A Look Behind the Scenes of the SNAG Conference Discussions - crafthaus2024-03-29T10:39:55Zhttp://crafthaus.ning.com/groups/group/forum?groupUrl=behind-the-scenes-snag-conference&feed=yes&xn_auth=noMaking Things Happentag:crafthaus.ning.com,2014-03-31:2104389:Topic:4642932014-03-31T01:17:50.064ZJennifer Merchanthttp://crafthaus.ning.com/profile/JenniferMerchant
<p>Volunteering for SNAG has been such a rewarding experience. It has given me the opportunity to cultivate new skills, work with others (I normally work alone, so it’s always great to get a chance to work in a group!) and use my energy to benefit an organization that I believe in.</p>
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<p>When I joined the social events committee I was focused on the fun aspect of the conference. What can we do to make it an enjoyable experience, and one that fosters connection and community? I had no…</p>
<p>Volunteering for SNAG has been such a rewarding experience. It has given me the opportunity to cultivate new skills, work with others (I normally work alone, so it’s always great to get a chance to work in a group!) and use my energy to benefit an organization that I believe in.</p>
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<p>When I joined the social events committee I was focused on the fun aspect of the conference. What can we do to make it an enjoyable experience, and one that fosters connection and community? I had no idea that we would also play a role in direct fundraising as well. Being able to contribute in the planning of the fundraising event has been an especially rewarding experience, to know that all the work we are putting in to raise money has the potential to make a real difference for SNAG. In the morning co-chair Britta Kauppila and I will be speaking with Gwynne Rukenbrod, executive director of SNAG, about how to incorporate a new sponsor and raise even more money during the fundraising event. The three of us will be brainstorming ideas on how both SNAG and the sponsor can benefit from a relationship, and how to work it in a natural way that will enhance the guest experience during the event.</p>
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<p>Now let me back up for a moment. When the social events committee first formed all we had was a list of events to plan; the pin swap, pin swap after party, final night party, and exhibition fundraiser. We were given a budget, and from there it was up to us to figure out venues and logistics, plan a theme, find entertainment, and find ways to raise money for SNAG. The three co-chairs Britta, Emily and Dominique had some ideas that they had been thinking about for the events that got the ball rolling for the ccommittee at our first meetings. One idea that was heavily stressed was that we come up with a new way to exhibit work during the fundraiser; which had been for many years a fashion show, the Exhibition in Motion. There had been a lot of feedback that the fashion show format did not showcase the jewelry enough, and that the exhibiting pieces were hard to see and the clothing distracted from the jewelry. We brainstormed a lot of different ideas and creative ways to showcase the exhibition. Many of the ideas involved ways that people could interact with and see the jewelry up close. At the same time we were also considering ideas for entertainment during the event, a photo booth was brought up and it sparked an idea. What if instead of doing a photo booth where you put on silly boas and use props like giant sunglasses and funny hats, you got to put on fabulous pieces of jewelry? I had just heard of an exhibition called Play for Display in Sweden where people attending the exhibition could try on the jewelry pieces. The exhibition’s mission was to strengthen the connection between the audience and the work. So often you are only able to view pieces through glass, jewelry is meant to be worn and experienced. I loved this idea and thought it would be interesting to try something like that at SNAG. And that is how the Interactive Red Carpet Exhibition was born. The red carpet aspect was added to enhance our theme for the event, “A Night of Glamour and Gold” which we chose to be a variation on the conference theme “From Grains to Gold.”</p>
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<p>As a group the social events committee decided to hold our events at the conference hotel. Minneapolis is a great city with a ton of great venues, but we felt that this was the best way to use our budget and to encourage the highest attendance to the events. There are plenty of opportunities to see the city and venture away from the hotel such as the gallery crawl and the studio crawl. The logistics committee has done a great job of planning these touring events, and has included shuttles to make it easier for conference goers to get around.</p>
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<p>As part of the entertainment for the evening we have a local favorite game of BLINGO planned. BLINGO is a fun version of bingo where the grand prize winner of the evening gets a fabulous bejeweled chalice. Britta and the other two members of the social events committee, Patricia Schmidt and Melissa Lovingood, are currently working on securing prize donations to give away during the game in addition to the chalice.</p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058557921?profile=original"><img width="750" class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058557921?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" height="245" width="575"/></a></p>
