ISGB Gathering Thank YOU!

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What an amazing Gathering we had in Omaha Nebraska!  The Gathering has been a treasured event of the ISGB for over 30 years and this one was even more special, as our first in-person Gathering since the pandemic. We listened to our members and their desire to move around and explore the country, but when you get to the end of the email you will learn more about the Gathering future.  Please don't skip ahead until you appreciate all that goes into a Gathering.  ALL these people deserve your attention and a HUGE Thank YOU!
What does it take to put on a Gathering? 
Not only does it take a minimum of a year of planning, incredible teamwork and dedication from your Board of Directors and Operations Manager, it takes the whole community to come together in support of the Gathering.
It all starts with picking a date and location. It sounds simple, but a lot of factors are at play, from financial to venue availability. 
Next, Board Members & Members each take on a role to ensure an amazing event.
President Martha Giberson - Chair of the ISGB Gathering. All the fine details, workshop planning and committee planning. 
Past President Bronwen Heilman - Budgeting, Gathering Committee planning and videographer & Chair of the new GReAt Team Task force. 
Treasurer - Bryna Lumb Gathering Committee, budgeting & chair of onsite fundraising. 
Membership - Joan Keller Stretch Yourself Exhibition co-chair and building membership support.
Education - Floor Kaspers Gathering Scholarship planning, new attendee meeting, bead swap and exhibition assistant.
Marketing - Alicia Sheerin  Building Gathering excitement.
Director at Large Laura Simone - Onsite Workshop manager and GBE editor with an entire issue dedicated to supporting the Gathering.
Director at Large Patty Lakinsmith - Co-chair Stretch Yourself Exhibition and Gathering Committee planning.
Director at Large Carol Ann Savage - Gathering Committee planning and Live Auction chair.
Director at Large Andrea Symons - Gathering volunteer manager 
Operations Manager -Karyn Sweezy -  Gathering Chair support, Gathering Committee planning, registration support, marketing and chair of Bead Bazaar/vendors.
Cindy Gillick - Silent Auction Chair 
Juliet Page - Online Bead Swap Chair
Nina Sam Hibler - New Attendee welcome gifts & love.
Onsite Volunteers helped with set up, as door greeters, registration bags, fundraising, silent auction and  so much more.  Thank YOU!
Sally Prasch, Jeri Wiskus, Leslie Kaplan, Cindy Gillick, Wilma Watson, Diane Rogers, Ariel Danza, Kendra Bruno, Jeri Warhaftig, Erin Morris, Mary Brown-Martilik, Kelly Charlton, Jay Shuster, Jackie Marr, Rita Hart, Marcia Brown, Peter van de Wijngaart & Susan Richards. 
Support also comes from the Artists, Presenters, Instructors, Vendors and Sponsors long before the Gathering begins.
Scholarship Donors Cindy Jenkins, Northern California Society of Glass Beadmakers, and your donations to the ISGB Scholarship fund that offer financial support for our members. 
Diana East International Fund Grant awarded to Petra Pepper
Scholarship Recipients: Elizabeth Erin Morris, Cindy Gillick, Kris Ball, Marcia Brown, Diane Rogers, Wilma Watson & Ariel Danza.
Commemorative Bead Artist Carol Ann Savage
Keynote Speaker Kit Paulson.
Presenters: Stephanie White:  Shibori Inspired Spacer Beads, Andrew Pollack - Out on a Glass Limb , Hilary Lawson:  Double Helix - Everything But the Kitchen Sink, Laura Bowker:  Coldworking Tips and Tricks that Everyone Can Do, Stephanie Sersich:  Glass Beads: Make It Your Business , Hava Edry:  Secrets From the History of Glass and Glass Beads, Beth Moneck, Beads of Courage, Jay Shuster:  Many Parts One Piece: Points of Light Pendant, Marc Kornbluh:  Deep Strike Silver Fume, Petra Pepper: Pepperinas Favorite Techniques and Some Significant Designs, and Heather Trimlett:  A Passion for Zanfirico
Instructors: Marcy Lamberson Leftovers to Lagniappe & Connections, Shelly Woollvin Abstract Landscapes, Sally Prasch Hollow Forms, Julie Lukosaitis Embellished Bubble Bead Necklace, Jeri Wiskus Seeing Double, Marcia Kmack The Vertebrae Bead, Guido Adam/ Adam Glass Art Light up your glass work with hollow beads, Stephanie Sersich A Beadmakers' Salon: Work Smarter, Not Harder & Spiny Knotted Bracelet, Carrie Ann Strope, Traveling Mosaic Installations &  Bronwen Heilman Marble Madness 
Exhibition participants. Guido Adam, Erin Ashley, Liz  Blood, Marcia Brown, Nirit Dekel, Kathryn Guler, Vicki Jones, Floor Kaspers, Marcia Kmack, Hillary Lawson, Jody Lee, Lidia Noemi Orandi de Godfrid, Petra Pepper, Frank  Scott, Stephanie Sersich, Aja Vaz, Stephanie White & Jeri Wiskus
Bead Bazaar participants Vicki Jones, Stephanie Sersich, Stephanie White, Shelly Woollvin, Sara Sally LaGrand, Marcia Kmack, Andrew Pollack, Petra Pepper, Marcy Lamberson, Marc Kornbluh, Laura Bowker, Laura Simone, Lara Lutrick, Kathryn Guler, Kit Paulson, Kimberly Fields, Jeri Wiskus, Floor Kaspers, Guido Adam, Elizabeth Morris, Bronwen Heilman, Elizabeth Blood, Chris Haussler, Carol Ann Savage, Aja Vaz, Beads of Courage, Midwest Lampworkers, Miami Valley Lampwork Bead Artists
Vendors Frantz Art Glass, ABR, Melody Spence and Lori Riley.
Hall of Flame Committee: Congratulations to the newest Hall of Flame inductee Jeri Warhaftig.
Sponsors support our Glass Workshops
Wale Apparatus, ABR Imagery, Double Helix, & Frantz Glass & Supply
Sponsors add fun goodies to your registration bags; Public Glass Works,  Flow/ Glass Art, Patty Lakinsmith, Soleil Beads, Foster Fire, Beadables, High Volume Oxygen & Double Helix Glass Works.
We also hire great help to manage the tasks that require professional expertise. 
Meetings Ala Carte  Kate Lichter, Betsy O'Neil & Sara Martinez Registration & all our onsite hotel logistics 
Carlisle Machine Works Don & Jess Set up the workshops on site and kept the torches running smoothly.
Av Team Matt Taliancich of Wav Productions
Auctioneer Shayne Fili
Marriot Hotel in downtown Capital district. Dedicated Hotel Team
The Hot Shops Gallery & Workshop Space Kim, Matt and all the artists who welcomed and supported the ISGB.
We rely on donations to help too!
Donors are truly special and make a world of difference, by hand creating many of the items and seeking out items they know will bring another artist joy. 
Live Auction Donors raised over $11,000
Silent Auction Donors  raised over $7000
THANK YOU! To all the donors and those who outbid their friends.
Guido Adam
Laurie Ament
Kris Ball
Elizabeth Blood
Laura Bowker
Maria Brown
Mary Brown-Martilik
Kendra Bruno
Alexx Cheng & Mike Frantz
Esther Clark
Barb Cohan-Saavedra
Shirley Cook
Karen Crown
Hava Edery
Martha Giberson
Cindy Gillick
Katheryn Guler
Jackie Gundelfinger
Julie & Jed Haney
Sam Hibler
Grace Hobbs
Paige Ilkhanipour
Jelveh Jaferian
Leslie KaplanFloor Kaspers
Sandy Kaunisto
Peggy Kervin
Jim Kervin
Karen King
Marcia Kmack
Marc Kornbluh
Cecilia Labora
Patty Lakinsmith
Marcy Lamberson
Hillary Lawson
Julie Luksoaitis
Bryna Lumb
Lara Lutrik
Nortel Manufacturing
Jackie Marr
Chris & Jennifer McElroy & Ouvrard
Cynthia Mcewen
Vicki Mikinski-Williams
Erin Morris
Susan Otto-Bain
Michelle Pearson
Petra Pepper
Diane Peterson
Andrew Pollack
Sally Prasch
Donna Prunkard
Susan Richards
Lori Riley
Diane M Rogers
Stephanie Sersich
Jay Shuster
Laura Simone
Carrie Strope
Linda Sweeny
Andrea Symons
ABR Ross Thackery
Heather Trimlett
Elena Tucker
Aja Vaz
Inge von Roos
Jeri Warhaftig
Wilma Watson
Stephanie White
Beth Williams
Linda Wilson
Jeri Wiskus
Shelly Woollvin
Ikuyo Yamanaka

