Where in the World??

I was slightly surprised and embarrassed....when I noticed my last blog post was dated the end of February. Oh well, I'm always willing to start afresh and have another beginning! Plus, I have been on a different adventure and I have lots to share with you!

Fellow residents from Canada, US, Lithuania, England and Australia

 Where do I begin? Well, so much of my work in the past few months has been taken up with preparing for my textile residency in Iceland during April. Guess what? It was fantastic, amazing, wonderful and so much more!
If you were part of My Iceland Narrative then you were actually on the adventure with me - photos, videos and so much more, I'm thankful for your participation!

Selfoss, this is the waterfall you can walk behind!

There were nine other artists at the residency and we had several conversations about where and when and how one might apply for a residency - there are literally dozens of opportunities out there just waiting for you!

The view from our workroom

Here's some tips on finding a good fit:

• Research it well, make certain its a place you'd like to go - summer in Arizona? Maybe not! 
• See who else has gone there - I emailed several former residents with questions about the Icelandic Textile Centre - what the place is like, facilities, what in the town etc.
• What art does the centre focus on? Many places are looking for specific mediums or want a selection of artists working in different mediums. Textiles are often unknown to others in the art world, are they open to fibre arts?
• How many people/artists are there at any one time - there's probably a sweet spot in numbers. Do you prefer to work in isolation? Or do you want people around for ideas and conversations?
• What is provided? Food? Accommodation? Transportation? Be really clear about this!!!What is in the agreement, what do you need to provide and what does the residency provide. This can make or break your time away.
• What is the cost? Some places charge per week, others are funded for differing amounts - make sure you know before you go!
• Expectations during your residency. Are you expected to teach? Or to take a workshop? Will there be an exhibition at the end? Are you asked to leave artwork behind.
• Can you bring family/friends? Several residencies offer companion space - do you want someone there with you?
• Would you stay longer in the area to tour around? I spent an extra week in Iceland with my daughter and it was a lovely time to spend together showing her parts of the country.

Here's some links for possible places to consider - I already have a couple in mind for future applications!

 http://www.resartis.org/en/
a huge list that you can search through for a good match

http://www.callforentries.com/category/art/residencies
search through for possible places - also good for exhibitions, grants and much more

 https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-11-of-the-world-s-most-unusual-artist-residencies
more interesting places to visit!

https://www.artistcommunities.org/residencies
another searchable database

Maybe you'll find some that appeal to you! I know that I'll be looking!
Next time....maybe the best residency is.....

Australia and more......

I'm excited to be planning a teaching trip to the "Land Down Under" next year! I've been invited to teacher at three fibre events as part of a tour that will include New South Wales and Tasmania as well as some personal time to explore some parts of Australia I've been yearning to see!

I'll be teaching my "Soy Wax Resists" workshop twice near Melbourne, first for Fibre Arts Gippsland on 28th March - 2 April 2015. there will be four other international tutors from Canada, the US and Germany. Then, I'll be in Ballarat for April 6th-11th, 2015. While I'm there I'll be teaching an extended Soy Wax Resists workshop. Can you tell, I'm beyond excited! I've never been south of the Equator so its absolutely thrilling for me!
Have you thought about traveling further afield to take a workshop? Why not join me? Here's the link to check it all out: http://www.fibrearts.jigsy.com/

Quilters Calendar - for Teachers and Students

The Quilter’s Calendar - Connecting Quilters, Quilt Guilds and Quilting Teachers

Quilting teachers Maggie Ball and Marguerita McManus became friends when they met at a trade show in 2007 where they were both promoting their new quilt books. Rather than seeing each other as competition, they shared marketing tips, teaching experiences, and a common frustration.

Many quilting teachers rely on guilds hiring them to teach classes to their members for a significant portion of their income. With a quilt guild in almost every town in the USA and over 21 million quilters in the USA, the challenge for teachers is how to reach guilds and how to make it easy for quilters and guilds to learn about available teachers: their classes, specialties, talents, styles and schedules. Most teachers rely on a combination of word of mouth, random connections made at trade shows, websites, emails, mailed media and hope.

A central location of easily accessible data would help tremendously. Somewhere that guild members could see who’s teaching nearby (and when) that would also provide information and links to the teachers.

The Quilter’s Calendar is a searchable online calendar that presents teaching engagements by location and date, making it easy for guilds to share the expenses of hiring a traveling teacher, thereby reducing expenses to each guild. Listing a teaching gig is free to the teacher or guild and so is the Teacher’s Profile, which includes a link to the teacher’s website. Guilds can save money and teachers have the opportunity to be hired more often without additional effort or expense.

Additionally, many quilters love to travel to quilting related events. Quilt shows, retreats, even when visiting family, quilters will often find a way to attend a quilting related event. By using the calendar and searching by their destination location, quilters will easily find classes and events that would otherwise have taken hours to search out.

Created by Marguerita McManus, co-author of the best selling “Crazy Shortcut Quilts” book and YouTube Partner with over 1 million views to her videos, the site debuts with over 80 Teacher Profiles and more than 850 Teaching Engagements, throughout the USA and Canada, into 2015. Marguerita created the Quilt Designers Blog Ring in 2007 and continues to share marketing information with entrepreneurs on a YouTube channel.

Quilters Calendar - For Teachers and Students

I just listed my teaching schedule on The Quilter’s Calendar - a brand new site for quilters and guilds to find traveling quilt teachers on. By sharing my schedule on the searchable calendar increases my opportunities to receive “piggy back” bookings to my engagements. While you are there, submit your photo, bio and tags (free!) to make it easier for guilds and students to find you. Get Listed at www.quilters-calendar.com