A couple weeks ago, I titled a blog post "First Trip for the Month". I never wrote one for the second trip despite how very successful it was! Steve and I went to Ohio! We went for three important reasons! First, we delivered artwork to Chaos Contemporary, a downtown gallery in Columbus that now represents me! Yet, before going there, we dropped off the giant crate containing The Gown's Story at the SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) shipping center outside Dayton. Believe it or not, it was less expensive to drive it there than to ship via FedEx freight. (The Gown's Story is part of SAQA's AI:Artistic Interpretations global exhibition ). Finally ... our third reason to travel to Ohio was the opportunity to visit with our friends who took us to the Columbus zoo for the Lantern Festival. It was AMAZING to see so many LED interior lit, fabric-covered animal and plant sculptures scattered throughout several sections of this giant zoo. We arrived just before the 7:30 PM opening and had to leave three hours later when it closed. We also rode the restored carousel and touched manta rays. What a blast!
Now ... back to the SAQA shipping center! William Reker runs a tight ship (pun intended). He showed us all the space, time, and financial saving features used to ship out the organization's artwork. We even got to watch a small machine that instantly created bubble wrap from a specialized, layered film.
We admired the rolling containers that have been used for overseas opportunities.
For smaller art quilts, these flat files are used.
For larger art quilts, this unit can store them rolled around acid-free material or hung from a suspended system or grid.
On this pallet, the annual charity fund-raiser, 12" x 12" art quilts were stored ... but many have already been sold, including the one I donated. Unbelievably, it sold on "Diamond Day", the first day of the event when any one piece can be purchased for $1000. I'm totally over the moon that someone decided to assist SAQA by providing a permanent home for my miniature Found Object Mandala.
Nearby were the boxes in which the auction quilts will be shipped. Everything was ready for the bidding and the shipping! Everything about this shipping center made me proud to be part of SAQA.
So ... now I'm sort of caught up with my blogging (though somewhere I have photos from the zoo!) Today and tomorrow are busy ones! These days are earmarked for my "hunter-gatherer" and "load the van" tasks. Before dawn on Wednesday, Steve and I head to Montana where I'll be an artist-in-residence at Explore the Arts in Hamilton, MT. This trip is the third one this month! For me, retirement means many things ... among them TRAVEL! Next post, the adventure begins!
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