Sign up soon for the 2015 National Paper Doll Convention!
June 17-21, 2015
The months are flying by and before we know it we'll all be together in Chattanooga for a few wonderful days of fun, friends and paper dolls.
If you can't attend, I highly recommend getting an absentee registration so you'll have all the convention goodies including a smart tote bag, a fun color-and-cut set of paper dolls, custom scissors, colored pencils and all the beautiful souvenir paper dolls by top artists created especially for the convention. Convention souvenirs can only be purchased in advance with an absentee registration, so if interested please order by May 15, 2015.
Five Days of Convention Fun!
Wednesday, June 17
Chattanooga Tour, Welcome Party
This year David Wolfe and I are co-hosting the convention with the help of our wonderfully clever and capable team. The convention will kick off on Wednesday with an optional trip to the Bluff View Arts District in downtown Chattanooga where you can explore art galleries, quaint gift shops, and enjoy lunch in one of the lovely little restaurants or coffee shops. There's the spectacular Tennessee Aquarium to visit as well as the Hunter Museum of American Art. We'll offer an optional tour of the Houston Museum of Decorative Arts where you'll see an extraordinary collection of Victorian glassware, accumulated by a marvelously eccentric woman, Anna Safley Houston. Wednesday evening we'll gather together at the hotel for registration party with hors d'oeuvres and a name-that-tune game hosted by our favorite musical couple, Sharry and Micheal O'Hara.
Thursday, June 18
Workshops, Talks, Artist Gallery Special Exhibits
Thursday offers something for everyone with a variety of fun workshops and interesting programs. Hands-on classes include a Nancy Drew themed altered book workshop with Penny Arrowood, paper doll scrapbooking with Linda Hoerner, decorate a hat with David Wolfe and Scott Jorgenson, and the popular "Painting and Gossiping with Ralph Hodgdon." Attendance is limited for workshops, and sign up forms will be available in the info packet that will go out late in February to those who have already registered for the convention. Talks and programs are open to all and do not require advance sign-up and those include Golden Books/Paper Dolls by Patti Fertel, Magazine Paper Dolls by Jill Kaar Hanson and a series of mini programs by eight different presenters on a variety of paper doll topics. Between activities, be sure to check out the Raffle Room which will be open each day until the big drawing Saturday afternoon. During our first buffet dinner, we'll have a mix-and-match paper doll game followed by the Artists Gallery and Special Exhibits.
Friday, June 19
Sales Day! 1950s Dress-Up Night, Musical Program
This is the much-anticipated Sales Day with paper dolls and paper collectibles galore, both antique and contemporary. It's a day for new discoveries and re-discovering treasures of the past. After a hectic and exciting day, we'll have a fun dress-up night with a 1950s theme, and our buffet dinner will feature a musical performance by the O'Haras.
Saturday, June 20
Programs, Competition, Freebie Tables, Minnie Pearl Dress-Up Night, Silent Auction
Three major programs will be offered for everyone to enjoy Saturday morning. Jim Howard will talk about his career as a fashion illustrator, Scott Jorgenson will share treasures from his vintage fashion collection and Lorna Thomopoulos will tell us about her life as a paper doll collector. In the afternoon we'll have a color-and-cut get-together, and then we get to enjoy our very own paper doll museum as the doors open to the Competition Room. This is a wonderful opportunity to see rare and wonderful paper doll treasures from private collections. Competition themes and categories will be provided in the Info Packet going out late in February. The raffle drawing will occur late in the afternoon, with the top ten items to be drawn later during dinner. Our theme for the evening is "Minnie Pearl" so we hope to see lots of hats (complete with price tag) and country attire. After dinner, we'll have the excitement of the Silent Auction, where we'll have an extraordinary opportunity to bid on original art, generously donated by top paper doll artists to help fund the convention.
Sunday morning, June 21
Tom Tierney Tribute
To remember our beloved Tom Tierney and his extraordinary impact on the world of paper dolls, David Wolfe will offer a special program chronicling the history of fashion through Tom's paper doll art. The program should conclude by 10:30 when we all must say good-bye and head for home... until we meet again.
Hotel Information
Embassy Suites Chattanooga / Hamilton Place
2321 Lifestyle Way, Chattanooga, TN 37421
Please book your hotel room early! To make a hotel reservation, contact Jennifer Herron, Group Rooms Coordinator at 423-602-7556. Ask for the special paper doll convention rate of $129.00 per night for upscale two-room suite (great for sharing). Rate available 3 nights before and 3 nights after convention. You can also book your room online, but if you plan an extended stay beyond 3 nights before or after the convention, we recommend calling the hotel directly.
Donations Welcome!
To help offset the high costs of putting on a convention, each year the hosts rely on raffle ticket sales in the "helper room." So we very much welcome donations for the raffle as well as for the freebie table. Items can be shipped in advance or brought directly to the convention. For more information, contact Jenny at 800-290-2928 or email [email protected].
Convention e-newsletters
To get more inside information and convention updates, I highly recommend getting e-newsletters from Garth Lax and David Wolfe. To sign up, contact Garth at [email protected] or David at [email protected].
Questions
I hope our convention plans will entice you to come to Chattanooga! More details will be offered in the Convention Info Pack. Otherwise, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 800-290-2928 or email [email protected].
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