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newbies and nceca

updated sun 20 oct 02

 

Stephani Stephenson on wed 16 oct 02


Anne
NCECA is GREAT for newbies.
even if you are a shy newbie, there is so much to see and do.
I really enjoy the vendor's booths. you can see samples and examples of
many things you see in catalogs. You can buy tools, books, get catalogs
and samples , and ask questions of vendors, manufacturers and
suppliers. There will be demos and discussions and presentations on many
items of interest. good slides to see and work to see, and good
connections with other newbies and not so newbies alike. there will be
people all over the place.. who have come from all over the place!
there is no pressure , just come as you are and be who you are. you will
have NO problem finding things to do. the nice thing is you can pick and
choose which events to attend and when to take some time off from the
main events.
you can be a social butterfly , a busy bee , a hopping grasshopper or a
very content fly on the wall, or a combination of all the
above...whatever you prefer, you'll find plenty of stimulating
activities.

Stephani Stephenson
Carlsbad ca

Anne Melvin on wed 16 oct 02


Hi,
I have some questions for those of you who have attended NCECA. Is NCECA
for dabblers and/or Newbies as well as for the Gurus and artists? Other
than the airfare and room & board, what can a person expect to spend? Is it
just a "trade show"? What does a person do for four days there?
I was planning to attend, but then started wondering if, as a new attendee,
if I'd fit in. I tried to look up an agenda but didn't find one.
I was wondering if any of you have an opinion.........
Anne from Avon, CT,
who is on a quest for the perfect pot...and the skill to create it.

Fabienne Cassman on wed 16 oct 02


Hello Anne and anyone who is unsure about attending NCECA,

1999 was my first. I was working on taking "ceramics 102" at the local community college and hardly knew how to throw or coil a pot. Anything technical sounded like a foreing language to me. I think I posted at least one crazy question on clayart. Worst of all, I broke the handle of my exchange mug, the only cup worse a darn I had made, just before I entered the clayart room. I was alone and shaking in my boots, but I was there as a resulf of a last minute trip impulse and there was no turning back :D It all went well, Mel smiled to me and the rest is history. :) Noone made me feel diminished because of my butterfingers and my incredible lack of knowledge -- not that it's great now :) Anyway, I was there to acquire knowledge and put faces behind the names of people whose posts I was avidly reading.

For pictures of NCECAs since 1999, visit my web site at http://www.milkywayceramics.com/events/nceca.htm

In terms of expenses beyond airfares, hotel and round trip to hotel, the only one you HAVE to incur, unless you're fasting, is meals and where you take them is up to you. Anything else is extracurricular in my opinion. Personally, there is always a clay t-shirt, a book, and a tool I cannot pass. :)

What is there to do for 4 days: There are lectures, panels, vendors, demos, slide shows, cup donation, silent auction, bus tours to galleries on Wed and Sat, and the clayart room including the mug exchange at the conference center. Outside the conference, there are galleries stocked with ceramics and show openings with artists lectures, workshops, and then there is always the town to visit if you have energy left. Of course, let's not forget the main reason to go: the great warm human factor :)

Hope to see you in San Diego!

Fabienne


>I was planning to attend, but then started wondering if, as a new attendee,
>if I'd fit in. I tried to look up an agenda but didn't find one.
>I was wondering if any of you have an opinion.........


--
Fabienne http://www.milkywayceramics.com/

WARNING: I cannot be held responsible for the above
because my cats have apparently learned to type.

--

Elca Branman on wed 16 oct 02


No matter what yoiur status, gender , age or mental state, you will find
others like uyourself there..you will only be frustrated because you will
have to make choices between on discussion or demonstration or slide show
. You will learn more than you can digest but stuff will kick in weeks
after you return..

Some people share rooms with strangers via clayart, bring food etc...its
really hard to essay a guess on costs..except to say that sharing the
experience of your clay passion with others bitten by the same bug is
priceless

Elca Branman,in Sarasota Florida
elcab1@juno.com

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Millie Carpenter on thu 17 oct 02


Anne,
you wonder if anyone has an opinion? not only do we have them, we
share freely.

