Summertime is heating up the northern hemisphere, while our Southern Hemisphere members are heading into Fall and soon, Winter. Thanks to social media and our twice-weekly Zoom calls, everyone gets to experience the changing seasons and the lives of our members around the globe. It's a wonderful perk of IPCA membership.
Another benefit is the Global Exhibition, organized by Kathryn Corbin and Ann Duncan-Hlavach. From the global map, to the 75+ members that submitted work, it was another way to realize how polymer brings us together. One of the artists participating in the Global Exhibit (and occasionally our Zoom events), is Darren Aiken from Pretoria, South Africa. Darren sculpts with polymer, making anything from unique chess sets, to statuettes of Freddy Mercury and Leonard Cohen. One his passions is helping the street kids in Pretoria, providing art lessons and materials to help the children cope with their struggles. He's currently looking for a group of IPCA members to help mentor these young artists, provide video lessons, and support to guide the students to careers in art, design, or animation. If you have experience teaching or mentoring children, and would like to help Darren with this program, please reach out to him via his website, https://www.thehoozoo.com, or via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. He's got a presence on Facebook, too, and participates in the IPCA Members Only group.
Please welcome our two new Board members, Helen Wyland-Malchow and Rosana Van Horn. Helen has taken on the role of Vice President of Membership Development and Rosana, the new role of Vice President of Global Outreach. Both women have years of experience as volunteers, educators, and as IPCA members. We are still seeking someone to fill the Secretary position and we are always recruiting members for committee roles. The current committee needs are as follows:
- Regional Representatives to report news from artists and guilds/groups for the IPCA newsletter; encourage participation in IPCA membership and programs.
- Event committee: 2022 Global Exhibition; IPCA in-person events
- Zoom: event facilitators, program leaders (demos, etc.)
- Calendar: adding guild events/meetings, classes, and other events to the IPCA calendar.
- Social Media: moderating Facebook groups; suggesting content for Instagram and Pinterest
- Technology: experienced video editor to help extract useful content from recorded Zoom events
Finally, please welcome 90 new and renewing members for 2021. Memberships fund our programs, like the Global Exhibit, our Zoom meetings, and deposits on venues for in-person events. THANK YOU!
Have a safe summer/winter season!
Barbara Forbes-Lyons
IPCA President
