A scene from a demo during the 2010 GAAC conference in Montreal. Anthony Schafermeyer, assisted by Vincent Chagnon and Simon Muller, fuses a circle of murrini for a pick up. photo: patrick fisher
With seven short weeks before its scheduled 2013 conference is set to begin on May 23rd, 2013, in Calgary, Alberta, the Glass Art Association of Canada has issued an urgent plea to its members to sign up by Tuesday, April 9th, so that organizers can decide whether or not to proceed with the planned event. The limited number of registrations has put the entire conference, titled “Breaking Boundaries: 30 Smashing Years!” in jeopardy, according to a letter emailed to members by association president Jamie Gray today. As an extra incentive, the early-bird registration fee of $300 has been extended beyond the March 31st cutoff. There has already been one casualty of the limited number of registrants so far — the pre- and post-conference workshops have been scrapped. Those who’ve signed up will be formally notified by the association in the coming days.
“The registrations for the conference have been low enough that we have had to discuss its feasibility,” reads the letter Gray emailed to GAAC members this afternoon. “The conference proper is in jeopardy, but it can still be saved with your help. If you have been planning to attend, it is important that you register before noon on Tuesday, April 9. At that point we will review the number of registrations to decide whether or not we can run the conference.”
The conference is planned to run from Thursday, May 23rd, through Sunday, May 26th, with demos, lectures, and events in and around the Alberta College of Art + Design in Calgary, Alberta. Other venues on the agenda include Julia Reimer and Tyler Rock’s studio, Firebrand Glass; the Museum of Contemporary Art Calgary; the Endeavor Art and Event Space; and the studio collective Bee Kingdom.
Gray makes clear that organizers are doing everything possible to avoid the fate of the U.S.-based Glass Art Society, which were forced to cancel their 2013 conference in Boston. “We absolutely do not want to cancel this conference and will do everything we can to make it work,” writes Gray, who implores Canadian glass artists to come together, especially for this 30th anniversary year conference. “Let’s pull together, as a community, and make Calgary 2013 a great conference for all of us. The networking, the fashion show, the presentations and the demos … what would it all be without you there?”
For a full view of the many events planned, download this year’s conference schedule here.
The fastest way to register for the 2013 GAAC Conference in Calgary, Alberta before the critical April 9th date is to visit the event Website and sign up online.