NCECA is for everyone, this will be # 5 for me. G-d willing and the
creek don't rise (except here in Md we want it to so the drought will be
called off)

in order of your ??? for me, NCECA is the place were dabblers and
newbies can get a chance to meet the Gurus and artists and ask lots of
questions . best places to do that are in the Clayart Room (thanks you
Mayor Mel for setting that up for us) on the bus for a tour, in line
for food, elevator, at a demo, on the commercial exhibit floor. (are
we still doing red dots on our name tags so that we can identify each
other while standing in line, or at an exhibit or where ever. I like
the necklace tags so I bring my original one each year. I treasure it
because I was "dotted" by the mayor himself)

What can you expect to spend? that is really a subjective question
limited only by your budget, and the amount of baggage that your plane,
train, car will allow. I would not suggest taking sharp clay tools or
baggies of sample chemicals home in my airplane carry on luggage. I
had enough trouble the year I got the Ray Gun in the mug exchange . if
you like the free posters, a mailing tube to contain them neatly is a
must. L & L gave free Mailing tubes last year. I personally am a book
addict, and all the dealers have the new books, and most of the authors
have signing times.

the agenda will be published in the March (?) CM and it will be on the
NCECA site, http://www.nceca.net/index.html at some point, December
i think?

I will share my mantra with you you can't see and do everything, and
it is okay, there are at least three things to do at any given time ,
what has worked for me is to print out the agenda and during my time on
the plane, prioritize the events, panel discussion, demos, tours etc.
this way if I miss a tour bus, i go to option two, if a discussion or
demo turns out not to be what I thought it was, on to option two. if
someone tells me that they went to an exhibit yesterday and it wasn't
what I really thought it was, I can cross it off the list. and if
someone tells me that an exhibit has more of what I want to see, I can
adjust my schedule. taking time to rest is important for me. so I try
to schedule that. eating meals is important. if you haven't made
plans, swing by the clayart room and join a group there, (just don't
believe Steve Branfman if he says that a restaurant is a 5 minute walk
away. he is a professional hiker)

for me the best thing when I was a total newbie was that when I got to
Ohio, it turned out that I sort of knew people because of Clayart. I
had a room to stay in because of clayart. there were familiar names,
and the clayart room was a refuge of sorts. I didn't realize how
wonderful this was and how lucky I was until I went to Charlotte and
my roommate was a woman from my local guild. and I saw how easy being
part of a large family/group was at NCECA compared to being with just
one or two people.

Millie in Md. where the sun is shining

Anne Melvin wrote:

>Hi,
>I have some questions for those of you who have attended NCECA. Is NCECA
>for dabblers and/or Newbies as well as for the Gurus and artists? Other
>than the airfare and room & board, what can a person expect to spend? Is it
>just a "trade show"? What does a person do for four days there?
>I was planning to attend, but then started wondering if, as a new attendee,
>if I'd fit in. I tried to look up an agenda but didn't find one.
>I was wondering if any of you have an opinion.........
>Anne from Avon, CT,
>who is on a quest for the perfect pot...and the skill to create it.
>
>______________________________________________________________________________
>Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
>You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
>settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
>Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
>
>

Sandy Cryer on thu 17 oct 02


Hi Anne, I went to the last NCECA in San Diego as an extreme newbie.
Couldn't get enough, enjoyed every single workshop, camraderie and exposure
to some really fine potters. Spent a few hours one afternoon sitting in the
rocks looking over the pacific with 2 friends and a bottle of good wine,
toured all the galleries, attended the trade fair, collected as many freebies
as I could carry, complained to the creative industry head honcho about their
new design, etc etc, had a wonderful time, would recommend it for all
newbies!! Sandy in Warm Arizona

Russel Fouts on sat 19 oct 02


Newbies, Oldbies or in-between-bies, they're all welcome. The Clayart
room is a great leveler and a great place to hang out or meet up.
Usually hosted by Joyce or mel.

There are lots of events, too many to do them all so plan them or get
Millie (Seashell) to do the planning for you. ;-) Or use a pendulum our
dousing stick, whatever.

You'll meet some great people. It's where I finally caught up with my
beloved, partner in crime, Carla (THAT's a story!). We've been to every
NCECA since Rochester. Although we plan to go to lots of events, the
main focus has become hanging out with friends, catching up on news,
getting up to mischief. We can usually be found in the bar, clayart
room, the bar, the smoking spaces (I've been trying to give up secondary
smoking for years but I have too many friends that smoke) and, oh yes,
you can sometimes find us in the bar.

And, be sure to bring cups for the cup sale, a "thing" for the Clayart
"thing" exchange, extra pot to trade with friends, photos of your pots,
kilns, studio, to share, brochures, cards, what ever.

And bring a treat for the clayart room. I always bring Belgian
chocolate. I know no one can do any better than that so do the best you
can. ;-)

Russel (ok Regina, Minerva, I'll take payment in small bills. ;-)


--

Russel Fouts
Mes Potes & Mes Pots
Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32 2 223 02 75
Mobile: +32 476 55 38 75
Mailto:Russel.Fouts@Skynet.Be
Http://www.mypots.com
http://www.Japan-Net.ne.jp/~iwcat

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