I've been involved as a volunteer with the Surface Design Association for a long time. It's a 3000 member international organization, with the vision to inspire creativity, encourage innovation and advocate for artistic excellence as the global leader in textile-inspired art and design. SDA's mission is to promote awareness and appreciation of textile-inspired art and design through member-supported benefits including publications, exhibitions and conferences. I am currently rep for Kansas and Missouri, and in the past was a regional rep for five states. For me, it's been a wonderful source of fun, inspiration, information and connection with other textile inspired artists. The Surface Design Journal, which comes with membership, is top rated in its category. There is a member's image directory on the website, which receives tens of thousands of hits monthly. Volunteering for SDA has been a great vehicle for me, as a long-time teacher, to pass on what I've learned and help nurture & promote talent in others, as well. In the local Kansas City area, we try and meet quarterly. If you are interested in textiles, as an artist, designer, collector or curator and haven't explored SDA yet, please do yourself a favor... join us! The website address is http://www.surfacedesign.org/ (Yep, that's my swatch in the background of the home page!) The MO/KS SDA Facebook Page is at this link: https://www.facebook.com/Kansas-Missouri-Surface-Design-Association-221776335478/
