Friday, June 27, 2008

SPONSORS

One of the important things the SC Arts Commission meeting suggested was that I encourage individuals and organizations to donate to CYBER FYBER. How one really does this, I don't know. Pay Pal was suggested....but....CYBER FYBER isn't an official non-profit...so it seems strange to me that individuals might donate as there's no way to provide paperwork for income tax purposes. Mouse House, my business, can already accept credit cards...without giving Pay Pal a percentage. The Cultural Council is willing to accept money for CYBER FYBER and issue a tax-receipt...but I wouldn't know if and when such a contribution is made...or when the funds would be handed over. Yet, Gail Vandenbout sent a contribution....directly...generously...without wanting a receipt...just giving from the heart. Since I've filled out a number of grant applications, there is great hope I'll get more funding....and the Vista Guild has given $1000. So....I've created a list on the CYBER FYBER pages acknowledging the funding I've received. Hopefully, the list will grow. If anyone wants to send any amount at all....your name or business will be added!

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Meeting at the South Carolina Arts Commission


Yesterday I pitched CYBER FYBER to three important staff people at the South Carolina Arts Commission. I brought unopened CYBER FYBER mail too....because it is always impressive. The trades were spectacular, of course. Above is Sara June Goldstein, Program Director for Design Arts and Literary Arts and County Coordinator for Calhoun, Lexington and Richland Counties. I'm in Richland County...so she's the representative to whom I first spoke. Sara June set up this meeting and is pictured here opening Elena Chipara's envelope from ROMANIA! Even the stamps were impressively artsy!

Above is Harriett Green, Program Director for Visual Arts...for the entire state. She is opening Linda Cunningham's well padded and equally impressive trade from Canada.

The meeting was held in Executive Director Suzy Surkamer's spacious office. It was a wonderful opportunity to talk about the exhibition, the artists involved, the progress made thus far, and other avenues I might try for funding. It was also the first meeting at which the people involved were thoroughly familiar with the project. They'd all done their "homework", so to speak....which I appreciated so very, very much. No other meeting has been able to talk about the exhibition in detail. This was more than an "introduction"; it seemed much more serious. Unfortunately, the Arts Commission can likely grant no funds because Richland county has a sub-granting agency....the Cultural Council with whom I've already met and applied for a grant. Yet, these people were genuinely interested and said they'd look into any possibility to help...even financially! I considered the forty-five minutes quite successful. I'm grateful that they saw me at all!

Above is Ken May, Deputy Director, showing off Joy Brooks' ATC...with a subtle dragonfly that also appeared on the nice notecard and was the image on the postal stamp too....really impressive details!

(Above and below are other pictures of Sara June and Harriett.)

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Sorry I haven't posted in a month! Hard to believe!

I just titled this post with my intended first sentence! It seems appropriate; so, I'll leave it. I haven't posted here in a month but it's not for lack of information. I've been BUSY! CYBER FYBER is coming along nicely.

I'd like to say a few words about Round Two of the fiber and postcard trading. They aren't flying out the door like the first round did....which is GOOD! I never expected all 163 postcards to be gone within six weeks. I thought I'd be begging people to trade with me. I've been using Sharon B's wonderful new stitchin fingers on-line community of textile artists to contact people living in countries and states that haven't yet participated. There are enough postcards and ATCs from which these new people can select. It has been wonderful. Here's the list so far:

Countries involved with trading: USA, Canada, Scotland, England, Wales, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Cyprus, India, Israel, South Africa, New Zealand, Austria, Romania, Poland, Japan, Malawi, Austria and Australia.

States involved with trading:
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming and an APO address in Europe.


I also want to thank everyone who voted for CYBER FYBER in the New Carolina Idea project. Your votes propelled us into the final round but we were not selected. To be honest, I never thought we'd get as far as we did. It was suppose to be for "business" ideas. Let's face it, CYBER FYBER isn't a business! Nonetheless, it was a lot of good exposure in South Carolina and the connections might result in something else.

As far as additional funding it concerned, CYBER FYBER received a monetary donation from one of the trading participants, Gail Vandenhout of Carthage, NC. She will be listed on all the printed material at the exhibition....and so will anyone else sending any contribution at all.

Also, I've contacted the Friends of Fiber Arts International in Western Springs, Illinois and have received an application for funding which is due by the end of the month. I'm quite excited. In a telephone conversation, I asked if the board of directors or any of the membership involved would be willing to share any feedback or ideas at all....so maybe something will come of this even if it isn't money! One way or the other, I'm grateful to a group working hard to promote fiber arts all over the globe.

One last item! My trip to Sweden for the Embroidery Symposium is all set up...at least I've been accepted, have an airline ticket, and managed to get my local bank to figure out how to wire money for the fees! This is just one more example of the fabulous opportunities one can learn through Internet access. Without reading blogs I would never have known that Tilleke Schwartz was teaching design (Telling Your Own Story: Inspiration for Narrative Design) and Sara Lechner will be teaching "Surfaces to Stitch" which includes embellishing machine instruction. I'm taking Tilleke's class. The decision was based on the fact that my embellishing machine will not operate on the electrical system in Sweden. (Although later I was offered a "loaner", I stuck with this decision. It would be too tempting to duplicate Sara's incredible work...which I adore...and now, because of CYBER FYBER, actually own in postcard form!) Thus, the last remaining part of my INVITATIONAL WISH LIST can be added....I'll be looking for work that represents the symposium for CYBER FYBER. Internet access made this all possible. Learning about such educational opportunities is a definite benefit to on-line communication!