Networking in person makes a difference! It is hard to deny that new opportunities were presented to many of our attendees and the ISGB! Networking in person sparks creativity and new ideas including support.
New Donors: Liz Blood will be helping to create a new scholarship program available for the next 10 years for emerging glass artists.   
What does the Future Bring?
As the Gathering high settles and we continue to review the finances, we are certain that the Gathering will need to change to be sustainable.  We estimated the budget going in, but had hoped for a bit higher attendance and return on all the hard work of the teams. We will share the financials when they are completed.
130 registered guests (including 30 first timers) enjoyed the most incredible intimate gathering, but sadly this is not enough to make it sustainable. 
The Board has decided to forgo an in person Gathering in 2024 and has a new task force, The GReAt team, that is working on future plans. The dedicated team is chaired by Bronwen Heilman and consists of Carol Ann Savage, Joan Keller, Diane Sepanski, Patty Lakinsmith and Karyn Sweezy.   They will be working to build a sustainable Gathering future that considers virtual and in-person options for the organization and the objective is to start our planning earlier for each event.   A year may sound like a lot, but the truth is that this is the bare minimum to keep ahead of every step.  
The next Gathering will be held virtual on June 7-9, 2023.
If you want to help, please consider a donation to the ISGB which kicked off with Giving Tuesday and goes through the end of the year.   
 

DONATE TODAY!

Omaha,  Who Knew?