Greetings!
September was a busy month for the HTA with the 2008 Minnesota Tile Festival. The numbers have come in and they are almost all good. The statistics are below. There are many things to improve and discuss which will take place at the meeting on the 14th of October. This newsletter will try to focus on the numbers. Next month we will talk about opinions.
We are also working toward the 2009 directory. Please take time to review all the specs and time lines so you do not miss out.
Lastly the HTA has been asked by the Potters Council to host a 2009 National Tile Conference. We will talk about this at the meeting and how HTA artists can be involved. Please read on and get the full scoop.
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The 2008 MN Tile Festival Review
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The 7th Annual Minnesota Tile Festival is now in the record books and the 2008 tile festival attendance was the best ever! It grew just over 11% this year to 916 in attendance. This beat our 892 attendance in 1994 when we did the state fair We hit our goal of growing attendance by 11% and we hit it right on the head. If we grow 10% next year we will finally break our 1000 person mark. Please note that at the festival many people heard a different attendance number but when the tallies were counted compared to the money collected then we got a final attendance number.
 Thanks to Nick and Rosie Hielle the tile festival coordinators. They have accomplished a lot in the past three years as the coordinators. Many people said in their surveys that pre festival information was great. Nick and Rosie have told us that next year 2009 will be there last. So if you know anyone who would like to learn the ropes please contact the HTA for more details.
Special thanks to Sabra Walfold for her work on the PR this year. She got us into many new places most notably was American Bungalow Magazine with a half page spot. She also wrote the top 10 how to get ready for the show for the artists.
Thank you to all the HTA volunteers: Cathy Bryson, Daycia McDill, Elliot McDill, Norma Hanlon, Kirsten Walstead, Marc and Daphane Clements, Kathy Bryson, Amy Johnson and Josh Blanc They all make the tile festival run by taking tickets, getting out literature, navigating the mansion, allowing the artist to set up and take down easier, go to the restroom and have a lunch break.
Thank you to all of our artists for participating and showing the community the amazing variety and selection of handmade tile, mosaics and tile art available. Special thanks to Nancy Froseth for making our 4th Annual Commemorative tile. It was a stunning commemorative tile and got some great press in the the Star Tribune.
Thanks to Karen Hovde of Interior Vision for taking a train all the way from Seattle just to give here one hour presentation. She had a great time and got some clients out of the lecture. She is very excited to continue to work with the HTA.
Thanks to Chris Webber who created a music background for our radio ads on WCCO which was heard by 240,000 listeners. In the song he used tiles as musical instruments to make the sound track. It had a western panoramic sound to it.
Thanks to the American Swedish Institute. Thanks to Bill Beyer, Karin Krull and Marc Johnson the ASI representatives and the countless volunteers. Bill and Karin planned the event with Josh Blanc, Sabra Walfold, Nick and Rosie Heili, and Roger Mayland. They coordinated all the ASI volunteers as well as the staff Delores Anderson,
Edith Johnson,
Gerry Anderson,
Myrt Baker,
Marilyn Tengvall,
JoAnn Swanson,
Sara Beckman,
Al Tengvall,
Harlan Widholm,
George Swanson,
Mustafa Parker,
David
Fitzgerald,
Bob
Johnson,
Jeanne
Sielaff-Daum,
Maxine
Erickson,
Jerry
Sjogren,
Richard
Hollenzer,
Cliff
Jensen
Lois
Hall. Bill, Karin, and Marc did a lot behind the scenes to make this event a success. One of the big improvements this year was the allowing of ASI members to get into the tile festival for free. We have never tracked how many ASI members come but we felt it was a courtesy to allow their members to see it for free just like HTA members do.
years 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
attendance 700 796 892 650 706 823 916
postcards mailed na 4500 2500 4000 4000 3500 2500
blank postcards na na na 156 70 51 84
postcards w/address na na 214 50 21 86 36
blue sky guide coupons - - - - 8 15 15
HTA members free passes 19 3 4 5
website $1 off printable coupons - - - 31 83 94
people who paid full price - - 358 403 na 492 437
ASI members na na na na na na 54
children under 12 na na na na na 12 32
new membership na na na 9 1 8 0
silent auction $594 $675 $814 - $416 $567
commemorative tiles 1 25 0 10
Ticket sales 20% of total attenance $623
Chair and table rental $445
Banners $400
* not finished collecting
- did not do
na - not available
The attendance numbers does not include artists, volunteers or staff.
Here is where the tile festival notices were posted: Star Tribune calendar, SW Journal, Twin Cities Bungalow Club, The Observer, MN monthly, Ceramics Daily, American Swedish Institute e newsletter, Tile Magazine, Tile Heritage Foundation website, American Bungalow Magazine, Yelp, ASI e mail blast, HTA website, many of the HTA member's websites, there were probably more but this is what we know of.
