Hello, Baren Members! We have just wrapped up a successful Exchange #50. The print collection is spectacular! Everyone seemed to love the small format, and even printing such a large edition wasn't nearly as bad as most had feared it might be. Collating 10,000 prints is no small task either-- then add to that the creation of a little archival box for each participant and you have one hardworking coordinator! Thank you Gayle for all of the hours and hours spent pulling the final portfolio together. (Be sure to thank that sweet husband of yours for all of his efforts, too!) Gayle also made us a "map" to follow, which is helpful in seeing who belongs to each print. There will soon be a full collophon available on the gallery page for this exchange, which will include things such as print details and comments by the various artists. It's just taking a little more time to get it all formatted and put together. The plan is for it to be a downloadable pdf file that participants can print out or peruse online. Exchange 51 is well underway. Bronwyn Merritt has graciously volunteered to coordinate for us. I'm not sure if it's the larger format that has discouraged participation or just what, but we have had a very disappointing registration for this exchange, with only 17 participants signing up. That's barely over half of the full exchange. If there are any of you out there sitting on the fence who would like to step up and fill one of the remaining spots, now would be a good time. Prints are due to the coordinator ON or BEFORE February 1, 2011. Speaking of deadlines... as we head into a new year, I feel it's time for a reminder regarding the rules and expectations for participation in a Baren exchange. I hope that you have noticed over the past five or so exchanges that the coordinators and I are working closely make sure deadlines are met and that completed exchange portfolios are returned in a timely manner. After all of the hard work to produce an edition, everyone is anxious to receive their completed set. Unfortunately, we have had issues with participants not following the rules set forth for exchanges, which makes it really tough for the coordinators to complete their job as outlined. Please remember that when you sign up to participate in an exchange, you have given your word and committed your time and energy to the completion of the edition. Before you sign up, look ahead at your schedule to be sure that you can make it work with your other life obligations. Sign up only if you are ready and able to follow through with the requirements of the exchange. There is a drop-out deadline set a month before the final delivery date, just in case something has interferred with your ability to complete the exchange. We try to have several members waiting in the wings to pick up your spot if you need to drop on or before the drop deadline. If you drop out after that deadline, there is not sufficient time for someone to take your place and you will face a penalty. If you do not deliver the prints for the exchange, you will face a penalty. (Not to belabor the point, but the chief reason that Exchange 50 ended up with 96 prints instead of 100 is because of people dropping out AFTER the delivery deadline, so there was no chance of anyone filling their place. These members now face the consequences of that choice.) If you are late delivering your prints, it is up to the coordinator's discretion as to whether your prints will make the final portfolio or not. Again, you may face a penalty for late delivery. As we are all adults here, it is not unrealistic to expect that we will all be able to the follow rules that are set forward. The rules for exchanges, including benefits and possible penalties, are outlined completely on the Exchange guidelines page of the Baren Forum site. Please follow this link and take a few minutes to read and understand the rules and expectations for all members participating in exchanges:
http://www.barenforum.org/exchange/rules.html As always, keep in mind that the exchange program is open to all members, whether a novice or one of the most experienced professionals, working in woodcuts or linoleum, or even other relief matrices. It is an awesome opportunity for creating art, for building your own skills and learning from each other, and for exchanging art with other artists around the world. We all reap the benefits of this exchange of skills and ideas, regardless of skill level or background. Thank you for your continued support of our exchanges worldwide. As always, should you have specific questions about the exchanges, please feel free to contact me offlist. Happy Holidays!Kristine
Kristine Alder
Baren Exchange Manager
St. George, UT
Art Educator/Printmaker/Book ArtistCo-President UAEA
email: alder@pineview.org
imakeprints@hotmail.com
"The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it,
but that it is too low and we reach it." --Michelangelo