The election process continues on with the posting of the nominee questionnaires. While several candidates are running unopposed, excerpts from each nominee’s questionnaire have been included. Please take a moment to read them and learn a little bit more about your potential new board members. Perhaps even more importantly...please join me in a big round of applause for each candidate and their willingness to support the NPCG!
Presidential Candidate - Suzanne Ivester
Suzanne studied art in college but never really found her niche until she discovered polymer clay in 2000. At first she loved it because it felt so familiar; she could work it with her hands and with simple tools she already owned. Suzanne concentrated at first on creating home décor items, then branched out into bead and jewelry making as well as two-dimensional painting. Most recently, she has gone back to making larger items - masks, vessels and even a shoe she submitted to the Fuller Craft Museum's call for entries in "The Perfect Fit-Shoes Tell Stories."
An NPCG member since 2000, Suzanne served as Program Chair of the Blue Ridge Polymer Clay Guild for two years and Vice-President of the Smoky Mountain Polymer Clay Guild since its inception. Through her business called "The Nimble Sprite", Suzanne creates and sells adornments for the body and home. Yet as much as she loves working with polymer herself, Suzanne also loves to teach. An experienced writer/editor and public speaker, Suzanne shares her knowledge with the polymer community through guild workshops, conference presentations, YouTube videos and instructional magazine articles.
Suzanne also promotes polymer clay by encouraging participation in shows and competitions not limited to polymer clay. As a member of The Foothills Craft Guild, a juried multi-disciplinary organization showcasing statewide art, Suzanne will be a featured demonstrator at the 2008 show. To open the doors to high-end venues and foster recognition of polymer clay as a fine-craft medium, Suzanne would like to see the NPCG offer small "jury fee" scholarships to qualified artists.
A resident of Tennessee, Suzanne has volunteered for the past eight years at the Volunteer Ministry Center in Knoxville, offering counseling and assistance to the homeless and marginally housed. She shares her home with her husband Stan and three dogs, and claims excellent organizational skills except when it comes to keeping track of her keys. She also confesses that in addition to polymer clay, she is happily addicted to Sudoku puzzles.
Presidential Candidate - Jenny Murray
Jenny has been a creative soul since she can remember. A self-taught designer, she began selling her jewelry and accessories when she was just 14 years old. Jenny studied fashion in college before moving on to a career in the fashion retail industry.
Initially experimenting with polymer clay almost 20 years ago, it was not until 2003 that Jenny rediscovered the versatility of the medium. Since that time, she has focused on creating jewelry that she sells through her business Summerland Jewellery, as well as at trade shows and in galleries throughout England. More recently, Jenny opened her studio to the public with a gallery and workshop space where she also teaches.
A member of the British Polymer Clay Guild, Jenny was under the impression that the NPCG was a US-specific organization. It was not until she attended Euro Clay Carnival UK and met current NPCG President Judy Belcher that Jenny learned otherwise, and she immediately joined the NPCG.
Jenny dreams of seeing polymer clay in galleries and art exhibitions around the world, and of eliminating the "polymer what?" question she hears so often. She would like to see college art students introduced to polymer clay in the same manner they are introduced to ceramics, glass and metal. To promote polymer clay, Jenny suggests that a traveling exhibition sponsored jointly by the NPCG and member guilds worldwide would do much to publicize the medium. And because travel is a limiting factor for many NPCG members, perhaps a giant global on-line event would facilitate learning and sharing.
Jenny hails from the Isle of Man, which on the world-wide map is "the little rock between England and Ireland", and she shares her home with her husband, son and twin daughters. While she is a wee bit nervous about the challenge of guiding the guild in it's international growth, Jenny feels that her business experience and perspective will provide valuable insight into the process. And perhaps most importantly, she is willing to scream and shout "polymer clay" at every opportunity.
Vice President Outreach/Education Candidate - Kerrie Venner (running unopposed)
A surprising number of polymer artists have a background in the sciences, and Kerrie falls into that camp. As a biomedical scientist, she is quite comfortable with research and exploration...two strengths that lend themselves so well to artistic pursuits as well.
