President’s Message:
As our energies are being used to get ready for our 72nd Holiday Fine Art and Craft Festival that is quickly approaching on October 29 and October 30, our thoughts and prayers are with these families who have had their lives turned upside down by Hurricane Ian.
I hope to see you at our October general meeting on Tuesday. It will be a great meeting with our newly juried members and all the mini grant winners presenting their craft, a real “show and tell”. This is one of my favorite programs throughout the year. We get to know our fellow craftsmen and artists up close and personal. We get to appreciate what other craftsmen and artists do and learn from them. The sharing is the real story and the interaction as craftsmen…..guild membership!
A reminder for all that our November general meeting will take place at our show on Sunday, October 30 at 9:00 AM before our show opens that day at 10:00 AM. We will also be voting for our officers that day for a two year term for 2023 and 2024.
So, get back into your studios and shops as our customers can’t wait to see all of you and your creations. Share your stories with our patrons. Demonstrating is a great way to share with our patrons. They come for your craft. They come for the experience. They come for you!
“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” William James
Your President, Barry L. Bennecoff
Programs:
Our program this month fetchers this years newly juried members and this years mini-grant winners.
Newly juried members are:
Steve Good: Metal working
Shelby Peters: Hand-drawn seasonal pictures
Kate Graber: Fused glass
Debra Seidel: Hand-woven rugs
William Wagner: Pysanky
Lisa Short: Porcelain jewelry
This years mini-grant winners:
Adrienne Shuker
Louise Mehaffey
Marty Riggleman
Denise Wilz
Remember, all persons showing at the October meeting should arrive 15 minutes early so as to have time to set-up your displays! Meeting starts at 7:00PM and there will be lots to see.
Program Chair, Matthew P. Vardjan
Shows:
Our winter show is fast approaching, Oct. 29 and 30th. Our application date has passed, but if your application is post marked before October 1, it will be accepted in the order they come in. There are only a few booths left, if you have not applied yet, please contact Carol Haile (inkpencjh@msn 610-374-7048). Carol will let you know if we are still taking applications and the late fee.
VOLUNTEERS AND BOOTH SITTERS NEEDED
We need volunteers for our upcoming Holiday Show.
These jobs include:
1) Gate: the admissions table where patrons enter
2) Greeter: welcome people coming into the gym and offer them a program
3) Helpers at our incredible Raffle Table
4) Booth Sitters
If you have any questions or would like to sign up, contact Carol Haile at inkpencjh@msn 610-374-7048.
Raffle Items:
Thank you to everyone who has donated to the Holiday Show Raffle Table. Your generous contributions are very much appreciated. I still have room for more items. Please let me know if you would like to donate one of your wonderful art pieces by either turning in the form included with the show application or emailing me at jodimbs@comcast net no later than October 14th. You can drop off your items at the Raffle Table during show set-up on Friday or on Saturday morning before the doors open. Jodi Stevenson, Raffle Chair.
Show Chair, Steve Hunter
2022 Election of Officers:
The current slate of officers for the Reading Berks Guild Of Craftsmen is:
President: Barry Bennecoff
Vice-Presiden: Cleon Garl
Secretary: Kay Bennecoff
Co-treasurers: Carole Haile
Jody Stevenson
Newsletter: Sandra Jones
If anyone wishes to be considered for one of these offices please contact:
Bill Schired at 610-334-9642
Matt Vardjan at 610-655-66541
Holiday Social:
Once again our holiday meeting will be at the Yellow House Hotel. They have great food and always have the place decorated to the 9’s! Our starting time this year will be an hour earlier than in previous years! We will be serving the meal promptly at 5:30. This is due to the shortage of help that so many restaurants are dealing with. This is a concession that had to be made as there is another group gathering that evening as well. As most of members that have attended the social in the past are retired, I felt this was a change we all could deal with. See you there!
Please sign up for the Holiday Social!
Programs Chair, Matt Vardjan
Media:
Don’t forget to watch “Your Berks Craftsmen” on Wednesday, October 19, at 7:00 PM on BCTV. Highlighted on this night will be fellow craftsmen and Chairperson Steve Hunter. We will be talking about our upcoming 72nd Holiday Fine Art and Craft Festival, on October 29 and October 30 at Kutztown University and giving our viewing audience a sneak preview of what they will be able to see and purchase at this event. Watch on Comcast, Channel 15 or go to your computer at BCTV.org. All broadcasts can be seen also on our website at rbcrafts.org and on YouTube, a day or two after the initial show. Please consider being a guest craftsman or artist on “Your Berks Craftsmen”. It is a great way for people to learn about you.
“Your Berks Craftsmen” Host,
Kay L. Bennecoff
Standards:
Congratulations to our newly juried members:
Kate Graber: Fused glass
Debra Seidel: Hand-woven rugs
William Wagner: Pysanky
Lisa Short: Porcelain jewelry
Standards Chair, Louise Mehaffey
Membership:
We are currently running at a total of 150 members for the Reading-Berks Guild.
NEW Badges are here!
For those new members that filled out a form for a badge I will have those for you at the October meeting. Please see me to pick up your badge!
You can see the status of your membership on the State Web site here: https://pacrafts.org/members/
If you are new to the Guild and have not contacted me regarding obtaining a new badge, please let me know so that I can get you on the new list and place an order.
Thank You,
Membership Chair, Gary Rosborough
Events:
General Meetings: (1st Tuesday of Month, November is an exception):
October, 2022: October 4th, 7 PM at the GoogleWorks
November, 2022: Sunday, October 30, 9 AM at the KU Fieldhouse, Kutztown (before the Holiday Show). This will be the election of our officers. Note: This will be our official November meeting.
December 2022: December 6, 2022, Yellow House Hotel: 5 PM for Cash Bar, Dinner served at 5:30.
Shows:
October 29 & 30, Saturday and Sunday: Holiday Show at Kutztown University Fieldhouse