Didn't enter for a FREE RIDE......

[Nicole Ohme]

Why can't you cancel the competition if no one is going to enter? FIND out sooner if people are going to do it? Have a date set up that people have to get to you by? Of course the bylaws and guidelines would have to change..................
That's how we do it out here in the country for our county fair. op2: It works.

 

[John Barlowe]

Nicole,

It is sad that no one else took the time to or made the effort to enter.

Unfortunately, the competition board or the chapter can not make someone enter, so is it fair to cancel a competition due to low turnout? Not really because the one or two people that have entered have put in a lot of hard work and effort to make this piece the best they can. They want to win and go to International. At the International competition you will be in a larger pool of framers and your metal will be tested against people from all over the world. This is where you really want to be.


As Ellen said it is the spin you put on the win. Yes it sucks but now you get to go to the International level and tell people you were able to compete against X number of framers from across the world. Please send your piece. Good Luck.

Robin

Part of entering the competitions is testing yourself, doing the best you can do. Getting your piece to international is the goal. Then come the critiques - you will learn from them and be inspired by some and wonder what the heck by others. A win or a loose shouldn't go to anybody's head as even though there are rules the judging is still subjective. ( One judge may mark you up on one area while another judge may mark you down on the same.)

Spin it or not but I'll tell you from my personal experience that you can get a lot of free marketing and goodwill out of those wins.

Now if I could just find inspiration to work on my pieces - we finally have a competition set up for 11-3 and yes I would like a little competition this year also.

 

[Robin Gentry MCPF]

Re: Make it more of a ride.

-Another thought from my humble brain: The piece should be selected by a diverse sub-committee. Can be used as a revenue center if say, reps from Tru Vue, Crescent, Larson Juhl, ____(insert supplier) helped select the piece. And have them perhaps help fund the whole sch-meal so they have a say in the piece and a different set of eyes (cooler stuff than...say a rocklayful, then have access to it's use in advertising and marketing, and it being an "award winning shop" means more than to the residents of the town the shop is in. And, and the revenue being adding to the potentially highly estimable competition, could sweeten the prizes in more than just prestige, but moolah.

Cathy,

The piece is submitted by ANY PPFA MEMBER to the Competition Board. If a member of your chapter or a supplier member has a piece they would like to have considered they just need to give this and the Submission form to the CB. Check the guidelines at www.ppfa.com click on the competitions heading and at the bottom of the page is the guidelines (section 2.3.1 Print Selection Process) along with the Submission Form. Please encourage everyone to submit a piece for consideration.

The competition offers Judges Awards which are sponsored by Suppliers. Any supplier that is interested in sponsoring a Judges Award should contact Shelia Pursglove.

After the International Competition any of the pieces can be used in promo for a supplier or the shops. You just can not publish any pictures of a competition piece BEFORE the announcement of Awards. So after the competition awards if someone has used so and so's moulding, mats, glass, and that company wants to promote the piece as the winner of the PPFA International Print/Open Framing Competition used our moulding, mat, glass in their superior frame design they can! There is nothing in the guidelines preventing this from occurring.

We do want more supplier participation in the Competitions and ideas are welcome.

Thanks Robin

Robin

 

[Cliff Wilson MCPF]

Re: Make it more of a ride.

I saw what Nic did, and as always it is kick-bootie. And so understand the "default" win feel.
And think Nic Nic should send on to Vegas as I love her approach to framing, and I also LOVE competition even though I have never entered before this year.
Competition, like much of PPFA is crawling right now, and needs to get up off its knees (like much of PPFA) and I perceive changes being made...but for Nic, ack! How blase for her!

-Also feel Competition that National should be more "Project Runway"...I know! Cliff Wilson and Project Runway normally NEVER appear in the same sentence. (Note: Love ya Cliffie)
But when is he frame ever the feature instead of the, well just the frame in the world. Give it some *Boom-tst-tst-tst*

-Another thought from my humble brain: The piece should be selected by a diverse sub-committee. Can be used as a revenue center if say, reps from Tru Vue, Crescent, Larson Juhl, ____(insert supplier) helped select the piece. And have them perhaps help fund the whole sch-meal so they have a say in the piece and a different set of eyes (cooler stuff than...say a rocklayful, then have access to it's use in advertising and marketing, and it being an "award winning shop" means more than to the residents of the town the shop is in. And, and the revenue being adding to the potentially highly estimable competition, could sweeten the prizes in more than just prestige, but moolah. Something more like Tru Vues Champions in Conservation last year. (don't get me wrong Tru Vue, I love free glass, but I wanna go to the Met behind the scenes, as a business owner my business comes first sixteen ways to Sunday, a cool trip takes care of my shops biggest asset...me!)
The thing is, this is one of the most exciting pieces I have done in a while and I am really pushing my skill set, I would love for the companies whose product I am using to have access and benefits to the cool stuff I am doing with their inspiring wares. Everyone wins, benefits, and more are intrigued to compete next year; thus an even bigger kitty and we are all on the same page.