As a relative newcomer to polymer, Kerrie is excited at the possibilities of the medium as well as the opportunity it offers to all ages and abilities to discover and develop their inner creativity. If you ask Kerrie how she describes herself, she would say she is an "idea" person - and she is full of ideas on promoting polymer clay in the community.
At the local level, Kerrie envisions starting a polymer clay group and offering demonstrations at the craft superstore as well as the local community centers. She will also publicize through flyers placed in libraries, craft outlets, community centers, schools and adult education centers. On a national level, Kerrie plans to leverage some of the knowledge and experience of the British Polymer Clay Guild members to form a solid link between US and UK/European artists. She hopes that this will encourage the international interchange of work and ideas.
Kerrie's wide range of interests includes creative writing, amateur dramatics, traveling and promoting her other passion - holistic therapies. She shares her home in Dorset, UK with her two cats, and is looking forward to giving 100% to the challenging position of Vice President.
International Guild Liaison Candidate - Kylee Milner
Kylee may speak ‘polymer clay', the most important language of all - but her fluency in English and French and her basic working knowledge of German and a bit of Spanish will help her communicate even better.
And Kylee definitely has plans to communicate. According to her, there are 19 International Guilds listed on the NPCG roster, and she would like to feature a different Guild every three months on the website - highlighting their work, their members and respective news. She also believes that there is a lack of awareness particularly in Europe of the NPCG, and would like to see an active publicity campaign in target magazines.
Kylee is no stranger to promoting polymer clay, and she believes she is already a great ambassador for the cause. She began her business Lunes Bijoux while living in the UK in 2003, and has since expanded it greatly. From her studio in southern France, Kylee now sells her own work, stocks polymer clay materials and offers multi-lingual workshops for beginning and intermediate level artists. Lunes Bijoux was awarded the Métiers D'Art du Pays Cathare label in 2006 - a mark of quality & craftsmanship. Kylee is also involved in her community, serving as the President of a local Arts & Culture Association which hosts art exhibitions 2-3 times a year.
In an effort to bring European polymer devotees together, in 2006 Kylee formed European Polymer Clay People, an international forum of almost 500 members. Kylee is also currently organizing France's first Euro Clay Carnival, scheduled to take place October 1-4, 2009.
Kylee shares her home in Luc-sur-Orbieu, France, with her husband and young daughter.
International Guild Liaison Candidate - Toni Ransfield
In 1994, Toni was pregnant and no longer able to fit behind her potters wheel. Desperate to find an outlet to satisfy her need to create, she turned to polymer clay. She never looked back, and in 2003 began her business KeepsakeEggs. She has sold her uniquely decorated eggs all over the world, including a golden Emu egg commissioned for televisions Judge Judy.
A year ago, Toni relocated from New York to New Zealand. And while NY and NZ may have part of their names in common, one thing they don't share is an abundance of polymer artists. Toni has found that since arriving in New Zealand, she has dedicated much of her time to educating people on the medium. Through shows and during a "demo day", she has given hands-on demonstrations of the versatility of the medium. To further benefit remote locations without access to "in-person" instructors, Toni envisions organizing an online tutorial program.
As a published artist herself, Toni would like to see a focus on education, utilizing pamphlets, newsletters, books, magazines, and demonstrations to promote polymer clay. She would like to see the NPCG facilitate a "shared area" where international members can work together to solve problems as well as share ways that they are educating the public and promoting polymer clay. Toni also feels it would be helpful to maintain a listing of polymer clay supply houses that ship internationally, as it is often quite difficult to find supplies locally.
An NPCG member for three years, Toni hopes to develop features that will demonstrate the benefits of membership to international artists. Toni describes herself as passionate about the endless possibilities of polymer clay, and she would love to be the international voice for the medium.
Guild Liaison Candidate - Lenora Kandiner (running unopposed)
Lenora's professional background includes promoting new products and services world-wide, and her skills are very transferable to encouraging the growth of polymer clay as a hobby, craft, and art form. She plans to reach out to guilds to encourage them to get involved with the NPCG as opposed to being a passive responder to requests for information.
