Urban Inspirations Quilt Show — 2009

Urban Inspirations Quilt Show

March 21 – 22, 2009

Fashion Institute of Technology (F.I.T.)
28th Street at Seventh Avenue
New York City

Volunteer to Participate!

In order for this show to run smoothly and to be a pleasant experience for all show visitors and quilt artists, we need many, many volunteers. All guild members are welcomed and encouraged to participate in this fun and exciting activity. There are many opportunities for volunteering, so everyone should find something that is fun to do. Guild members who submit quilts are required to volunteer a minimum of four hours prior to, or during the show. Everyone should sign up for a job as soon as possible in order to get your preferred assignment and time.

Listed below are some of the Volunteer Opportunities available to members and friends. If you have any questions about the tasks, contact the committee chairs or the Show Volunteer Coordinators Barbara Feinstein or Emily Klainberg via Volunteer@EmpireQuilters.net.

To volunteer for any of the jobs listed below, contact one of the Show Volunteer Coordinators: Barbara Feinstein or Emily Klainberg at Volunteer@EmpireQuilters.net, or complete the Volunteer Sign-Up sheet and mail it in to the address on the form.

›› Volunteer Job Opportunitites Descriptions (PDF)
›› Volunteer Sign-Up Sheet (PDF)

VOLUNTEER JOB OPENINGS:

Quilt Submissions (Saturday Jan 10, 2009): Marilyn Korn, Joan Hellmann, Jennifer Bigelow, chairs. This committee collects the quilt submission forms, making sure that all the information is filled out completely and accurately. A color photograph must accompany each submission form. There will be two jobs:

1. Form and photograph checkers: review the submission form(s) and photograph(s) to ensure all required information is complete and legible and that there is a good color photograph. If two quilts are submitted, this team will separate the forms and attach the photographs to the appropriate submission form.
2. Form and Fee intake: this team will accept the reviewed forms and submission fees.

Following the intake meeting, the forms are collected and the information recorded in the intake spreadsheet. The submission forms and photographs will be copied and distributed to: (1) The quilt set-up and lay-out committee (quilt size calculations and original photographs); (2) The Show Program committee (enters the quilter and quilt description information); (3) The volunteer committee (to line-up volunteers); (4) The guild website.

Group Sales (Pre-Show): Anna Foss, chair. Collect group reservations and payments, make arrival packets, answer group questions.

Judging (Sat & Sun, March 7-8, 2009): Marilyn Korn, Joan Hellmann, Jennifer Bigelow, chairs. This committee is responsible for all tasks related to judging of the quilts. The work for this committee can be physically demanding. There are 3 sets of tasks: (A) Check-in, (B) Judging Support and (C) Pick-Up/return.

1. Volunteers for Check-in will do the following:
   • Check in quilts and affix assigned show number to each quilt; give receipt for each quilt submitted for judging
   • Sort and deliver quilts to the judging room
2. Volunteers for Judging Support need to be able to work at least 4 hour shifts, rotating among the following tasks:
   • Carry and hold quilts for judges;
   • Stack and re-stack quilts;
   • Scribe notes neatly and quickly;
   • Calculate the scores. Each volunteer must be able to use a calculator accurately.
3. Volunteers for Pick-up/return (probably Sunday, March 8, 2009) will return quilts and confirm the person has the necessary receipt(s).

Show Program / Publicity / Quilt Labels: Pat Decker, chair. This committee will design show postcards, show advertisements, the show program, labels for the quilts to be hung in the show, the viewer’s choice ballots, and other promotional materials as requested. Work with a printer. This committee sets the prices of advertisements in the show program, solicits advertisers, collects ads and ad revenue. This committee is responsible for data-entry from the quilt submission forms, for proof-reading the data-entry, and for the program layout. This committee works with the show program printer to set the quantity of programs to be printed, and to set-up the printing schedule.

Local Hospitality: Chairperson needed. This committee will gather and organize information on local restaurants and shops that may be of interest to quilt show attendees. The information needs to be submitted to the Show Program committee in a timely fashion, and sample menus gathered and provided to the information table.

