February 2025 Newsletter

by | Feb 6, 2025 | Articles, Events, Members in the News, News and Events, Newsletter Archive

President’s Message

It probably can’t end soon enough; I am talking about the cold, cold weather! I am hoping to feel warm again very, very soon.

It looks like your Reading-Berks Guild of Craftsmen is moving forward with great new ideas and technology. Amy, Program Chairperson, has some really good programs coming up; hope to see you at these meetings.  Lisa, Webmaster and Social Chairperson, is working diligently on updating our Reading-Berks website. She and her team on social media keep The Reading-Berks Guild of Craftsmen out there on FaceBook and Instagram. Her team is phenomenal. This will be great for our members and for our patrons who like to keep up with our Guild. Steve, Show Chairperson, and his show committee continue their commitment to producing great shows for our Guild and have things moving forward on both our 2025 shows. Our Holiday Show this year will be our 75th Anniversary Show. I know they will do it up BIG! Diane, Standards Chairperson, is gearing up for our jury session in March. Matt, Treasurer, is doing a great job with this important position and is happy for Carol’s continued assistance. Vice President Cleon, a long time and very active board member, got to an in-person Board and Show meeting. We were so happy to see him. Nancy, Elected Newsletter Editor, took off running, which is her usual pace, and is doing a great job. Gary, Membership Chairperson, does a great job reminding our members of their membership renewal dates. This is a great help to our chapter. Paula, Education Chairperson, has moved into that position smoothly and keeps looking for new ways to show more young people, who do fine art and crafts, the importance of guilds. Kay, BCTV Host of “Your Berks Craftsmen”, has been having great shows with our artists and craftsmen. What a wonderful way to show off our craftsmen and fine artists to the public. You would be surprised at the number of people she meets and they say, “You are the host on BCTV of “Your Berks Craftsmen. I love to watch that show!”. She is also the best secretary and chief of staff to the President. With all these great people helping me out, being President so much easier.

“Well done is better than well said.” Benjamin Franklin

Your President,
Barry L. Bennecoff

Programs

What are you doing on Tuesday, February 4th at 7 PM? Well, you can help eliminate the winter doldrums by driving to the Goggleworks to be educated by Mary Ellen Mahan (aka “MEM”), a certified Penn State Master Gardener of Berks County, active member of the community, and philanthropist. She will discuss the importance of native plants in our Berks County communities, clarify gardening and nature vocabulary, and end with some ways we can incorporate nature and gardening into our various forms of arts and crafts. Join us! We’d love to have more participation at meetings to enjoy these speakers.

Save the date: On Tuesday, March 4, 2025, Jacquie Engel, Executive Director of the Walk In Art Center in Schuylkill Haven, will speak to our Guild about funding and apprenticeship opportunities for folk artisans! Don’t miss it! 

Program Chair,
Amy Langman

Spring Show

The big news is that this week we are going digital with our spring show application. You will now be able to apply on line to our show right from our web page. The application will be available this week. This will save us hours of work and give you the satisfaction of knowing that your application is finished as soon as you complete the forms and hit return. No stamp or trip to the post office. We will continue to add this technology to the fall show for applications and perhaps ticket sales. Thanks to Lisa Short, Matt Vardjan, and the Web committee for all the many hours of work it took to make this happen.

As you know our guild and its shows run on volunteers. If you are a member and have not given time to the guild this past year, make a plan to do so this year. We need you.

Show Chair,
Steve Hunter

Web Site

Exciting Changes Coming to Our Website!

The Reading-Berks Guild of Craftsmen is evolving and so is our website! We’re excited to share that our site is moving forward, slowly but surely, with updates that will make it more engaging, user-friendly, and a better reflection of our talented community.

As we make improvements, you may notice some changes in how things look and function. While certain areas might work a little differently, rest assured that our goal is to create a seamless and inspiring experience for everyone who visits.

Stay tuned for more updates, and thank you for your patience and support as we craft a website that truly showcases the creativity and dedication of the Reading-Berks Guild of Craftsmen!

If you would like to join the web team, please reach out to me at ltshortfolk@gmail.com.

Lisa Short
Website Manager

Social Media

Stay Connected: Engage with the Reading-Berks Guild of Craftsmen on Facebook & Instagram!

We love celebrating the incredible talent within our guild, and social media is a great way to do just that! If you haven’t already, be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on upcoming events, featured artisans, and creative inspiration from our members.

