If you have any comments or questions, you can use the comment section at the bottom of this blog page OR you can contact fanconfevenyr@gmail.com

______________________updated July 25th _________________

Alberta Craft Council Reception

On Saturday September 21 we’ll be attending an artist reception the Alberta Craft Council for the Innovative Threads: Contemporary Weaving exhibit which runs July 6 – October 19, 2024. The exhibit highlights the work of 21 Craft artists investigating a variety of approaches to weaving. Works range from traditional to conceptual, where material and methods are both revered and subverted. In this national exhibition, artists investigate a variety of approaches to weaving. Works range from traditional to conceptual, where material and methods are both revered and subverted. See how this group of artists skillfully employ and challenge our notions of weaving in physical and virtual spaces.

Artwork called ‘Soft Divergence’ (top right) is by Fern Facette. Those participating in the pre-conference tour will have a chance to meet the artist at Fern’s School of Craft.  Artwork at right is called ‘Gratitude’ by Sylvie Roussel-Janssens and includes recycled plastic and recycled fabric.

__________________________updated June 20________________________________

“Dressing for ‘Blenderz Day’”…

What does this little cryptic hint in Yvonne’s June 15^th blog post mean? It’s a teaser challenge for you to show how YOU have addressed the huge problem of textile/fibre waste, to complement our speaker Sarah Janzen as she shares how Blenderz Garment Recyclers is tackling this problem.

If you have given that some thought (or even if you haven’t), likely you have in your closet SOMEthing you’ve repurposed, repaired, altered, mended, blended, extended beyond the normal life cycle of fast fashion. If you have, and you want to show it off – wear it on the Saturday morning.

Darned socks, anyone? Maybe some sashiko’d jeans? your son’s shirt, overdyed?

____________________________Updated April 19th______________________________

Day 1 at River City Inspired 

Our 2024 River City Inspired conference starts at 3pm on Thursday , September 19^th. We can already feel the buzz as new and returning members greet each other in anticipation of our time together.

After your hello’s, hand in your Art Exchange piece, pick up your welcome bag and jump into art making. A brand-new art journal awaits you, and your first task is to make it yours with drawing, fabric, paint, stitch, or whatever your hands and heart desire! This journal is your place to record your conference experience, a home for the collage and other art we will make together and a wonderful keepsake of our annual gathering. Basic art materials, hand-printed papers and fabrics will be available in this session. If you have your own travel art kit, a small paint set, a few favourite coloured pencils or portable art materials you particularly like to use, feel free to bring them along. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to use them!

That evening, you’ll mix and mingle over supper, followed by our annual Art Exchange and member sales tables in the conference room. A cash bar will be available for your enjoyment.

 

Day 2 at River City Inspired

On Friday, September 20^th we’ll be focused on art making! After breakfast we dive in with a presentation by keynote speaker Kim Fjordbotten, owner of The Paint Spot. Kim will tell us about Creating Art and Community from her own experiences organizing the highly successful Edmonton Art Walk and other artist opportunities. After a break, Kim will prepare us for our Art in The Park afternoon session, discussing and demonstrating sketchbook uses, page preparation, idea generation and more.

After lunch, a comfy coach will take us to Emily Murphy Park in the heart of Edmonton’s River Valley. Kim will lead us in art activities that utilize your powers of observation, recording and improvising on colours, shapes, features and moods of the river valley and park setting. Again, basic materials for drawing and watercolour will be provided, but feel free to bring your own art kit.

From Emily Murphy Park, our coach will whisk us to the Naess Gallery housed within The Paint Spot. You’ll see FAN’s newest exhibit, Narrow Works, at its premiere showing and have a chance to shop with your 20% conference attendee discount in the retail store. The coach will return us to the hotel in time for a short break and supper.

That evening, we’ll hear those highly anticipated FAN Member Presentations, browse member sales tables, mix and mingle with bar service in the conference room and perhaps have a bit of time to work on our journals or make a bit of art of your choosing.

Day 3 at River City Inspired

On Saturday, September 21 we start with Member Presentations followed by Sarah Janzen, founder of Blenderz Textile Recyclers, who will speak about how Blenderz keeps textiles out of landfills, reclaiming, repurposing and reusing all parts of them in retail and business settings. Her story and her company’s successes are exciting and good news for our consumer society. Sarah will bring items from her re-use store for you to browse and you’ll have an opportunity to talk with her one-on-one after her presentation. After a break, we’ll hear more FAN Member Presentations until lunch at the hotel.

Our afternoon program shifts to art marketing! Our second keynote speaker is Jenna Stanton, Executive Director of Alberta Craft Council, presenting Artist Supports through Craft Councils. She will address the many ways that Craft Councils assist artists with hurdles such as marketing, exhibitions of their work, sales opportunities, connections to key arts organizations, grant programs and more. Jenna has been in the arts sector for many years and truly understands the challenges we face in our art practices.

