President’s Message:
The Labor Day holiday began in the late 19th century at the urging of labor activists who wanted to recognize the American worker for the many contributions they made to help America’s strength, prosperity and well being. So on this Labor Day I want to say to all our members of our Reading-Berks Guild, thank you and have a wonderful Labor Day weekend.
The countdown is on; less than two months to our 72nd Holiday Fine Art and Craft Festival. Are You ready? Have you filled out your application and sent it in? Everything is on our website. Don’t wait another minute; go to rbcrafts.org. You will be glad you did. And we will too. If you are not going to join us as a vendor at this year’s Holiday Show, you can still help out your Guild by calling Carol Haile and volunteering your time at one of our numerous jobs that we need to fill over this busy weekend. Our social media committee and our show committee have been working diligently to make our 72nd show a huge success and we can’t do it without You, our valued craftsmen and artists. You are the reason for our success.
Because of our Holiday Fine Art and Craft Festival being held in October instead of November, our regular November general meeting will be held Sunday morning, October 30, 2022, at 9:00 AM and at that meeting we will be having our election of officers for the two year term of 2023-2024.
The Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center will be hosting Heemet Fescht on Saturday, September 24, 2022, and all the buildings will be open. The time for this event is 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
Also the Kutztown Folk Festival is having their Fall Fest on Main in Kutztown, PA on Saturday, October 15, 2022. Openings are available for craftsmen and artists. Contact Kutztown Folk Festival and click on “Participants” to apply.
Always remember to renew your membership.
“Having somewhere to go is home. Having someone to love is family. And having both is a blessing.” Unknown.
Your President, Barry L. Bennecoff
Programs:
Our program this month will fetcher Diane Phalen. She has a very unique way of quilting. Diane has been newly juried this spring, welcome to the Reading Berks Guild of Craftsmen.
The appealing watercolors of Diane Beginnes Phalen reflect her childhoodin the gentle hills of rural Pennsylvania. Diane is best known for her
Americana quilt series, paintings that illustrate the handcraft and charming country life of the Amish people. Because of her appreciation for the
popular quilt patterns so much a part of early America Diane has created hundreds of original quilts not with a needle, but with her brush. Diane’s
watercolors are full of emotion and scenes that evoke nostalgia and warm responses from those who view them. “I want my viewers to be able to
feel the gentle spring breeze, warm summer day..the mood of an autumn sky or winter sunset, a moment of peace and contentment connecting
nature with our heritage and values”. Her paintings abound with delightful hidden elements such as a butterfly on a flower or a cat nestling among
garden blossoms. The vibrant hand-made quilts that grace the clotheslines of the rolling hills where she grew up are Diane’s way of sharing her love of
the natural and creative within all of us.
DIANE PHALEN WATERCOLORS
www.dianephalen.com
Program Chair, Matthew P. Vardjan
Shows:
Our winter show is fast approaching, Oct. 29 and 30th. If you have not applied now is the time. Until October 1 the basic booth fee is just $200.00. This includes pipe and drape for you booth. Almost all craftsperson who did last years show reported very strong sales.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:
We need volunteers for our upcoming Holiday Show.
These jobs include:
1) Gate (the admissions table where patrons enter),
2) Greeter (to welcome people coming into the gym and offer them a program), and
3) Helpers at our incredible Raffle Table.
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-President; 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:
Please don’t forget to tune into “Your Berks Craftsmen” on September 21 at 7:00 PM and see some of your fellow craftsmen along with Steve Hunter, show chairperson, promoting our 72nd Holiday Fine Art and Craft Festival which will take place on October 29 and October 30 at Kutztown University. Steve will be bringing you up to date as to what is happening at this year’s show along with our craftsmen who will be sharing some of their latest creations.
If you missed our September, “Your Berks Craftsmen” we were in the studio with Cleon Garl, woodturner. AND after the show I got to make my own pen. Thanks Cleon, it was great fun. You can see this show and others that you may have missed by going to our website, rbcrafts.org or going to BCTV.org. “Your Berks Craftsmen” is also on YouTube.
“Your Berks Craftsmen” Host,
Kay L. Bennecoff
Standards:
The next jury session will be held on Tuesday, September 13, 2022 at the Goggleworks. You must have been a member of the chapter for a minimum of 3 months. The room will be open at 6:30 and jurying will begin at 7:00. Check the board when you arrive for the room number. The application and more information are on our website at https://rbcrafts.org/our-guild/standards/For any questions, contact Louise Mehaffey, eglassplace@gmail.com.
Standards Chair, Louise Mehaffey
Membership:
With the July State report, we now have a total of 151 members of the Reading-Berks Guild.
Of those members,
· 17 are Master Artisans
· 76 are Senior Artisans
o Of those Seniors, 27 are also Master Senior Artisans
So we not only have many years of expertise, but incredibly proficient Artists!
This also says a lot of our chapter of the Guild, having much history as well as knowledge and skill.
You can see the status of your membership on the State Web site here: https://pacrafts.org/members/
If you have not contacted me regarding obtaining a new badge, please let me know so that I can get you on the list. I only have three currently and would like to get at least one or two more before we place our order.
Thank You,
Membership Chair, Gary Rosborough
Events:
General Meetings: (1st Tuesday of Month, November is an exception):
September, 2022: September 6th, 7 PM at the GoggleWorks
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: Holiday Show at Kutztown University Fieldhouse