President’s Message
When you get this message, the holidays will be a thing of the past, and already we will be into the future. Let’s start this new year, 2025, with a resurgence of involvement in our chapter, but we can only do that with your help. Let’s try to step it up a notch in 2025. This year will be a banner year because our annual Holiday Fine Art and Craft Festival will be celebrating its 75th Anniversary. (Wow! Congratulations!) Looking to 2026, our country will be celebrating its 250th birthday. If I remember correctly, in 1976 there was a great resurgence in crafts, and our goal should be to help make that happen again.
Let’s get ourselves energized. Our general meetings are the first Tuesday of each month at the GoggleWorks at 7:00 PM. Good news! You will be able to use the remodeled entrance directly from the parking lot, so see you January 7th.
Again, I want to say a big “thank-you” to our Board members who stepped down at the end of 2024 for their many years of dedicated service, and a big “thank-you” to our 2025/2026 Board. I am looking forward to working with you for the good of our Reading-Berks Guild. We are moving forward with some positive changes that we have talked about recently, and I am excited about the future.
“Believe me now or believe me later.” Barry L. Bennecoff
Your President,
Barry L. Bennecoff
Programs
If you happened to stop by my booth at any of the RBGC events, you see I have a love of nature and sharing it with others. I also have a problem with volunteering, which is why I’m here to announce that I’m stepping up as the new Program Coordinator.
At the January 7th meeting, we will entail alphabetizing all of the information shared with us at the holiday show. Please bring along any fun holiday leftovers to share with the group. Any new ideas for meeting topics? Share it with me then!
Program Chair,
Amy Langman
Spring Show
The Spring Show is only five months away. We are planning to use on-line sign-up from our web site along with paper applications. The online sign-up will allow us to spend less time on the process. The applications will be available soon.
I would still like some folks to step up and take over the Spring Show. The only skills you need are time and the ability to show up and get things done.
Show Chair,
Steve Hunter
Web Site
Dear Members and Friends of the Reading-Berks Guild of Craftsmen,
I’m delighted to introduce myself as the new website manager for the Reading-Berks Guild of Craftsmen! My name is Lisa Short, and I’m honored to bring my professional experience and personal passion for the arts to this community.
As well as my craft of Fraktur and Decorative Painting, for many years I worked as a graphic designer and website creator for a large medical device company where I honed my skills in design, branding, and digital communication. Now, I’m thrilled to channel that expertise into celebrating the artistry of our guild members and enhancing our online presence.
The guild’s website is a vital hub for connecting with the community, promoting our events, and showcasing the rich tradition of handcrafted arts. My goal is to ensure the website reflects the talent and creativity of our members while making it an engaging resource for all who visit.
Additional Web Team Members:
Denise Wilz, Pennsylvania Redware Pottery. Along with making beautiful traditional redware pottery, Denise has been working on websites for most of her career, and brings a wealth of knowledge to contribute to the team.
Louise Mehaffey is a glass artist who makes stunning lampworked glass beads, she is mostly retired from doing shows, but her long-term involvement and commitment to the Reading-Berks Guild makes her an invaluable resource for our team.
If you would like to join the web team, please reach out to me at ltshortfolk@gmail.com.
Warm regards,
Lisa Short
Website Manager
Social Media
Dear Members,
As the saying goes, “A picture tells a thousand words”. As crafters, I know how busy life can be and how hard it is to find time to capture high-quality images of your work. Over the past year, I’ve taken photos of your work at our events and shows. I’ll be emailing these images to you soon so you can use them as you like and to ask your permission to add them to the guild’s image database for use on our website and social media.
If you’d like, I’m also happy to take photos of your work at future events. Just let me know, and we can make arrangements.
Thank you for sharing your talents and for helping us showcase the beauty of handcrafted art!
Best,
Lisa Short
Social Media Chair
BCTV
Already tired of the cold weather we have been experiencing? January’s edition of “Your Berks Craftsmen” will have you enjoying the warmth of summer as you view “The Kutztown Folk Festival 2024”. This show will have two segments because there was just so much to do and see. Many of you will see some very familiar faces! Don’t forget to watch “Your Berks Craftsmen” every Wednesday night at 7:00 PM.
Find BCTV on air and online: Comcast Reading Channel 15, Comcast-Southern Berks Channel 965, Service Electric Channel 19. The City of Reading Municipal Access Channel (MAC) is Comcast Reading Channel 99. Both channels are streaming online 24-7 at www.bctv.og. BCTV is available on Roku, search for BCTV Berks-HOW TO VIDEO.
YouTubeChannel: https://www.youtube.com/user/.
Your Host of “Your Berks Craftsmen”,
Kay L. Bennecoff
Standards
Hello, my name is Diane Phalen and I have accepted the chair position for the Standards Committee. I specialize in watercolor paintings that feature quilts among landscapes. Recently I started a new series of foxes and woodland creatures that I am really excited about creating.
I have been a full-time artist for 40 years and exhibit at many art and quilt shows.
I look forward to doing my best for Standards and wish to express my gratitude to Louise Mehaffey for guiding me through the process. I hope I do as great a job as she has been doing!
Our next jury session will be on Tuesday, March 4, 2025.
For more information or for an application, go to https://rbcrafts.org/our-guild/standards
Standards Chairperson,
Diane Phalen
Membership
The Arts and Crafts movement of the late 1800’s changed the value society placed on how things were made. It rebelled against the age of mass production and promoted the creation of items through good craft techniques. Many people are now looking at data, graphics, or crafts and trying to figure out if they are AI (Artificial Intelligence) generated. They want to distinguish if these items are “real” and not computer generated.
Why would they want to know this information? Why would anyone want to find out if an object is not “handmade” or not made by a person? Why, also, would you look on the bottom of an object or painting to find a signature? We believe that there is a perceived importance or higher value in an object that is handmade. It is the same reason that American-made objects are perceived to be of greater or of better value than those made outside of the USA.
What am I getting at with all of this? By being a member of the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen and more specifically the Reading-Berks Guild chapter, you are making a statement and contributing to the idea of the Arts and Crafts movement philosophy. You are telling people that those pieces that you buy or have in your home are important to you because of who made them and that you want to live with that creativity. Even though AI may help in the future with making our lives “easier”, those objects that are made by a person have the individual creativity and feel of the craftsmen that cannot be auto-generated or cranked out by a computer.
As in 2024, the State Guild website currently shows that there are 153 members of the Reading-Berks Guild chapter.
Membership Chair,
Gary Rosborough
Events
General Meetings (1st Tuesday of Month)
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January 7th, 7 PM at the Goggle Works, check the board for room number
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February 4th, 7 PM at the Goggle Works, check the board for room number
Shows
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Spring Show: First Saturday in May. This year May 3, 2025.
Newsletter
Hello, my name is Nancy Vardjan and I recently accepted to job of Newsletter Editor. I was a teacher for twenty-five years, and after retiring, decided to use my editing skills as part of my service to the Reading-Berks Guild.
Though I have been involved with crafts and the Guild for many years, I was recently juried in basketry and egg craft.
If you know of someone who is not getting the newsletter or you need to change your e-mail address, please make sure that we get the new information. Send it to info@rbcrafts.org and have the subject line NEW E-mail address.
If you would like to put something in the Newsletter, please contact us at info@rbcrafts.org and have the subject line Newsletter Information.
Newsletter Editor.
Nancy Vardja