Mohamad Hafez in his studio with two of his suitcase framed miniature vignettes. Photo by Cole Wilson.

Show Committee work goes on for more than a year to bring you each and every Guild Show.  So, it is quite a relief when the countdown gets to single digits and we can say… 2018 Guild Show events commence in 6 days, Wednesday, September 19 with pre-show classes. There are 19 classes on the schedule and even at this late date, it is still possible to sign up for some of them. You may also still sign up for the two tours being offered that Wednesday, the historic homes tour visiting Naumkeag and the Norman Rockwell Museum, and the Miniatures Tour, which will be taking in a local miniatures collection.

A vignette by Mohamad Hafez showing a slice of Syrian life.

Friday night, September 21 the weekend’s events kick off with the Gathering of the Guild: Desserts and Demonstrations event featuring a wide variety of demonstrations by some of the talented artist/dealers you will see in the salesroom later. A bountiful display of desserts, as well as other more health conscious options, will be there for your enjoyment, along with demonstrations on painting techniques, the application of hinges, stitching how-to’s and the making of miniature tassels, to list just a few. You will also have your first chance to take a close-up look at the pieces submitted to the ‘Visions of Miniature Grandeur’ Showcase, and plenty of time to catch up with friends.

Jeanie Anderson will be a dealer at the Guild Show for the first time this year and will be teaching these super cute Halloween treats.

Saturday, September 22, the salesroom opens at 9 a.m. for IGMA members only, and at 10 a.m. for the general public. If you want to be one of the first to shop and aren’t yet a member, that is easily remedied! Silent auctions will offer additional shopping possibilities outside the salesroom, and a room full of exhibits nearby offers a quiet respite for anyone needing to take a break and be inspired.

When the salesroom closes on Saturday, more fun ensues with a Live Auction and the evening’s buffet dinner and special program, featuring artist and architect Mohamad Hafez, who will be sharing his miniature work with us.

Sunday, September 23 provides one more day to find those special miniatures, either in the salesroom or on the silent auction tables outside. The youngest miniaturists are invited to take part in some free crafting projects midday, and the Small Beginnings table will again be available with treasures priced for their smaller budgets. At 3:30 p.m. though, the carriage turns back into a pumpkin and the magic disappears for another year.

See you there!

A quizzical Sherlock Holmes, a porcelain doll created by IGMA Fellow member Shirley Whitworth, who is now retired.

One of the Guild’s most dependable fundraisers is an auction and we have been holding auctions at our annual show for many years to raise the funds necessary to keep the Guild’s educational and community outreach programs functioning. Auction proceeds help to underwrite all Guild efforts, from the Independent Study Award, that grants Fellow members a small stipend to more deeply investigate an aspect of their art, to covering any shortfalls that a Study Program might encounter when participation doesn’t reach anticipated levels. Auction proceeds also allow the Guild to continue to offer miniatures to the next generation of miniaturists at child friendly prices at the show’s Small Beginnings table and to allow all attendees exposure to inspirational miniatures at Guild Show exhibits.

Hall stand by Judy Beals.

Auction items are donated by IGMA members of all levels and cover the spectrum from small accessories to porcelain dolls and even structures! Donations may be items created by those members or purchased by them; they may be items they no longer have a place for, and occasionally, they are bequests.

At this year’s show, the Guild will be hosting two different types of auctions: Silent Auctions will run during show hours and the Live Auction will take place at close of sales on Saturday, September 22 in the hotel Atrium. Donations are still arriving and we are grateful for each and every one.

1/12 scale cradle decorated by IGMA Fellow member Mary Grady O’Brien.

Fan by Marge Adams.

Guild Show class brochure, illustrating each class and show offering at the 2018 Guild Show in Hartford, CT, this September.

The Guild Show is being held September 19-21, 2018, at the Hartford/Windsor Marriott Hotel again this year. The hotel is conveniently located near major highways for those who will be driving, a short and free shuttle ride from the airport, and reasonably close to train and bus transportation as well. The show rate also includes free breakfast for two!

Beth Freeman-Kane, such an artist in depicting nature in miniature, will help you to create this colorful vignette of a hummingbird amongst the flowers.

Fully illustrated brochures describing all class and tour offerings made their debut at the Chicago International Show last week. If you’re not on the IGMA or show mailing list, you can request one from the show director or check out the Show pages on the Guild’s website.

This will be Jeannie Anderson’s (Maya Miniatures) first time at the Guild Show and she’ll be teaching her students how to create these super cute Halloween treats!

Jessica Weisel’s charming toy bunny toys. Weazilla and all her toys and curiosities will be at table 81.

The International Guild of Miniature Artisans has been in existence for more than 35 years, and there has been a Guild Show in every one of those years, after all, putting on a quality show and sale was one of the fundamental reasons for creating the Guild. This year’s Guild Show is now just around the corner and there are many reasons to celebrate and join in the festivities!

