 | President's Letter to the Affiliates November 2004 |
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The annual meeting of ABANA's board was held in Seattle, Washington, the last week of October, 2004. Seattle will also be the home of the 2006 ABANA Conference. This will be an exciting venue for "Fusion and Transformation in the Ring of Fire" an examination of smithing from around the world, literally on the waterfront of "The Ring of Fire". Board members and contract staff filled the three days and nights in Seattle with directions to keep ABANA a world leader in artistic blacksmithing. A high point was devoting a half-day work session to "Non-Profit Board Actions and Responsibilities". It bespeaks of the dedication each board member makes to our ABANA members and the artistic metals community in seeking ways to maximize their knowledge, effectiveness and involvement. A big ABANA thanks to Doug Kluender for the session. Amongst the myriad of actions taken at the board meeting was an increased emphasis on two main goals of ABANA. First was a doubling of the Educational Committee's leadership. With co-chairs efforts, we look to elicit MORE articles from you, the members, for our publications! Our two publications are looking for original articles to share the vast expertise lying in your hands, and the editors DO guarantee, when it reaches the printed page, every submission will seem to have come from "The Ernest Hemmingway of Smithing". Well, almost! Contact board members Dan Nauman and Tim Ryan or one of our publication editors, Rob Edwards and Brian Gilbert with your ideas and help us fulfill our educational goals. THANKS! A new committee was added to the Educational Division, the "Professional / Academic Outreach Committee". Chaired by Elizabeth Brim, members include board members Maegan Crowley and Chris Winterstein and off-board member Jim Buonaccorsi. Efforts to find new ways to stimulate the involvement of our professional members will be a primary goal of the committee, as will additional ways to reach and involve the academic community of art. The committee will be the "central coordinators", but the true success will depend on the professionals and academics amongst our art form. "Be involved or be square", the opportunity to help shape this committee awaits your presence, ideas and help! As the author Nickos Kazantzakis in the novel Zorba the Greek states, "I like you too much not to tell you. You have everything-- everything except madness. A man needs a little madness - or else he never dares cut the rope and be free!" With new and exciting ways to be involved - a little madness on your part is all it takes to reach a new horizon in artistic smithing. Welcome aboard!
Don Kemper
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