Was: SNAG Savannah display cases
Roger
Have you been to the SNAG conferences before? What are they like? Is
it professionals or hobbiest? Any info appreciated.
LaVerne
I have never been to a SNAG conference. I am working on preparations
for the conference being led here in Savannah and hosted by the
Savannah College of Art and Design.
I have been to the past two conferences and am going to Savannah. I
have been a studio jeweler for 15 years and 2006 in Chicago was my
first conference. I LOVED it. I learned so much and met so many
people I had only known by their work. I volunteered at the
conferences and was able to connect with metal people at many levels
in their career. I am the Conference Volunteer Coordinator for the
Savannah conference and am looking forward to the presentations and
new trends in the industry. The makeup of the conference is varied
with academics, studio artists, bench professionals and students from
everywhere. I find it rejuvenating and inspiring. Now I wouldn’t miss
it. The conference has something for everyone and you can’t beat the
price.
SNAG conferences are always one of the high points of my year. I get
to see old friends, meet new ones, talk shop, see some inspiring
lectures and exhibitions and more. As someone who works alone in my
studio, it’s wonderful to spend a few days surrounded by people with
whom I have so much in common. It’s a friendly group of studio
artists, students, and academics with a few hobbyist, collectors and
gallery owners mixed in. There should be about 600-700 people at the
Savannah conference March 5-8. The lineup of speakers looks
excellent. Check out SNAGmetalsmith.org and click on “Events.”
For students, they have a drastically discounted conference fee.
The afternoon before the conference starts there is a Professional
Development Seminar. This is a four hour program of speakers that is
designed to address issues of establishing and maintaining a career
as a professional studio artist. This year it will explore issues of
getting proper documentation of your work (both digital and film) and
new directions in marketing (blogs, websites, opening your own
gallery, etc.) Andy Cooperman, Harriete Estel Berman, and I put that
program together. The fee is just $10 and last year we had 200
attending.
I hope many from the Orchid community can come.
Don Friedlich.
www.donaldfriedlich.com
The conference has something for everyone and you can't beat the price.
A side note to add-- Savanna is not a hub, so direct flights are
relatively few and expensive. While I was trying to make up my mind
whether the savings were worth the suffering of taking a flight with
a stop, prices (from Chicago) went up $150. So don’t procrastinate
too long!
FWIW, I ended up opting for the non-stop. Painful to pay so much,
but… 2 hours vs 6!! I just couldn’t face making it an all-day
ordeal.
Noel
I totally agree with D Friedlich: the SNAG conference is one of the
highlights of the year. I always learn something, get inspired, make
new friends and meet old friends and just have a good time. And I
cross the ocean just to attend ! One piece of advice: just go for it.
Linda Savineau (Belgium)
Hi Linda - I believe I met you at the Ornamental Metal Museum and we
discussed Belgium. I had visited there on an Art Tour through my
university. I just LOVE going to the conventions and meeting people
in the field from around the world. So happy you are going to be in
Savannah.
I also met two girls from Athens in a workshop at Arrowmont who were
staying and going on to Memphis to the convention. We hooked up at
the conference because they wanted help in finding a certain tool
and I directed them to the supplier.
It is just a great experience.