And it’s a question that I mentioned in my reply to one of
Rossie's posts (here). Rossie is well-known as the creator of the popular flickr group Fresh Modern Quilts and author of this blog.
Rossie was intrigued, as I was, about this question and
asked if I would summerize the main ideas that floated around that discussion.
Sure, but in doing
that I need explain how we came to this
question in the first place.
At our guild meeting last
week, we discussed the idea of having a feature on our website called
"member spotlight", as many other guilds have done. A list
of questions was put forth for each member to answer individually so that it
can then be posted on the website.
One of those questions was: Why did you join the Montreal Modern
Quilt Guild. Answers included:"I was curious to learn what modern
quilting is all about" . Another was :"I am ready to try something
new", and several members said that they like the freedom that modern
quilting allows them. How the 'lack of hard and fast rules' allows them more creative freedom than other styles of quilts. Others still just want to meet and share with
like-minded individuals.
That was followed by questions and comments about what
makes a quilt modern. Which led us to
the "set of principles that define" what a modern quilt is. These principles are listed on the MQG site.
The MQG site was also cited as good reference for the other guilds to look to
for guidance. We are , after all,
members of a much larger Modern Quilting Community. Then the question was
asked: What do we owe to the Modern Quilt Guild? In other words, as a chapter
of a larger guild, what do they expect from us?
I admit I was a little stumped by this question. As the president of my local guild, am I expected to know the answer to this question? No one seemed to think that we OWE them anything, but the general consensus seemed to be that we have the task
of spreading awareness of about the Modern Quilting Movement.
Or do we have any obligations to them at all?
I'd like to know what you think! Do you think we owe anything to the Modern
Quilt Guild? What DO they expect from
us? As members of one of the many chapters of the MQG, what do we owe to this
movement? I want hear from you!
Thanks for sharing, Cinzia! We had a somewhat similar discussion when we were talking about dues for our local guild. In a survey put out by the national arm, there was a question about willingness to pay national dues. At our local guild, we agreed that we wanted to vote on a budget first and then see about dues. We also have officers that have been voted in and therefore somewhat legitimately "represent" us. What will happen at the national level that will come with dues (if they decide to ask for dues?) will members get to vote on officers? the budget? activities? It's funny that an organization built around a "no rules" activity might start layering in some rules. I personally feel that I owe the "national" part of the modern quilt guild my opinion, which probably just shows that I'm highly indoctrinated into democratic principles and the least authoritarian person ever. : )
ReplyDeleteYes, the survey and the topic of national dues did come up in our discussion. I personally feel if we agree to pay dues to the MQG then we should get more guidance from them. In Step #9 on How to start a guild branch, they state that "These guilds are about friendships, inspiration and fun through quilting". That's great and I agree! But it's also very casual. It will be interesting to see how MQG evolves in the coming months and years. Especially after Quilcon. Thanks for engaging in the discussion!
DeleteI think at this point we 'owe' the MQG the responsibility to document our activities, share with other guilds what we've been up to and keep involved in their larger efforts to bring us together and connect people across guilds in meaningful ways such as through challenges, quilt con, etc.
ReplyDeleteWell said Vanesa! I think the documenting part is an impportant one. Online sharing is certainly what helped the MQ movement grow in popularity in the first place.
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