<p>Much of the overall event planning is complete, so for the past few weeks my focus has been on the exhibition. I have taken on many of the responsibilities in planning the exhibition. I wrote the initial draft for the call to entry to find pieces to exhibit, which was then edited and distributed by SNAG. I also wrote up event descriptions to be included in marketing and printed conference materials. Britta and I reached out to our contacts to get the call for entry out in addition to SNAG’s efforts. Once the call deadline was up we carefully went through the entries and selected the exhibiting artists. I sent out acceptance and rejection emails, and am currently coordinating with the accepted artists to confirm their place in the exhibition and work out logistical details. Below is a sneak peek at the exhibition, make sure you get your tickets during conference registration to join in the fun of trying some of these pieces on!</p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058555559?profile=original"><img width="750" class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058555559?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" height="292" width="723"/></a></p>
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<p>In the beginning we had all these ideas about having a vegas style game room and all these prizes which we wanted to get jewelry donations for, and have cigarette girls walking around with jewelry on trays. We kept adding ideas and planning this grand event in our minds. Then reality set in and we realized that with only four of us on a fairly small budget there was no way to make all of it happen. We paired down to the essentials, and now I think we have a solid event planned that we are confident about. There are so many details that come up during the planning of these events. In the end you have to decide what can you execute well? What will make the most people happy? We have put a lot of work into making a fun event and to raise money for SNAG, I hope to see some of you there!</p> Trying New Thingstag:crafthaus.ning.com,2014-03-09:2104389:Topic:4615392014-03-09T18:01:31.467ZJennifer Merchanthttp://crafthaus.ning.com/profile/JenniferMerchant
<p>As many of you know, SNAG has undergone a number of changes in the past year. There is a new executive director, new president, new conference producer and many new board members. All of these changes have made the upcoming Minneapolis conference one of the more challenging to produce.</p>
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<p>Administrative changes are not the only ones taking place for this year’s conference. I will talk more about some of these changes in future posts, but for now will focus on the changes that I…</p>
<p>As many of you know, SNAG has undergone a number of changes in the past year. There is a new executive director, new president, new conference producer and many new board members. All of these changes have made the upcoming Minneapolis conference one of the more challenging to produce.</p>
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<p>Administrative changes are not the only ones taking place for this year’s conference. I will talk more about some of these changes in future posts, but for now will focus on the changes that I have been involved with as a member of the social events committee.</p>
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<p>The social events committee is in charge of the pin swap, pin swap after party, final night party, and fundraising event. A decision was made for this conference to hold the final night party in conjunction with the fundraiser to encourage higher turn out to both events. In the past these two events have been held on <a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058545778?profile=original"><img width="400" class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058545778?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="400"/></a>different days at different locations with mixed results. I have been told that these particular events in the past have fallen a bit flat and have not been very memorable, this year we plan to change that! Connecting socially with fellow conference goers is an important part of the conference experience. The fundraiser is an important aspect as well; we could not have future conferences or even an organization without raising money. Our goals as the social events committee are to strengthen the connections made during the conference, make these events memorable and fun, and to raise a whole bunch of money for SNAG. We want these events to be something to look forward too, something to talk about, not just an after thought.</p>
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<p>The reason I chose to volunteer as part of the social events committee in the first place was to help throw a great party for SNAG. When I began the process I figured I’d be booking a DJ and helping to coordinate <a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058545518?profile=original"><img width="400" class="align-left" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058545518?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="400"/></a>logistical decisions. I was under the assumption that there were ‘higher ups’ at SNAG that would make all the big decisions and had a vision that we as volunteers would be helping to carry out. The fact is SNAG has very few ‘higher ups’ and for the most part they have their hands full with running the organization. That means that volunteers are a VERY important part of producing the conference. Just to be clear, this does not mean that volunteers have free reign to do as they please, all of the ideas proposed are approved by conference producer Monica Hampton and/or the board. There is also close attention paid to SNAG’s constitution and by laws to make sure that all parts of the conference uphold the overall vision of SNAG.</p>
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<p>What this all meant for me was that I could pretty much take on as much responsibility as I wanted. I could choose to volunteer a bit of my time here and there, or I could choose to take on real responsibilities and have a chance to add my voice to the conference. I enjoy planning events and have a fair amount of connections to professionals in the entertainment and event industry here in Minneapolis. I decided to take on the responsibility of being in charge of the final night party. And since this year the party and fundraiser are being held concurrently, I also took on the responsibility to plan that as well. In addition to booking a DJ and helping with logistics, I was involved with planning the concept and themes for the events, writing promotional materials, planning an exhibition, and writing a call to entry.</p>