-Did I mention it should be more Project Runway? :smiley_simmons:

My two dollars in Monopoly money, they don't have pennies.

Sorry I missed this post. Just to clarify ... after any PPFA Member who wants to submits potential entries, the competition board then selects 3 entries and adds one of their own. The four "finalists" PRINTS are then put to a vote. Each Chapter gets a vote and each official judge gets a vote. It is about as diverse a committee as you could hope for.

 

[Robin Gentry MCPF]

Why can't you cancel the competition if no one is going to enter? FIND out sooner if people are going to do it? Have a date set up that people have to get to you by? Of course the bylaws and guidelines would have to change..................
That's how we do it out here in the country for our county fair. op2: It works.

Each Chapter runs the competition differently. Some chapters do ask that pieces be delivered before the judging date. Which is fine as long as the pieces are stored properly and taken care of.

When it comes to setting a judging date for the competition the chapters have to secure the judges in advance so the dates are set. There is no reason the chapters could not set a deadline for submissions a few weeks ahead of schedule then if they do not have several pieces submitted they could make calls to those that purchased and extend the drop off deadline if they wish. But in reality if the chapter knows the competition date is approaching it would be nice for the chapter leaders to make a call to the people that purchased pieces to remind them of the impending deadline and send out email blasts to the members to encourage them to get their piece and remind them of the deadline. These email blasts can be arranged with National months or weeks in advance then go out at the specified date. Just please give National at least 2 weeks notice to send these out.

The only changes to guidelines or bylaws would be if the competitions are allowed to be cancelled. I do not think this is fair to those that want to compete. We do have some structures in place and not everyone is going to agree with them but unfortunately there has to be some structure.

One way to help would be to step up and offer to coordinate the competition for your chapter. You would be the one that would give ideas to the chapter board as to how to handle the competitions and you could all agree on the way to publicize, and promote the competition. Then you could still compete! Just a thought.

Robin

 

[Nicole Ohme]

One way to help would be to step up and offer to coordinate the competition for your chapter. You would be the one that would give ideas to the chapter board as to how to handle the competitions and you could all agree on the way to publicize, and promote the competition. Then you could still compete! Just a thought.

Robin

Ok not to turn this into a debate...... but why does it always fall back to "maybe you should volunteer" when someone questions the goings on?

This was my first competition......so these are just my thoughts on how it went and the outcome. I'm sorry that most of you don't understand where I'm coming from. I just thought that it could be easier for others that might potentially want to enter in the future so they would end up the same way. Sorry my bad!!!

 

[Robin Gentry MCPF]

Debate is good when done in the right way, which this is!

It comes back to maybe you should volunteer because PPFA is a Volunteer Organization. We are a part of PMA which basically oversees our day to day operations. We have boards and committees made up of framers from across the globe that want to better themselves and their craft. It takes a lot of people to make things run and go in the proper direction. None of the board members or chapter leaders or committee members get paid a dime. We do this because we believe in PPFA and in the ability to help other framers. Who better to know what we want and need than us? We welcome suggestions and debate and we welcome the opportunity to look at things in a different light. Our organizational dues, even though they may seem high to some, are only a fraction of what people pay for other organizations that have a full time, large paid staff. Since we do not have this type of funding we volunteer. Also volunteers are needed in different geographical areas because how can someone in Kentucky plan a meeting for someone in California when the Ky person has no idea about the area and what will or won't work? It is nice to have a local person to call on and speak with when a question arises. If we get several people (10-15) to volunteer in an area and help with different tasks it makes things run smoothly and no one is putting in oodles and oodles of time. The tasks can be divided up and one person can focus on one task. This is what it takes to make a chapter function and run smoothly. It can be done (look at New England and Pacific Southwest PPFA Chapter).

I hope this helps you understand the need for volunteers and I truly hope you will consider volunteering, your enthusiasm and desire to understand the issues is what is needed to make PPFA worthwhile.

Thanks Robin

 

[Cathy Coggins]

Ok not to turn this into a debate...... but why does it always fall back to "maybe you should volunteer" when someone questions the goings on?

