International Polymer Clay Association Election of Officers 2011 – 2012

In This Message Voting Timeline Nominee Questionnaire President VP Education & Outreach Treasurer Recording Secretary Local Guild Liaison International Liaison Voting Timeline ·    Oct 29 – Deadline for nominees to submit their names & nominee questionnaire to contact the Elections ChairThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . ·    Nov 2 - Nominations made public in the November newsletter ·    Nov 10 – Excerpts from Nominee Questionnaires posted on the IPCA website ·    Nov 10 – 24 On-line Voting ·    Nov 26 – 30 Nominees informed by e-mail ·    Dec 1 - Election results posted on website and in the December newsletter Nominee Questionnaire Copy and paste this questionnaire into your word-processing program to complete. Name: Address: E-mail address: 1. What position are you running for? Have you read the duties of the office? Are you capable of performing those duties? What, if any, limitations may prohibit you from performing those duties? 2. If elected, how would you promote polymer clay locally, nationally and internationally? 3. How can you help IPCA to encourage the growth of polymer clay as a hobby, craft and art form? Have you taught any polymer clay workshops/classes? If so, where? 4. Are you associated with any polymer clay related publication? Have you written any articles or been published in a polymer clay/crafts publication? If yes, which publication(s)? 5. How would you, as a member of the Board, improve the IPCA as a whole? 6. Would you be willing to promote polymer clay at conferences and guild retreats you are attending or are near your home?  Are you able to travel and/or take time off work if you and the Board felt the travel was critical? How much time realistically can you devote to volunteering each month? 7. How long have you been a member of the IPCA? Have you ever held office in another polymer clay guild or on a non-profit board? What other experience do you have that would help support you in the position for which you are seeking election? 8. Do you own a polymer clay business, or are you contemplating starting a polymer clay business? If so, what is the name, nature and age of the business? 9. Optional – Please feel free to share any additional information that will help IPCA members get to know you better. It’s Election Time Again Tempus Fugit! How often do we ask ourselves for a few more hours each day to do all those unfinished jobs? Yet in reality, when we look back, we do accomplish a great deal. Do you have room for one more job? Another accomplishment / commitment? Once  again the IPCA Executive Board  are hoping that at least six of you are willing to squeeze in one more very important commitment. Why six people? That just happens to be the number of board positions which will be up for re-election this year. Each volunteer position varies with regard to effort level and time commitment, but they all share one very important characteristic–each is necessary to ensure the continued success of the association. Please take just a moment and consider the benefits the IPCA  brings to the polymer clay community. Some are highly visible, such as the wealth of information available via the website. With a few clicks of the mouse you can find local guild info, event announcements, business opportunities, creative challenges, a member web directory and so much more. What may not be as visible is the work that goes on behind the scenes, as board members are not only concerned with the present–they also envision the future. And the future is filled with plans and ideas that cannot be accomplished without your support. Please do not hesitate to contact the Elections Chair with any unanswered questions. Thanks to all who are considering running. Your commitment to IPCA is truly appreciated! The six board positions due for re-election this year are listed below. A comprehensive summary of job descriptions and expectations, including travel and meeting requirements, can be found below or on the IPCA website under the FAQ section. Should you be interested in applying for one of these positions please complete the “Nominee Questionnaire” in the left column and return it to Kylee Milner, IPCA International Liaison and Elections Chair, internationalguilds@theipca.org, no later than Friday 29 October 2010. A Special Note to Our International Members We actively encourage members from outside the United States to stand for any of the board offices and not just the International Liaison position. Office Descriptions President Provides leadership and vision to promote membership and to further IPCA’s standing in the national and international polymer clay communities Sees that the responsibilities of the Association, as described in the bylaws, are carried out in a timely and creditable manner. Nominates chairs for standing committees and serves as ex-officio member of all committees. Coordinates with other officers and committee chairs and helps solve problems that arise. Reports to IPCA membership as needed via Polymergence, the e-newsletter. Represents Association leadership at national IPCA events. Represents the IPCA to other organizations. Sets dates and times of monthly board meetings and develops agendas with assistance of Recording Secretary. Conducts board meetings according to IPCA bylaws. Currently