Open Weekend! Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd December 10am to 3pm
We are thrilled to invite everyone to come and have a look at our wonderful new workspace, "The Studio", on the first weekend of December! If you want to bring some work along and try it out, please do so. We will be there between 10am and 3pm both days and are dying to meet up with you all once more. Come and have a play, a chat, and a sharing of ideas for the future use of this fantastic space. We are so glad to finally have everything set up and all in one place. There has been a lot of work going on behind the scenes, and still some work on the outside of the building, but we are in and up and running!
39C Tanner Street, still a bit of a building site on the outside, but well on the way.
Facing this way the Mama D cafe is on your right.
See you all there, bring your answered surveys with you, or fill in one when you visit.
Who Are We? Something about your Committee Members
Arthur Harrison’s Viking and blacksmithing
heritage, and New Zealand’s Maori culture, magnificent landscape, flora and
fauna all provide inspiration for his jewellery. While he has done wood and bone carving for
many years it wasn’t until about 2002 that he started silversmithing at a
beginners’ class with the Canterbury Silversmiths’ Guild, and has taken part in
advanced classes and workshops ever since. He enjoys all aspects of working
with precious metal and semi precious stones and will use all manner of natural
materials either as models, or to incorporate into his designs. He has served
on the Guild committee for a number of years, with several terms as Chair, and
has exhibited in Christchurch and Te Anau. He has run many Workshops, and since
retirement he has enjoyed helping tutor classes, maintaining Guild gear, and
keeping things ticking along after Canterbury’s earthquakes. His most recent
major project, the preparation and fitting out of the new Studio, has kept him
busy for many hours a day over the last few weeks! Arthur is hoping that all members will take
advantage of our fabulous new facility at The Tannery, and that it will
encourage former members to rejoin our Silversmithing Family.
He has been married to Tui for 47 years, and
they have two sons and a daughter and four grandchildren. Most of his working life was spent in the
farming industry, eventually managing various properties for Lands and
Survey/Landcorp in Te Anau. Since 1996
he has been involved in Landscaping around Christchurch. He has been a hunter,
tramper and fisherman most of his life, and has spent a lot of time exploring
Fiordland and other wilderness areas. Gardening is another of his pleasures,
and he uses reading and photography to fill in any vacant moments in his spare
time!
Noeline Walker - Classes Organizer
I did my Levels one and two classes in 1989 and joined the Guild in 1990. Avidly joined in the various activities and workshops before joining the committee – I am not usually a committee person but I do enjoy that role with the Silversmiths Guild. I
have held various roles on the committee – Membership Secretary, Treasurer and Exhibition Coordinator and was a member of the Connexion co-operative from 1997 to 2000.
I have always had a creative bent, almost a 'jack of all trades and master of none' until I discovered jewellery. It becomes quite addictive! I think my designs are fairly simple - I like working with texture adding a touch of gold using the Keum Boo technique. Currently I am adding slate recovered from the Christchurch Cathedral when the roof was replaced in 2006.
Diederic Ruarus - Treasurer
I offered to take on being treasurer of the Guild because I had the time and had ended being the treasurer of the Anthroposophical Society in New Zealand. I didn't think it would be too difficult and time consuming. However, at times it certainly took longer than anticipated. The challenge too of finding ways to meet the costs of the Guild, especially now were the Guild has moved to new premises. Involving more members in the use of the workspace and how to finance that is an interesting question.
I'm looking forward to finding acceptable (and viable) ways of doing that.
Solvejg Ruarus - Tutor
Diederic and I settled in NZ 23 years ago.We were both teachers at the Rudolf Steiner School in Opawa.I have always been exploring art and crafts During the last years of my teaching I went to evening-classes at the SSG and enjoyed it very muchlearning so much from a number of tutors.Since my retirement I also took up sculpting,mainly in Mt Sommers stone and soapstone.And I went to dayclasses jewelry-making at Hagley.My inspiration mostly comes from nature,organic forms and different materials.I became a committee member last yearand a tutor for level 1.I enjoy immensly to see what new students bring in designs and find it a great challenge to help them along,exploring possibilities.I hope that I will meet many members at the Studio in the coming year,working together in our fabulous workspace,
Solvejg Ruarus
John Weeber, Karen Atherton, Crystal Mathieson, and Jo Crompton will feature next time.
Send me a few words about yourself and your interest in silversmithing, with a photo and I will do a members' introduction too. Don't be shy!!! I have a couple already so you won't be first:)
Solvejg Ruarus - Tutor
Diederic and I settled in NZ 23 years ago.We were both teachers at the Rudolf Steiner School in Opawa.I have always been exploring art and crafts During the last years of my teaching I went to evening-classes at the SSG and enjoyed it very muchlearning so much from a number of tutors.Since my retirement I also took up sculpting,mainly in Mt Sommers stone and soapstone.And I went to dayclasses jewelry-making at Hagley.My inspiration mostly comes from nature,organic forms and different materials.I became a committee member last yearand a tutor for level 1.I enjoy immensly to see what new students bring in designs and find it a great challenge to help them along,exploring possibilities.I hope that I will meet many members at the Studio in the coming year,working together in our fabulous workspace,
Solvejg Ruarus
John Weeber, Karen Atherton, Crystal Mathieson, and Jo Crompton will feature next time.
