50 Years of Origami in America
In 1958 Lillian Oppenheimer established The Origami Center of America, and this year we celebrate 50 years of origami in America. We'll have special gifts, classes and presentations to recognize this significant date, and to show the incredible changes that have occurred in the world of origami. Teachers: please consider presenting one of the iconic models from our history!
Housing Status Back to Status Quo
This year FIT Housing is back to normal. That means that we can again offer dorms and suites, in the buildings across the street from the convention. The prices have gone up, as they do every year, and we will still have to provide all linens, including blankets and pillows. See the General Information sheets and housing form for more details.
New Exhibition Rules / Opportunities
Item One: Visitors to the Exhibition Area love to talk to the artists whose work is presented. Item Two: We always seem to have problems with adequate exhibition monitoring support staff. We've come up with a solution to both issues by establishing a new rule: if you'd like to show your work at Origami Convention '08, you will need to commit to (at least) one hour of volunteer time at Exhibition. So please complete your Exhibition Form, and also complete the Volunteer Form. Mary Williams, our Volunteer Coordinator, will contact you to negotiate the best times.
New Website
We've upgraded our website, and completely changed our convention forms. So please read the instructions carefully, since everything is very different!
Special Guests
This year we wil have two special guests: Nicolas Terry from France, a wonderful creator and superb teacher, and Max Hulme, a well-known creator from England.
Nicolas Terry has only been folding for six years, having discovered origami on the Internet, and he's risen to a very high and respected level in a very short time. His background is in engineering and chemistry, but he's been working as a psychotherapist, using origami in his work with children, and as an origami professional. He's published his own books, and those of others, and has established an amazing website with information and diagrams of many artists. Take a look at his website, www.passionorigami.com, which displays 1500 different models from 60 authors.
Max, who lives near Birmingham, England, has been folding and creating for over 40 years. He is best known for his innovative use of box pleating and his iconic models such as the Jack-in-the-Box. He finds that a simple model is still most pleasing when successful, noting that "it is usually hard to reproduce but its deceptive simplicity is beautiful." Max is still exploring new methods and techniques: currently he is exploring the boundaries of a square modular unit.
Clarification on Folders vs. Non-Folders
People have gotten a bit confused about our rules for Non-Folders, and we've changed a few things, so here's a clarification. We pay a lot of money to FIT for the space, and to rent tables and chairs, and so we reluctantly eliminated all categories of non-paying Folders several years ago. All Folders must register using the Attendee Registration Form, and pay for some level of attendance.
There are three categories of Non-Folders. The most common is a parent or guardian who wishes to supervise a minor child. There is no charge for them to attend, but they cannot join their children in the classrooms. If a child cannot be left without supervision in the classroom, then perhaps they are too young to attend convention. Another category is an aide who accompanies a person with special needs. Again there is no charge for them to attend, and they may, with permission from the teacher, go into the classroom with the folder. The last category is staff, a non-folding person who wishes to volunteer during the weekend.
All these categories of Non-Folders must register for the convention. No one is allowed in the Hospitality Area without a name tag! This year Guardians or Aides may register via a box on the Folder's Registration Form, and they can then complete a Volunteering Form to let our Volunteer Coordinator know that they are available to help. Staff, or Guardians and Aides who did not register as part of their Folder's Registration Form, can register via an independent Non-Folder Registration Form. They also should complete a Volunteering Form. If you're confused by this, give us a call or email, and we'll try to help.
3rd Annual ATC Trade
Once again there will be an ATC (Artist Trading Card) Exchange at the Convention. If you're interested in participating, or want more information, see here.