most meetings are held by conference call; in-person meetings are infrequent, with economy-rate transportation paid by IPCA. Conducts board business via e-mail between meetings. Reviews draft budget provided by Treasurer. Solicits reports from Association officers and committee chairs. Responds to IPCA-related e-mail on a daily basis. Skills and equipment required: personal computer, word-processing software, and daily e-mail access. Other computer capabilities are helpful. Approximate time requirement: 12-15 hours per week; 50-60 hours per month. Vice-President for Education and Outreach Assists the President in accomplishing his or her duties; assumes the President’s responsibilities in his or her absence. Promotes public understanding of polymer clay as a fine art and craft medium. Works with outside publications, museums and galleries to educate the public on polymer clay. Notifies all IPCA members of programs and meetings, working with the webmaster and newsletter editor. Is responsible for monitoring the effectiveness of communications via website and mailings. Recruits committee members to plan, publicize, and staff events. Oversees planning and organizing of  IPCA events such as conferences, seminars, and exhibitions. Skills and equipment required: Personal computer, word-processing software and skills, e-mail access. Volunteer provides hardware and Internet access. Event management and public relations experience helpful. Approximate time requirement: 3 hours/week in normal times; approaching an event or exhibition, up to 20 hours/week; during an event, full-time participation may be required. Treasurer Establishes policies and structure to ensure the safekeeping of the IPCA’s financial resources Enters into banking agreements and relationships Establishes system of fund flow within the IPCA to support approved programs Receives checks, cash, and money orders payable to IPCA; enters monies received into the bookkeeping records and deposits funds into IPCA account. Pays vendors and reimburses IPCA officers and committee chairs for approved expenditures Maintains accounting records in QuickBooks Pro software (by Intuit) supplied by IPCA. Monitors spending to help ensure that funds are being spent according to approved budget Prepares necessary papers to be forwarded to the independent accountant who does the yearly IPCA audit and prepares IRS and Virginia Corporate filings Participates in bimonthly meetings of board (usually by conference call) and makes reports as requested Skills and equipment required: home computer capable of running the QuickBooks Pro accounting software; word-processing software and capability; daily access to e-mail (except when traveling) Approximate time requirement: 6 hours/week (24 hours/month). Recording Secretary Maintains copies of IPCA bylaws, minutes, and board roster in both electronic and hard-copy formats. Notifies board members of upcoming board meetings; provides agenda and Officer reports prior to the meetings. Participates in board meetings and decision-making conducted by phone, electronic media and in person. Takes minutes at bimonthly board meetings. Reports business conducted by e-mail in standard minutes format. Helps monitor status of board business conducted by e-mail to ensure that ongoing business is completed and members are kept aware of votes in progress and required actions. Extracts/summarizes from minutes a brief report of board actions for quarterly report in PolyInformer. Notifies membership of membership meetings via the PolyInformer. Turns over a file of minutes and appended reports, by-laws and roster. Board emails and communications should be transferred to Cds or DVDs and transferred at the end of term of office. Skills and equipment required: personal computer, word-processing software, and daily access to e-mail. Knowledge of Roberts Rules of Order or willingness to learn is essential. Estimated time requirement: 5 hours/week (20 hours/month). Local Guild Liaison (US) Establish and co-moderate the ‘PCGuilds’ Yahoo Group as a communication tool between guilds/organizations Maintain and share up-to-date contact information for local guild leaders. Serve as contact person for IPCA members and others seeking information on joining or forming a guild Assist newly forming guilds in the areas of membership, marketing and publicity. Estimated time requirement: 3 hours/week (12 hours/month). International Liaison Establish and co-moderate the ‘PCGuilds’ Yahoo Group as a communication tool between guilds/organizations Develop a method for multi-language communication (translation tools) between guilds/organizations as needed Maintain and share up-to-date contact information for local guild leaders. Serve as contact person for IPCA members and others seeking information on joining or forming a guild Assist newly forming guilds in the areas of membership, marketing and publicity. Coordinate the flow of accurate information between board members in diverse time zones. Estimated time requirement: 4 hours/week (16 hours/month). Thanks for Your Participation! If you need any further information or want to talk to someone who has experience in the job you’re considering, please do not hesitate to contact any of the current board members for additional information. Your enthusiasm and commitment are greatly appreciated. Kylee Milner Elections Chair

