President’s Message – July/Aug 1996

I’m still trying to adjust to the demands of the “real” world after two weeks at the Symposium at Camp Brotherhood. Amid the frenetic demands of the marketplace, my mind wanders nostalgically to the warm interaction between new and old friends and the creative momentum we shared. I’m still digesting all the stimulation of new art, lectures, workshops, new tools, new procedures, and shared insights.

I would like to thank each of you who attended for making the ninth annual symposium a great success. Also, a special accolade to the administrative and support staff: Brian, Gwen, Hank, Lavina and Steve, who insured a smooth and effective event. Vic, we are all eternally in your debt for a job well done.

Tracy, Meredith, Ward, Dorby, Uchida San, Thomas, Vasily, Terry, Carol, Ron, Bill, Tendayi, Boris, Everett and Hong Lee: we all grew because of what you so generously provided through instruction and lecturing.

In view of so many benefits we experience, I feel it is appropriate to focus on those individuals who provided the foundation and spirit for what we now know as the Symposium experience. Meg Pettibone for recognizing the need and start of the Association, Richard Bayer for hosting the first two Symposiums on his property, and George Pratt who so generously shared his knowledge, his tools, and his spirit year after year, and Vic Picou, our guiding light and director of Symposia, who has led us to our current success. We thank you!

Next stop, Lake Cowichan and the Second Annual Vancouver Island Stone Sculpture Symposium. I can hardly wait!

Rich Hestekind