HTA October 2006 Newsletter
The National Tile Conference wrap up
Wow, what an amazing ride! 63 people signed up for some aspect of the conference; 7 in the North Prairie Tile workshop, 33 on the Duluth tour, 31 at Glensheen, 30 at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 44 at the Holiday Inn banquet, and 24 on the mosaic tour. From the reactions and comments of the participants this was a spectacular event. The tours were fabulous and inspiring, the food was amazing, the lectures were inspiring, the workshop went great, the gallery shows were awesome, and many new friendships were made.
We have to thank Joe Taylor and Shelia Menize of the Tile Heritage Foundation for co-sponsoring the Tile Conference. The work they have done to promote and build the awareness of the Upper Midwest tile scene and its history has been instrumental in the development of our organization from the beginning. I think it is important to recognize the amazing amount of support and logistics they provided for this event. They featured our organization and talked about the HTA on their website for a year, allowing their membership of over 700 people to read about Handmade Tile Association's artists and accomplishments.They helped get the news out about us in such magazines as American Bungalow and Ceramics Monthly and helped in organizing the national juried show. The THF also made huge contributions to the historical information of the Twin Ports map along with editing over the phone to make sure the information was historically accurate and grammatically correct. From California.they set up the hotel accommodations for participants, their meals and bus tours, mailed out over 2000 conference brochures around the country that promoted the HTA and got people to fly here and participate in the conference, brought in national figures to speak and national sponsors to underwrite the program. This past April they promoted the conference to the tile world at Coverings and in July Joe flew to Detroit to get people there interested in attending the conference. In short, they deserve our highest gratitude and thanks for putting the HTA and its members on a pedestal and showing off our accomplishments. Just so you know they like Dark Chocolate!
Also many thanks to Karin Kraemer who coordinated the Duluth part of the conference. Karin is such a treat to work; her great laugh always makes everyone smile in the room and she did an incredible job of organizing the tours, the map, and the gallery shows of tile, making Duluth and Superior come alive with tiles. One of her greatest contributions, besides the map, is how she got major community organizations (Glensheen, Fairlawn Mansion, and the Tweed Museum to name a few) to start working directly together to create a larger overall art community. If you get a chance to get up to the Twin Ports area check out all the shows going on up there, it will be well worth it.
Merribeth O’Keefe did a great job on the Mosaic tour here in Minneapolis. The comprehensive tour she gave us of the mosaics in the Twin Cities really helped bring to life the hidden treasures of mosaic. She made the tour very fun with all of her well researched facts and history of each site and then left us with a great self guided tour map that we will post on the HTA website later this year.
We would like to thank our sponsors Arizona Tile, Coverings, the Meredith Collection, the Tile Council of North America, and one anonymous donor for underwriting the conference, and give thanks to Duluth Preservation Alliance, Fantasia, Jeff Heller, Continental Clay, and Manitou Arts for their assistance.
We would also like to thank the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Susan Jacobsen, Chistopher Monkhouse, Jennifer Olivarez, Sabra Waldfogel, Ken Forster, David Dahlquist. The Glensheen Mansion Staffand Michelle Lee, Fairlawn Mansion Staff and Susan Anderson, Doug Fairchild, Gallery 360, Tom Hollenhorst, Blue Iris Gallery, the Tweed Museum, Siverston Gallery, The Duluth Art Institute, Clay Squared, St Paul's Episcopal Church, Kitchi Gammi Club, Monor on the Creek, Sacred Heart Music Center, St. Scholastica College, Nelson Dewey School, Dennis Gonsolus, Eric Astrachan, and Jane Swan, Many people behind the scenes were involved creating this program all throughout the twelve months prior to it happening, and we would like to thank them all. We could not have done a program like this without everyone.
