San Jose SAQA Annual Conference

This past weekend, I attended my first SAQA Annual Conference: Threads of Innovation right here in San Jose, CA.  And naturally, I dove into the deep end by getting involved with the conference planning efforts as a member of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC).

SAQA Welcome

Leading up to the conference, I reached out to a number of Northern California businesses and invited them to be part of the Vendor Marketplace.  We had a wonderful mix of vendors, who were all kept pretty busy while the marketplace was open!!  Of course, I picked up a few small purchases of my own.

A few days before the conference, I got a sneak peak of the conference SWAG bags as the LOC helped to stuff all the goodies inside including Mistyfuse, Aurifil thread, fabric, SJMQT Membership cards, and brochures.

Conference SWAG and Shopping

When the conference put out a call for programs tying in with the Threads of Innovation theme, I had the crazy idea for putting together a presentation that showcases how my Comedy Improv classes have been a wonderful form of professional development. When I first pitched the idea to a friend, I started to get nervous when several seconds of silence passed by, followed by "I love it, submit it!"  Quite honestly I wasn't sure what the conference planning committee would make of my wild notion. So imagine my delight when I learned my proposal accepted, and the committee wondered if I could present it as part of the opening reception with an ice breaker activity for attendees!!  Additionally, they asked me to put together an ice breaker activity in lieu of speed dating and so I pitched a Table TOPics concept where each table would have a large poster containing a table TOPic, such as must-have notions or time management tips, to help focus the conversation on Art Quilting, facilitate resource sharing, and networking.  After 5-6 minutes, attendees would switch to a different table and network with a new group of conference attendees. In approximately 40 minutes, members had the opportunity to network with nearly a quarter of attendees, while also sharing some wonderful resources related to Fiber Art!! A fellow introvert came up to me afterwards and said that while the large group format was still hard, having a topic to facilitate the conversations made it much easier for them.  Yes!! Here are a few snapshots from the Table TOPics conversations.

Table TOPics

Once the conference was over, I typed up all the responses into a word document and shared with conference attendees as it is a treasure trove of advice, tips, and resources!!

Table TOPics Continued

Next up was Innovate and Create Through Comedy Improv.  Instead of preaching the benefits of taking comedy improv classes, they experienced it first hand by playing several of the same improv games we play in class and up on stage. Each game tied in with the many roles and responsibilities of a working Quilt Artist: entering your work, mounting an exhibition, teaching/lecturing, presenting your work, and working with clients.  What fun to see nearly 200 attendees engage in the games, make mistakes, laugh (and/or reset with a loud group Aahh Oooh Gah!) and really get to know each other in a safe, supportive, and FUN way!!  Many thanks to everyone who played along: It made for a very humorous start to the conference!!

Conference Attendees Playing Zig, Zag, Zorg! and Props!!

The next day was packed with speaker presentations, where I left with lots of nuggets of information and inspiration.  First up was Pokey Bolton, who shared a quote by Allison Stilwell: "Do what you love, nothing else matters."  These words really resonated with me.  Later in the day, Lisa Congdon shared tips for building community through Instagram.  I left with nearly two pages of notes and take action items for building engagement through my Instagram account.  The day was interspersed with Lightning Talks where each presentation featured 20 slides that changed every 20 seconds.  Kathy Suprenant's What Did Ming Miss? showcased her stunning art through the humorous story of Ming, a 500+ year old clam, while Cindy Parry shared how she protects her sacred day to create!

In the afternoon, I attended Katie Fowler's Down the Rabbit Hole Creativity Playshop, where she guided us through a creative journey of visualization, doodling, and journaling.  Below are just a few of my doodles, along with the discovery that I can write pretty legibly with my eyes closed! Some key take aways from Katie's session include: Go all in, find the fun in what you do!

Personal and Artistic Discoveries Made in Wonderland

Saturday morning, KC Rosenberg and Modesto Covarrubias of RoCoCo, shared how they collaborate together and are inspired by other artists. They try to "go beyond the process, push beyond." What a fascinating concept to push beyond the process in any art medium.  They were followed by the Social Justice Sewing Academy panel presentation, which received a standing ovation!

Saturday afternoon, attendees were treated to one of three museum tour experiences which included the Shifting Tides exhibit at The Works, along with the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles.  The SJMQT tour included 4 exhibts, in addition to a behind-the-scenes tour which included several more stunning quilts on display!!

• Broken Fence by Leslie J Riley (top right)
• Jacket by Yvonne Porcella (bottom right)
• Chasm by Judith Content (bottom left)

Behind the Scenes Tour at SJMQT

Afterwards, our tour extended to include an extended walking tour showcasing San Jose art.  Special thanks to Local Organizing Group lead, Sue Bianchi, for organizing the walking tour which included 25+ public art installations--most of which were brand new to me!!

100 Block San Jose Mural Project

One afternoon I did my own walk about and spent some time exploring the Idea Tree, located just outside the San Jose Convention Center.  I enjoyed photographing it from different angles, along with its shadows.

The Idea Tree

Here are a few more examples of San Jose public art found over the course of the conference weekend.

More San Jose Public Art

In addition to the public art, I found inspiration in the local architecture in and around the hotel: nearby buildings and their glass facades and looking up at the light fixtures in the large ballroom where the majority of the presentations took place.

Looking Up for Inspiration

When I wasn't looking up at the sky/ceiling, I was looking down for more design inspiration:  carpeting at the hotel, as well as tilework inside the San Jose Convention Center.

Down for Inspiration

And of course, some natural beauties discovered along the walking tour...

Natural Inspiration

Joan Schulze opened her gorgeous home and hosted a pre-conference dinner for the SAQA Board, Representatives, and the conference planning committee.  Each attendee was gifted a copy of her Quilts book.  Joan also delivered the closing Keynote presentation, which was thoughtful, heartfelt, and captured many of the highlights from the course of the conference, including a mention of comedy improv as it relates to Innovation!  She shared a quote by Anne Albers: "I will take thread everywhere I can."  WOW!!

Joan Schulze

I am still reflecting over all the gems of wisdom and inspiration from this 4-day conference.  Many thanks to everyone on the conference planning committee, fellow volunteers, and to everyone I had the opportunity to connect with throughout the conference.  If you haven't already, be sure to mark your calendar for next year's Annual Conference, which will be held in Toronto, Canada March 19-22, 2020.