Would like to take this on if I may. Because there is so much work to be done. And there are so many fine nuances to PPFA that are not being, worked, exploited, used to the benefit of all that it wants volunteers! It is just everybody is to busy to explain really why.

Robin mentioned some cool aspects to Competition on this thread. My poor blond brain can not learn PPFA fast enough to work efficiently. Or to know all these things.

To use an analogy if I may. We framers, shop-owners, potential educators, board or committee members, are expecting a gracious invitation to a table to fulfill a role. The problem is, the number of people preparing the meal are so thinly spread, so busy trying to make a great meal when we still haven't done the grunt work of moving the furniture in place. You cannot have graciousness and place cards and polished silver, when you are still working like laborers to put things into play.

Many hands make the load light. It seems cliche' to say volunteer. No it seems cheap and empty and even a turn away if you will. But, there is so much to be done, and people do not even know the most effective way to do it. Truth is, they need help. And too few people are being used as vessels to carry too much information.

But, I would loathe to speak for the organization, but that sure is my perception for what it is worth.

But, bottom line Nic, you are amazing as a framer, a human and artist. And that should be showcased in a chapter...unfortunately there is not a strong viable one in your area. You are clumsily being asked to help change that.

Again I saw your work, I know you are awesome. I also know you could be a great asset in putting out a great meal working with a fabulous bunch of people. But I know you are just as busy in life as I am.

 

[Cliff Wilson MCPF]

Would like to take this on if I may. Because there is so much work to be done. And there are so many fine nuances to PPFA that are not being, worked, exploited, used to the benefit of all that it wants volunteers! It is just everybody is to busy to explain really why.

Robin mentioned some cool aspects to Competition on this thread. My poor blond brain can not learn PPFA fast enough to work efficiently. Or to know all these things.

To use an analogy if I may. We framers, shop-owners, potential educators, board or committee members, are expecting a gracious invitation to a table to fulfill a role. The problem is, the number of people preparing the meal are so thinly spread, so busy trying to make a great meal when we still haven't done the grunt work of moving the furniture in place. You cannot have graciousness and place cards and polished silver, when you are still working like laborers to put things into play.

Many hands make the load light. It seems cliche' to say volunteer. No it seems cheap and empty and even a turn away if you will. But, there is so much to be done, and people do not even know the most effective way to do it. Truth is, they need help. And too few people are being used as vessels to carry too much information.

But, I would loathe to speak for the organization, but that sure is my perception for what it is worth.

But, bottom line Nic, you are amazing as a framer, a human and artist. And that should be showcased in a chapter...unfortunately there is not a strong viable one in your area. You are clumsily being asked to help change that.

Again I saw your work, I know you are awesome. I also know you could be a great asset in putting out a great meal working with a fabulous bunch of people. But I know you are just as busy in life as I am.

Two things I have to say ...
1) you ARE PPFA, so of course you can "speak for ..." - there really is no "they" here. Just a whole lot of volunteers doing what they think is right. By having some members stay on certain committees and written guidelines in some areas that get reviewed by a lot of different people at different times, we get some continuity, but really, the only way things get done is with people helping at all levels with all the jobs. That's why the "please volunteer" mantra gets trotted out so often.
2) there are a few of us that have been volunteering for a while, that have had a little bitty finger in a bunch of things, and it's a little scary that so much IS stored in fragile organic brain matter, SO, please ASK.

 

[Ellen Collins MCPF]

A side note to the question of whether (or when) to "call" a competition on account of non-participation.

We all know that the Unofficial Framers' Motto is "If it weren't for the last minute, nothing would get done." I can't tell you how often, when I was point person for chapter competitions, the pieces would come in hot off the assembly table, metaphorically speaking.

I can name at least 4 competition pieces where the design I had didn't work, the frame came in too big/small, I boogered up the mat and had no more, and on and on. I could have quit, but (being cut from the same stubborn cloth you are) I figured out how to make things work with what I had on hand. Some were more successful, some were less.

If you want, I could list some of the disasters and near misses, but that would serve no purpose other than to point out that we can have good intentions about readying a piece for competition, even telling the chapter competition chair that we would be dropping it off tomorrow, and then life takes over and there is only one piece that actually shows up to be judged.

And the one person who successfully DID submit a piece, usually putting not only time, but money into it should not be told that there was only one entry turned in and the competition is cancelled. That would really turn me into a snarling beast!

