UPDATE ON SAQA OREGON PORTLAND MEETING

The fourth SAQA Oregon Portland area meeting was held on Wednesday, December 8, 2010, at Lakewood Center, Lake Oswego from 1:30pm until 3:00pm. Seventeen members and three visitors attended.

Discussion centered on what members want to gain from the group meetings and how to structure the group to achieve members’ goals. Finding opportunity for high quality exhibition of members’ artwork is a major goal. Other goals include sharing, networking, supporting each other, critique, and the promotion of quilts as art.

The SAQA National Board is working on a five-year plan for the organization. Members were encouraged to fill out the online survey.

We discussed the potential for having a statewide meeting in February in conjunction with the opening of the Pendleton exhibit of “Oregon: State of Diversity.”

We would like our blog to include posts regarding local opportunities for exhibiting. Please send information for local shows to Bonnie Bucknam. Regional and national exhibition calls are available from a number of magazines and websites. Bonnie will add some website links to the blog. [See the listing to the bottom right.]

Georgia and Laura shared the process of mounting a SAQA sanctioned exhibit. We can also have other exhibits open to statewide SAQA members but not officially sanctioned. We discussed forming a committee for each proposed exhibit so the Regional reps will not carry as much of the workload. There was discussion of the possibility of creating a “branded theme” SAQA Oregon exhibit.

Sandra Sider may be coming to Portland (date TBD) in 2011 for several group critique sessions. The sessions will be open to SAQA members but could also include other groups. More information will follow as we coordinate things with Sandra. There will be a nominal charge to cover Dr. Sider's travel expenses.

We decided to continue meeting quarterly in the early afternoon of the day of the Columbia Fiber Arts Guild quarterly meetings. The next meeting will be on March 9, 2011 at 1:30pm at Lakewood Center.

Betty Colburn