SAQA Oregon June Newsletter from Jean Wells

Betty and I have been busy organizing parlor groups and making plans for the coming year. Betty did travel to the conference and it was wonderful. Next April it will be in Santa Fe and we are both planning to go. Not only are the conferences good but what a great place to visit and get inspired.

I did receive the grant I applied for from SAQA and it will pay for the venue for the state conference that Betty and I are planning for September of 2013. It will be at the same time as the Portland Expo so that you can come and attend both events. We would love ideas from all of you about what you would like at the conference in terms of speakers and subjects to be covered. Think about what you would really like to know.

We have some great Central Oregon news. Seventeen art quilters teamed u with the National Forest Foundation and the United States Forest service to bring attention to the rivers (Wychus and Metolius) that frame the Sisters Country by creating wall quilts with a river flowing through it plus four vertical wall hangings. They turned out spectacular and will be at Black Butte Ranch in June, quilt show in July, Pacific West, Quilt Expo. You can go online at Sistersoutdoorquiltshow.org and see the instillation.

12" x 12" x 12" Challenge
As most of you know SAQA has a new definition of a quilt. The new definition of the art quilt is "a creative visual work that is layered or that references this form of stitched layered structure". The Portland group is having a challenge based on it and we would like to extend it to the state and western Washington. Then we would like to display them at the conference and I will come up with a viewer's choice prize of some. Go to our blogspot for details (SAQAOregon.blogspot.com)

Anyone in Oregon and southwest Washington is welcome to visit a parlor group.

Portland Parlor Group - from Betty
Portland Parlor group meetings continue to be energetic with good attendance. Our last meeting was held at 23 Sandy. Laura Russell is the gallery owner. Through Nancy Dasenbrock contact with Laura, we were invited to the gallery for our meeting as well as speaking to us about curating, critiquing, and her feelings about art merging to include many mediums, including cloth.

Our general meeting included more conversation on critiquing, examining closer an article by Jane Dunnewold, "Learning to Critique Effectively." Our July meeting will be spent critiquing a quilt we have finished (not necessarily new work). We also had further discussion on the new SAQA definition of what is a quilt and our challenge is due in October. The piece should be 12" x 12" x 12." We will include dimensional work to the challenge as the new definition

The group enjoyed meeting at 23 Sandy and we look forward to meetings at other galleries in the future. Our group is becoming more cohesive as we meet and become better acquainted with one another.

Eugene Parlor Group - from Georgia
Fourteen of us showed up at Market of Choice yesterday for a lively meeting! Six of us spoke to our current focus for the year; this was helpful and I think it always reinforces me when I put my goal "out there" --- it adds a measure of accountability!

We seem to want to explore effective critiquing, so with that in mind, let's all review the information from Sandra Sider and Jane Dunnewold --- see the SAQA Oregon blog. I think I will ask for a few volunteers to put up a piece for critique next time, and we'll make a start. I'll send out a reminder a bit before our meeting, but do be thinking about what makes a good critique, and about what kind of information you want from a critique.

Our next meeting will be Friday, July 20th, at 1:30pm, at the Market of Choice at 29th & Willamette, Eugene.

Central Oregon Parlor Group from Jean
At our last meeting in March Ruth Ingham gave a comprehensive presentation on composition. As she is a painter as well as a quilter her extensive training made her presentation very interesting. Carol Webb facilitated a productive critique session and there was show and tell. Our next meeting is June 15 in Sisters at my home and we will be discussing where we want to go from here and how often to meet since it has been over a year since we began meeting. I just found out about a "whisper project" that I would like to suggest to the group.

The artist reception for the Two Rivers exhibit will be at 5:00 at Black Butte Ranch so I think we will meet at 2:00 PM at The Stitchin' Post so people can go from there.

SAQA Oregon Quarterly Meeting in Portland
SAQA Oregon will be having a quarterly meeting on June 13th, prior to the June Columbia FiberArts Guild meeting at the Colossae Church in Tigard. The address of the Colossae Church is 12176 SW Garden in Tigard, Or. The church will be available to us at 5:00 pm. CFG meeting will begin at 7:00pm and were planning for it's members to arrive at 6:30, The quarterly meeting will include members from various areas of the state so time will be spent sharing what is happening in other groups. Now that we have gained a schedule of Parlor meetings and quarterly meetings, we should do some planning for our future quarterlies as to topics of exploration or consider speakers or presenters periodically. As always members are free to bring works to share but there will not be time for critiques. Small donations will be accepted for use of the space since they do not charge us a fee.

Sisters September Meeting
Several of you are signed up for either Gloria Laughlin or Sue Benner the week of September 24 - 28 at the Art Quilt Symposium in Sisters through the Stitchin' Post. On Thursday I have asked Sue and Gloria to give short talks on their work and we will also have a SAQA trunk show. I will send out more information when I have it but anyone is invited to come.

Jean Wells, Oregon rep