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President's Message

President's Message Jan-Feb-Mar

From the President.... 

What is Happening in 2021???

The pandemic continues to present a substantial challenge to NWSSA operations so we are especially grateful for the significant relief funding we received from our long-time supporter 4culture.org, the arts & culture hub of King County, WA.

The NWSSA board of directors has been hard at work to ensure that we as an organization appropriately adapt and endure to dynamic conditions.  We’ve cut back on expenses wherever possible, which includes a temporary reversion of this journal to a quarterly issue instead of bi-monthly.  That said, we are also actively pursuing options for safely hosting events again, as conditions allow. 

Right now, we’re feeling optimistic, and we have tentative dates for both of our major symposia scheduled:

NWSSA Symposium in Washington State:
Saturday, July 10 - Sunday, July 18, 2021
NWSSA Symposium in Oregon:
Sunday, August 8 - Sunday, August 15, 2021

We are working with staff at both of our usual venues to see what arrangements can be made to space people out and take precautions to mitigate risk.  While we are making plans to gather, if at any point we feel we must cancel one or both of the events, we will.

The events are certain to look very different this year. Cyra Jane, our Symposium Director for the WA event in July, expects registration to go live on the website on June 1.  When we have updates to share, we will post them at nwssa.org.  We will rely on your help to make the best of the situation and come up with creative solutions.

NWSSA is a volunteer run organization, and in that spirit of collaboration we are seeking volunteers to support various committees that have been proposed.  These groups will work to further goals identified by the board of directors.  If you have skill sets and interests that you could contribute to one of these areas, please send us a note at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.:

Archive Committee - collect and preserve facts, images, and stories about the history of NWSSA.

Communications Committee - improve information & feedback channels across the organization.

Education Committee - develop and strengthen relationships with colleges, faculty, and students.

Exhibition Committee - look for venues and pull together member shows.

Fundraising Committee - get money and put it in the bank!

Journal Committee - be on the lookout for great stories to share.

Event Support Committee - help with symposia, workshops, exhibitions…

Membership Committee - help members utilize resources and keep membership info current.

Benjamin Mefford

--- Benjamin Mefford - President, NWSSA

President's Message Aug-Sept-Oct

From the President.... 

Dear Sculptors,

I am enjoying the afterglow of our Virtual Symposium. As I write this, we still have a last day of events with a closing campfire. It has been just so great to see everyone’s face, trade ideas on studios, stone, or tools, and get to tour the carving spaces of friends. I really appreciate Cyra for raising the idea and then following through with the team of Ellie, Renee and Trevor.

Last night we had a really good general membership meeting. I almost preferred virtual to our in-person membership meeting, since I could see everyone’s face up close and it was easy to hear questions and comments. There have been two things that we can’t replicate so far – the hugs and the auction. If you have virtual ideas for either, please let Cyra or Ben know! 

At the general meeting Bob Leverich proposed that we change the name of our Washington symposium to the Salish Sculpture Symposium. The membership approved this change and the Board is researching this possibility. Bob and Rick Johnson also raised the issue of organizational diversity. We will be reaching out further in order to diversify our membership and attendees. If you know good candidates, please send them our way. We’ll turn them into stoners.

This will be my last Prez letter. I have reached the end of my term limits and we will have fresh leadership. I have enjoyed being part of the team and contributing what I can. I got involved with this group because each of us are so caring and sharing. I felt enveloped in love when I first arrived at camp 23 years ago, not a stranger but a new dusty friend. This is such a unique organization for this exact reason.

The new leadership team is Ben Mefford as Prez, Denny Tsang is VP, Trevor Contreras as Treasurer and Ellie Hochman as Secretary. We have a strong board and I feel good that this team will continue on the best course.

Many of us renew our membership in conjunction with one of the symposiums. Our system sends out reminder mails but sometimes these go to your spam folder. If you are uncertain about whether your membership has expired, please email the office (email is on our website) and we can sort things out. We are still producing the Journal and have reduced but still ongoing administrative expenses even though we are not producing revenue from our events, so your dues will help us pay for this.

Carve well, have fun, wear a good respirator and stay safe!

Ken Barnes

Ken Barnes

--- Ken

President's Message January-February 2020

From the President.... 

Dear Sculptors,

I’m sitting in a warm house looking at snow-covered ground outside as I write this (not in Seattle). By the time you get this the holidays will be over and our post-holiday party will be approaching (February 8th, 4pm at Marenakos – Click Here for details).

We had a nice time at a get-together in my studio a few weeks ago. We talked about textures and had a few examples in front of us plus a bunch of images to discuss. I like textures as much as the next person, but the best part was seeing my carving friends in December.

Many members have complained that they do not get notices of these events and would have liked to come. If you don’t get these email notices you aren’t in our listserve. Look at our website and click the “join the listserve” button in the lower right corner of the front page. We do not spam you and you will get notices of these events and other random interesting stone topics on an every-now-and-then basis.
http://www.nwssa.org/membership-nwssa?id=381

If you have an idea for a fun get-together when the symposiums are not in session, drop me a line.

Carve well, have fun, and wear a good respirator,

Ken Barnes

Ken Barnes

--- Ken

President's Message November-December 2019

From the President.... 

Dear Sculptors,

We are now in the “tween” period for the organization. By the time you get this the holidays will be upon us and our post-holiday party will be approaching.  

Before I had a studio roof over my head, the carving season was over, called on account of rain and cold. Now I can keep at it all year, but I miss my stone buddies. Community is what makes this organization such an amazing group. Carl Nelson was in Eugene and he got lucky enough to coincide with a potluck with a bunch of our crew there. Up in the Seattle area we had a get-together at Dan Colvin’s studio to talk about using the natural rind of the stone to enhance the sculpture’s design. In early December we’ll have a get-together at my studio to talk about textures. Sure, I want to hear the cool stuff that others have done with texture, but I also relish the chance to be with my community. 

The energy we all feel at the symposia seems to reside in each of us, every day. 

If you have an idea for a fun get-together when the symposiums are not in session, drop me a line. 

Carve well, have fun, and wear a good respirator,

Ken Barnes

--- Ken