This year, 2017, marks the Guild Show’s premier at the lovely Hartford/Windsor Marriott hotel, in Hartford, Connecticut. Classes will be taking place Tuesday through Friday, September 19-22, and while registration has been very strong, there are still a few spots available and some really neat projects on the schedule. We have been very fortunate that some premier teachers were willing to stop over in Hartford on their way home from the Miniature Masterworks show and to teach and take a table at the Guild Show. Check out the list of classes on the Guild website, but pay particular attention to the cut-off dates if you find yourself interested in signing up!

Mzia always has at least a few pieces on her table that look straight out of a French chateau. Small Creations by Mzia will be at table 82.

Other festivities are on the agenda, including the delicious and edifying Desserts and Demonstrations event that will take place Friday evening. Join your mini friends and make some new ones while you watch artist demonstrations and enjoy desserts and crudités. Saturday evening there will be a rollicking good time at the Live Auction with our masterful auctioneer Duffy Wineman, followed by a buffet dinner and presentation by Kaye Browning, as she shares her path into miniatures collecting.

It will be a fabulous weekend and I hope you will be able to join us for all, or any part of it!

A toddler in a pink one-piece by Two’s Company Miniatures. Find Jennifer and Elizabeth Ellis at table 38.

Jeanne Rullie will be teaching the sculpting of Geppetto in a four day class at the 2017 Guild Show.

If a solid week of classes in Castine doesn’t fit your schedule or your budget, perhaps a class at the Guild Show this September will prove to be just the ticket. Ranging in length from a few hours to a few days, the classes at the 2017 Guild Show offer instruction in a wide range of media, including sculpting, woodworking, textiles and room settings among others, and in scales from 1/12th down to 1/144th scale.

Detailed information on classes and registration is currently posted on the IGMA website. Printed brochures containing information on all Guild Show events will be mailed to Guild members

Michael Yurkovic will be teaching the construction of this fanciful horse and carriage vignette in a 3 day class at the 2017 Guild Show.

in the coming weeks and will be available to everyone at upcoming shows beginning with the Chicago International in April. But, in this case, registration is first come first served, so if it sounds like something you’d be interested in, check it out before classes start to fill!

BethFreeman-Kane will be teaching this small cardinal vignette in a one day class at the 2017 Guild Show.

IGMA’s general Instagram page.

How do you find out what’s going on in your world? The time has long since passed when you waited for a notice to show up in your mailbox, or in the newspaper, almost everything is available on line now, including newspapers! The Guild, staying abreast of this shift, has begun sending out regular newsletters to keep members apprised of the events on the IGMA calendar, and you can always find the whole story on Guild events at their website.

The Guild has not given up any of its print programs, but they have begun, this year, to ask the membership if they wish to switch over to digital instead of receiving the print mailings. The switch is an economical, and a green (environmentally conscious) alternative and it is hoped that many will take advantage of.

IGMA’s Fine Miniatures Forum

Digitally, the Guild has many avenues of outreach to its membership, and to the world at large. Most people are probably aware of the Guild’s Facebook presence. The first IGMA Facebook page, where miniaturists from around the world have been sharing their work and events for many years now, was recently retitled IGMA: Miniature Community, to make room, and to differentiate it from the official page titled simply, International Guild of Miniature Artisans. On this official page you will find information on current Guild events, along with features on Guild members and other items of interest to miniaturists.

There are three Guild affiliated Instagram accounts where you may go to enjoy photos of miniatures and the programs built around making, sharing and selling them. Go to Instagram and search for guildshow, guild_of_miniature_artisans and igmaguildschool. Instagram is a great place for photos and videos that will link to websites and tutorials where you can find much more inspiration.

Have a question? The IGMA Fine Miniatures Forum,  reached via the link at the top of the IGMA website, is the place for answers. You may find an answer already posted, or submit yours on the appropriate page and the site’s many visitors will turn their attentions to helping you out. It’s also another great place to see inspirational work, find sources for materials, and share tips and tricks.

Decorating a teeny gingerbread house in Teresa Layman’s class on Thursday.

A wonderful schedule of classes and special events were available in the days leading up to the show, and Friday night’s Gathering of the Guild–otherwise known as Desserts and Demonstrations, launched the show weekend itself. If you still haven’t had the chance to experience a Guild Show weekend, Desserts and Demonstrations is a delicious bounty for body and soul, the desserts and other snacks spread over several tables on one side of the Grand Concourse, and across from that, tables are set out for demonstrations and otherwise informative discussions. You can sit and enjoy conversation and desserts with friends old and new, while at the same time pick up a new tip or two on using materials or techniques you may already be familiar with, or you may even learn something entirely new.

Sparkling crystals dripping from a Frank Crescente chandelier.

On Saturday morning the Aladdin’s cave of miniature bounty was revealed when the salesroom doors opened and shoppers poured through looking for favorite artists and  new treasures. Live and silent auctions increased the shopping opportunities with many one-of-a-kind pieces, all donated to support the Guild’s many educational programs.

