Greetings from the City of Sunshine, Dauphin, Manitoba

Hello Manitoba & Saskatchewan SAQA Members! 

I find myself stranded here in Dauphin (not sunny today) Manitoba,.  Unable to travel due to the wicked wintery weather.  I was supposed to head to Brandon, but that is on hold until tomorrow.  It is simply too dangerous to trek through the Riding Mountain National Park.  So instead, I am going to write my very first SAQA blog entry. 

Apparently, the weather is going to be much better tomorrow.  And with a little luck spring will "magically" appear; after all legend states that the month of March comes "in like a lion" and goes "out like a lamb."

I did a little research and found out that many scholars trace the phrase back to the early settlers. Without fancy radar equipment; these hunters, gatherers and farmers relied on keen weather observations to forecast the weather. Often times they observed, early March was marked by biting cold and winter storms. The month begins with a lion's roar. But, by the end of the month, the weather can often be warm, spring-like and docile. Kind of like a gentle lamb. As we know so well, out here in the Canadian Prairies it happens that way a lot, but, not all the time.

Anyhow, the origin of the March Lion & Lamb can be traced even further back, to ancient times and those who watched the stars.

You see March begins as the Constellation Leo is crossing toward the meridian. Leo is the Lion. As Leo marches away, the Constellation Aries begins to rise toward the end of the month. Aries is the ram: What many lambs will become someday!

So, based on the stars, March "comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb." Yes, folklore can be fun!

Inspite of the weather, I cherish days like this when all I have to think about is my quilting.  Today I have decided to sketch out a few projects, so that while i am in the city I will be able to purchase supplies for the project. My sewing room is warm and waiting for me to get to work. 

I look forward to my new roll and hope that I can connect and inspire members across our region!

I am excited to get to know, the members in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.  I hope to plan at least one or two parlour meetings before the fall.  I am thinking that a perfect time to meet in Manitoba would be during the Artist's Wave Tours in Gimil, MB.  (June 8 & 9, 2013)  Let me know if you are interested in this date and location; after a fair response I can plan the finite details. 

As for Saskatchewan, can a member in Saskatchewan suggest a central location?  I was thinking of the Saskatoon area. If there is an arts event occurring in the vicinity we could plan a meeting to coincide with the date. This will be a great start. 

I look forward to hearing feedback, drop me a line to introduce yourself and share any ideas you have with me.  You can contact me here dawnpiasta@gmail.com 

Stay warm!  Cuddle up with a quilt, Dawn

  

BEST OF THE WEST dates for BC

The show will be travelling in BC this year, starting in May 2013.

May 10-12 in Gibsons at the Sunshine Coast Quilt Show. The show will be at the Gibsons Rec Centre.
Moving to Quilt BC, in Penticton, May 15 - 18. Penticton Convention Centre
The next showing will be at the Portals Gallery, Cowichan Valley Art Centre, August 29 to September 17.
There will be cards and catalogues available for purchase at the first 2 venues.

At this point the show will then return to Alberta. If anyone has an available show space for later in the fall, or perhaps June or July, please get in touch with me or Patti.

Jill

New SAQA Rep

 I am pleased to pass the torch to Dawn Piasta of Dauphin, MB! Please help me in welcoming Dawn as the newest SAQA Western Canada co-rep.
After nearly six years of representing SAQA in Western Canada I have decided it is time to step down by the end of April. I have enjoyed spreading the word about this great organization, connect with talented quilt artists, assist in building the membership from a mere handful in 2007 when I was a single rep in this region of Canada to over 90 active members in the Western Canada region. There is strength in numbers! This has become apparent when Patti Morris and Jill Sullivan came aboard prompted by my invitation a little over two years ago.
Thank you, everybody for your support over the past six years. I will be around to lend Dawn a hand in getting established and familiar with the blog.
For now I encourage you to click on the member's page where I will introduce Dawn with images and a short bio.

Anna Hergert

Hello SAQA  Members:
Current fibre exhibit that is happening in Red Deer, Alberta,  by "The Alberta Society of Artists" 
Place: The Red Deer, Marjorie Wood Gallery .
Dates: February 1, 2013, and until March 12, 2013. 
 The next instalment of Celebrating Alberta will be at the Crowsnest Pass Public Art Gallery in the summer of 2013.

 

SAQA JOURNALS

Good morning .. I know that this whole problem with the journals has been frustrating for many in out region.
Hopefully the all the bugs have been erased and in future everyone will receive all SAQA mail outs in a more timely manner.
In the interim, all the journals, including the one we are waiting for, are on the SAQA website. Just sign in and go the the heading SAQA Publications, choose the journal option. When you get there you will see that the 2013 Winter issue is also on the site which seemed annoying when we still don't have the fall one, but soon all this should be solved. The journals have been arriving in the last week or so. If you do not get it within the next week, please let me know.