Send me a few words about yourself and your interest in silversmithing, with a photo and I will do a members' introduction too. Don't be shy!!! I have a couple already so you won't be first:)
Minutes SSG Meeting November 5, 2012, 7:05 p.m
Present: Arthur Harrison, Diederic Ruarus,
Solvejg Ruarus, Crystal Mathiesen, Karen Atherton, Jo Crompton, Noeline
Walker.
Apologies: John Weeber
Minutes of October meeting accepted as being read. Arthur proposed, Noeline
seconded, passed.
Correspondence: Katrina Brehault gave us a
list of old members from 2005 to 2009 that we can contact to give news about
our new studio. Noeline will look them
over and add to her growing list of contacts.
We need to write a press release announcing
our new premises and send it to the Big Idea and the Silversmiths news
group. Karen will write a draft press
release for approval. Solvejg will talk
to A. Casssells about using their press contacts.
Crystal knows Ian Shackley, a gem seller
and can ask him to come sell to us.
Solvejg will ask the gem seller who comes to Hagley to do the same at
our studio.
Treasurer’s Report: Arthur moved to
accept Diederic’s monthly report, Crystal seconded. Accepted.
We have a profit of $6,000. We
still have $6,300 of the Creative NZ money left but there are also outstanding
invoices that haven’t been accounted for.
Arthur proposed another meeting later to determine how to spend the
extra cash.
Diederic proposed raising the subscription
from $65 to $75 but we need more discussion.
Survey: Noeline’s draft membership survey will attempt
to gather information about how the members would like to use the new
studio. She will add a section stating
our “user pays” policy.
Diederic handed out a document that
explained our need to pay $50 per day to use the studio. He proposed charging a cash rate of $5 for
half a day’s studio use and $10 for a whole day’s use. Crystal seconded. We agreed to sell clip cards with ten days
(20 half days) studio time for $80. We
will try this for 6 months. Crystal and
Jo will make mock-up cards for approval.
Jo
will send the updated survey to members by by November 30.
Security: Diederic talked to FBI Security who suggested
a touchpad and sensor with noise deterrent.
They also suggested that the door be barred from the inside rather than
the outside, and that we should get a safe that can be bolted to the
floor. Arthur will chase up window bars
and fittings.
Jo questioned the noise deterrent as
possibly annoying to the people living nearby.
Diederic will talk to the Tannery complex people about maybe
incorporating our security plans into theirs and possibly alerting their night
guard if there is a breakin.
Karen suggested that we might not want to
put Silversmiths Guild on the door but maybe use our logo and SSG to avoid
advertising what we have inside.
Bins:
Discussion about what to do with rubbish
from the loo – whether to remove it and take it home to the red bin or hire a
company. Diederic will price removal
services. We were told that if we do
make a contract with a company we should make it a short one because we might
be able to share with whatever service the Tannery uses. Grant McIvor will find out how the regular
rubbish removal system will work out and get back to Diederic.
Classes:
Noeline said we have one booking already for
next term. She is completing the
brochure for the summer. We decided on
four terms of ten, ten, ten and eight weeks each. Diederic proposed raising the fees to $250
from $240. Crystal seconded. Passed.
We will offer morning classes one day a week, probably Thursday, and ask
for a show of interest, especially targeting Steiner School mums. We will offer class gift vouchers for
Christmas presents. Jo will rearrange
the brochure design to include a photo of the new studio. We will include the
bus info (bus line #23).
Arthur will give a safety talk to students
at the first classes.
Exhibition: Jo and Noeline
reported that The Columbo is not suitable for an exhibition. Solvejg will contact the Cassells/Cummings
gallery planned for the Tannery to explore exhibition options. We will continue to discuss the Buddhist
Temple as an option for Christmas 2013.
Noeline thinks it might be possible to apply for a grant to cover the
cost of an opening night party.
The Studio: Arthur suggested calling the new premises
“The Studio”. Karen seconded. Unanimously agreed. We need new studio rules. Solvejg has drafted a discussion document and
all tutors will meet to add things like how to work the heat pump to it. We agreed to allow no children in the studio
because it is an inherently dangerous place.
We need an OSH plan and a board stating the chemical and physical
hazards on site. The studio is still a
construction site. We, as members of the
Guild, are not affected but we need to advise students of safety rules and post
appropriate signage. We need a sign-in
record book and a sign-in board and posted roster.
Keys:
Karen asked about who should have keys to the studio and there was
general agreement that all committee members should hold keys.
Display cases: We need to decide what to do about plinths
for the display cases. Solvejg
suggested that we should still consider a higher quality plinth design while
Noeline argued that the cost should not approach the cost of the display cases
themselves as the current desk maker’s quote does. Arthur will ask for another
quote from the desk makers.
Opening Party: We will have a party for members and guests
to come see and celebrate the opening of the new studio. Dates decided are November 24/25 (Note: as of
typing of these minutes the dates have changed to December 1 and 2). We will have display cases up on a trestle
table, snacks and drinks and invite members to come and work on projects while
the studio is open from 10 to 3. The
invitation will go out in the next newsletter.
A hard copy will be sent as well.
Mailing grant from NZ Post: We had a grant for free postage in the past. We need to check on asking for that again.
Meeting closed 9 p.m.
