Once upon a time, in an NCECA not so far away, there was paper. And on this paper there were words, and these words were written by NCECA members. I recently wrote to Harris Deller, who was the Publications Director for NCECA for five years back in the 1990s. I inquired about methods of communication with the membership back in the days when “e” was merely the fifth letter of the alphabet, and not the pervasive prefix/abbreviation that it is now for everything in our “e-lives” Harris wrote back to me:
One journal was published after the conference, 4 newsletters and a directory. The journal had articles from the presenters, show and panel reviews, and copies of talks from those presenters who submitted in written form. The publications chair would solicit writers and reviewers before the conference and there was also a cadre of volunteers that I was able to build up over the years. I had a list of people who enjoyed writing and would participate each year.
The volunteer writers core was an opportunity for the membership to do critical writing, art journalism, express an opinion and participate. Many were MFA students. I would try to make sure everything on the program was being covered especially the exhibitions.
Many of the wonderful folks that I have served with on the board have indicated that they first became involved with NCECA by writing for NCECA publications, and I think that has such value not only to the organization, but to the writer AND to the many readers. In his e-mail, Harris unknowingly became my accomplice. His last sentence, “I see the blog as being the new Newsletter, but somehow it needs to have a larger base and greater participation,” is an echo of my own thoughts, and I’m definitely claiming the shared thought with THAT great mind! Since the launch of the NCECA blog in 2012, I have harbored a secret yen to make this blog contain not only important news and announcements from NCECA, but also to be a hub of information and ideas from our membership.
For the last few months, I have been working behind the scenes to create a user-friendly platform for NCECA members to submit articles for consideration. I’ve tested it, I’ve had some friends test it, and I think it’s ready. I’m very excited to launch this opportunity for our membership to get involved with NCECA on a deeper level. If you glance up to the top menu bar, you will notice a new link titled “Write here”. On that page, you will find a simple upload form, including media selector for images or even audio files.
I encourage you to take this opportunity to let your voice be heard – share your successes, inspire with your ideas. Some popular topics we’ve had from guest bloggers thus far include green practices, accounting & other professional practices, emerging artists, online ceramic resources, & exhibition reviews. We welcome a variety of submissions, ranging from educational, to philosophical, to practical. (Please limit any promotional or commercial language.) Typical length of an article for the NCECA blog is 750-1500 words.
have questions?
email communications@nceca.net
ready to write?
Look no further than write here.