Charity: Chairperson needed. This committee decides on the types of activities that the charity committee will do during the show and arranges for volunteers to work on charity quilts throughout the show. The committee will answer questions about the guild’s charitable activities (what charities we support, what items we accept for donation, etc.).

Logistics / Signs: Larry Gifford, chair. Design/print signs for show venue. Location signs needed: Vendor names, Information Table, Raffle Quilt, Raffle Table, Boutique, Volunteer Sign-in Table, Coat Room. Direction signs needed: To quilts, to Vendors, to lectures/demonstrations, to Boutique. Some volunteers will need to be able to climb ladders and carry large signs.

Quilt Photography: Cindy Russell, chair. Volunteers are needed to assist with the show photography at the January 10, 2009 meeting, and during the days of the show: Friday afternoon/evening, early Saturday morning and early Sunday morning. Help involves note taking, moving step ladders and photography equipment, and inspecting quilts for photography (wrinkles smoothed, quilt straightened, edges clear of overlap, etc.). This is an on-your-feet job.

Quilt Show Set-up (Friday March 20, 2009, starting at 8:00 am) and Quilt Show Take-down (Sunday March 22, 2009, starting at 4:00 pm): Judy Doenias, chair. This is the most physically demanding job of the show, and friends and family are welcome and encouraged to participate! The quilt frames need to be set up, with backdrops and quilts distributed and hung. Tables need to be distributed and draped. Once the show is over, the entire process must be reversed.

Quilt Arrivals, Hanging, Labels: Kitty Squire, Marilyn Korn, Lauren Dieterich, chairs. This committee determines system for quilt arrival and accepts and sorts the quilts by location for hanging. They will distribute the quilts to the appropriate space for hanging. After the quilts are hung, the labels need to be attached. Accuracy is very important. This job is physically demanding and friends and family are welcomed.

Admissions: Anna Foss, chair. Co-chair needed. This committee greets show visitors when they arrive, takes their admission fees, and assists visitors with their wrist bracelets. Even though you are in one place, this is a fairly physically demanding job in that you are up and down quite a bit and bombarded with questions. You also have to be able to handle money.

Group Sales (During the Show): Anna Foss, chair. This committee greets the groups that arrive, distributes admission wrist bands and show books, and answers questions.

Greeters / White Gloves / Information Table / Volunteer Check-In / Board Assistance: Barbara Feinstein, Emily Klainberg, chairs. This committee will greet people as they move around the exhibit areas, answering questions and watching the quilts, keeping people from touching the quilts or wandering in with food or drinks. Greeters wear white gloves which are used to handle the quilts if someone wants to see the back details. The committee mans viewer’s choice ballot box and the information table, answering questions about the guild and the show. They check in the volunteers, sending them to their assigned tasks. People are always needed to serve as messengers, assistants to the show chairs, treasurer, run errands, etc. This job is physical.

Raffles and other Guild Items: Paula Kenney, Kitty Squire, chairs. This committee will sell raffle tickets for the raffle quilt and other major items, oversee the fishbowl raffles, and sell any guild related items that are ordered.

Boutique: Sheila Molitz, Sonia Rieber, Dorothy Arkell, chairs. This committee is responsible for the set-up, selling and take down of the boutique. Every member who puts items in the boutique is required to work four hours in the boutique. The set up and take-down particularly are physical jobs. Friends and family are welcome.

Coat Room / Sack Sitter: Kitty Squire, chair. This committee mans the coat room. Volunteers hang up coats and store items that are checked, give out tickets for those and retrieve checked items when the tickets are handed in. This is a somewhat physically demanding job.

Speaker Assistance: Paula Kenney, chair. This committee will greet the speakers, escort them around the show, help them get set up in the amphitheater and will serve as general assistants to them. Members of this committee will also introduce the speaker prior to the lecture and will hold up quilts or other items as needed. This job is physical.

Vendor Assistance: Beth Pile, Larry Gifford, chairs. This committee will greet vendors, show them their locations and answer any questions they may have. Throughout the show, this committee will check in with the vendors to see if they need anything.

›› Volunteer Job Opportunitites Descriptions (PDF)
›› Volunteer Sign-Up Sheet (PDF)

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