Capitolizing on Fiber SAQA Conference in metropolitan Washington, DC

I will be teaching this workshop "How to Promote your Work without Apologizing!" at SAQA's Alexandria' VA's Conference this May 2013.

This interactive empowerment workshop will look at:
• Our perceptions of ourselves as artists and or quilters.
• How to promote our work without apologizing.
• How we talk about our artwork casually, at gallery openings, and lectures.

This mini workshop will offer tools to help participants strengthen self-talk and business-talk

• How do you answer these questions when introduced?
o Who are you?
o What do you call yourself?
o What medium do you use most?
o Where can I see your work?

I am asking workshop attendees to bring the answer on a sheet of paper the size of a postcard.

They will also be asked to bring their authentic selves to the workshop..." and the one you want to be, the person you want to introduce to the movers and shakers, the person you have been striving towards, the one you want to introduce to the next curator or gallery owner who has asked around about you and your work, the one who is wondering if you would fit… their next promotion, their next event, their next exhibition to a tee!..."

That is the person I want to meet and really need to interact with. Why? So that you come away from the workshop empowered and imbued with the tools you need to achieve your goals.

Best Regards,
Valarie Poitier

Life Coach, Job Readiness Instructor, Lecturer,
New England Quilt Museum Board Member
Curator, New England Quilt Museum's 2013 Images Exhibition's Special Exhibit of MA/RI SAQA Members "Three Cohesive Pieces" Exhibit August 2013
Curator, Chair SAQA-NEQM-2009-2011 Project "No Holds Barred"
SAQA Rep MA/RI, Member PAM Jurying Committee

Next SAQA Regional Meeting 5/25 at Button Box Quilt Shop

Michele David my co-rep and I are pleased to announce a special exhibit of works by SAQA MA/RI members called "Three cohesive pieces" at IMAGES, Lowell quilt festival. 

This is a great opportunity for a large number of our SAQA members to participate in a unique exhibit.  There will be a tight turn-around of deadlines. The work cannot have been displayed at Images before as a group. This exhibit will be curated by Michele David and Valarie Poitier.

Updates in Red, as of 5/23/2013

The object of this special exhibit is to have each quilter display three cohesive pieces of work.  Those quilts on display will clearly have been created by one person, and be united by some combination of subject, color, style, voice, or technique.  The work can have been made during the past 5 years. [updated] 

Our deadlines are as follows:

June15 images and entry due at the Museum.

June 26 acceptance sent out via email.

August 2, 12:00 pm quilts due at the NEQM

Active SAQA MA/RI Members and members listing MA/RI as of May 2013 Active member report for our region can submit up to 2 sets of 3 cohesive quilts .  Note only 1 set can be hung. Entry fee is $ 30 to be payable to Lowell Quilt Festival.

email saqamari@gmail.com

We are still working on the juried, combined New England Regionals Exhibit, called "Color make as a bold statement" more information to follow.

SAQA Meeting Reminder: 

Saturday, May 25^, 2013

10:00 am
Button Box Quilt Shop
5 Overbrook Dr. 
Wellesley, MA 02482
(781) 489-6515

Fondest Regards,
Ms. V

Lectures & Workshops by Ms. V - Empowerment - Promote Your Work

This Lecture & Workshop series was created to empower artists to manage the expected and unexpected ups and downs of being in business with and for themselves from a position of strength.  Oh yes, we are generally the business manager, along with the artist, the clean up crew, the shopper, no wait, we like that role, LOL, you get the point.  (Fees Listed At Bottom...just in case...LOL

Bless You - detail, 2007

We live, work, and create in two different worlds. We generally create alone. It is an interaction between us, our materials, our tools, and our evolving workspaces. After a period of time say a few weeks or a few years we share our work with the general public.  Well some of us Do share, some of us Think about Sharing, and some of us put our Work carefully away for long periods of time, some even forever.  Why? Often because we can not figure out where to begin.  We sometimes need to learn how to reallocate learned life skills into our art tool contaniers. And other times we need the company of other like minded people to realize our own worth and value as artists.  

Beyond Comfort, detail 2011

As I have grown/sewn in this field I discovered moving from a private life into a public and on-line life was more than a notion.  I realized I could offer a few How To's...for those of us who get stuck, feel intimidated when viewing other 's work, feel lost or just not up to doing the tasks necessary to reach or set our goals.  So I looked back at my diaries and selected some of the roadblocks I have hit and decided to write down how I met the challenge or overcame the situations. Thus two series: Empower Your Creative Self and Promote Your Work, were developed.

