Batik Guild AGM weekend

Report for Batik Guild Magazine:
On May 1^st, 2009, 16 members of the Batik Guild gathered in Whitby for a weekend of workshops, discussions, brainstorming, and inspiration. In attendance was Anne Dye, Heather Gatt, Barbara Meynell, Angela Lenman, Jenn Adamson, Stephen Adamson, Diane Gaffney, Wendy Evans, Sheila Kerrigan, Valerie Beardsworth, Jaques Coenye, Heather Koumi, Claire Heather, Ann Trotter, Gill Curry and Rushyan Yen

An informal supper served by Heather Gatt in her home was a delicious way to kick start the event. Long-standing Batik Guild members greeted each other while welcoming new members into the group. What a joyous evening of reconnecting with old friends and making new ones!

Participants gathered bright and early the next morning at the newly opened Green Lane Center for the “Heaven and Earth” workshop on how to create environmental effects in batik.  Anne Dye began by demonstrating her method of painting tree trunks with pure paraffin wax before building up subsequent layers using normal batik wax of choice. The cracking, scratching and flaking from brittle wax was thus controlled by the more resilient wax and limited only to the areas in need of such texture.

In contrast was Heather Gatt’s lesson on the use of watercolor techniques to create subtle atmospheric effects between water and sky. Her blended technique was further balanced by Anne Dye’s use of masking tape to create clean edges between rock and water. Although the subjects and techniques were the same, each artist made the work their own and the result was a day of mutual teaching and sharing.  Dinner and a stroll along the pier was the reward for this long day of focus and concentration.

 Finally, the AGM meeting headed by Chairwoman Diane Gaffney clarified and resolved many issues as well as bringing new questions and concerns to light.

Creating a space for members to display their work has always been an integral role of the Batik Guild and the upcoming National Art Exhibition in July/August 2011 reminded members of the possibilities and rewards of being a part of this group. Gill Curry’s visit to the Lillie Art Gallery on March 4^th resulted in a detailed list of information and confirmed this as a viable site for the exhibition. The next step is to come up with a theme and to unite artists toward this common goal.

Diane was happy to report a very successful overseas trip to Thailand and Indonesia. Thanks to the generous donations of guild members to the Java fund, she was able to donate much needed money to batik artisans in support of this important aspect of their heritage. Less straightforward was the question of the UK Batik Guild’s presence in the Kuala Lumpur International Batik Conference in December of this year. Is Malaysia’s focus on batik in the fashion industry and their push to patent it for themselves a problem and would we be endorsing them by attending? After much debate, the consensus was that boycotting the event would not cause change whereas a speech from the Chair of the Batik Guild could show the world the possibilities of batik in all realms of art and culture. It would be a chance to convince Malaysians to find their own batik identity as well as warn them of the dangers of marketing screen-prints as “authentic batiks.”

The treasurer’s report from Jenn Adamson revealed an impressive financial increase of £1,000 in membership from last year and over £1,000 in earnings from the Batik Guild Calander which she herself created. The cost of Batik in Transition books, info packs and magazines were re-evaluated and altered to suit demands. Jenn also reminded members to apply for available grants, listing the Scotland exhibition and the Southeast region’s application for next year’s calendar as examples.

Overseas representative Jacques Coeyne voiced some inspirational ideas for the future of batik art. He proposes a gathering of batik artists in the near future to brainstorm about what can be done to move this medium forward. It would be an event unlike any that has come before. Instead of workshops or exhibitions, this would be a meeting based purely on discussion and include not only artists but also sponsors who are serious about investing in batik. Just as exciting is his project for an European Batik Exhibition in Belgium, ideally in 2012. As with most ambitious ventures however, this one will require both time and money to complete. Serious artists however must be willing to invest in themselves and by working together, there is no reason why it cannot be a huge success.

Although overall membership has increased, the opening of key positions such as magazine and website editors, secretary, and exhibition coordinator, as well as the upcoming loss of chairwoman Diane Gaffney and treasurer Jenn Adamson makes this a critical time for the batik guild.  Now is the time for members who have not been as active in the past to step up and do their part. This year’s AGM has demonstrated the possibilities and potential of a unified effort. Let us all rise up to meet them!

 A special thank you to Heather Gatt for organizing such a fun and successful Batik Guild AGM Weekend.