Rain dampened the ground briefly once or twice, but not our spirits or excitement as the symposium was gearing up. Monday the sky cleared and the day grew warm. A comment was made Sunday that the guests were more focused than usual, and class attendance was great.
While change is frequently met with resistance, the changes at camp this year were met with acceptance and glee. Through the efforts of Rich Andler and Ken Barnes, credit card payments for symposium costs, including sales of the Sculpture Walk, were made possible. The costs of renting the machine and usage will now need to be evaluated to determine its financial burden or benefit. Another change was the name from “Arts Walk” to “Sculpture Walk” which provided the customers a better description of the event. Additionally, thanks to Steve Hendrickson, the “Sculpture Walk” received more marketing, including Channel 5 TV coverage. This translated into an estimated customer visitation between four and six hundred. Elaine Mac Kay changed the layout of the field, using the concept of her Silver Falls Symposium last year. The result of her revised layout brought the beginners and hand carvers into the fold instead of leaving them on the outskirts as in the past. She placed the power sources at the far end of the field which helped cut down on the noise level. Before we even began to register for the symposium, Gus Schairer stepped in to assist with the brochure design and a new Sculpture Walk flier making both documents look more professionally done.
Instruction for our workshops was organized by Tracy Powell, and our on-site workshop coordinator was Vic Picou. Vic worked hard to set and maintain the schedule once it was published and maintained it throughout camp to avoid confusion. The evening presentations of stories and slide shows included fireside chats, and added to our learning and fellowship. Michael Binkley, our guest artist, set the standard. He ensured everyone knew that they were welcome to ask questions and even ask for assistance at any time while he was in attendance. Michael went as far as to say that if he were spending time working on his piece, he was wasting our time. In other words, he was there to help. Our honored historian Hon Lee provided his touches to a fantastic symposium. Brian Ohno, owner of the Brian Ohno Gallery, provided us with great insight into the mysterious world of gallery acceptance. The beginner class of around six students was introduced to stone carving by Ruth Mueseler and Suz Gentiluomo. Kirk McLean provided an eye opening experience to his students with hands-on granite carving. Design and Large Scale Engineering was guided by Rich Hestekind which started with a simple bar of soap and eventually became a monumental piece touched by all who attended the symposium. Karl Hufbauer provided a hard rock demonstration in Quartzite carving to his class. The blues in his stones were fantastic. Lisa Ponder provided the nuts and bolts of Memorial design and sandblasting to an eager class. For those wishing to gain a better grasp of the human head and face, Tone Orvik provided her class on Clay Portraiture in the camp barn. JoAnne Duby’s traditional pinning, sleeving and finishing classes were again overwhelmingly attended. Tom Urban provided his tried and true class on power tools to an eager group wanting to take the next step in carving.
Steve Sandry chaired the auction along with his team consisting of Meredith Earls, Suz Gentiluomo, Verna Dee Dice, and Barbara Davidson. Arliss Newcomb was the major organizer of the silent auction. The auctions combined with monetary donations yielded over $7,000 for work-study, scholarships and other expenditures as the board sees fit for future Whidbey Island, Silver Falls, and Camp Brotherhood symposiums.
Dan Michael and his crew did a wonderful job providing technical expertise as the Field Tech team. Sharon Feeney and her team put together both the reception and end-of-camp parties. Also big thanks should be passed onto the students from the University of Oregon that provided the backbone of our work-study this year.
The 17th Annual International Stone Sculptors Symposium was successful as usual, and enjoyed by all. Thank you for attending and enjoying the symposium which our committee put together for you. Please mark your calendars for July 15-24, 2005 to attend the 18th Annual International Stone Sculptors Symposium to be held once again at Camp Brotherhood, Mt Vernon, Washington and provide Verna Dee Dice and her committee the same support that you have provided this year’s committee.
