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2006 stay-at-home clayart exchange

updated wed 7 dec 05

 

Carole Fox on tue 6 dec 05


Yes, it=92s that time of year again! And no, I=92m not talking about the ti=
me
for sharing high-octane eggnog recipes, or about any of the various ethnic
celebrations of the season.

It=92s time to start thinking about the Clayart stay-at-home exchange!

For those of you who are new to Clayart, this exchange has
taken place for several years now, during NCECA season. It=92s the no-
travel alternative to the cup exchange that takes place at NCECA among
those Clayart members who are fortunate enough to be able to attend. The
stay-at-home exchange offers those of us not going to NCECA a chance to
exchange a cup or other clay object with another Claybud.

If you are going to Portland for NCECA in March, read no further. But if
NCECA 2006 is not in your plans, please read the rules below. We=92d love
to have you in the exchange! You have from now until March to deliver
that terrific piece, which will no doubt soothe your lucky exchange
partner=92s disappointment over not being able to go to NCECA.

RULES:

1. This exchange is only for those Clayart members who are not attending
NCECA 2006. Those who do attend NCECA will have plenty of fun at the
conference. The rest of us will have to enjoy NCECA vicariously, and have
our fun with the stay-at-home exchange.

2. While the exchange has at times been called a cup exchange, if you=92re
not into cups, feel free to exchange some other small clay object that
you=92ve made =96 vase, tile, sculpture, etc.

3. All Clayart members who aren=92t going to NCECA 2006 are encouraged to
participate. This means you, no matter what your level of expertise or
preferred method of working in clay! The exchange is about making fun
connections with other members of this community.

4. All who sign up are expected to deliver, on time. If you can=92t
deliver a finished piece by March 11, 2006 (when NCECA ends), don=92t sign
up. The point is to parallel the stay-at-home exchange with what=92s going
on at NCECA. Please keep in mind that your exchange partner may be of a
different skill level than you. So what! Everybody plays in the same
sandbox, and we play nice. No throwing sand or temper tantrums, please.
And no whining!

HERE=92S HOW TO PARTICIPATE:

1. Send an email containing the three items below to me at
carolefox@infogist.com
> Name
> Complete postal address
> Are you willing to ship to an international partner? Yes or No

By complete postal address, I mean the address to which your exchange
partner can send your package. If you are not willing to ship
internationally, I will make every attempt to pair you with a same-country
exchange partner.

2. Make your cup (or equally intriguing other clay object), and be ready
to ship it no later than March 8, 2006 when NCECA starts.

3. By March 1, I will have made the matches by some nearly random method,
and will send each participant an email with the name and address of the
person to whom (s)he will send a clay object (or thingy, as my
granddaughter is fond of saying). You and your partner will each receive
the other=92s name & address, and then exchange thingies directly with each
other. What could possibly be more exciting?!

The only exceptions to the random match will be to honor requests from
those who do not want to ship internationally, and a bit of fudging on my
part to keep from pairing you with the same partner you had last year.

4. As soon as you receive the name and address of your partner, get that
clay thingy shipped. The idea is for your partner (and you!) to receive
the thingy during NCECA so no one feels left out.

This means that you need to get busy making your thingy NOW!

5. If you have a digital camera, take a picture of your clay thingy
before you mail it. Please send the image file to Chris Schafale at
chris@lightonecandle.com for posting in the Clayart Clay Exchange Gallery,
which is well worth a look. Go to http://www.potteryforms.org and click
on 2005 Clay Exchange to see last year's gallery. Posting the images for
all to see is half the fun, so be sure to send yours to Chris.

Questions? Email me directly at carolefox@infogist.com

Carole Fox
Dayton, Ohio