by Kerrie Venner Vice President for Education and Outreach I'm very excited to be involved in our fourth Progress & Possibilities Juried Exhibition. This will be the first competition since the NPCG became the IPCA and celebrated our international members! For newcomers to polymer clay or the IPCA, here's some background: Artists submit work as digital images to be judged by an appointed panel including polymer clay artists and fine-craft professionals.  We have an outstanding gallery of 2008 finalists and winners on the website, plus a truly gorgeous retrospective catalogue available for purchase Finalists and winners for 2010 will be announced at the end of May. For the first time in P&P history,  we're asking you to decide if you are a beginner, intermediate, or professional and enter accordingly.  The categories will remain as in previous years--Art Jewelry, Figurative Sculpture, and Non-figurative Sculpture, with three finalists in each level . (Non-figurative Sculpture includes functional objects and items that don't fit the other two categories.) Now don't stop reading at this point.  Stay with me!  Because this year I want YOU to consider entering. Do you recognise yourself here? The Timid Newbie: "I'm too new, and my work is way too simple." The Perfectionist: "I don't think my work is ready for public view, and it needs to be redone about a gazillion times before it will be good enough." The Fatalist: "What's the point when I'd be up against famous names whose work is gorgeous, brilliant and so out of my league?" The Previously Disappointed: "I entered but got nowhere and I don't know why, so I'm not putting myself through that again." Many of us can identify with one or more of these categories, so this is why we've introduced different levels of entry.Three finalists from each level and category will be selected, as well as the judges' choice of Best in Show.  In addition, we'll inviting all members of IPCA to vote for their favourite at each level--which needn't even be a judges' choice!  All entries will be available for viewing by IPCA members only, and the artists will remain anonymous unless awarded prizes. We want to encourage every clayer to enter! So, all you need to do now is choose up to three of your best pieces and prepare the best digital images you can for submission. "Your best work" can also mean original and innovative, not necessarily the most polished and perfect. We love new ideas, techniques, and interesting interpretations. We just ask that the object be more than half polymer clay (in surface area, not necessarily volume), and that it hasn't previously been entered in a competition or published (except on your own website or blog). So let's get cracking!

Additional Information

Submissions will be accepted on Cafe: Call for Entry beginning March 15, 2010. A jurying fee of $30 will be charged for 1-3 entries and will go to funding the competition and supporting the IPCA. The entry deadline is April 16. Photos will appear on-line by May 3. Finalists will be announced by May 31, and winners, including the Members' Choice Awards, will be announced by June 11.

A Beginner is defined as an artist who has worked with polymer clay for less than five years, who has never entered any competition, and whose interest in the medium is primarily as a hobby. An Intermediate clayer has more than five years experience with polymer, and/or is technically experienced in additional craftwork, who has entered competitions before but not the most prestigious competitions ones, such as the Nice Awards. Professional entrants include previous competitors for major awards, artists at the top of their game who earn a significant portion of their livelihood by the sale of their work. Entrants will select their own categories; however, committee members may reallocate entry category before judging begins. 

This time, all IPCA members will be able to view all the entries to P&P on-line and will vote to select a "Members' Choice" award at each level of each category.

The jurors for Progress & Possibilities 2010 will be announced in the April newsletter.