Board Endorsed Candidates

Sharon Giles—“Recently, I have been told that I look to build bridges rather than put up barriers. So, as a member of the Board of Directors, I will bring years of experience from the corporate and arts & crafts worlds and utilize my diverse background to help build those bridges into the Guild’s future.” Giles is a hand weaver & juried member of the Guild and Reading Berks Chapter. She earned a BA in Clothing & Textiles from Albright College. Active in craft, Giles has served in leadership positions for the Guild (most recently as Board Secretary in 2008) and Chapter. She leads tours to Mexico focusing on craft villages, museums, galleries & local culture. She has corporate experience in business, budgets, employee interaction, event planning and human resources, and is currently as a corporate recruiter at Carpenter Technology Corp.

Paul Grecian— “I like the direction the Guild has been going. My goals as a member of the Board of Directors would include helping the Guild move forward in its endeavors to offer diverse and quality opportunities to craftsmen and those interested in craft. I believe a strong Guild is an asset to all its members.” Grecian works fulltime in photography and holds juried status in the Guild, and Lehigh Valley & Reading-Berks chapters, and serves as president of Lehigh Valley. He is also on the Joint Chapters Committee and has participated in Standards. Grecian’s nature imagery has won multiple awards in national competitions & shows, and been published in books, magazines, calendars and corporate projects. Most recently, he has been invited to write about the art business for Professional Artist magazine.

Maureen Kamerick—“I am honored to be asked to continue to serve on the Guild Board. After serving on the Board for 3 years, I’ve been very impressed with the level of dedication and professionalism of our leadership, as well as our volunteers. I’ve also become aware of some of the challenges of realizing goals of economic stability, high standards and service to our diverse members. The Guild has done a wonderful job of exposing people to the arts, educating them about craft, and providing an opportunity for the craftsperson to connect with the public. I would be very pleased to do whatever I could to help continue that work.” Kamerick holds a bachelors in art & a masters in art history from the University of Michigan. She studied weaving in Nashville, has taught workshops in Delaware & Pennsylvania in historical textiles & dyeing techniques, and teaches with the Delaware Institute for the Arts in Education. Kamerick dyes silk yarn, weaving scarves, shawls and fabric yardage, to combine intricate patterns in a contemporary palette.

Paula Lewis—“I have collected fine craft and art for some 30 years and joined the Guild with the sole aim of supporting fine craft in Pennsylvania. I believe in the PGC, its members, and the importance of fine craft in society. I am passionate about the value of art and artisans. I offer my commitment, experience and education in service of the PGC.” Lewis has been active in craft for years, and is Guild and chapter juried in enameling. She serves as president of the Yellow Breeches chapter and is chair of the Joint Chapters committee. Lewis earned her marketing degree from Penn State and has worked in the medical professional liability insurance industry for more than 25 years, leading agency relationships in the mid-Atlantic region. In her spare time, Lewis sings, plays music and gardens (she is a master gardener). She is passionate about artist promotion, and enabling patrons to acquire, appreciate and enjoy fine craft and art.

Members have the option to self-nominate or nominate others during the research phase. No nominations were received. Members may also recommend a write-in candidate. Go to the ballot >>

Cyclical Membership & Dues Change proposed for 2012

New members and the growth of technology are merging together to spearhead exciting ideas about member services at the Pennsylvania Guild. And at the recent 3rd annual Chapter Officers Retreat, chapters gathered together to unanimously propose and support historic changes to the Guild’s annual membership cycle.

Members, both old and new, want two services in particular:

• Cyclical membership (365 days instead of a flat January to December cycle)
• Online renewal option (currently, only new members may join online)

At the Retreat, Chapter Officers banded together to lead change in their chapters that would make both services possible for 2012. Officers voted unanimously to standardize chapter dues to a single rate, to support a 12-month membership year and to offer online renewals to interested members.

“It was a wonderful day of sharing, laughter, good ideas and thoughtful comments,” said Sherrie Boyer, executive director, “and it included key recommendations that will re-vitalize the Guild, serve members and bring significant change to the organization. It was very exciting to see that kind of passion and everyone working together for the good of the organization.”

