Help us promote papercut artwork, and ensure the health and flourishing of our Guild! If you have been wanting to get more involved in GAP, but weren’t sure where to start, please consider joining a committee that interests you!
Committees are not just for Board members! The regular members of GAP are encouraged to join any committee of interest to them—this is a great way to have a say in the future of GAP, to make friends with other papercut artists, and to get more involved in the ever-broadening world of artistic papercutting!
General: Each of the Guild’s committees is independent, and chaired by a member of the Board of Directors. The Committee reports back to the Board at each regular Board meeting. (By-Laws §7.3, “Committee Organization”; reminder: you must be logged in to see the by-laws).
There are EIGHT Committees at present—take a look, and see if any of these suit your talents, ideas, and temperament!
Pittsburgh 2021 Conference
This is the planning committee for our now-postponed Conference in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, outside Pittsburgh. This heroic group has been working hard to bring us all an exciting trip, whether in person or virtual, as well as a visit to the relatively nearby GAP National Papercutting Museum in Somerset. If you have experience with conferences, live or virtual, please reach out and join! Contacts: Bianca Levan and Rosa Leff
Museum
This committee includes long time Board member Kathy Trexel Reed, new Board member Randall Williams, and Museum Intern Rebecca Raupach, and aims to maintain and nurture the GAP National Museum in Somerset, PA. Brainstorm new exhibit theme ideas, develop storage possibilities for our extensive archival collection of historic papercuttings, promote exhibits and calls for art, set exhibit fees and rules, solicit support from universities and other institutions, and more. You do not need to be living near Somerset to join this committee (but if you are, that is definitely a plus!). Contact: Rebecca Raupach, Randall Williams
Fundraising and Marketing
This committee works on new projects for fundraising for GAP and marketing, including applying for grants, putting together sales opportunities for members’ artwork, working with local and national organizations to promote the visibility of GAP, and brainstorming new ways to bring the art of papercutting to the public. Contact: Lucrezia Bieler
Membership
This committee works to maintain the membership rolls of the organization, including contacting lapsed members to urge them to renew, recruiting new members for the Board of Directors, surveying members on subjects discussed by the Board, and generally keeping track of members and their needs. Membership coordinates closely with almost every other committee, and on this committee you get to know many papercutters within and outside the Guild personally. Contact: Melanie Kehoss
Finance
This committee works closely with the President, the Treasurer and our Accountant/Bookkeeper at the Museum at Laurel Arts, Somerset, PA, to produce the annual budget, maintain and make available the financial records of the organization, produce reports on income and outgoing funds to be shared with the Board regularly, and keep GAP thriving financially. Works closely with other committees to support initiatives, conferences, exhibits, and more. Contact: Dave Reichard
Publications
This committee is chaired by Rosa Leff, who creates, edits, and sends out our Guild newsletter (now digital), First Cut, as well as being involved in all the print and non-print publications of the Guild. The committee is also responsible for the changing and adapting of our publications agenda, including brainstorming and helping to produce new ideas for publications (such as an annual postcard book, sets of papercutting prints in bookmark or card format, etc.). Contact: Rosa Leff
Technology
This committee is responsible for upkeep of our website, FB page, other social media platforms (such as Instagram), and other digital, computer, and technological resources and opportunities. Committee members brainstorm methods of integrating digital and traditional paper technologies to better spread the word about our members’ work and the world of papercutting. Contacts: website – Jeri Fogel; Instagram and social – Rosa Leff
Exhibits
This committee organizes exhibitions of members’ artwork beyond the National Museum, working with places such as Highbridge Gardens and overseas embassies and papercutters’ guilds to create opportunities for GAP members to show their work across the nation and around the world. Contacts: Melanie Kehoss, Lucrezia Bieler, and Mindy Shapiro