Jill Sullivan/ BC

Western SAQA Update  from Patti Morris

                             "Meet the Best of the West Travelling SAQA Exhibit"
Shows booked:
February 2nd-> March 23rd 2013 Galleria Inglewood 907 9th Ave S.E. Calgary.
May 2013 Jill Sullivan, B.C. SAQA Rep will be hosting the show at "Quilt B.C." Penticton B.C.
August 2013 Have put in a request and waiting for confirmation in SK. ?
December 31st 2013-> March 2nd 2014 Kiwanis Gallery, Red Deer, Alberta.
March 15th 2014 show needs to at "The Royal Alberta Museum" April 2014->July 2014.
I have sent requests into "Mysteria Gallery" in Regina & "Affinity Gallery" Saskatchewan.
Have yet to hear back from these venues before pursuing other options.
Cards x 37 have been done up and ready to go at my expense of $1,110 I am not worried as I know we will have no problem selling them The cost worked out to 1.20 per card x 25 = $30 per set. We will sell them for $3.00 a card Money made will go towards paying for more cards and catalogue.
Will be working on the catalogue over the next 2 weeks and see what the cost will be.
The cards look awesome!


"The Burgess Shale Legacy Texile Exhibit"

Fossils or plants during "The Burgess Shale Period" have been selected by 34 members. Thank You!
Your 2 ft x 2 ft donated colorful fossil piece due date of June 6th 2013 needs to be delivered to my home: 61 Allan Close, Red Deer Alberta, T4R1A4 June 6th 2013. I will be hosting a SAQA parlour meeting that day for any SAQA members interested in attending. Those coming can hand deliver their piece.  I have  made contact with "The Alberta Society of Artists" and will be meeting with a  member this month in regards to them taking on this project once completed for their Trex program. Please Google for information. My goal is to have a colorful learning book done-up targeting 5- 12 year olds/Geology teaching purposes. Your artist statement will need to be short exciting and something a child can relate too. Very simple and catchy please.
Once this project is completed I will have put 5 years into SAQA as Alberta Rep. The usual time frame is 2-3 years. I will have to step down, so January 2015 my position will be available.

I have bent your ear enough. Its going to be one very exciting year because of your input and I truly am inspired by the work those who have participated in "Meet the Best of the West"

Happy New Year to each one of you!

Patti Morris

Quick update regarding membership benefits...

Hi members,
Just a quick note to let you know that the Western Canada is growing steadily. Patti, Jill and I are making a strong effort to stay current with updates of names, addresses and active links.

Please take a minute and check the members' list to the right. Do you have a website or a blog? If your name is underlined I have already linked your name to the website/blog. Please ensure that it is in fact correct! Click on your name and it should redirect to your site.

If your name is not underlined I was unable to find a website or blog. That may be due a spelling error... So, if you have a web presence and want to be linked for increased exposure, drop me a line and I will get your info updated.

This is also a good time to remind those that have moved or changed emails to include either, Jill, Patti or me (Anna) on the change of contact list.

Thank you! Enjoy the season!
Anna
Western Canada SAQA co-rep
Saskatchewan/Manitoba

Update from Patti for

 "The Best of The West SAQA Fabric Art Exhibit"

Confirmed Exhibits:
 #1 September 28,29 & 30th Rimbey Community Center Alberta. Time for all 3 days 10 a.m-5 p.m.
#2  Galleria Inglewood, 907 9th Ave S.E. Calgary Mid January2013 -> end of February Date TBA
#3 Quilt B.C. Penticton .May 15th-19th .2013  with SAQA B.C. Co-Rep Jill Sullivan .
#4 "The Royal Alberta Museum" Edmonton, Alberta. March 15th for hanging .Show times TBA April  2014->July 2014. Last show.

Waiting to hear back from Kiwanis Gallery Red Deer Alberta. 1 month showing waiting for date confirmation.
Once I hear back then I will resubmit to other Galleries throughout Western Canada.

A few members have asked to have this show for Guild viewing. This was a difficult decision as yesterday an email came from SAQA and Central Canada, requesting our show be sent out for Guild viewing. Your 3 Rep's response to this was unfortunately No guild shows. We felt the work each of you have put into your pieces is too valuable to be laid flat and over- handled. We have changed the name to Exhibit now to rule out Trunk Show.
Exhibit means a hung show over a period of time in a protected environment where viewers touch only with their eyes!
Our goal is to keep all pieces in the best condition possible. This exhibit will hang in as many Art Galleries as we can possibly get into and shows that are manned with SAQA members or security cameras.
Before Christmas I hope to get the rest of the cards done up. So once our home renovations are completed mid-Nov .Members that have not yet been done will be receiving a proof of your card before going to print. Once all cards are published then we hope to begin the catalogue!

