Hello All;
Today I am posting my latest Newsletter here on my blog... Please sign up for my Newsletter so you can be the first to know in the future as I usually do not post Newsletter information on my blog. But today I thought this Newsletter needed to reach as many people as possible!
It is hard to believe but the shows for 2013 are wrapping up! This will be Seraphim Bears last show for the year and I am thrilled to be ending it with the Teddies Worldwide show this weekend.
For me and many other Canadian bear artists it was a sad but hopeful show at Teddy Bears on Vacation when it was announced that there would be no show in 2014 for Canada. Mark and Susan McKay have gone back to the drawing board to see what can be done to reinvent the show and we all have our fingers crossed that something will be done but the show will never be the same as it was over the past years. It may be a show that includes bears and focuses on bears as a main factor but it will not be a true bear show. It may included other artists in different media that include bears in some format in their work. I hope this will be an exciting change and will get us attention for a brighter future and choose to look at it in that way. There will always need to be change in order to succeed. We have seen the onset of several online bear shows now that reach 100's of countries and even our competitions now are including photography contests for those who cannot attend the shows. Collectors across the board still fee they want a place to touch and feel the bears and meet the artists in person and that is why we desperately need our REAL shows. But it is my opinion that we also desperately need our online shows which give each of us, no matter where we live, a chance to reach out and meet, via email, an artist of our dreams and an opportunity to own one of their bears. Right now may not simply be a new step that is a fad as I have heard some collectors say... online shows may be the way of the future. If we want to keep the Teddy Bear as an original art form in the public eye and try to reach out to the new generation, we need to follow suit and try to reach them in a hip new way! People like Daphne Towle (Teddies Worldwide) and Dolores Austin ( Bear Hugs 4 U) are taking the steps required to make this a reality. Much like a "real" bear show, there should be no competition between show organizers... as at this point... we as a bear collective need all the outlets we can get. If we all work together to step out of our comfort zones we can hopefully SAVE THE BEARS so to speak!
Seraphim Bears has made a commitment to this industry for many years now and I hope to be able to continue to do so whether in Canada or not. The online shows provide me as an artist an outlet to continue to reach out to collectors across the world as I cannot travel as far as some. We still help to run a family business here in our town and I also have a commitment to my family and must be here. I do not have the luxury of travelling often as many of the Teddy Bear Artists do so the loss of our Canadian show was a real hit for me but I am still in this for the long haul. Seraphim Bears will continue to do approximately 2 online shows per years (possibly more, depending on sales) and will make every effort to travel to one show per year in person in the USA (most likely Binghamton, NY as I can drive there).
I wanted to send out this Newsletter to thank the show coordinators for their efforts in the past and for our futures. It takes a lot of innovation to look past what has always been done and have the courage to try something new. I too have put on my thinking cap over the years and tried my best to give my input to Mark McKay on ideas that may work for a future show and although I considered being the one to take over this new adventure, I have to be logical; with the commitment of the family business, my husband's recent cancer scare and a future for us now of checkup's every 6 months plus my recent heart condition diagnosis... it is just not possible right now for me to take on this role. I will always be here to help but cannot be the main coordinator.
I am making the same New Years Eve resolution I have made every year for years; I will continue to make beautiful creations be it bears or Huggy Baby bears or something new in hopes of touching someones heart and brightening someones day! I will continue to create my bears in the most professional way using the best materials and I will continue to make the adoption of a Seraphim Bear a full and enlightening experience with beautiful packaging and wee surprises included with each adoption. This has been my commitment to the industry and will be my commitment for as long as I can sew and design. I will continue to support the Teddy Bear Magazine industry by taking out ad space and reaching out to collectors in that way. I will travel when I can and support the new innovation of the online bear show by taking out virtual space with our online coordinators as often as I can. I will also always be here to help another bear artist in any way I can. This is my resolution for 2014 and the unforeseen future.
So... now....
TODAY begining at 4:00pm New York time or Eastern Standard time please join me and the many other bear artists at the Teddies Worldwide online bear show Christmas Treasures! The show will run from November 15 to November 17th! This will be a glorious show as Daphne and Frank always put in such a lot of time preparing for each show as do all of the artists involved. Here is your link to the show:
This will be my last show this year and I cannot wait to share the bears and Huggy Baby bears that I have created for this show. Holly that you see above is my gallery bear and has been created out of alpaca. All Seraphim Bears have a nice fat belly and beautiful profile... lots of honey in those bellies... heehee. All of her leaves are each handmade and quilted and each leaf has a Swarovski crystal. Thank you to all of you who took the time to vote for your favourite bears in the two categories - winners will be announced at the show opening!
Have a glorious weekend at the show everyone and thank you for taking the time to read my newsletters and including Seraphim Bears in your experience of the Artist Teddy Bear!
Michele Seraphim and the Seraphim Bears