Paid advertising - WCCO AM radio ads(30) The Classic 99.5 KSJN FM radio ad (30), MPR streaming (140,000 downloads) Tile Directory (full page ad), Arts and Crafts Homes 1/4 page ad, postcards(10,000), Blue Sky Guide (coupons) and Midwest Art Fair.
The HTA website also received almost triple the amount of hits from last year for the same 5 day period of the MN Tile Festival. For the whole year we are up by almost a third from last year with over 12,000 hits this year so far.
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2009 Directory Ad Rates and Deadlines
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We are down to the last month before the deadline for the 2009 directory. Many new people have been registering and lots of returning artists and advertizers have sent in their new work and ads. Please click the link below and print off the registraion forms. If you have any questions please contact the Handmade Tile Associaiton.
Ads must be in by October 15th.
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| Volunteers needed |
The Handmade Tile Association needs a volunteer to help enter in address from all the requests of directories this year. If you can help with this project we will apply your time as credit toward a free year of a website link. If you give 5 hours of time a year you get $180 of credit toward your web link. Contact the HTA if you can help. 612-781-6409. The HTA will offer a volunteer job each month in the newsletter for artists to participate in the program.
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Next Meeting October 14th
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Next meeting will be at Clay Squared to Infinity.
34 13th Ave NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
612-781-6409
www.claysquared.com for directions
When - October 14th
Time - 6 pm to 8 pm
Pot Luck
Agenda
OSHA standards - review of how to get your studio up to par
Review of MN Tile Festival - this will be a review of where we want this event to go if we want to change venues and how artists are seeing where the event going. If you have opinions this is the meeting you should attend.
Second to last day to submit for the 2009 Directory.
Review survey
Talk about HTA's 10th annual show
National Tile Conference 2009
Other
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We are looking for venues to have meetings for 2008 and 2009. If you would like to host a meeting please contact the HTA to set one up. info@handmadetileassociation.org
Sincerely,
Josh Blanc
Handmade Tile Association.LLC |
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Miss out on the Commemorative Tile?
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We still one some left if you would like to purchase one. Stop in at the HTA office or call and 612-781-6409
or email
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Tile Tour
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Twin Cities Tile Tour
Saturday
October 25, 2008
9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Deadline to sign up October 16th
As
part of the tour participants will go to the SoMi Tileworks Studio for
a hands-on tile making experience. You will learn about the studio's
tile
production methods and have the opportunity to make a bas-relief tile
of your
very own. The tiles will be fired and
glazed and mailed to you approximately two weeks following the tour
day.
A box-lunch will be furnished
for each participant. The cost of the
Tile Tour will be $135. HTA members receive 10% off. To register,
please call Norma Hanlon,
SoMi Tileworks 612-824-3325. Payment can be made by check or credit
card. Visa, Mastercard, American Express
and Discover cards can be accepted.
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After effects
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The Old Times (a Minnesota arts, antiques and
collectibles paper) Britt Aamodt came to the MN Tile Festival and interviewed, took pictures and is writing an article on the show. When we get a copy we will pass on the interview
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National Tile Conference 2009
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The Potters Council has contacted the HTA and asked if we would partner
together for a national tile conference for 2009 to coincide with the MN
Tile Festival. The Potters Council is an umbrella Non Profit to
Ceramic Monthly. They will have a lot of ability to promote the
conference.
The Edina Art Center has happily agreed to be our
host partner where most of the workshops and lectures will take place.
We have started contacting presenters to participate in the event. If
you are interested in being part of the conference as a presenter with
a workshop, lecture, tour, gallery show, or special event please
contact Josh Blanc and he will fill you in with details.
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The Phipps Center for the Arts
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Source*: The Society of Minnesota Sculptors Annual Juried Exhibition
features HTA artist Linda Taylor
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One of her newest works is included in this sculpture exhibit at The Phipps... It is called "Sprouts".
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Fresh Art Fall Tour
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FRIDAY ~ SATURDAY ~ SUNDAY
OCT 3, 4, 5
10AM ~ 5PM
A self guided tour of sixteen artist's studios.
Travel down red and gold leaf-tinted lanes to visit with artists
and see them demonstrate their skills. In the Scenic Lake Pepin
area of Western Wisconsin, just an hour and a half from the
Twin Cities and an hour from Rochester.
Margy Balwierz and Pooka Ness will be featured in this event.
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HTA artists get press
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Contemporary Stone & Tile Design.
Featured Mercury Mosaics
Creating Custom Looks with Mosaics
by Jennifer Adams it is a nice 3 page spread! Click here to read the article.
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| Cosmic Article |
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