One More Call...

Once again we've been approached by Ms. Mary Moniz re: contributing a panel to her project.  This note was forwarded today to Canadian SAQA Reps via Martha Sielman:

Just a quick follow up…in our quilter outreach it was again suggested that we contact your association for possible help.

We are looking for quilters/fibre artists from Canada who might be interested in participating in the Relay for Hope quilt project. We have commitments from quilters for some of the provinces but are still hoping to get commitments to complete scenic, 28” x 28” panels for Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, Alberta, BC and the 3 territories. We are in the process of reassessing the deadlines to give the quilters more time to complete the panels.

We would really appreciate your help in posting our request on your website/blog.

Please feel free to contact me for any questions or if you would like a diagram of the quilt.

Thank you for revisiting this request and we are hoping to hear back soon.

Best,

Mary Moniz

Account Executive/Office Manager
Torchia Communications

mary@torchiacom.com

Tel. : 416 341-9929 Ext. 221 / Fax: 416 946-1451 

Note that at this time we do not know the particulars of the changes in deadlines.  The "Relay for Hope" is a fund-raiser for the Canadian AIDS Society.  It would appear that the panels would be incorporated in a larger quilt that would then tour Canada.

Please contact Ms. Moniz directly if you are interested.  Thank you.

On and Off Our Walls

Stumbled over this lovely interview  conducted by blogger and quilter, Rachael Slorach with Saskatchewan member, Jaynie Himsl about her work.

Jaynie had posted the link on Facebook so  I'm posting this link here for those of you who may not be on FB... Enjoy!

And thanks, Jaynie!

New Year = New Exhibit!

SAQA WC Co-Rep, Katie Stein Sather, and several of our SAQA colleagues are also members of FAN -- the Fibre Art Network.   The group describes itself as (and I quote):

"...a co-operative of self-defined artists based in Western Canada. The co-operative was first conceived in the spring of 1998 by British Columbians Pat Crucil and Gail Hunt and then organized later that year by Gail. The group is committed to promoting fibre as an art form and each other as artists."

The group's latest offering is an exhibit entitled "Canadiana" -- which opened at the New Zealand Quilt Symposium Manawatu,  now on and running through January 21, 2015.  Participating SAQA members include Terry Aske, Helene Blanchet, Joyce Brown, Diane Duncan, Dianne Firth, Jaynie Himsl, Marcie Horswill, Karen Johnson, Judi MacLeod, Pippa Moore (curator), Judith Panson, Jenny Perry and Katie Stein Sather.

Congratulations on an auspicious opening -- and best wishes for a successful show tour!

To see the pieces in this exhibit and learn more about it and about FAN in general, click HERE.

New Year = New Members!

Welcome to new SAQA WC members Judy Clements of Berwyn, AB, and Carole Gold of Peace River, AB!

I confess, I had to look up Berwyn!  Turns out it's also part of "Peace Country". 37 km. west of Peace River and 171 km north of Grande Prairie.  Turns out, too, that it's population is only about 56 more than my wee hamlet of Mirror, out here in Central Alberta (526 in 2011 to our 470 or so...)..."PEACE" country in more ways than one...




I hope these new members have the opportunity to view The Burgess Shale exhibit while it was on display in their area (it's currently in Slave Lake)...

Judy and Carole, welcome aboard!  Please don't hesitate to contact any of your Co-Reps if you have any questions (see the right-hand side-bar)...and maybe we'll meet up at Quilt Canada in Lethbridge in June!

P.S. If you'd like to tell us a bit about yourselves and your works, contact Margaret (Co-Rep, AB) re: being one of our "Featured Members" or about sharing your work "On and Off Our Walls".

SAQA Members at the Edge of the Forest

"Edge of the Forest" is an exhibit being mounted this year by Canadian members of the Surface Design Association (SDA) -- several of whom are also SAQA members, including:

• Maggie Vanderweit, Fergus, Ontario;
• Lesley Turner, Victoria, B.C.;
• Lilly Thorne, Abbotsford, B.C.;
• Jill Sullivan, Sechelt, B.C. (former B.C. Co-Rep for SAQA WC);
• Katie Stein Sather, Maple Ridge, B.C. (current B.C. Co-Rep for SAQA WC);
• Lorraine Ross, Calgary, AB;
• Terry Phillips, Quathiaski Cove, B.C.;
• Judi MacLeod, Victoria, B.C.;
• Wendy Klotz, Calgary, AB;
• Marcy Horswill, Cumberland, B.C.;
• Mita Giacomini, Dundas, Ontario;
• Diane Duncan, Calgary, AB;
• Gloria Daly, Duncan, B.C.;  and
• Leslie Barnes, Calgary, AB.

Currently, this exhibit is booked for the following venues:

• The Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts (Ontario) and this show will run from March 1-30, 2015;
• The John M. Parrott Gallery, Belleville, ON, June 4 to July 9, 2015;
• The Fibre Conference/Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador, August 15 – October 15, 2015.

The curators would like to present this exhibit "in each province represented by an artist".   SAQA has a history of collaboration with the SDA in terms of conferences in the U.S.  The "Edge of the Forest" exhibit provides us with an ideal opportunity to collaborate again to bring this show to Western Canada in 2016 --

BUT...

Just as mounting The Burgess Shale exhibit, or touring the SAQA Trunk Show, or gathering in small groups in central locations (such as Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, the Lower Mainland...) takes energy, initiative and many hands to make light work, so would such a (Western) Canadian SAQA/SDA collaboration.

Anyone up for it?