professional groups–SAQA
Friday, February 26th, 2010Many people find it helpful at a certain stage of their career to join a professional organization to assist in their development as working artists. There are several that are geared towards art quilters, or fiber artists, or whatever you want to call yourself (there is a lot of debate even about what we “are” as artists). Other organizations are more oriented to traditional quilters.
These professional groups are different from guilds. A guild is a local group of quilters (usually traditional quilters, but that seems to be changing) that holds regular meetings, brings in speakers or workshop teachers, and generally the members support and teach each other. A guild is great for learning new skills and developing a network of people nearby who share your interest. But a professional group is different.
One such organization is Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) a group of over 2400 international members including artists, teachers, collectors, gallery owners, museum curators and corporate sponsors. Although the mission is to gain acceptance for art quilts in the broader art world, the benefits to members can be more personal.
I have been a member of SAQA since 2004, and one of the co-reps of the NY region (along with Jane Davila, author of “Art Quilt Workbook” and “Art Quilts at Play”) since 2007. Artist members fall into two categories: Active and Professional (PAM)–PAMs must be juried in for the PAM designation, but anyone interested in being a member can join as an Active. PAMs have the added benefit of a presence on the SAQA site, and inclusion in the “Portfolio” which is produced yearly and sent to galleries and collectors.
There are probably as many reasons to join a group like SAQA as there are members, so I can only speak for what it does for me. When I was just getting started as an art quilter I found it invaluable as a way to get the “lay of the land”. I had no idea what exhibitions there were to enter, who else was doing what I was attempting to do, what other resources there were out there. One of the most valuable tools for me are the posts to the Yahoo chat group, which I read every day. In the beginning, just drinking in the different topics and absorbing the information provided was a big help to me. Announcements about who got into what show and who didn’t gave me a list of shows worth entering; other information I found valuable dealt with everything from professional development (like marketing, etc) to technique.
For the most part, being a member of SAQA has given me access to many extraordinary artists who have been generous of their time and willingness to share information. Perhaps if I had emailed some of these people cold they would have been just as giving. But the common thread of being members of SAQA gives me the confidence to contact someone else in the “group.” I have developed “friendships” with many other SAQAs around the world with whom I communicate regularly, but some of whom I have never met. Volunteering for different committees within the organization has also allowed me the opportunity to get to know other artists whose work I admire and respect.
SAQA also has its own exhibitions, some that appear in the quilt venues in Houston, Chicago and Long Beach; others that travel extensively. This added exposure and opportunity to show work is great in building both confidence and a professional resume.
Not everyone will benefit from membership in a professional organization–if you are doing what you do strictly for yourself, then you probably don’t need it. If you want to be more serious about your art; show and sell your work, teach or publish, you may find it useful.
You can check out the SAQA site at
If you live in the NYC area, I will be having SAQAs at my house in March for what Jane and I call “parlor meetings” just to meet and talk and share our work. If you would like to join us and see what SAQA is all about, email me at Leni@leniwiener.com for more information. If you would like a brochure with information about SAQA membership, email me your address and I will mail it to you.
Pictures coming (I hate blog posts without pictures!) as I am working on a new piece but it isn’t far enough along to share it yet.