After Jenna’s talk, we will walk a short block to the Alberta Craft Council to be hosted at a reception for a fibre art exhibition and book launch. You’ll have time to browse in the Gallery Shop, use your attendee discount and have a bit of free time until supper back at the hotel. In the evening, you’ll enjoy more FAN Member Presentations (with bar service) and have time to mingle and make art together in the conference room.

Day 4 at River City Inspired

Our last day together on Sunday, September 22 will begin with FAN Member Presentations, special announcements and a preview of our 2025 Conference on Vancouver Island.

After our morning break, we launch into Wacky Ideas where we engage in some dreaming and brainstorming, what-ifs and why-nots for FAN as an organization. Held in previous years, this session has led to some terrific exhibition opportunities, new promotions and fun projects for FAN as a whole. No holds barred, this is your chance to dream as big as you dare with no judgment, and it’s a great, positive way to end our time together.

At noon we will enjoy a farewell lunch, and go our separate ways full of ideas, friendship and inspiration to last for another year.

More posts coming soon about walking routes in the river valley and other activities.

Sharon Rubuliak

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

January 9, 2024

Supporting our 2024 Conference Partners

Hello fellow FAN members. You may have seen on the FAN website’s opening page, and read in our newsletter, that FAN has partnered with The Paint Spot and the Alberta Craft Council in support of FAN’s 2024 Annual Conference. These partnerships help us by reducing registration fees, adding keynote speakers and special events to our program, and providing shopping discounts for conference attendees. Through The Paint Spot, they also create new opportunities for teaching venues, exhibition venues, and social media exposure for our members in 2024.

The FAN Board of Directors and the 2024 Conference Committee encourage you to support our sponsors in turn. Some of the ways you can do that are:

• If you have had positive experiences at either agency, write a review on Google, Trip Advisor, or Yelp.
• Like and follow them on social media platforms
• Post something on social media that you’ve purchased from them, or made with a creative use of purchased supplies. Use the @ symbol, followed by their Instagram or Facebook handle (@thepaintspot or @albertacraftcouncil) when you mention them in your post. They will get a notification that you mentioned them. If your post is set to ‘public’ (i.e. not to ‘friends only’), it is also possible for them to repost on their own sites.
• Shop at their retail outlets or online for supplies or gift cards
• Attend exhibitions in their respective galleries where possible.  (Alberta Craft Council has shops and galleries in Calgary and Edmonton. The Paint Spot is located in Edmonton.)
• When you shop in person or online, let them know you are a FAN member and are supporting them because of our partnership.

Watch the FAN newsletter for more information about the conference. Check out all the topic buttons for full information about the venue, program and River City Art Exchange. The ‘What’s New’ button has a variety of promotional materials, including a video inviting you to the 2024 conference, and a postcard with querty code for more updated information.

You are welcome to email your questions directly to the conference committee at any time, via fanconfevenyr@gmail.com You can also ask questions via any of the blog posts under the conference topic buttons, and your questions will be answered there.

Dec 15, 2023

The theme of the conference, River City, emphasizes the North Saskatchewan River and the river valley’s historical, cultural, ecological and recreational importance to the city of Edmonton.  An exciting program awaits you, in three distinct streams:  Professional development sessions that will enhance your art practice and opportunities; networking (including FAN member presentations); and social time to make art, have fun together and be inspired by one another. As the conference committee has worked on these streams, a sub-theme of creating community seems to have emerged, and we invite you to explore that with us also.

FAN welcomes The Paint Spot and Alberta Craft Council as official partners for the 2024 conference. This is a new model of partnership for FAN, and we are looking forward to relationships that benefit each organization in awareness and mutual support. Each partner is providing enhancements to the conference experience.

The Paint Spot will host a FAN exhibition in The Naess Gallery, adjacent to the retail store, for about 6 weeks around the conference dates. It is also providing discounted art materials for conference activities, and possibly a ‘try-me’ event based on supplier support. Conference registrants are eligible for discounted shopping online or in person from the date of registration until the end of the conference partnership. The Paint Spot is a great fit with FAN – many of you know it already for carrying great supplies for textile artists.

Alberta Craft Council will host attendees at an opening reception for a textile exhibition in its Feature Gallery, located only one block from the Coast Edmonton Plaza hotel. Attendees also receive special discounted shopping in the Edmonton Gallery Shop. It’s a great opportunity to see the artworks in the shop and to consider whether your own work might fit with Craft Council shops in Edmonton, Calgary, or with Craft Councils in other provinces