This month, we’re shining a spotlight on Diane Phalen, a longtime member whose artistry has inspired many. Check out our latest Artisan Spotlightpost to learn more about her work. Show some love this February by liking, commenting, or sharing the post—your support helps spread the word about the amazing craftsmanship within our guild!

Would you like to be featured in our next Artisan Spotlight? We’d love to showcase your talent and share your story with our community. Reach out to us if you’re interested!

Let’s work together to grow our online presence—every like, comment, and share makes a difference!

Follow us today and help us celebrate the art of fine craftsmanship.

FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/

INSTAGRAM
https://www.instagram.com/readingberksguild/

Social Media Chair,
Lisa Short

BCTV

On February 5, 2025 at 7:00 PM, please tune into BCTV’s “Your Berks Craftsmen” and view Jay Ressler, fine art photographer, encaustic artist, and he also paints with oils. Jay has been a juried member of Reading-Berks Guild of Craftsmen for several years. He is also a member of

The Hamburg Area Arts Alliance and in March is having a one-man show at the Art Plus Gallery in West Reading, PA. For his presentation, Jay brought into the studio several examples of his fine art photography and used a slide show to talk about several other pieces.  Jay shared with us some “tricks of the trade”, and it actually felt like we took a little trip around the world through his art. You can see Jay along with host Kay Bennecoff every Wednesday night at 7:00 PM through the month of February 2025 on Comcast Reading Channel 15.

Find BCTV on air and online:
Comcast Reading Channel 15
Comcast-Southern Berks Channel 965
Service Electric Channel 19
BCTV is available on Roku, search for BCTV Berks – HOW TO VIDEO
Access Your Berks Craftsmen directly.

Your Host of “Your Berks Craftsmen”,
Kay L. Bennecoff

Standards

The jury for new members to the Reading Berks Guild of Craftsmen will be held on Tuesday March 4, 2025, at The GoggleWorks in Room 325. The room will be open at 5:30, and jurying will begin at 6:00. Prospective members will be asked to leave the room during jurying and can return in 30 minutes for the results. As of this date we have three artisans for the jury.

Any member of the Standards Committee who cannot attend, please let me know.

Click for more information or an application or contact Diane at standards@rbcrafts.org

Standards Chairperson,
Diane Phalen

Membership

The State Guild website currently shows that there are 151 members of the Reading-Berks Guild chapter.

Are you missing out on an opportunity to show your work on the internet? Did you know that when you become a member of the Guild, you can add a picture of your work to the Pacrafts.org web site?  Check out the user guide here for how to update your page.

So… Complete a new resolution for the year by renewing your membership in the Guild for this year.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to show us your amazing work!

Membership Chair,
Gary Rosborough

Events

General Meetings (1st Tuesday of Month)

  • February 4th, 7 PM  at the Goggle Works, check the board for room number

Shows

  • Spring Show: First Saturday in May. This year May 3, 2025.

Pennsylvania State Guild News

The Pennsylvania Designer Craftsmen (PDC) produces the Fine Craft Fairs and is currently run by volunteers; we do not pay a “contract person” to run the shows at this time but have in the past. The PDC is the for-profit and the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen (PGC) is the non-profit. In 2024 the PDC donated $20,000 to the PGC after the shows’ expenses were paid.

PGC Fine Craft Fair

 

Fine Craft as a Business will be hosting “How to Launch a Craft Business from Ground Zero!”

This program assists PGC members and others in navigating the business world so they can be successful in running an art/craft business and/or participating in a craft show. They do this by offering workshops and a Mentor Program to help people set up, maintain, or expand their art/craft business and to enrich their business skills in general. Workshops are open to both PGC Members and the public. The Mentor program is open only to PGC Members.

Saturday, February 15, 2025 – 9:30 AM to Noon
In person and Zoom – Guild member $10, non-member $30

This workshop is specially designed for craftspeople who want to start a craft business or ensure their current business is set up properly and follows the best practices for legality, insurance coverage, tax payments, etc. Also, learn about sales channels, copyrights, etc.

Presenters:
Karen Peiffer – Board President, Pa Guild of Craftsmen
Robert Prebola and Toni Kramer – Kendal, Prebola & Jones, LLC Accounting
Josh Cohen, Attorney, McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC
Donna Lashof, Master Artisan, Pottery

Gain insights from experienced professionals and set your craft business up for success! Sign up today.

Denise Wilz
PGC Joint Chapters/Membership Chair

Newsletter

If you would like to put something in the Newsletter, please contact us at newsletter@rbcrafts.org

Newsletter Editor,
Nancy Vardjan