Studio to Gallery Conference
The Studio to Gallery conference was fantastic! It was a wonderful combination of socializing, seeing great art, fun, and learning about the business side of art.
To kick things off, Sandra Sider gave a very informative speech about selling work in galleries.
Then, we shifted gears as we did some “speed dating.” Everyone brought business cards and visual aids to introduce themselves. Each person got 1 1/2 minutes to talk, then a bell went off and it was on to the next person. After each person at the table had a turn, we switched tables and did it all again.
Click any image for a larger view
Andrea Luliak shows off her postcards to Cathy Heeter and Karol Kusmaul.
Next came the opening for Southern Accents. [See previous post]
The evening closed with a banquet. Many volunteers worked to make it beautiful. Area SAQA groups* made the centerpieces, and a group of workers prepped the room.
Weren’t the tables pretty? The table toppers were hand dyed burlap, each in a different bright color.
Here’s a closer look at that centerpiece.
Each centerpiece sat on an art quilt book. These later became door prizes, with both the decoration and the book included.
Made by Cathy Heeter
(Sorry, I didn’t get photos of all the centerpieces and I don’t know which groups made each one, either.)
Shaaron Thomas had a great view of the centerpiece on her table.
As you can see, most of the centerpieces were made of fabric flowers. Plus, there was a sculptural piece and this rather interesting character.
The banquet food and service were excellent, and the company even more so.
Sheilana Massey, Linda Hoffmeister, and Patricia Turner
Victoria Rondeau and Paula Brown
We also had fun distributing “3-1-1” swap bags. Those who wanted to, brought 1 or 2 of these bags. The 3-1-1 name was a play on TSA (“Thread Stitch Addicts”) rules. Each bag was supposed to have 3 coordinating items, 1 something special, and be contained in a 1 quart bag.
Kay Smith and I had great fun passing these out, with a lot of enthusiasm and silliness.
Ellen Lindner and Kay Smith as TSA (Thread Stitch Addict) ladies
The banquet ended with a special recognition, but I’ll tell you about that in the next post. In the meantime, here’s a huge THANK YOU to all t he volunteers who made this event so special!
Ellen Lindner
P.S. * Our Florida SAQA region is subdivided into what we call pods. Yep, we’re pod people.
P.S.S. Related posts: Southern Accents exhibit (up till mid-August,) Art flags
