CERF+news

e-news | Dec. 2007

News from the CERF+ | December 2007
Jeanne Kirby, Communications and Events Coordinator
news@craftemergency.org
(802) 229-2306

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Program News

Emergency Relief in 2007: A Summary
The end of 2007 is at hand and to date, CERF+ has distributed over $120,000 in loans, grants and in-kind assistance to 45 craft artists throughout the United States who suffered career-threatening emergencies. This emergency relief aid is in addition to the information services, education and technical assistance that CERF+ provides to artists and organizations who serve artists. The financial assistance represents 33 grants (up to $5,000 each), twelve Quick Loans (up to $3,500 each), four Phoenix Loans (up to $8,000), and in-kind assistance, such as booth fee waivers, and discounts/donations from suppliers and manufacturers to thirteen craft artists. Approximately 30% of the emergency relief assistance in 2007 went to Gulf Coast craft artists as CERF+ continues to aid aid in the 2005 Hurricane Katrina recovery.

CERF+ Business Insurance Survey Nearing Completion
CERF+’s Business Insurance Survey has received a strong response from members of the Artist-Blacksmith’s Association of North America (ABANA), the Glass Art Society (GAS), and the Surface Design Association (SDA). As reported previously in CERF+e-news, members of The Furniture Society and the Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG) have also participated in the survey. The data collection phase will be completed by the end of January 2008 and the results will be reported in the late spring/early summer. The survey collects information about current business insurance practices in the craft field. It will assist those organizations in assessing their members’ business insurance needs as well as the feasibility of creating group business insurance plans.

CERF+ to Present “The Insurance Show” at NOLA Fired Up!
Borrowing the familiar format of a late night talk show, host Craig Nutt and special guests will roll into New Orleans on March 1 for the latest version of “The Insurance Show,” at the first annual clay conference, “NOLA Fired Up!" “We are delighted to go back to New Orleans, and to be a part of this significant and exciting event,” said CERF+ Director of Programs, Craig Nutt. The conference will feature over 35 exhibitions across New Orleans, demonstrations, artists’ presentations, panel discussions, music, and “Fire on the River.”

Board News

CERF+ Trustee Gwen Magee Wins USA Fellowship
CERF+ Trustee and textile artist Gwen Magee from Jackson, Mississippi was one of fifty artists in the U.S. to win a USA Fellowship award in recognition of the caliber and impact of her work. Awarded by the newly created United States Artists (USA), the unrestricted $50,000 fellowship was given in the Crafts and Traditional Arts category. USA exists to nurture, support, and strengthen the work of America’s finest living artists. Gwen makes powerful images using surface, color, and pattern of pieced and stitched cloth about oppression, her African American heritage, and hope.

Fundraising News

CERF+’s Annual Appeal is Underway
Please take a moment to make a gift to CERF+ today. The Annual Appeal is the only direct solicitation CERF+ does during the year and it’s a critical 20% of our annual budget. If you would like to learn more about how your support makes a difference, please click here to read a a recent testimony from a CERF+ beneficiary and furniture maker Gary Spykman of Keene, New Hampshire. Make your gift by visiting CERF+’s secure online giving site or call the CERF+ office directly at (802) 229-2306.

Support CERF+ With Your Holiday Shopping
Buy one-of-a-kind gifts for your friends, family and colleagues while supporting CERF+ by shopping at two well-known online stores. For the fourth year in a row, The Guild has selected CERF+ as its holiday charitable partner. From now until December 31, they will donate a portion of every sale from the Artful® Gifts catalog to CERF+. Last year, The Guild contributed over $12,000 to CERF+ through this effort.

Also from now until December 31, UncommonGoods.com will donate $5 from every order placed when customers enter the source code CERF+07 at checkout. UncommonGoods.com offers handmade, recycled and creatively designed gifts. They have been a generous supporter of CERF+ through their Better to Give Program since 2001.

CERF+’s Tenth Collection Sets New Fundraising Record
CERF+ raised nearly $18,000 from its tenth collection of miniature objects, seed|bud|bloom. This is the largest amount CERF+ has raised from this annual event, which culminates with a raffle drawing at SOFA Chicago. Sue Knowles from Massachusetts was the lucky winner of the collection that includes 24 objects in different media made by highly accomplished artists. Sue Knowles commented, “The items I have opened so far are amazing — each so creative and beautifully executed. I will enjoy this collection immensely and look forward to letting others appreciate the collection as well." Click here to view the collection.

Top Twelve Contributors to A Month for CERF+
Over $35,000 has been raised to date through the annual A Month for CERF+ event. The top twelve contributors out of the 70 galleries and businesses who participated this year are: Ephraim Faience Pottery & Dovetail Antiques, Eureka Crafts, Handworks Gallery of American Crafts, Whippoorwill Crafts, Boulder Arts & Crafts, Clarksville Pottery & Galleries, Craftsman House Gallery, Facere Jewelry Art Gallery, Zig Zag Gallery, The Artisans, PISMO Galleries, and Don Drumm Studios. A Month for CERF+ brings together galleries, online markets, show producers, and individual craft artists who host a range of fundraisers, including raffles, auctions, and seconds sales to benefit CERF+ during the month of September.

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