 

[Cathy Coggins]

Two things I have to say ...
1) you ARE PPFA, so of course you can "speak for ..." - there really is no "they" here. Just a whole lot of volunteers doing what they think is right. By having some members stay on certain committees and written guidelines in some areas that get reviewed by a lot of different people at different times, we get some continuity, but really, the only way things get done is with people helping at all levels with all the jobs. That's why the "please volunteer" mantra gets trotted out so often.
2) there are a few of us that have been volunteering for a while, that have had a little bitty finger in a bunch of things, and it's a little scary that so much IS stored in fragile organic brain matter, SO, please ASK.

Thank you Cliffie.

Firstly, I know I can speak up :smile: and did here instead of calling Nic as I usually do. But, that "voice", if you will, to speak for all is a cautious line; and I trot it as I know I cannot see all. But I do know that every single day this week I have spent hours and hours with so many framers across the nation, that I have a pretty good idea of whats going on. So I sure am learning to speak up and where and where not to.

Secondly, there are a whole bunch of people like yourself, that have been doing this for years. I have been doing it for less than one (PPFA committee stuff I mean) and I am exhausted.
Someone this very morning and I were speaking and I said to them that ya'll should be commended for what you do, and at the same time kind of eased off of a bit. People like Ellen and you Cliffie, who have been carrying PPFA around for years. Let some newer folks step up and do, but we must be given your blessing so to speak, as we respect ya'll. You should be reserved for the special stuff. Let hard working, ehmm, younger people step up, Randy Parrish is super eager and has a sharp mind, Mikki Kavich is a positive and sunny voice of reason, Sarah Beckett is a sound practical voice and possess organizational skills my shop could not afford, Harry Gaston is so enthusiastic has a first rate mind and a kind heart, there are so many more I would love to offer accolades to...my phone bill hasn't afforded me (snort, pun intended) the opportunity to get tho know their minds and hearts.
Ya'll, Jim, Ellen, Greg, John P, Rob, Ron and many many more...you have been working for so many years; and allowed for us to even have a PPFA; you are the China bowls if ya will, reserve it's use it special like. Let use eager beavers step up and be the stainless steel mixing bowls and take the bashing. But, don't rest yet, teach us strong to do what needs doing and we'll get it done. But leadership in this organization is a joint a faceted role, the more cuts a gemstone has, the more brilliant; each of us is a cut, on it's own there is no brilliance, we need more.

But, we need your guidance, your mentoring, your 'blessing' in our undertakings. We also want your respect/ encouragement. I guess I am hoping you all know the roles that you play, as we undertake bringing up the new ones, because they are out there, believe me.

Okay, feeling like I crossed over. Gonna go make some frames.

 

[Randy Parrish CPF]

:hail: Cliffie?

 

[Kai Vanuffelen]

Bring back your fish Randy and your healthy appetite for food belly.

 

[Cathy Coggins]

:hail: Cliffie?

Shut up Randall! That's all you got outta that? Punk! Oh, ya make me giggle...layful:

And absolutely no one commented on my Project Runway thing.

This could be our Cliffie!

 

[Nicole Ohme]

All I can think of is snarky comments.

Again thank you all for your predictible statements.

 

[Mike Drury MCPF]

"predictable statements", all I can say is WOW!

 

[Cliff Wilson MCPF]

... Again thank you all for your predictible statements.

Not trying to pick a fight, but I'm perfectly OK with that statement.
They're predictable mostly because they're true and you understood that they were before they were written.

I agree with Ellen that competitions should not be called off even if there is only one entry.
The person who did the work should still be recognized.

 

[Nicole Ohme]

Not trying to pick a fight, but I'm perfectly OK with that statement.
They're predictable mostly because they're true and you understood that they were before they were written.

I agree with Ellen that competitions should not be called off even if there is only one entry.
The person who did the work should still be recognized.

See again..... If people would actually READ what I said.... I suggested that the chapters find out who is going to enter..... So if there is a low turn out... People don't have to waste time and money..... On doing a piece.
I really don't see how that's a huge problem.
But again..... This whole CHANGE thing is scary to people.

 

[Randy Parrish CPF]

Nic your chapter is non functioning, as you well know. Did anyone from your chapter talk to you about the competition? Have you ever met another member from your chapter? You know from enough of your contacts what the chapter level competition turn out can be like. If this was such an issue, and it was 99% predictable, did you ever ask any one if they where competing?

So when you suggest your chapter to "Do this" or "Make it this way" who exactly is going to do that? The stuff does not run itself.

The chapters made the opportunity to compete, they can not insure anyone does.

 

[Robin Gentry MCPF]

The chapters are aware of who has purchased pieces so they know who is suppose to enter but it is no guarantee they will show up with an entry.

Most people that enter do not feel it is a waste of time and money. Most that I have talked to enjoy the competition and use it as a learning experience.

I am sorry you feel cheated.