Dear Stitching Friends,
If you are attending or visiting Seminar 2026 in Orlando, please join us for the EGA Education Exhibit. I’m looking for volunteers to work with the Education Exhibit Team. We need help with set up, take down, and docents (monitors) for all open hours. If you already signed up on the Seminar form or with Seminar Volunteer Chairman Barbara Cowan (mkladyjax@yahoo.com), this is an opportunity to choose your times. We welcome spouses or friends who attend with you.
Education Exhibit Schedule
Friday Oct 9 Set Up 9 am until 4 pm. Hand delivered items dropped off 8 – 9 am.
Saturday, Oct 10 Exhibit Open 12 noon to – 5:30 pm
Sunday Oct 11 Exhibit Open 9 am to 5:30 pm
Monday, Oct 12 Exhibit Open 9 am to 5:30 pm
Tuesday, Oct 13 Exhibit Open 9 am to 5:30 pm
Wednesday, Oct 14 Exhibit Open 9 am to 1 pm, 1 pm to 4:30 Takedown, Pieces Picked up, Wrap and Label Shipped Returns
Thursday, Oct 15 Exhibit Closed, Ship returns via USPS, UPS, and Fed Ex
What will you learn?
By observing the entries, you’ll learn about EGA’s educational programs. Observation feeds your love of embroidery, giving you ideas and motivation. You’ll learn how to care for the embroidery and some exhibit “secrets” such as security solutions and why we avoid touching embroidery. You’ll see how the entrants have wrapped their work for shipping and view the forms that they have completed, including artist statements. You’ll benefit from my experience leading over 40 exhibit teams to create exhibits up to 250 pieces in size, Many of those exhibits were for my full-time job as Executive Director for a local arts center. For EGA, I led the Education Exhibit in 2017 as well as chapter and region exhibits.
What will you do?
Set Up Team – will unwrap shipped items, log them, sort them into categories, and hang the exhibit. We need some able-bodied workers to move things around, but also some to sit at the desk, unwrap and record the items, and place the wrappings under the tables where the pieces are hung. Hanging the exhibit will be easier this year because we have new display boards.
Docent Team – as a docent, you’ll welcome visitors to the exhibit, make sure that they check their bags at a desk outside the exhibit, and answer questions. There will be a Docent Notebook containing detailed information about EGA’s classes and programs to make it easy. For instance, dates for Lightning Rounds on GCCs and Virtual Lectures will be included. Signs in the exhibit will also have information. You’ll have gloves so that you can show viewers the backs or bottoms of pieces such as boxes or other 3D items. There will be a map of locations for the seminar.
Takedown/Mailback Team – will remove the pieces from the display boards, record hand pick-ups, re-wrap shipped pieces for mailing, prepare and affix return mailing labels, and transport the pieces to USPS, UPS, or Fed Ex.
The Team So Far – Many thanks to those who have already signed up!
Laura Smith, Education Exhibition Local Liaison – that’s me!
Deby Talley, our Seminar Chairman is receiving the pieces and transporting them to the exhibit.
Gail Smith, Marguerite Ewing, Judith Mayberry, Nicole Roatch, and Karen Wallach from the Carolinas Region.
Needle artists and teachers who are sending about their pieces to represent classes and for award entries.
Special thanks to EGA staffers Brad Cape who arranged for our display materials and Rand Duren who put the exhibit entry forms online (egausa.org/education-exhibit-form).
We invite you to join us!
If you sign up for the Team, you’ll receive another email confirming your volunteer times and more detailed information if you choose specific duties. Whether you volunteer or not, you are invited to visit us at the Education Exhibit. Many thanks for your time to read this.
Laura Smith
Liaison, EGA Education Exhibit 2026
educationexhibitchair@egausa.org