Polymer Clay – Call for Entries: Progress & Possibilities 2010

Calling all IPCA members! And if you are not a member why not take the opportnity to join us now!

REQUIREMENTS:

Images – Minimum: 1 , Maximum: 3

Entry Fee (Progress and Possibilities 2010): $30.00

(per image over minimum): $

PROGRESS & POSSIBILITIES 2010
An on-line juried exhibition of the International Polymer Clay Association
Application deadline: April 16, 2010
Entry fee:$30 per artist (Nonrefundable entry fees cover the administrative costs of the competition and help to fund future projects and events.)
Purpose
To encourage and acknowledge promise, innovation, and individuality in the work of individual polymer clay artists, at all stages of professional development, and to advance public awareness of and appreciation for the fine craft of polymer clay.
Eligibility
Progress & Possibilities is open to members of the International Polymer Clay Association eighteen years or older. To join IPCA, visit http://www.npcg.org/
Requirements
All work must be at least half polymer clay (in surface area, not volume). It must have been completed after September 1, 2008, and not previously published (in print) or submitted to another exhibition or competition. The concept, design, and execution of the artwork must be solely that of the applicant.

Each applicant will submit an artist’s statement relating to the work submitted (approximately 200 words, or less than 1000 characters) and one digital image each of up to three pieces of work. Each image must include the artist’s name (jurors will not have access to artists’ names), the title of the piece, dimensions, year produced, and materials used.
Images
Instructions on how to format images to CaFE™ specifications can be found at http://www.callforentry.org/imaging tips.phtml. Applicants must also retain a high-resolution image (300dpi or higher TIFF or jpg file) of each submission, to be used in print media.
Levels and Categories
Each artist must declare his or her level of professional development; however, the Progress & Possibilities Committee may reassign level before judging begins. Applicants will be notified of any such reassignment.

Levels are:
Beginner: An artist who has worked with polymer clay for less than five years, who has never entered any national or international competition, and whose interest in the medium is primarily as a hobby.
Intermediate: An artist who has worked with polymer clay for five years or more and/or is technically proficient in other crafts; who may have entered previous competitions, including Progress & Possibilities, but has not been a finalist in the most prestigious ones (e.g., the Niche Awards).

Professional: Those who earn a significant portion of their livelihood by teaching or writing about polymer clay and/or selling their work; artists at the top of their game who may have received major national or international awards.
Submissions will be accepted in three categories:
Art Jewelry: Wearable art such as necklaces, pendants, bracelets, rings, earrings.
Functional Objects: Items that perform a function such as bowls, vessels, boxes, purses, etc.
Sculptural Objects: Decorative items such as dolls, figurines, abstract three-dimensional forms, wall art/mosaics, etc.

Each artist may submit work in any or all of the categories, but all of one artist’s entries must be submitted at the same level. If all your entries are in the same category, please upload your images and complete the entry process. To submit work in additional categories, upload the photo(s) for one category, complete the entry process, and then email sivester@bellsouth.net for further instructions.
Members’ Choice
All submissions will be available for IPCA members to view on-line. Members will vote for their favorite pieces, and Members’ Choice winners will be announced at each of the nine categories/levels. See http://www.npcg.org/ for details.

Just how well do you know your polymer artists?

So you think you can recognise the work of polymer clay & mixed media artists? Well here is a challenge for you.

Synergy2 Collaborative Tile Contest
Laurie Mika and 37 artists created a terrific mosaic.  Now we want to share the fun with you. From November 20th through December 20th you can play the game. Follow the following link to the IPCA website where you will find all the tiles. Using the fields provided, match the tile number to the artist that created it.

The winner will receive the Synergy2 exhibit catalog and a 1 year IPCA membership.

Just how well do you know them?

Calling all Polymer Clay Group Leaders

The International Polymer Clay Association has a new Yahoo Group especially for all polymer clay group leaders (irrespective of IPCA membership). This new group is run by Lenora Kandiner IPCA National Liaison and Kylee Milner IPCA International Liaison.

The idea behind the group is to help groups, associations and guilds communicate, support & promote polymer clay across the world.

If you are a group leader and interested in joining us then please visit: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IPCA_Liaison/?yguid=384986254

Please provide as much information as possible regarding your clay group.

Polymer Clay Artists turn musicians for a unique performance in Ohio!

Who would have thought that the International Polymer Clay Association strategy meeting could reveal a bunch of hidden talents. Perhaps some of these talented artists who I have admired for many many years may give up their polymer creative skills in favour of their musical ones!

Our hosts Cynthia Tinapple of  Polymer Clay Daily & her husband Blair welcomed us into their home for a fantastic weekend of strategy planning, friendship and music! This was the first  meeting with the new board members and some of the old.

The former NPCG has taken on a new dimension and we have some exciting international projects on our agenda. Why not join us?

On a personal note to spend a weekend with such talented people was a dream come true for me! Many many thanks to all. And roll on Baltimore 2010!

Ohio coming ready or not – IPCA!

I leave for Ohio on Wednesday evening to attend the new Executive Board meeting of the IPCA. I’m thrilled to be invited along and excited about how we as European polymer clay artists can contribute to the IPCA. There are some exciting new initiatives in the pipeline and as their International Liaison I intend to ensure that Europe is firmly on the IPCA map!

I am armed with a shopping list of polymer toys, gadgets and even Japanese pattern books!

Watch this space for my Ohio news!