NCECA:
Thank you for coming to Tampa/St Petersburg for your 2011 Convention. It was overwhelming to have 100+ shows in over fifty venues sprawled out over the area, but in retrospect I now see the wisdom in it, specially the metaphorical value of recognizing that the ceramics world is bigger than any individual's ability to take it in.
Besides the much-needed estimated $7m that your Convention brought into the area, thank you for bringing top-notch work and artists to us. We have many galleries that consistently show ceramics, but this was beyond imagining. NCECA earned my respect for daring to tackle the thorny, hot potato political issue of Immigration. Polls say it is not a popular issue, but that did not drive you away, nor did it still the artist's powerful voices. Thank you.
There were so many great works and impressive artists that you brought us. Such hard-working, brilliant souls that we got to meet and sometimes see at work. For that and everything else, we are grateful, and perhaps even more significantly, for having brought out our own ceramicists, opening up a multitude of venues for them, and giving them a challenging theme. Thank you.
The synergy remains palpable.
As a blogger, I was dazzled and overwhelmed with all this. I had to get surgically choosy as to how to spend my limited time and resources. It felt like when I was a child trying to catch minnows with my hands... so much was slipping through my fingers... I'm still behind in writing about several exhibits, but will be done soon.
Like any organization, NCECA is only as good as its members, and they have represented you extremely well. You have so much to be proud of.
Thank you for everything. You are already missed, but your presence remains.
---- Luis/Art Taco
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Luis/Art Taco, I am told that men over 50 become more and more prone to tears. I sit here at my desk with wet eyes. The volunteer board and staff and local committees work hard to provide quality experiences and to perhaps even leave a footprint in communities with our conferences. We know what these experiences have meant to us over the years, but we can only hope that our planning and work and risk-taking might do the same for others. Thank you for making so tangible what our conference meant to you and perhaps many others. The staff and board have shared your blog with each other in great joy. I would request permission to share your blog spot with the readers of Clayart. I think your views on the important roles of art, and art organizations, in society should be broadcast as widely as possible.
ReplyDeletesincerely,
Keith J. Williams, President, NCECA