Maps
The HTA is left with an incredible amount of information and resources that will add to our archives. First is our new map Tile of the Twin Ports Duluth, MN and Superior, WI. This four color map is too cool for words, but we will try. The second in our series of maps of the upper Midwest, it has received many accolades from historic groups, shops that want to sell the maps, and the general public. A front page story in the Home & Garden section of the Duluth Tribune on September 9th publicized the map, discussed the legacy of decorative tiles and featured images of the work of modern day tile artists. The Duluth Preservation Alliance sponsored the map, giving us $500 and The Twin Ports area has embraced it, sparking great interest in the rediscovery of tiles. My favorite moment while visiting the Kitchi Gammi Club in Duluth was when the cleaning lady stopped to tell us how she had read the whole article in the Duluth Tribune and how much she loved it. The tour that Karin Kraemer put together for the conference was a very nice ad on to the map, and then back in Minneapolis, we have another Mosaic tour with map accompaniment to help people spot the best places where decorative tiles are displayed. All of the maps and tours will be posted on the HTA website later this year. These tours need special note because one of our major HTA missions is:
3. To combine our efforts toward broadening community awareness of tiles as a medium that is both venerably ancient and stunningly new—a medium with limitless applications.
Report on MN Tile Festival
First we need to thank all of our artists, members, patrons, and our coordinators Nick and Rosie Heille.
Thanks to Bill Beyer and the ASI (American Swedish Institute) staff and volunteers for helping coordinate the festival from the Institutes’ side.
We would like to thank the Edina Art Center, Northern Clay Center and Mosaic on a Stick for being for our interactive educational component to the festival.
Special Thanks to all of our volunteers JoAnn Hendricks, Layl McDill, Joel and Ruth McKinney,Cathy Bryson, Clair Olsund
Laura Burlisl, Mary Kay Stillson, Tom and Norma Hanlon,
Jim Swan, and Mary Kay Stillson.
The Facts
Attendance:
This year Last year
708 650
Postcards and other discounts used to get in:
This Year Last Year
Cards handed out by members $1 off
70 156
Cards mailed by HTA (specially marked) $1 off
50 -did not track last year
Cards mailed by members $1 off
21 50
ASID free tickets (pink tickets)
10 8
HTA member tickets (green tickets) Free
3 19
Blue Sky Guide passes (Buy one get one free)
8 -did not do last year
Tile Conference passes (free)
18 -
Web printed passes $1 off
31 -did not do last year
total passes used- 212
Almost a third of the people who attended the MN Tile festival used a discount card to get in.
10 ASID members used their free passes from the 600 that were sent out. Up from just 2 last year.
10,000 postcards were printed, 6,000 handed out by hand and by members, 4,000 were mailed by HTA.
1 new membership
25 commemorative tiles have been sold from the 50 made.
Last year we sold only one.
Maps sold: 5 MN Maps, 1 Duluth Map
Sold out the artist booths
We had artists from six states represented. MN, WI, IA, IL, NE, and MI
HTA 2007 Directory
It is crunch time once again for the 2007 directory. October 16th is the first deadline to not be charged a late fee for membership submissions. October 31st is the drop dead deadline with a $25 late fee. Writers are asked to submit their articles by the 31st. No articles will be considered after October 31st. If you are one of the five selected to be printed in the 2006 directory you will receive $100 stipend. Others selected will be posted on the HTA website and a stipend of $25 will be paid. Look on the www.handmadetileassociation.org website for all the specs. The directory is a way to show off the new projects or art tile you have finished. Please consider updating your ad in the directory to keep it looking fresh.
HTA Writers = $100
We are on the hunt for articles for the 2007 HTA directory. If you would like to write a 250 word article please click here to get the scoop on what to do and when it is due.
Cover of 2007 HTA directory contest
The HTA is looking for the next tile to grace the cover of the 2007 directory. Here are the requirements to being chosen.
- Must be a historic tile.
- Address of building where you took the photo or collection you got it from
- Digital images must be sent to us as 300 dpi 8” x 10” in size
- Photographs must be at least, 3” x 5” the bigger the better. Sending us the negative would be great.
