| From the Executive |
Greetings all!!
I would like to thank all members and those of you who participated in the shows and the Clay Festival last year. These events would not happen without your interest, hard work and volunteer efforts.
In the last few years our membership has been decreasing as people retire or move on to other things in their lives. I am not fully sure why. This is an area I believe we need to focus on to maintain our existence and cover our costs.
How can we make our association more relevant to encourage potters out there to join the cause and be a part of shows and events? As our members are all over the valley, perhaps a more interactive website would generate interest? A site where we can share great ideas, get tips for the month and ask for advice. This could be a site for advertisements, which some of us have taken advantage of already.
In our current economy we need to use our combined creative energies to move forward in a positive direction. This may require us to adapt or improvise our direction or shows. An example would be to reduce our commitment to shows that are not producing enough results or participation to be viable. To ensure continued success, we need to increase focus, planning and advertising on shows that have been doing well.
I support the pride of potters idea to bring us all together for a fun learning experience and would be happy to host this year's event. All members can bring a friend for the day to play with the clay. There can be throwing demos, raku firing and a potluck BBQ. This will hopefully encourage membership and camaraderie.
Sincerely,
James Hibbert
| Highlights |
Congratulations, Lynda Jones!
This piece of Lynda's smoke-fired pottery has just been chosen to be in the National Exhibition, Canadian Pavillion at the Cheongju International Craft Biennale in Korea this September. This is a prestigious exhibition from 40 different countries with Canada as the guest country this year.
April 5, 2009 - AGM Summary:
2009-2010 Officers:
President: James Hibbert agreed to maintain his position of President. Vote passed unanimously.Membership Fees:
Vice President: Geri Surinak agreed to stand as Vice President. Vote passed unanimously.
Secretary: Ted Legate agreed to stand as Secretary. Vote passed unanimously.
Treasurer: Shannon Roussel agreed to stand as Treasurer. Vote passed unanimously.
Directors: Lynda Gant, Ted Legate, Bonnie Anderson, Stephen Plant, Rosemarie Greedy, Lynda Jones.A single membership has been increased by $5.00 to $35.00 per year, effective 2009. Members in arrears will need to pay an additional $10.00 to re-establish their memberships.Shows:
George Greedy will be the convenor for the Mission Hall Christmas Show and Jeanette Moore will convene all other shows.Clay Festival:
Dates and times are posted on the shows page.
Rosemary Greedy reported on the 2008 festival and announced that she will be standing down as convenor. There is some concern regarding particpation - it was not as high as expected at the 2008 event. Stephen Plant suggested that a maximum number of participants be established and that the event be built to reflect the income from that number.Technical Forum:
The next festival is slated for 2011. We need to find a new convenor.
James has offered the membership computerized glaze analysis. Anyone interested should contact him.
| Kelowna Clay Festival |
A summary and photo gallery of the festival is now posted on the festival website: www.kelownaclayfestival.com.
| Web Page |
Our website has been partially updated. Stephen Plant will act as liason between the association and Ardene supplying news, announcements, photos and coverage of events. Potters are encouraged to send new pictures and stories to Lynda at publicity@okanaganpotters.ca to help keep our Website current, relevant and interesting.Member Listings on the Potters and Galleries page are free. If you wish to be listed there, contact Ardene with the details. (see other listings). There is a small charge for gallery pages -- information under services in the Classifieds.