I have just returned from the Auckland Quilt Symposium. I've never attended an Auckland Symposium before as Symposium to me has meant travelling to a part of NZ that I don't visit regularly, unlike Auckland where I have family. So it was a less exciting experience overall staying with family and not being quite so caught up in the occasion.
I did a two-day class with Chris Kenna, her Millefiore quilt which I really enjoyed and intend to keep working on. It's a bit out of the box for me but I have this 'collection' of fabrics that need using up and this could/should be the answer. My daughter called my one block completed in the workshop as a 'bit of a migraine' which is hilarious as it is a real mind **** making it! See below.
However, I have to comment on the Symposium exhibition. I do not mean to be disrespectful or unappreciative of all the work that went into the Symposium, (I have been on an organising committee myself previously) however the exhibition was, in my opinion, a step backward in professionalism regarding the display of quilts in NZ. It was truly disappointing to the point of being disrespectful to the quilts entered. That's harsh I know but...it was hung in a rabbit warren of classrooms and hallways. There was no overall stepping back and looking at the exhibition as a whole and going "wow" as there has always been before at NZ Quilt Symposiums. I have never been disappointed by a Symposium exhibition before.
That's enough negativity, it was what it was, however, it does raise the whole issue of symposia in NZ which is probably the real point of my comments. Firstly I think I expected more from Auckland possibly even than from the rest of NZ (you'd have to be a kiwi to understand that comment) but was delivered considerably less. Realistically Auckland is not a good location for a symposium. It is too expensive and the traffic issues have a huge impact. There just does not seem to be a suitable, affordable venue. Smaller locations around the country offer more realistic prices, easier access and in many cases, better venues.
I suggest it is time to consider a national group to oversee the running of our national symposium and they should be held in locations with the best venues and access. These key organisers do not have to be locals as they have historically been. So the next logical step is to think that possibly Aotearoa Quilters could take on this responsibility?
With the demise of the NZ Quilter magazine, the need for national coverage is great and AQ provides this. It is excellent to see that Guilds can now take out a membership in AQ. Is it now time for AQ to step up to the plate and take on some 'overseeing' role of the symposium?
Wellington, at the last minute and probably under duress, put their hand up for the next Symposium as no-one else had and possibly it was just one small group that has taken this on, not the Guild. It is not for another 3 years - maybe a three-year turn around is a good idea. With the AQ exhibition and a symposium every 3 years, that would be a great national framework for NZ quilting.
It does not mean that local guilds would not be involved. Envisage a system where smaller local groups would be able to seriously consider hosting a symposium because of the AQ support whereas at the moment, the task is too overwhelming. And this commitment by AQ would surely result in our national body growing and becoming stronger. The average quilter needs to understand that maybe they need to support our national body if they want such amazing events as Symposium to continue.
My migraine and work from the class below.
