Regional meetings are a great way to get SAQA members together to share our passion for art quilting. All meetings under the SAQA umbrella, whether it is a regional meeting or a local meeting must be open to all regional members, including those members listing your region as a second region.
Possible meeting topics include:
- Art opportunities (not restricted to fiber art)
- Member news
- Show & tell
- Critique sessions
- Brainstorming sessions (entering national shows, applying for artist-in-residence programs,
- grants, etc.)
- Presentations on aspects of art quilting as a business
- Demonstrations or presentations by members (technique, trunk show, play date, etc.)
- Field trips to museums and galleries
- Sources of inspiration and visual journaling
- Creating a professional presence
- Marketing for fine artists
- Entering exhibitions and the preparation of digital images
- Skillswap presentations (Please contact your Regional Rep for more information)
- Discussing Lightning Talks and/or TextileTalks recordings (over 200+ videos are available)
Regional Meetings
- Regional meetings attempt to gather all the members at once.
- Regional meetings tend to be held on a regular basis.
- Depending on the size and population of your region, you can hold regional meetings in the same venue or in different locales.
Local Connections
SAQA strongly encourages Local Connections. They are groups of members located in a similar geographic area. They already exist in about half the regions and go by a variety of names (pod, circle, etc.). The idea is to tailor them to whatever works best for your region.
Tag-On Meetings
Tag-on meetings are regional meetings that are organized around another event. You might schedule meetings at local museums to view a special exhibit, at an opening for a member show, during a large quilt show in the area, at a workshop or retreat, or after a quilt guild meeting where members are also SAQA members. Consider rewarding attendees with a drawing for a free SAQA publication or admission fee to the event.
Virtual Meetings
SAQA uses Zoom for online committee meetings. This program is available to the reps for regional meetings. If you are interested in using Zoom, or want to schedule a meeting of your own, visit our Zoom information page. We are happy to show you what Zoom is all about and how YOU can use it for your regional meetings.
Advantages:
- Members do not have to travel.
- Great for large regions and or winter meetings.
- It provides screen sharing for art work or documents you or the members wish to share.
Disadvantages:
- Not all members have reliable internet.
- Some members are not computer savvy.
- Need to schedule meeting around others using the program.
Invite other organizations to your meetings: SDA or other fiber/surface design groups and even other quilt guilds. Consider holding a special meeting at a museum or gallery if possible in conjunction with a fiber art exhibit and invite other fiber groups to attend, especially if you have a guest speaker.
Suggestions for Meeting Programs by Ellen Lindner (PDF)
Show and Tell Suggestions - Atlantic Canada (PDF)
How to conduct Critique Sessions (PDF)
Workshop Successes (Meg Filiatrault) - (Video)
