2013-2014 print-competition

[Kai Vanuffelen]

I like to purchase two prints for the print-competition, but apparently need to contact PPFA by phone as I am unofficially outside a chapter. Officially I am inside the Australia / New Zealand chapter, but I do not think any are stocked in Australia or will be.

How do I go about ordering the prints? Why do the prints need to be ordered by chapter instead of simply clicking a few buttons and buy them from the head-office in Jackson regardless of where one lives?

 

[Mike Labbe]

I believe those are usually sent to chapters, with one shipment. Then the chapter sells them to the members. For those in the mailbox chapter, they can be ordered directly.

Having it online would be convenient, but it could be confusing with customs and various freight fees per country. This requires manual calculation and special paperwork has to be completed to ship internationally. The local chapter members may also try to order it directly instead of through the proper channels. (in error/confusion)

The best solution, IMO, is to email Nick Shaver nshaver@pmai.org to find out the best way to proceed.

Mike

PS: For anyone finding this thread, who wants to learn about the piece and/or get one from their chapter:

The 2013-2014 official PRINT is a needlework creation by textile artist Nhia Lo. With this Hmong PaNdau needlework, each piece is an exquisite, original hand-made creation. On a background fabric approximately 6 ½” square, the image is 4” x 4”. The hand-made appliqué and reverse-appliqué quilt block features hand-dyed Batik fabric over magenta or rose-colored accent fabric on a tan background. There are tiny, hand-embroidered stitches, and all fabrics are 100% cotton. The design is a traditional Hmong design, but this particular color combination will be exclusive to PPFA.BACKGROUND — HMONG: The Hmong are an Asian ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. In 1975 tens of thousands fled to Thailand from Laos seeking political asylum. Thousands of these refugees have resettled in Western countries since the late 1970s, mostly the United States, but also in Australia, France, Canada, South America and in smaller numbers elsewhere around the world. Many Hmong refugees resettled in the United States after the Vietnam War.Hmong groups are often named after the dominant colors, patterns of their traditional clothing, head-dress, and the provinces from which they came. Flower Hmong or the Variegated Hmong (Hmong Lenh or Hmong Hoa) are so named because of the bright colorful embroidery (called pa ndau, literally “flower cloth”).

BACKGROUND – PA NDAU: When the Hmong first arrived in the United States in the late 1970s, some of the families were initially resettled in Pennsylvania. While residing there, Hmong women learned appliqué techniques from the Amish community. Hmong embroidery and appliqué / pa ndau feature various traditional motifs chosen for their meaning, and the blocks are known as story cloths.

Traditionally, Hmong embroidery includes bright colors and is used as a form of decoration on clothing to make it bright and beautiful. From a young age, Hmong girls learn how to sew and copy motifs from their mothers and grandmothers.

Hmong women adapted traditional motifs and developed new styles and crafts for commercial purposes, especially targeted to tourists and the Western market. From traditional textile decorations on clothes, they developed tapestry or story cloths. These tapestries first appeared in the 1980’s when the Hmong people lived in refugee camps. Since there was little opportunity to make money, the women used their embroidery skills to earn income to support their families.

The traditional story cloth squares were adapted to larger sizes, and these oversize squares were transformed into table cloths, pillows, and wall decorations. They also inspired household and accessory items, and blocks are now often sold at local art festivals and craft shows.

BACKGROUND – ARTIST: Textile artist Nhia Lo was born in Naam Lao, Laos. She came to the United States in 1975 and currently resides in Morganton, NC, just on the outskirts of Asheville in the mountains of the western part of the state.

Nhia can usually be found manning her booth at many, various quilt shows around the country, including the annual Quilt Odyssey in Hershey, Pennsylvania, where PPFA members first spotted Nhia and her work. The tables in her booth are piled with hundreds of her gorgeous creations, and she always has a needle in her hand, working on another block. Many blocks are sold individually, while others are sewn into bags / totes, clothing, or other finished items. Always friendly, Nhia eagerly shares her passion for her craft with anyone admiring her artistry.

HANDLING CHALLENGE: This fabric needleart will test the competitor’s knowledge of proper textile handling and mounting techniques. Should it be laced and over-matted? Floated? Presented straight or “on-point” in quilter’s style? Competitors are urged to consult the publication “PPFA Guidelines for Framing Textiles and Needlework” for information on the appropriate handling of this piece. The book is available from the PPFA bookstore and provides valuable information on preservation materials and mounting methods for all types of textiles.

The PPFA Guide to Framing Competitions requires each piece of artwork in any competition to be handled with the utmost care and be treated as if it were priceless and irreplaceable. With that in mind, an important consideration in any competition is assessing the competitor’s knowledge of preservation standards, including the use of appropriate materials and techniques.

Framed art, including textiles, cannot be protected forever, regardless of what materials or care has been used. Employing proper materials and procedures, however, can help prolong the life of the work and enhance the enjoyment of it. Steps must be taken to protect the piece from contaminants in the environment and in the framing package. Paramount in preservation framing is the assurance that methods used are totally reversible so the work is maintained in its original condition and can be removed from the frame at any time.

With any competition, it is the competing framer’s responsibility to do the research on the media being framed to determine the appropriate methods and materials to be used. There is much to be considered, including: matboard composition (100% cotton or virgin alpha-cellulose? buffered or unbuffered? thickness and adequare layering?), spacing for air circulation, glazing properties for UV filtration, sealing of frame rabbet (when is it required? when is it optional?)

Framing competitions are about more than choosing the prettiest frame design. The competitor must create a frame design wherein the ideal package will include all materials and techniques appropriate for the standards of preservation.

 

[Ormond Williams MCPF]

Kai,
I thought I read somewhere that you had participated before and bought two prints. I would have expected that you would already know how to buy them as a result of your previous experience?


Australia/NZ chapter works differently to US chapters. We do not have Chapter competitions so the only way is to enter the Mailbox competition. Buying direct is the only way to obtain the print.

This system is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future due the the size of our chapter and the members being spread in about the same land area as USA.

 

[Kai Vanuffelen]

Hello Ormond,
Good to see your new photo. You have not changed much since I saw you last in Sydney in 2007.
Yes, it is true, that last year I bought two prints. The one I sent to Jackson is hanging in my shop without being damaged during transit, but without a ribbon, as for some reason that was not included in the pack.
I would have hoped, that in the meantime the means of purchasing the prints for competition would have been made easier.

For example, it must be possible to list the prints in the PPFA store for those interested to click a few buttons in the same way as they buy a book.
Is the competition-print only available to members of the PPFA, or to anyone? If it is only available as a member, then an extra button can be added. Similat to when someone likes to buy a CPF or MCPF badge.

Currently Australia has a healthy 121 members belonging to PPFA. Of those, 5 are listed as being an MCPF and a further 11 are MCPF.
New Zealand has 2 members with one being a CPF.
How does the number 123 members compare to other chapters?

 

[Ormond Williams MCPF]

Kai,
There are always things that can be made easier and everyone has their own opinions about making things easier. I'm not so sure that it's too difficult the way it is.

I doubt whether the AU/NZ numbers are up to date or accurate, wherever you obatined that information. However, as I am no longer chapter leader I don't have access to official data. I would estimate that the numbers are actually higher than that, but I do not know for sure and it's not something I'm too concerned about.

 

[Randy Parrish CPF]

We received ours today and let me tell you, some have a little more fabric around the image to work with, and some are "square-er" than others. Get them earlier so you can pick a good one.