I can not wait to unfold my new (very old) drying rack and ironing board.  They will be great additions to the project and I am looking forward to figuring out how they will be used.  I haven’t had much time to dedicate to the project lately and I miss it!  I am hopeful that I will be able to carve some time out this summer to revisit and refresh it.

If any of you out there have stories or news I would love to hear from you!  It has been a while since I posted (with my new job I find myself with little free time) but be assured the project is still going on!!

Remember to mark your calendars for September 19, 2011. The Ironing Board Project will be presented at the Ann Arbor Women Artist’s speaker series.  I will update as it gets closer with times and  location.

If you are interested in hosting a performance of the IBP please leave a comment and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.

Thanks!

Another thing we learned during ArtPrize is the power of on site submissions!  The hand written letters held up well with the ironing and it will be interesting to see how they hold up over time.  This was something we introduced for this event but may consider offering this in the future as well as a way for participants to  submit their letters.

If anyone has exhibition ideas or would like to submit a letter to the project-as always just leave a comment and we will get back to you as soon as possible!

With ArtPrize winding down and the Ironing Board Projects performances and events completed, it is nice to look back at all the amazing conversations and responses the project received.  The opportunities to share the IBP were fantastic and we were even invited to share about the project on a local mid-day program, eightWest. On the last day of our performances the local press was there and we are watching for an article on performance art at ArtPrize.

All in all, it was better than I imagined.  On Saturday we offered an on-site submission event and invited women to write directly on prepared linens with archival pens.  I was moved by the response and want to extend my gratitude and acknowledge the courage it takes to share intimate stories.  I never cease to be touched by the stories submitted and feel humbled when someone thanks me for giving them the opportunity to share their story.

I also want to thank the volunteers who helped things run smoothly for the last couple of weeks!  You rock!  I am so grateful to you for your support and elbow grease for everything from set up to performances-you helped make this a great experience!

Finally- a shout out to the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre for being the hosting venue during ArtPrize.  You were all amazingly helpful and your volunteers did a fantastic job!

The Ironing Board Project will be located in the lobby of the Grand Rapids Civic Theater at 30 Division Ave. N.  Hope to see you there!

Performance Schedule:

September 24                               5 pm and 7 pm

September 25                               3 pm and 5pm

September 29                               6 pm

October 1                                      3 pm and 5 pm

*October 2*                                  1 pm and 5 pm

The IBP is offering you the opportunity to submit handwritten letters from 1:30-4:30.  Letters submitted on this date will be included in the 5 pm performance as well as future performances of the Ironing Board Project**.

** We will have a limited number of linens available and archival pens for composing letters.  If you have any questions please email them to ironingboardproject@gmail.com

There is a ton to tell you  BUT first things first…a HUGE  thank you to the Michigan Women’s Forum, an online blog/zine, because they featured the Ironing Board Project on Saturday! Joni Hubred-Golden, director of the Michigan Women’s Forum, interviewed me in hopes of bringing attention to the project.  Joni ended up putting together a great post an I hope you can take a minute to check it out.

Next, I have begun a fundraising campaign with Kickstarter (we have a nifty widget on the left).  This is a great site that offers fundraising opportunities for creative projects.  Projects have to apply and be approved before being allowed to post on the site and they thought the IBP was a great project to help find support for!  There is one catch-if our funding goal is not met-we don’t get anything. SO, if you have wanted to support the project in some way but didn’t know how to go about it-check out our Kickstarter!  Please spread the word too! Feel free to link to the project, tweet about it or blog-we only have 27 days left to get our  funding.

Lastly-and probably what most of you are waiting on-our first giveaway! We will be giving away a copy of the first Ironing Board Project book on Friday August 20, 2010!!

Here’s what you need to do…do one-or all five–you get one entry for each-for a total of up to five opportunities!

1. Leave a comment below
2. You can follow the Ironing Board Project on Twitter (@theIBP) and leave a comment here that you are following us.
3. Tweet about the giveaway (make sure you mention @theIBP)
4. Tweet about our Kickstarter including the link and then make sure to let us know!
5. Blog about it and then comment here and include a link to your post

Good luck!

Such is life!  Really though, I am not complaining just lingering somewhere around the middle of overwhelmed and keeping my fingers crossed that I can keep up.  If you happen to have extra fingers floating around-cross ‘em for me would ya?  I am beginning to get a little anxious about ArtPrize.  I really need to be getting the schedule together and  letting my venue know what I am planning.  Two weeks to fill and not sure how many performances I will be doing and if I am going to offer any on site submissions.  I am also in the dark as to how many materials to have on hand.  I know in advance I will only have 10-12 copies of the book-as I can’t afford to buy any more than that right now. But, as far as handouts, promotional materials and the like-don’t even know where to start!

I am thinking about auctioning off a couple of the photographs I have of some of the linens to raise funds-I think I mentioned that before -so, will have to look into that idea.  Here is  a sampling of  what I might offer…

This image is hanging at the Michigan Governor’s Mansion

I would love some feedback, ideas or suggestions!!

Fresh out of the box!

10 little books….

A flip through preview….

If any of you out there have any great fundraising ideas, I would love to hear from you.  This is the largest event the IBP will put on and it is clear that there are some funding needs that are beyond what is available.  I am considering auctioning off some of the photographic prints of the linens(I will post a few images soon) one of which has hung at the Michigan Governor’s mansion for the last year.

I will need funding for promotional materials, the purchase of more books to have available during ArtPrize, printing services and basic materials like clothesline, pins, etc.  Let me hear from you!! I am new at this and am open to suggestions!!