A tv repair shop from Wright Guide Miniatures.

Continue to visit the Guild Show on Instagram where you will see continued postings of photos from this year’s show as well as updates about the 2017 show.

What is Instagram? Instagram is an online mobile photo and video sharing, and social networking site. It can be accessed by anyone with a computer at www.instagram.com, but you can only post from a mobile device with internet capabilities, I post from my iPad.

The Guild Show page on Instagram.

When you go to the Instagram site, you can search in two ways, for a particular account (a person or group that is posting in that account), or for a category of photos and videos. Type into the search bar what you are interested in, using a name or keyword and a list will come up; if there is a ‘hashtag‘, that’s what this symbol ‘#’ is referred to, that means that entry on the list is a category of photos, if there is no hashtag, or if there is a photo in front of the entry, that is an account name. If you click on an account name, (one without a hashtag), you will go to that account and see photos that that person or group has posted. If you click on the entry with the hashtag, that is an archive of photos that people have thought that category applies to.

In order to get them seen by the largest number of viewers, photos are usually given many hashtags. For example, someone might post a photo of a miniature table, that photo can be placed in the category ‘miniatures’, but it could just as well be posted under #miniature, #dollhouseminiature, #tiny, #miniaturefurniture, #woodenminiature, #handcarved, and so on. The person posting content must try to think of possible search terms that could be used to describe his photo and enter them as hashtags on his or her posting. And you, as a viewer, can also use many different keywords to find images you might be interested in. Only the account names are proprietary, by which I mean, if you search IGMA you will see that #igma comes up as a category list of photos with over 5,000 posts, but if you click on it, you will see a lot of photos that have nothing to do with the IGMA we know and love! Evidently, many people have a different idea as to what those four letters mean.

For now, searching Guild of Miniature Artisans, IGMA Guild School and Guild Show, will get you to accounts that are purely Guild related photos — that’s if you click on the account listings, not the hashtag listings. If you click on #guildshow, #guildofminiatureartisans, or #igmaguildschool, you will find many show, fine miniatures, and school photos, but also occasional photos posted there that have nothing to do with ‘our’ IGMA because hashtags are just categories and anyone can put any hashtag they want on their photos.

So, ready to leap into the world of Instagram? Have fun exploring the photos already posted, or establish your own account and start posting your own photos. If you have school or show photos you’d like to add to those already posted, just add the appropriate hashtag (#) to your photos and they will come up whenever anyone searches that category.

This furred 1/12 scale English Springer Spaniel has been donated to the live auction by his maker, Artisan member Julie Parrott.

We all expect to enjoy the shopping when a show boasts a great list of dealers. What the shoppers don’t often get to enjoy, though, is a wide range of other shopping opportunities, like those available at the annual Guild Show being held this coming August 6 and 7 at the Glenpointe Marriott in Teaneck, New Jersey.

At the GuildShow, not only is there an excellent list of dealers expected but, also in the salesroom, the Gallery of the Guild will be representing a further 10-20 Artisan and Fellow member craftspeople. Outside the salesroom, there will be silent auctions running during show hours Saturday and Sunday, and at the close of the show on Saturday, the Guild’s Annual Live Auction will take place and will feature many special and one-of-a-kind pieces from IGMA Artisan and Fellow members past and present.

A set of chairs and a drop-leaf table donated for the Guild Show auctions.

While prices can occasionally fly in the live auction, bargains abound in the silent auctions. You will often find the perfect component for the room box you are currently working on, or inspiration for the next!

The Guild always welcomes donations from its members and other supporters. It is only through generous donations that the Guild continues to be able to fund the many educational programs and other benefits it offers to its members and the miniature loving general public. Visit the Guild website for more information on the show and all of the exciting events taking place there.

On Thursday, August 4, Teresa Layman will be teaching the construction of a charming miniature gingerbread house.

The Glenpointe Marriott in Teaneck, New Jersey will be the host location once again for the annual IGMA Show August 3-7. There will be 64 dealers present with the Gallery of the Guild tables representing many more Artisan and Fellow members who could not attend in person. Before the sales room opens, there will be a wide range of educational opportunities, including a Guild Study Program which features projects based on pieces in the Brooklyn Museum collections, taught by expert IGMA instructors. Here is your chance to combine a little learning with some superior shopping for a well rounded miniatures experience. Add a little exploration of the big city, New York, nearby and it sounds like a winning vacation destination!

Keep checking the IGMA website, along with Instragram #IGMAguildshow, for more information on the coming events!

Ron Stetkewicz will be teaching his students how to finish and mount brass sea life sculptures on driftwood for the perfect accent piece for your miniature displays.

If you missed out on this class at Guild School this year, here’s your chance. Deb Mackie will be teaching it again on Friday, August 5 at the Guild Show!