SHOW HISTORY

Fall Meeting 1995 Judy Phillips suggests that we have a rug show. Great idea, Judy you be the chair of that committee!

Kate Murray Jones with Judy become the show chairs for the first two yeas.

The Round Barn Farm in Waitsfield was the site of an annual art show. Judy and Kate secured it for our use.

SUE HAMMOND CHAIRED THE RUG INTAKE

WE MARVELED AT THE PILE OF LOVELY RUGS

Helen Wofel and Judy Phillips sign in rugs

Kate Murray-Jones helps with the rug sign in

Here Stephanie Krauss and Celeste Allen look to fill the volunteer charts. Some things never change.

Hanging the first show was both same and different. We hadn’t yet worked out a lot of bugs such as the artist clearly identifying their work. Here wonderful Rachel Jacobs is hunting for the rug that matched the label. Not all titles really helped. What is Annie’s Dream ? Was it the cat rug, the flower rug, or maybe an abstract? The Orientals were the worst!

All the labels were hand written in the early years. Kate Murray Jones did each and every one. The first year we had 190 rugs.

This is from the very first show.

We also did not charge admission, but asked for donations. In the first year made a profit of $1162.24.

Here a guest signs our guest book with our front desk crew – Pam Finnegan and Patty Yoder.

We also had a shop area from the very first year. Local vendors such as Stephanie Krauss (pictured far right) were able to cover their own area. We also allowed vendors from a distance to send us their wares and the guild actually manned the area. It was a lot of work taking care of the nightly ledger not to mention the inventory. Here Judy Phillips takes a turn at the booth.

We offered classes from the beginning and used the Inn’s facilities. One location was in the pool area. One of our funniest moments happened when a guild member decided to cross the lap pool, thinking the floating cover was a hard surface. Down she went, camera and all.

This year we decided to create a theme for the show which was extremely popular among the members. Judy and Kate continued as co-chairs.We had 900 people attend and made a profit of $2041.61. One big winner was the “proddy” workshop that Judy Phillips arranged netting us $500 alone.

We also created the logo rug. Stephanie Krauss and Julie Smith were in charge. The rug was housed at the Inn for many years in the off season. When we moved to Shelburne the yellow barn was re-hooked to be red.

This year we moved to a theme open to interpretation. Patty Yoder and Diane Kelly took over the reigns as show chairs from Judy and Kate.

Notice the hours our show was open. Thursday evening we stayed open late and in one of the first years we convinced the Mad River Chamber of Commerce to hold its “mixer” that night to help draw in a larger audience and bring rug hooking to those who might not otherwise attend.

We also had to work around the Sunday worship service that was held on the second floor of the barn. So on Sunday we opened at 11:00.

1100 visitors

Donations up 40%

47 hookers attended classes taught by Anne Ashworth, Roslyn Logsdon, Sue Hammond Diane Moore and Ann Winterling

Sue Hammond’s beginner class had 13 participants

Photo shows volunteers and teachers having lunch

This year’s theme was Stars and Stripes and was chaired once again by The Viewer’s Choice started from the very beginning and here is the list from our newsletter of our first winners. Patty and Diane.

This year we spent $10,969.18 on show expenses and realized a profit of $2,972.15. We made money on the shop, the door (split the $2,638 50-50 with the Round Barn)

Jean Evans and her students received permission from Mary Azarian to use a woodcut from the book, A Symphony for the Sheep, as a raffle rug.

The raffle netted us $1,958.

Davy DeGraff, Rae Harrell and Diane Phillips chaired what was to be our last show in Waitsfield. This show also featured the Circus Train rugs.

Sadly for us the wedding business at the Inn was making it hard for us to secure two weekends during the busy spring wedding season. That season has since grown to encompass nearly the entire year.

The Inn’s growing business also meant less space for us to hold workshops each year.

Luckily Rae Harrell had the ability to make the Shelburne Museum possible for our next phase of venues.

This is from the Under the Big Top Year just after the crew finished hanging. Notice the Circus Train rugs around the top of the walls.

Hooked in the Mountains VIDavy DeGraff, Rae Harrel and Diane Phillips chaired the show. Diane also ran the classes offering nine choices over the week.

The theme for this year was “Going Places”

This show marked our first Opening Reception.

Show Number 7 featured the work of the Guild Founders and the theme was portrait rugs. Bev Conway was the show chair this year.

We enjoyed Helen Wolfel at the opening and she was as entertaining as ever.

We had over 70 rugs hooked by the women who were responsible for our guild’s beginnings. In all we exhibited over 400 rugs.

In this year we featured the work of Dick Labarge. Celia Oliver and Amy Oxford chaired the show.

We also raffled off a Warren Kimble rug this year as a fund raiser.

This was the poster and the post card for the year featuring Dick’s work. It was the last year that we issued a poster.

This year featured the work of Jule Marie Smith and the theme was “In the Garden”. The very popular Vermont Vignettes were displayed for the first time as well.

This was also the year of Amy’s first book which created a flurry of activity. We showed 635 rugs and had 760 members by the end of the show.

Rae Harrell and Barbara Held chaired the show this year and it featured the “Playing Cards” which was curated by Linda Rae Coughlin

The Viewer’s Choice winners for this year were:

Jen Lavoie – Woman in the Red Suit

Suzi Prather Wanna Play

Joan Mohrmann Buckingham

Lori Lupe Pelish Seriously Swirled

Sandy Ducharme Nature’s Harmony

Rae Harrell The Flute

Shirley Chaiken Kimonos

Ann Hallett The Sheepish Grin

Ann Hallett Who Let the Cows Out

Barbara Held and Rae Harrell chaired this show which featured the work of Emmy Robertson, Pat Merikallio and Michelle Micarelli

This year we decided to limit the rugs to five per member but still had 940 hooked pieces due in large part to Amy’s second book.

The sheer number of rugs demanded a two volume set!

This showed chaired by Julie Marie Smith featured Jen Lavoie and Suzanne Dirmaier.

It also was the first year that we moved the show to November. The museum was using the round barn for more exhibit space and could not accommodate our usual April date.

Julie Marie Smith chaired the show that featured the work of Rae Harrell and Diane Kelly. This was also the year that Mary Lee O’Connor took over the classes from Diane Phillips.

Who can forget the giant web ushering viewers into Rae’s area or the warmth of a New England home housing the work of Diane Kelly.

Julie once again had her arm twisted and continued on as rug chair. This year featured Sharon Townsend, Diane Phillips and Gail Duclos Lapierre.

This year we decided to take a year off. No one came forward to chair the show and that became the perfect opportunity to review our options. Luckily for us, Jen Lavoie stepped forward and is in the midst of planning the November 2011 show. Stay tuned for more information.