Hi Stoners,

I hope everyone is staying safe and able to find a creative outlet in these difficult times.

The symposium managers, supported by the board of directors, worked to find a way to have safe symposiums this summer. However, it ultimately was not possible so we made the choice to cancel our events, including the Women's Hand Carving event in June, Pilgrim Firs in July and Suttle Lake in August. This was heartbreaking because we all want to get out of our homes and see our carving buddies, but it wasn't possible at this time. We will monitor the situation and may create a spontaneous short-term event towards fall, if it is safe.

In the meantime, we still have association business to be done at our July annual meeting, and plenty of carving to be done at our home studios. We will set up a Zoom association meeting where we can at least see some familiar faces. And we'll need to elect a new board of directors. If anyone wants to contribute to the good work of our group please contact me or one of the other board members to talk about what we do. The time commitment is not large and we do some really great things.

The CDC is investigating the idea that being fully covered in stone dust is protective against a wide range of viruses. Make dust and stay safe!

Ken - Prez

Covid-19 Common Questions & Resources Below is a select list of links to some great resources we found regarding Covid-19 information and resources (some especially for artists).
WHO - World Health Organization
CDC - Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
Oregon State Health Authority
Washington State Department of Health


Resources for Artists Affected by Covid-19 

Washington State
4Culture Cultural Relief Fund
ArtistTrust.org 

Oregon State
RACC.org
Portland Area Artist Relief Fund

National Resources
National Endowment for the Arts
Cerf+.org Artists Safety Net
Creative Capital 
Americans for the Arts
The Adolph & Esther Gottlieb Emergency Grant
Joan Mitchell Foundation