- The final image will be 7” x 8.8”
- Deadline: October 16th 2006
- We need your contact information
Your picture could be on 10,000 HTA directories!
You will be credited for the photo and you will be famous! We look forward to your submission. Send submissions to the Handmade Tile Association. josh@claysquared.com
The 7th Annual Twin Cities Arts & Crafts Show and Sale
The HTA did a booth trade with the Twin Cities Arts and Crafts show. Deb LeAir, Mercedes Austin and Josh Blanc all volunteered to staff the booth. It turned out to be a very good experience. We sold 14 maps, a commemorative tile, handed out about 200 directories and introduced a lot of new people to the HTA who love the Arts and Crafts time period. I am sure we will continue this trade.
Portugal Tile Museum Curator visits Minnesota
Mr. Paulo Roberto da Conceicao Silva Henriques, Director of the National Tile Museum, located in the convent of Madre de Deuswas has been invited to the Twin Cities by the U.S. Department of State's International leadership program and has set up several meetings with local tile people and galleries to showcase the tiles of the area. They contacted us by way of the HTA website. SoMi Tileworks, Gallery 360 and Clay Squared to Infinity have been chosen as places Silva Henriques will visit so far. Josh Blanc will take Mr. Henriques on a tour of the area on October 17th for half a day and use the historic and contemporary map as his guide.
Henriques' mission is:
- U.S. federalism and the separation of powers at the federal, state and local levels for promoting arts development;
- To provide a broad perspective on current techniques and approaches to art museum management in the United States;
- To learn about public and private funding of the arts in the United States;
- To review newest techniques for exhibition design and acquisition;
- To share experiences with U.S. museum directors related to conservation, restoration, and preservation of collections;
- To explore traditional and current roles played by art museums in U.S. society and culture; to see how museums can contribute to the surrounding community through education programs and exhibitions;
- To increase awareness of the wide range of art museums in the U.S and their associated activities; to visit smaller museums whose collections are dedicated to one medium to discuss publicity and other outreach campaigns;
- To experience home hospitality and other cultural events.
This visitor is invited to the United States under the auspices of the Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program. His program is arranged by Meridian International Center
Next HTA meeting
When: October 10th
Time: 6pm
Where: North Prairie Tile Works
2845 Harriet Avenue South
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55408
Phone: 612.871.3421
Agenda
This meeting will be the last meeting before the deadline of the 2007 directory.
Wrap up of National Tile Conference. Please bring your feedback.
Review of the MN Tile Festival
Potluck
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Ready for 2007 HTA Directory
Artist rates for the 2007 HTA directory
Click hear for a PDF of the rates
Advertising Rates for Businesses wanting to advertise in the 2007 HTA directory 
The 2006
Commemorative Tile
Couldn't get to the MN Tile Festival?
50 were made at $25 each. 25 left. Proceeds to benefit the HTA
If you would like to purchase one please call 612-781-6409
Map of Historic and Contemporary Tiles of the Twin Ports, Duluth MN and Superior, WI "Living with History"
Members get one free. Would you like to order some for your clients, friends, family or to sell ? please contact the HTA and order some.
Members can get them for $2 each.
Others can buy them for $3.75 at
Fairlawn Mansion
Coppola Art Imports
Glensheen Mansion
The Tweed Museum
Duluth Pottery
Blue Iris Gallery
American Swedish Institute
Clay Squared to Infinity
Sivertson Gallery
Support the people who support the HTA
Ridgedale Library Commsion complete
Mosaic Benches by Sheryl Tuorila. Floor Design by Josh Blanc. Sculpture by Randy Walker
Art Dedication Monday October 23rd 7- 8pm
Hennepin County Library
12601 Ridgedale Dr. Minnetonka
It is located behind the Ridgedale Mall.
You are invited.
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