Guest blogger: THSG member Betty Headrick
HGA 25th CONVERGENCE
Knoxville 2022 – July 15-21, 2022
In July I attended my first HGA Convergence in Knoxville, Tennessee. My childhood home is in East Tennessee and I attended the University of Tennessee but moved from the area 54 years ago. Both Mike and I have family and friends who still live in the area thus a trip to Convergence gave me a chance to visit with family and special friends as well as attending the Conference. Another THSG member, Pamela Bissson, also attended Convergence.
I chose not to take a workshop but concentrated on visiting galleries, attending seminars and juror’s talks and of course attending the fashion show and keynote speaker dinners. Visiting offsite gallery shows frequently involved my good friend Barb or family members. I especially enjoyed the Three Voices Tapestry Exhibit at Maryville College featuring works by Tommye Scanlin, Pat Williams & Jennifer Sargent.
There were amazing pieces at the Small Expressions 2022 show and of course the Tiny but Mighty: ATA’s Unjuried Small Format Tapestry Exhibition. The THSG Tapestry Group entered a group project – The Power of Color – with 5 pieces. Donna Anderson, Rebecca Fabos, Betty Headrick, Karen Yackell & Nellie Ziegler participated in the exhibit.
One of the seminars I attended was The Contemporary Tapestry Scene: Trends and Traditions by Molly Elkind. It was an excellent talk with Molly providing a comprehensive resource list. Another seminar was less informative and not what I had expected. Likewise two of the juror’s talks were excellent with the jurors providing great information regarding their choices for awards. Another juror was not knowledgeable about her subject matter.
The fashion show and some of the exhibits featured items from both 2020 and 2022. People who had entered items in the 2020 Convergence were given the opportunity to exhibit their work in 2022. I was looking forward to the Seasons of the Smokies Wearable Art Show. Most of the garments were amazing but with showing items from 2020 and 2022 it was a long show. Garments were shown per “seasons” – Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and there was musical entertainment as a background for the show. As a native from the area I found some of the music and presentation to be a caricature of southern culture. I did not think it represented a realistic view of the Appalachian region and Tennessee. Having a “Dolly Parton Look-alike” lip-sync and mingle with the models plus college songs with baton twirlers and models wearing straw hats and cutoff jeans seemed inappropriate. In discussion with other attendees many found it to be a fun and entertaining show.
The Keynote Presentation by Kathleen Curtis Wilson was most informative. She is historian of Southern
Appalachian hand- woven textiles.
The Conference did not always go smoothly. There was limited HGA staff – 4 people – and they had a lot of
work. My registration package did not arrive until after I had left for Tennessee. Mike also visited Tennessee
but flew home earlier. After returning home he shipped my registration material overnight to his sister’s
house. Most exhibits had limited informational signs with the items and as mentioned earlier some of the
jurors and speakers were unprepared. Money seems to be an issue for HGA. Prior to Convergence there
were appeals for contributions and that appeal continued through the conference. Staffing wise there were
announcements regarding new people who would be joining HGA staff soon.
Convergence 2024 will be in Wichita Kansas. It would be wonderful to have more THSG members attend the
next Convergence.
Thank you Betty. You provided an excellent review. I Agree
With all of your comments.
I left with a feeling of disappointment. Although most instructors gave out informative manuals I missed the conversations with other attendees. Everywhere I looked people were sitting together glued to their cell phone. Even as they were walking out of class or sitting at a lunch table.