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<p>In the next post I will talk in depth about the planning of these events and the evolution of ideas that our committee worked through to get the concept and theme for the evening, “A Night of Glamour and Gold.” I want to leave you all with a quick note about the "Interactive Red Carpet Exhibition" that is a part of this year’s fundraiser. The deadline for the call to entry is approaching, and I want to encourage members of SNAG here on Crafthaus to take a look and apply. The application is free, and I would love to see some fellow Crafthausers represented. The call can be found here: <a href="http://www.snagmetalsmith.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/RedCarpetcallforentry.pdf" target="_blank">Red Carpet Call to Entry.</a> It is also listed under the Call & Workshops tab right here on Crafthaus!</p>
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<p></p> Jumping in with Both Feettag:crafthaus.ning.com,2014-02-04:2104389:Topic:4557602014-02-04T00:25:44.501ZJennifer Merchanthttp://crafthaus.ning.com/profile/JenniferMerchant
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058526245?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-left" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058526245?profile=RESIZE_180x180" width="100"></img></a> Well hello there! Allow me to introduce myself; my name is Jennifer Merchant, I am a studio jeweler from Minneapolis, MN. I studied metalsmithing at the Savannah College of Art and Design, and now work in alternative materials. I love to work with my hands, so being a craft artist for a living is pretty much my dream job.</p>
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<p>Minneapolis is a wonderful place to…</p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058526245?profile=original"><img width="100" class="align-left" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058526245?profile=RESIZE_180x180" width="100"/></a>Well hello there! Allow me to introduce myself; my name is Jennifer Merchant, I am a studio jeweler from Minneapolis, MN. I studied metalsmithing at the Savannah College of Art and Design, and now work in alternative materials. I love to work with my hands, so being a craft artist for a living is pretty much my dream job.</p>
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<p>Minneapolis is a wonderful place to create and has a great art community. It is also the home to this year’s Society of North American Goldsmiths conference “From Grains to Gold.” When I first heard that the SNAG conference was coming to my city I knew this would be my chance to finally go. I have been meaning to get to a conference for the past 10 years. I had a chance to go as a field trip during my undergrad studies at SCAD in 2004, but being that it fell over spring break and I had already booked a trip to the Bahamas I missed it.</p>
<p> <a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058528453?profile=original"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058528453?profile=original" width="234"/></a></p>
<p>Upon the conclusion of SNAG’s Toronto conference last year, the co-chairs for this year’s Minneapolis conference hosted an informational meeting. During the meeting Britta Kauppila, Emily Johnson, and Dominique Bereiter shared their experiences in Toronto and discussed their plans as co-chairs for the Minneapolis conference. They also talked about volunteer opportunities to help with conference planning. I had no idea that much of the SNAG conference was planned by volunteers. Here were three of my jewelry friends that had already been working on conference planning for the past year, I thought that was so interesting and wanted to help too. It came to my attention during the meeting that there was a group in charge of events and planning the final night party. Did someone say party? I love parties! I love to plan parties! Where do I sign up?! A few days later I received an email from Britta, the chair of the social events committee, welcoming me to the group. I couldn’t wait for our first meeting.</p>
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<p>I was so glad to join the committee. I love music and dancing, and have a lot of friends that are party promoters and DJs. I figured I could use my network to help throw a great final night party for SNAG. I had been itching to plan a big event for a long time, and since I don’t have the funds to do that sort of thing on my own, this was a great opportunity to get some experience.</p>
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<p>Our first group meeting took place in June 2013. The social events committee is lead by Britta Kauppila, and consists of myself, jeweler Patricia Schmidt, and jeweler Melissa Lovingood. The committee is in charge of all the fun stuff at the conference like the pin swap, after parties, the final night party, and other activities to help bring conference goers together. During this meeting Britta explained that there were a lot of changes happening with SNAG and the conference. SNAG is under new leadership this year and many new people are planning the conference. These changes brought about a great opportunity to try out some new ideas and breathe new life into this long standing event. One of the changes that I was excited to learn about was the idea that the final night party was going to be held in conjunction with SNAG’s annual conference fundraising event. The event in past years had been a jewelry fashion show the Exhibition in Motion. This year SNAG wanted to try something different. The four of us were a buzz with ideas. This was exciting and I couldn’t wait to get started making it all happen.</p>
<p>I look forward to sharing more with all of you in my next post, and hope to get a chance to meet some of you at this year’s conference! For those of you with past experiences volunteering at or for the SNAG conference, I invite you to share some of you stories in the comments below.</p>