Workshop Proposal Guidelines

We would like to give you some information that we hope will help you as you consider proposing workshops for IWC – A Conference for Fiber Artists. Decisions about workshop proposals are made cooperatively by Patty Savignac, Workshop Chairperson, and the IWC Board of Directors.

We consider:

The qualifications/quality of the artist/instructor, especially in two areas: professional participation in the field and experience teaching adults.

The workshop itself. IWC offers workshops in visual arts, with an emphasis on weaving. We are interested in workshops where there is a strong connection between the artist's creative work and the workshop. If an artist takes a specific approach to her/his art, it's that approach that might make a workshop exciting and unique. We hope that artists can use IWC to try new approaches in their teaching. We serve a broadly defined audience of practicing artists: professionals and "near-professionals," art educators, and people who may make their livings in non-arts occupations and who may not exhibit or publish their art regularly, but who, nevertheless, are constantly and seriously engaged in making art.

Programmatic considerations. We look for workshops which will be effective in a short-term, intensive format. We try to offer an optimum number of workshops within various art areas and in total. We try to avoid situations where we feel our workshops would compete too directly with each other. In general, we cannot offer workshops that require specialized equipment. We especially seek workshops that include processes that can be done at home. As you develop your proposal, use the following outline as a guide. Try to address each item, but keep your proposal to one page.


Workshop Content and Structure

What is the primary goal of the workshop?

What will students be able to do after completing the workshop (processes, skills, techniques)?

How would you describe the workshop to prospective students?

What kinds of activities would you expect to do during the three days? (Please give us an idea of what your daily schedule might be.)

Audiences

What specific experience/skills must students bring to the workshop?

What general arts experience/skills must students bring to the workshop?

Space/Materials/Equipment

What type of space is required for this workshop? Any special needs such as water or electricity.

What materials will students need for this workshop? What is their approximate cost?

Does the workshop have any special safety requirements? For example, does it require the use of power tools? Dangerous substances?

What equipment is required for the workshop?

What set-up/take-down time is required?