile Course. Visitors to the Tavern can also view a display of historic quilts owned by the Society.

Since the 1990s, Diane's focus has been on the fabric medium: fabric of all kinds, hand or machine stitched, often embellished with beads, fiber "shards" or found bits. Her work is noted for its use of color, original design, and a variety of fabrics that include commercial, foreign, hand-painted, and vintage pieces.

Admission to the program is free but donations are greatly appreciated.