Background

Beginning with its inception in 1944, the Guild adhered to a January to December membership cycle. Members joining midyear paid full dues but only received benefits for the remainder of the year. While this has been easy to administer, it has done little to encourage mid-year newcomers who wanted a full 12 months.

Likewise, members joining could opt to also belong to regional chapters. Each chapter had its own dues and own system to collect those dues, so adding a chapter meant finding and researching it first. Five years ago, the Guild standardized the collection of dues so that newcomers could choose a chapter immediately while joining the Guild. In spite of this advance, complexity remained with 96 different dues rates depending on which chapter categories the person joined. The complexity meant complicated forms and detailed lists of options so that many newcomers still complained about the hurdles of joining.

“Joining the Guild should be easy,” said Paula Lewis, head of the Joint Chapters Committee and Yellow Breeches president. “It’s a fabulous organization; the promotions the Guild does every month about craft are worth my membership dollars alone. We should be welcoming people in, not keeping them at bay.”

Proposal

At the Retreat, Chapter Officers recommended eliminating the barriers in favor of a cohesive approach to membership. And in response, the Guild Board said it would support the recommendations with a formal vote at its Sept. 7^th meeting.

Next Steps

Boyer said the Office would work to anticipate and resolve any questions or challenges that a new cyclical system or online renewing options could create. If approved, both of these options could be available to members as early as Fall 2011.

In keeping with the Chapters recommendations, the Guild Board anticipates supporting a dues change for 2012. The new rates could be $75/craftsman, with discounts to $55/active seniors and $40/friends. Membership in a Chapter of their choice would be included. (Members would still be able to join additional Chapters by paying additional dues.) The Guild would continue to invoice, track and remit appropriate dues to Chapters.

“This is a practical solution that supports the growth of the organization and respects the uniqueness of each chapter at the same time, said Timothy Knight, Guild board president. “It is a step forward that benefits the individual, the chapter and the Guild, and will keep us vital in the 21^st century.”

More details about the new options will be available later this summer and fall. Please watch your newsletter for details. Member input is welcome; please email jenny@pacrafts.org with your ideas and comments.

It is that time of year again when we search for new Board members for the Guild. Brian Cunfer is leading our Nominations Committee.  Four craftsman terms expire in December and some of those members may be nominated to serve a second term, however the committee also searches for new candidates and recommendations from the membership. Desired qualities include:

1. Business experience
2. Leadership potential
3. Good judgement and communication skills
4. People who love craft, work hard and are supportive of the Guild’s mission

There are two ways to be nominated:

First, the Guild seeks input through this news article and conversations with members. In addition to the qualities above, the committee considers a balance of skills, location and craft medium with the existing board. Because of this, the committee rarely nominates more candidates than there are openings. This year, the committee’s report will be presented at the Sept. 7th board meeting. If approved, these board-endorsed candidates will appear on the fall ballot and information will appear in the fall newsletter.

Second, our bylaws provide for self nomination for people who want to serve, feel they have been overlooked, and have the support of at least 10 members. Interested individuals should send a letter including statement of interest, resume, and the supporting signatures. The deadline to follow the process this year is August 15, 2011. Following receipt, these self-nominees appear on the fall ballot and information appears in the fall newsletter.

To make a suggestion or for more information, please contact Brian Cunfer: bkcunfer@epix.net or the Guild office via Sherrie Boyer:sherrie@pacrafts.org.

By Nancy Gibbs

Vice President

Board of Directors

As many of you may be aware, we have been slowly updating our bylaws over the last five years, removing operational things (such as office hours) to the new Policy & Procedures Manual and of course updating key things such as the membership categories in 2009 and the board changes in 2007 & 2008. This is the last revision that is proposed. It is more of a “final cleaning up” than anything else because it tidies up miscellaneous items noted below. It was not intended for substantial change.

For instance, all of the paragraphs will now have the same font and formatting; we’re recommending a few grammatical changes (including to our mission statement), some redundancies are eliminated, and we are removing to the P&P Manual the final round of operational activities (mostly timetables for dues payments, etc).  No changes are proposed to any of those passages; they are relocated with their full meaning (although the sentence structures are now more ‘reader-friendly’). Here are the currently proposed Bylaws with notes and P&P documents.

