Spam and Anti-Spam

Many thanks to all the members of SAQA WC who've thus far replied to our regional e-mail re: Canada's pending Anti-Spam legislation which will come into effect July 1.  As of this writing, I have received replies from 48 of 89 members.  If you wish to continue to receive Regional e-mails with news and information about workshops, exhibits and issues concerning SAQA and its Western Canada Region, please reply before July 1.  New members after that date will receive a request for consent in a welcoming e-mail.

If you have not received the mass e-mail requesting your consent to future e-mails and newsletters, check your spam folder.  If you still cannot find this e-mail, contact Margaret, the Co-Rep for Alberta, who is collecting the consents, and she will send you a copy.

Knowing that there are differing views of spam globally, we'll leave the final word to Monty Python -- and thank you for your support!

Yvonne Porcella

Ms. Porcella was a founding member and the first President of SAQA, in 1989.  Here is her address at the 2014 Conference, celebrating 25 years (!) of SAQA:

http://youtu.be/PZ64IQmGWBQ

NOTE that she taught in Calgary in 1983 -- at a conference held at the University of Calgary...

So Canadian, eh?

Cruising down my Facebook "home" page and what do I see?

A blurry photo of SAQA member (and Canadian SAQA pioneer), Anna Hergert.  The report?  She was accepting the award of "Teacher of the Year" from the Canadian Quilters' Association at its annual conference, Quilt Canada -- this year being held in St. Catharine's, Ontario.

Anna is a former Alberta resident (who launched the art quilting career of many of us, thank you!) who now lives near Moose Jaw, SK...and she was initially the only rep for the Western Canada Region of SAQA...until she made our American friends see reason (grin).  She convinced yours truly to join SAQA in 2008...and my life has never been the same since!

CONGRATULATIONS, ANNA!!

Upon checking out the CQA site, I tripped over last year's winner -- yet another SAQA Western Canada member, Margie Davidson of Edmonton.

Whoa!  Are we great, or what?!  ;-)

On and Off Our Walls

If you check the "What We Do" section of the main SAQA website, you'll find this about exhibits and exhibiting art quilts:

SAQA is dedicated to bringing beautiful, thought-provoking, cutting-edge artwork to venues across the United States and around the world. We also offer online galleries to display our member artwork and a yearly Benefit Auction. 

SAQA Western Canada member Karen Jurek of Calgary sent this note to me last week about her experience entering a piece in one of the newest exhibits, Radical Elements.  I think you'll agree that this work is definitely "beautiful, thought-provoking [and] cutting edge"!

Karen wrote:

I was honored to be selected to participate in Radical Elements which opened in Maryland [in May].  

I was in Alexandria for the SAQA conference a few weeks ago and we had a bus trip up to Maryland to see this unique show. 

It is the first exhibit since the new definition of ‘what is an art quilt? was released last year. The exhibitors were told to use as little or no fabric at all.

[The] exhibition catalogue includes artwork created by 40 artists.  Each selected [and] created a new work influenced by an element from the periodic table.  The artists were also asked to move quilting beyond the usual materials of fabric and thread, exploring the function and decorative properties of different surfaces and stitching materials.

 I enjoyed working with only copper or copper like metals. My husband was a little ‘unsettled' when I got out the blowtorch and melted copper wire and flamed the sheet copper to give it more color.  Here below is my art ‘quilt’. 

CU Later - Karen Jurek, (C) 2013

CU Later - Detail

Radical Elements will be showing next at the Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts at the Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida - May through August 2016.  (Information current as of June 7, 2014; for updates to the touring calendar for this exhibit, check back with the SAQA website.)

You can read more about Karen on the Featured Members page of this blog (scroll down).