Quillarina

What happens when you get nearly a hundred paper twirling artists together in one place? This question was answered at the North American Quilling Guild Annual Guild Meeting (AGM 2008) held at the Radisson Hotel in Warwick, Rhode Island May 2^nd thru May 4^th, 2008.

First, all the artists are given the opportunity to learn. Twenty-five different classes were offered at this year’s AGM to help the quilling artist either learn new techniques or to further improve on their current skill set. Trust me – it was difficult to choose which five classes I wanted to participate in! But, there are time limits for everything and I could not imagine going through more than the five classes in one day. My mind was spinning with the amount of new techniques, tricks and tips that was given during these instruction periods.

Fellowship with other artists was plentiful during the mealtimes and evening quilling sessions. This was the time when all the artists shared personal tips and techniques, information about local groups and just got to spend time developing new friendships. I personally learned as much during these periods as I did in the classrooms. Plus, I had the opportunity to spark friendships with several other quilling artists.

The time to set personal goals and to truly admire the artistry involved in quilling started when the competition pieces were displayed. It is wonderful and inspiring to see the work performed by others. The competition pieces were as varied as the artists were, but each one showed a level of artistry that we should all strive to obtain.

Saturday afternoon many of the quilling artists set up displays of their work for public viewing. Again, just as with the competition pieces, the ingenuity and artistry of fellow quillers filled the room. Every table offered its own special inspiration for other artists and showed the public that quilling truly is a fine art – not a hand craft.

Sue Palmer, this years AGM hostess, and her group did a superb job of organizing the meet. Every aspect of the time seemed to flow without a hitch which just further increased the enjoyment of the AGM.