There are 3 very minor updates proposed:

1. Article 4, Section 2ii: Increase from 30 to 90 days the time a Chapter would have to respond to a warning letter. This timeline is already reflected in the new chapter formation guide.
2. Article 5, Section 2A: In the case of a self-nominee, increase the number of signatures required from 5 to 10 prior to being placed on the ballot. This corresponds to the number the Board would use in endorsing a candidate (nominating committee plus board majority) and also equals the number needed to start or maintain a chapter.
3. Article 6, Section 7F: Introduce the option of an annual report, which we believe should be published regularly. To avoid repetition, we recommend a report OR a meeting rather than mandating both.

We welcome your comments. Please review the bylaws and let me know if you have any suggestions or comments. Members have 30 days, until May 5, to comment:  nancygibbs.1@gmail.com or call me at 215-968-3414.  You may also leave a message or make a comment to Sherrie Boyer: sherrie@pacrafts.org or 267-884-5370.

Membership is stable and growing with new members joining every week through our website. Today, the Guild boasts nearly 1,400 members in 33 states! The newest website version, launched just a few weeks ago, is bright and beautiful, showcasing the Guild as a modern and vibrant force that celebrates both heritage and contemporary fine craft. So as we move ahead in the coming years, we will be focusing on education, advocacy and stability, as well as moving the Guild forward to a permanent home of its own.

I would like to extend a big “Thank You” to the Board for the last two years. We’ve had good growth as well as challenges, and with your support and advice we made the right decisions, focused on our Mission, and the Guild is better for it.

Recognizing that the making of craft enriches all, the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen seeks to encourage the practice of and nurture excellence in heritage and contemporary crafts. We do this through education, advocacy and support of the practicing craftsman.

Blogger and blog designer Tara Gentile will be teaching a workshop on Saturday, Nov. 20 from 10am-4pm.

Even if you did not win, you will not want to miss this.  Check out our flickr page  for a preview of all the amazing artists who are participating.

by Juleann Benkoski

by Armond Scavo

by Michael Reimer

by George Wazenegger

• artist Marie-Helene Grabman

Our signature Fall show is coming up in little more than a week!!!  With a good forecast (knock on wood) and all of the amazing art that will be there – this is gonna be one heck of a show.  You can buy tickets for the show on our website…buying tickets also enters you to win a $50 craft gift certificate!  Tickets are available at the door.   There will also be delicious food, great music,  live demonstraions as well as kids activities. 

• artist Paul Yacoe

• artist Pam Cummings

• artists Hilton and Vicki Byrd

• artist Paul Grecian

• artist Lisa Arkus

We’re going to do something new for our $50 gift certificate giveaway to our October 16 & 17 craft festival in Blue Bell. There’s going to be four ways to enter the drawing. Each way gives you a defined number of entries.  Here’s how you can enter:

1 entry – for following us on Twitter

2 entries – for tweeting ‘I can’t wait for the @pacrafts festival on october 16 & 17 – http://pacrafts.org/fall’

3 entries – subscribing to our email list

5 entries – for each ticket purchased in advance. Buy 4 tickets, get 20 entries.

Pretty easy, huh? If you were to do all four parts, you could have 11 entries immediately. The $50 certificate is as good as cash at our show. Wanna scope out your choices for where to spend it? View our participating exhibitor list.

The Guggenheim Museum has teamed up with Youtube  to create Youtube Play.

YouTube Play wants to recognize and showcase the most remarkable online videos from around the world.

They held an open competition for video entries and recieved over 23,000 entries.  The Guggenheim curators selected their 200 favorites and now feature them on the Youtube play channel.   On October 21, the jury will select their top 20 and a special exhibit in Guggenheim Museums across the world will take place on October 22-24.

Take some time and check out a few of the videos that were shortlisted. (Full List here: http://www.youtube.com/user/playbiennial)

 Creativity comes in so many forms!