Lenora sounds like just the person to reach out...she has attended all NPCG sponsored conferences and retreats since 2000, as well as local guild retreats hosted by the Philadelphia, Connecticut, Detroit, and San Diego guilds, and the French Creationfimo group. She served as NPCG VP/Membership from 2001-2004, and is a member of both the New Jersey and Philadelphia guilds. Lenora's involvement with both regional and national guilds gives her the perspective to identify ways to strengthen the ties between them.
An experienced polymer artist, Lenora has been published in a variety of publications. She has also taught at local craft stores as well as for two regional arts organizations, the Montgomery Center for the Arts, and the West Windsor Arts Council, as well as senior citizen programs for the Somerset County (NJ) Office on Aging.
Lenora began her own business in the early 1990's, and now sells her Wearable and Functional Art at local and regional shows. She is also active in non-polymer pursuits, and has served on the boards of the Princeton Folk Music Society, Princeton Country Dancers, and Machestic Dragons (Princeton Breast Cancer Survivors Dragon Boat Team).
Recording Secretary Candidate - Kaaren Poole (running unopposed)
After retiring from the computer industry ten years ago, Kaaren devoted herself to her first love and her second career, working extensively in drawing and painting. In 2005 she was introduced to beading and became a devotee of bead appliqué. While designing projects for her jewelry book she began to dabble in polymer clay and was drawn to it. She enjoys working in a realistic style sculpting animals and other subjects from nature and combining the polymer pieces with beading techniques.
Karen has authored four books on sketching/painting, and she believes that writing and teaching are valuable ways to promote a medium. She also considers competitions excellent venues for generating interest in polymer clay - she was a finalist in the Amaco 2008 Designer Challenge and the 2008 Bead and Button Show, and a finalist and silver medal winner (polymer clay category) in Fire Mountain Gems 2008 competition.
Involvement in her Northern California community is obviously important to Kaaren. She has served as Secretary for the Sacramento China club as well as Secretary, Newsletter Editor, and Refreshment Chair for the Sacramento Chapter of the Society of Decorative Painters. Kaaren is also in the process of founding Wild Hare Art for Animals, a non-profit organization. Wild Hare's purpose is to sell the jewelry she creates for it - prominently featuring polymer clay - and donate 100% of the proceeds to animal charities.
As a member of the board, Kaaren plans to work in any possible way to further the sense of "community across the miles" that she feels the NPCG provides.
Treasurer Candidate - Karen Woods (running unopposed)
Karen is a basket weaver and fiber artist who started playing with polymer clay as an aside about 8 years ago and hasn't put it down since. In her desire to connect with other polymer artists she soon co-founded the Tampa Bay Polymer Art Guild. Yet that was not her first experience with building organizations - she founded the Tampa Bay Basketry Guild 18 years ago, and has been on the Board of the Florida Tropical Weavers State Guild for 15 years in various capacities including Conference Chair, VP Programs, and President. Karen has also gained organization-wide financial experience in her 8-year role as Treasurer of her condominium association. An accomplished artist who understands financial reporting and audits - she is a dream come true for the position of Board Treasurer!
Karen continually seeks out opportunities to introduce polymer clay to other art disciplines through conferences and workshops. For the past seven years, she has focused on bringing nationally known instructors into her community through the annual Florida Tropical Weavers Guild Conference as well as through local polymer guilds. And for the first time in their history, another prestigious international fiber conference will include polymer clay workshops and seminars in 2008. All of these are examples of the cross-pollination that Karen believes is so effective in the growth of the craft.
A published author and instructor, Karen was thrilled to be selected as a seminar presenter at the 2008 NPCG Synergy conference. It was there that she saw a new and exciting direction for the National Guild through the current leadership on the Board, and her goal is to foster that momentum and support the next conference in 2010 in any way that she can.
Don't forget ~ voting begins November 1st