Each lecture was designed to appeal to a general audience of both artists and non artists.  Each: 

• Has a PowerPoint presentation available enhanced by relevant artwork.
• Has a varied format of mini-workshops (2 hours), a 2-5 day workshops, handouts, workbooks.  
• Full day lecture has a hands-on art related component, we create!
• Lectures can be restructured to target specific audiences, new lectures and workshops can be created to address specific topics, at various levels; beginners, intermediate, advance/seasoned artists all designed upon request.
• Lectures and workshops are designed with the needs of artists at their core.

Lectures & Workshops and studio arts classes available in 2012

Promote Your Work, Without Apologizing

Changing Directions, Getting through the Change, Status Quo

Finding My Voice, My mark, My Signature, creating a body of work
Marketing Yourself - But I don't like that Part!  
Moving from the diningroom table to a studio or not
Building Self Esteem & Self Confidence - Tools of the Trade
Healing Arts - I Sew and So I Am

Studio Arts Classes available: Surface Design - silk screening; batik; fabric painting; fabric dyeing;
Design - 12",  18", 44" designing my own quilt from scratch; learn to follow a quilt pattern, small project start to finish with surface design elements.


Fees:

My Basic rates:  which include lectures, teaching fiber art classes, quilting techniques, and surface design workshops

• $700 Per day class teaching stipend (up to 20 students, after that an additional $35 per person)
• $400 One hour lecture with trunk show, and all expenses.
• $850 Combination of presentation and workshop held during the same event/day plus expenses with permission to vendor before or after workshop or lecture. 
• Custom Rates are available for special programs.

Expenses include travel: mileage for airport trips, airline tickets, shipping any supplies back and forth, taxi if needed, as well as all motel and meal expenses for the 'days of the presentations'. If DH has to drive me our mileage fee is $.50/mile, and his motel provisions and meals should be included for the working days, when in attendance he is a part of my package, other DH's are encouraged to attend those lectures as we often speak as a team. I generally arrive the day before teaching starts, and leave the day after teaching ends. I am deathly allergic of cats and some dogs so my preference is to stay at a hotel.

Bottom Line:  I am open to negotiating rates, but fees and expenses can not leave me in the red. 

SAQA New England News...Colchester, VT Event

Dear Reader,

I had the great pleasure to attend the Workshop Event in Colchester, VT this weekend. Margaret Sheehan was the hosting SAQA Rep and Alexandra Nickerson was the event planner and hosting SAQA member.

March 25-27, 2011 


It was an exciting opportunity for SAQA members.


Two workshops were offered:


Approaching Galleries - Rae Harrell, owner of Rae Harrell Gallery, and
From a Juror's Perspective Valerie Poitier, guest curator/juror and SAQA Co-chair of the "No Holds Barred" exhibit at the NE Quilt Museum and SAQA MA/RI co-rep.


I must say that Alexandra did an excellent job selecting the speakers, location, and studio's for the event. As both presenter and participant I felt we all came away with a reminder or much better view of what it takes to put on an exhibit. What it takes to participate in an exhibit. Whether or not we were in the game, or wanted to be in that particular game.

Friday night's dinner was great, even if I couldn't eat. The company and discussion was worth the trip. Saturday was packed from morning to late night with the two workshops and an opportunity to share our work with each other, simply smashing quilts were unpacked and unrolled. The works of art and techniques were very different.

Here are some of the areas discussed:
- The decisions and choices the curator, juror, gallery owner is faced with.
-What a gallery owner or representative is looking for and what you/we as artists need to provide that person so that we may be represented at the highest level of professionalism.
-Bio, Artist statement, Artist Statement, CV, Education.
-Pros & Cons of Exhibiting.
-Personal development, build courage by doing.
-Where you are now, where you see yourself going.
-How to get the best out of the resources available to you.
-SAQA site, we took a short on-line tour.

Sunday was an extra-ordinary day. We rode further up into the hills of VT. The trip took us to the most, and I mean most wonderful studio. Dianne Shullenberger, fabric artist shared her gallery and studio spaces with us in a gracious and melodious manner. Yes it was a pleasure to the ear and the eye. Her work and space was for me, like a grand banquet. Everything I would wish to see, crafted by a master, with the proper spaces to put them in. What more could this artist want, I got to see a working gallery and a working studio! That my friends... is one of my dreams...and it feels closer after this weekend.

All in all this was another spectacular New England Weekend. The weather favored us by being sunny, crisp, and a bit snappy with cold. We travelled back to Massachusetts having experienced the best of VT, the best of SAQA, and the best times.

Regards,
Ms. V