Update on "The Canadian Western Burgess Shale Fabric Art Exhibit"

On September 6th , 2012 a workshop was held in Red Deer, with an Art Instructor on site in a studio setting. Members that attended were given direction upon request to draw up their fossil. We currently have 30 committed members. The project is about designing a colorful Burgess Shale Fossil, that will target school children age 5 years & up in the school system.  Size of the piece requested 2 feet by 2 feet. Completion date June 6th 2013. If this interests anyone sitting on the fence, please email me p.tmorris@shaw.ca so you can pick a fossil that has not yet been chosen. You can Google "Burgess Shale Geology" for fossil pictures, but you need to give reference to your source for documentation when piece completed. Lastly, I am in the throes of renovating our house and will be living in the basement for 6 weeks. If I do not get back to you ASAP it is because the computer is out of reach. Call me 1403-347-3247.
Have a great Fall and thank you for your patience and hard work! All of you are truly inspiring and very gifted!
Patti Morris

BEST OF THE WEST TRUNK SHOW

The show opened today in Red Deer at Westerner Park.
It runs June 8, 10 am - 7 pm and June 9, 10 am- 5 pm.

There are 36 pieces in the show and it all looks very good.

Thank you to all those that had a part in creating this, our first travelling show for Western Canada.

Update for Travelling Trunk Show        

 May 25^th, 2012

To all Canadian SAQA Western members that are participating in “Meet the Best of the West” Travelling SAQA Trunk Show” June 1^st 2012 through to May 31^st, 2014

The Show coordinator of our first Trunk Show June 8 & 9^th Red Deer needs me to give her all the names of members taking part. The Title  of your piece , your name and where you come from. She needs this information by Monday May 28^th,  if I have not yet received your piece please email me this information. Please remember to include your “Artist statement” and signed waiver below, when shipping your pieces.  I have a program called Dragon where I will voice activate your statement back onto my computer so everybody’s font is the same for the catalogue. The catalogue will begin once I have everyone’s pieces in my possession, so this means it will Not be ready for our first show, but I hope to have some DVD’s done -up. My first priority is to get all your pieces onto a DVD and ship it to Lucie Hein’s at “The Royal Alberta Museum”, this way she has it for their committee decision meeting first week of September, before they break for the summer!

I will be shipping each piece into its own large zip-lock bag.  Your name will be placed on it with a copy of your waiver and artist statement inside. On the outside a photo that I will take will be attached. That way each piece will be individually packaged and there will be No confusion of whose piece is whose?

So for those that have yet to send me your piece please remember to include  your “ Artist Statement” your signed waiver and email your “Title and where you are from by this Sunday if your piece is coming after Monday, Thank you!

For those that have sent me your piece, with its own packaging & labelling. Thank you I will use it. I will still use a zip-lock bag over-top for those that sent cloth, just for protection from possible dampness.

I have a plastic container that will hold all your individually wrapped pieces for travel and shipping purposes. I have business Insurance while the pieces are in my procession; I am looking into Insurance while they are travelling around Western Canada. I am hoping each of you have your own insurance so that way I only need to get a floater onto mine.

For those that still need to send me your piece: Please forward too:  Patti Morris, 61 Allan Close, Red Deer, Alberta. T4R1A4 Phone number 1403-347-3247  Let Canada Post know that you are shipping your piece to " Morris Fabric Art Designs" and use my Venture One card number for a discount . My number is 9285288 

#1 Our first show will be June 8^th & 9^th   2012 “The Central Alberta Quilt Show Red Deer” Set-up June 5th Google for directions & times

#2 Show dates TBA at “The Royal Alberta Museum” Edmonton. 2012.

#3 The National Juried Show “Quilt B.C. Penticton May 15^th-> 19^th 2013.  Confirmed.

 Updates for upcoming shows or availability can be followed at saqawesterncanada.blogspot.com

Our goal is to have a professional catalogue done up listing each artist’s work and Artist statement. When you submit your piece please include in Roman Times Font your artist statement less than 75 words and your contact if you wish to be known.  Label attached to the back of your piece with name, address & contact. A 2 inch finished sewn in sleeve at the top with 1 inch to spare from each end of your sleeve to hang your piece properly with a dowel. This will allow us to hang pieces without the hanging apparatus showing. Pieces need to lie flat.  Please include the signed disclaimer

I must say everyone’s piece is truly spectacular! Better than what is currently hanging on my walls in my own home! I believe this will be one of the best shows SAQA has ever put on So big thanks to all of you! We are so proud of you guys!  We’re going in first class all the way!

Disclaimer Please include with your piece

 I hereby give my permission for my work to be photographed for publicity purposes, and possible inclusion in a catalogue publication, I am committed to having my work displayed from June 1^st 2012 to May 31^st 2014.Any gallery owners and organizers will reserve the right to select pieces that are cohesive in colour or theme.____________________________________________________

Signature                                                                                  Date