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Letter from the President

Meet Me in St. Louis

     St. Louis, akin to its moniker the "Gateway City," is truly a city of welcome-a city rich in its history of new beginnings as the entrance to the proverbial American frontier. In the early 1800s, it was inhabited by Indian mound builders, the Spanish, and the French (who named the town for their king), and was the last provisional stop for pioneers who ventured westward for land and gold. The steamboat's appearance in 1817 heralded an era that spawned an inspiring and lucrative river culture that continues to the present (think Twain's novels, Joplin's rags, blues, riverboat gambling, beer, baseball...and glass).
     For GAS in 2006,we have woven a conference that is sure to infuse you with the
flavor of this multifaceted city. We will begin each day at Third Degree Glass Factory, a local public access studio, for the demonstration portion of the conference, augmented by the Corning Museum of Glass Hot Glass Roadshow and Southern Illinois University's mobile unit, Aunt Gladys. All of the lectures will take place in the afternoons, downtown at our host hotel, the Millennium, which is within walking distance of the celebrated "Gateway Arch" and the banks of the Mississippi.
     "Meet in the Middle," our conference theme, not only refers to the geographic location of our site and the team nature of our endeavors, but refers to how this conference will
straddle the old and the new.  Lectures and demonstrations will be offered by established and emerging artists. Technical panels have been developed to challenge (or preserve) conventional approaches. Specific demonstrations will highlight the spirit of collaboration.  You can enjoy artists whose work crosses process boundaries, such as that of Carmen Lozar; or lend an eye and ear to those who supercede scale and presentation conventions, as do Dana Zamecnikova and Hank Murta Adams. And, acquaint yourself with Kenneth Leap, who brings a subjective "new light" to the seasoned oeuvre that is
stained glass.
     Join us in the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to distinguished kiln-caster Ann Robinson. And, come congratulate Penny Berk, GAS's former Executive Director, who will accept this year's Lifetime Membership Award.
     So, "Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis!" (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)  Let's come together under the metaphoric arch for what promises to be another great annual event!
 
Anna Boothe, GAS President

 

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