SAQA Auction: Guidelines

We have a new opportunity in 2012 -- we will be selecting a special group of Auction artworks to be sold in the SAQA booth at IQF Houston! This will be a perfect venue for pieces that show better in person than on the computer. Art quilt collectors Warren and Nancy Brakensiek will be selecting the works for the SAQA Houston Auction Exhibition.

We hope that each of you will create and donate a wonderful piece of art for the 2012 Benefit Auction. With your help we will have another fantastic Auction!

In order to make the process go as smoothly as possible, we need to ask you to follow the guidelines below. To facilitate the entry of your information, please use the online submission form, also available through a link under SUPPORT SAQA at saqa.com.

REMEMBER:
1. Donations MUST be 12 x 12 inches so that we can use standard Priority shipping boxes to save time and money. **Major collectors have advised us that they prefer buying works that are 12" square to show a cohesive collection and to make traveling their collections much easier.

2. Only ONE work per artist will be accepted.

3. Works on stretchers will be accepted, but they must be 12 inches square and should be no deeper than 1 inch (2.5 cm).

4. ALL artwork donated must be ready to hang. Artwork on stretchers should have hooks and wire attached. For quilts, a sleeve or other method of hanging must be attached.

5. All donations must have label with title (or "untitled") and the artist's name clearly written.

6. There is a space in the online submission form to put a 25 word description of your work that should include materials/techniques to help bidders understand what the image on the website represents. This is NOT to be an artist's statement. You can put an artist's statement on your label if you choose.

7. Please be sure that you put your website or blog (just one or the other) in the submission form, so we can put a link to it on the SAQA website.

8. Quilt images will NOT be posted online until AFTER the special Houston group has been selected. We anticipate that all the auction pages will be available online during the first week of July.

9. Please do not use peanuts, confetti, shredded paper, or padded envelopes filled with linty fuzz - all these things make a mess when opening the package and the confetti and fuzzy stuff sticks to the quilts. Tissue paper and bubble wrap work very well.

10. Please mail your donation with a tracking number or pre-stamped/addressed postcard to let you know it arrived. Auction coordinator will NOT email donors when work arrives (except for international donations).

11. International donations should be sent early enough to arrive by the deadline after clearing Customs. Be advised that it can take up to 3 weeks for boxes to clear customs.

We have a new Auction Coordinator. PLEASE ship your donation to:

Gale Oppenheim-Pietrzak
12 Conchas Loop
Santa Fe, NM 87508
USA

For questions about the auction and the procedures, email: auction@saqa.com

Early Bird Deadline: March 16, 2012

- This is a receive-by date.
This will make your piece eligible for inclusion in Auction advertising, Auction postcards, and display at IQF-Cincinnati, April 12 - 15, 2012.

Final Deadline: June 1, 2012

- This is a receive-by date.

SAQA MN Challenge: Deadline May 1, 2012

Best Foot Forward - MN SAQA Challenge!

SAQA asks for donations of a 1ft square art quilt for the on-line reverse auction that is our largest fund-raiser. Last year it brought in over $52K for our organization. A few of our regional members have donated in the past and have found it quite rewarding. This year the quilts will be sold at Houston at the International Quilt Festival and the on-line auction.

Members of SAQA MN would like to see our group create TWO 1ft square artworks: One that could be donated to the auction and one to be part of our special exhibit at the MQ show in Rochester. The goal is to have all the works completed by May 1st. (Early bird deadline for SAQA auction is March 16, final deadline is June 1.) We will need to prepare for the MQ show and calculate how many pieces we will have. If you would like to make two pieces, one could be sent off early for the auction and one could be used for the MQ show.

The goal is to have fun and explore the creative process. Working in a smaller size has many advantages and can inspire you to try a new technique or abstract a previous design. At our next meeting there will be an opportunity for everyone to speak about what they are doing and what their creative process was for creating the 1ft art quilt. It would be great if you could bring your work (or work in progress) for show and tell!

Thank you for your continued participation and input! If you have questions please contact Jennifer Conrad, MN Regional Co-rep.

Meeting Agenda for SATURDAY JAN. 14, 2012

The next SAQA MN meeting will be held this Saturday, January 14 at 10:00am. The business portion of the meeting will last approximately one hour, and will be followed by flexible work time (see Agenda info below.) The meeting takes place once again at the Lyric, home of Jennifer Conrad, in the Community Room.
Address: 765 Hampden Ave, St. Paul MN 55114. For directions please contact Jennifer at 443-255-6740.

Agenda:

Welcome and Introductions (new members?)
Old Business and Announcements:
- Correcting the email/contact list (any corrections?)
- Susan Stein and the Spun Gold Award
- Textile Center show "A Common Thread"
- Soliciting suggestions for Presentations, Topics, Grant-worthy Projects etc.
- Finish INSPIRATIONS feedback from Groups 4, 5 & 6. (Bring your notes please!) (20 mins)

BREAK: Please note we will provide beverages only at this meeting, but brown bag lunches are encouraged if you plan to stay for work time! There is also a McDonald's across the street from the Lyric, plus snack vending machines in the Lobby.

Work Time:
- Introducing the SAQA Auction, possibilities for a SAQA MN show, etc.
- Pro's and Con's of working with one square foot: A quick demonstration (with examples) by Jennifer Conrad.
- SKETCH TIME or WORK TIME depending on your whim! We will provide ironing board, irons, cutting mats and rotary cutters. If you intend to sew today, please bring any other materials you will require. Likewise if you just want to sketch and design.

THIS AGENDA IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

Any questions? Contact Jen Schultz at 612-702-5734 or Jennifer Conrad at 443-255-6740. See you there!

Paul Nosa Sewing Tour 2012 - A Kickstarter Venture! This guy can free-motion stitch like nobody's business, and he built a mobile sewing unit that he can ride from city to city! Check it out...

Upcoming Exhibit: John Silvis, Crash Course III

John Silvis: Crash Course III opens at Bethel University's Olsen Gallery on February 2nd.

With his third installment of Crashcourse at the Bethel University Olson Gallery in St. Paul, Minnesota, Silvis continues to explore crashed car imagery in art as existential metaphor. Referencing Andy Warhol's crash photo silk-screens and John Chamberlain's large twisted car metal sculptures, Crashcourse III includes stitched cars on felt that are presented on custom designed black and red car wallpaper, life size assemblage sculpture with felt, photography and drawing, and a series of discarded car parts on pedestals. Closing reception and talk will be held on March 1st at 6pm.