[Origami] News about OrigamiUSA Convention 2019!

[Jan Polish]

We are pleased to announce our special guests for this year’s convention,
and some major changes.

• Our special guests will be Satoshi Kamiya and Dáša Ševerová! Many of you
will be familiar with Satoshi’s amazing complex models, perhaps fewer with
Dáša. You can learn more about her in Ilan Garibi’s interview in The Fold:
https://origamiusa.org/thefold/article/origami-designers-secrets-dáša-ševerová.
We’ll post more information on both of them on the website soon.

• The biggest change? Welcome to Open Fridays! On Friday, June 21st, we
will open our doors at 2pm for Registration, Hospitality and Sales, and
have Opening Remarks and presentations by our Special Guests at 3pm.
Exhibition will open a bit later. Best of all ... Fridays will be open to
ALL folders, whether attendees, members or not-yet-members. Bring your
friends and enjoy shopping, folding and an introduction to our amazing
special guests.

• Saturday night repeat classes were very popular, and will return, but
we’ll let you know about them earlier, so that you can plan your evening
activities.

• We’ve made tweaks to the online ticketing process to make it even more
user-friendly.

• Interested in volunteering for Convention? We have some areas with finite
responsibilities that need help before, during, or even after convention.
For many of them, you don’t need to be in New York! Please check our new
Volunteer Page at https://origamiusa.org/volunteer-jobs, and come back to
it as we add more opportunities.

Stay tuned for more information!

Regards, Jan Polish for OrigamiUSA

[Origami] PCOC 2019 Hotel: room block is open

[Jan Polish]

Dear Folding Friends,

Our room block for PCOC 2019 is open!

We have opened up a few pages on the PCOC 2019 website
. Please visit to learn more details about
Portland, the hotel, travel and lodging, and the Monday Tour.

Here are the basics:

*Dates: * September 12-16, 2019
There will be a few rooms available 3 days prior and post.

*Place*: DoubleTree by Hilton/Portland
1000 NE Multnomah Street,

 Portland,Oregon,

 97232,

 USA


*To reserve a room online, click here

*or
call:  1-800-996-0510 and mention group code “OGI” or the group name
“Origami”.

*Room rates, Standard Queen (up to 2 people):*

   - Single – $159
   - Double – $159
   - Triple – N/A
   - Quad – N/A

*Room rates, Premium Double Queen (up to 4 people) or Single King (up to 2
people):*

   - Single – $179
   - Double – $179
   - Triple –$ 184
   - Quad – $189

The Premium rooms are larger.  All rooms have WiFi access.  Accessible
rooms are available upon request.

*Book by August 13th, 2019* to get these rates.

If you get a message that there is no room availability, please contact us
at *pcoc-lodg...@origamiusa.org .*

*We are excited to announce two special guests *that have already committed
to coming:  Oriol Esteve from Spain
 and João Charrua from
Portugal .

To find out more about the great tour on Monday after PCOC visit our website
.

Happy Folding,

Patty Grodner
On behalf of the PCOC 2019 Committee

[Origami] Mark Kennedy

[Jan Polish]

Mark passed away this morning, after a valiant fight.

We’ll send more information about burial, where to send condolences,
memorial, etc. as we are advised.

He lived a good and happy life, bringing joy to so many. Think of those
lovely times as we mourn.

[Origami] Mark Kennedy

[Jan Polish]

Many of you know and love Mark Kennedy, who has traveled the world sharing
his huge heart, his love of origami, and his love of people. Now Mark is
fighting cancer - he has a large tumor in his throat that seems resistant
to radiation and chemo. He may be undergoing surgery in the near future,
but he and his wife Arlene are trying to be optimistic.

Would you like to tell Mark how much he has meant to you? Take a photo of
yourself with one of his pins, or a model he taught you, or a crane, and
send it with a message to photosformark2...@gmail.com. I spoke with him via
Arlene this morning, and he’s very excited to hear from his friends.

Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers, and please share this
message.

Regards, Jan Polish

[Origami] OrigamiUSA Convention 2017 Preliminary Schedule Posted

[Jan Polish]

Hi folks,

The preliminary schedule has now been posted to our website.

https://origamiusa.org/convention2017_takingclasses

Please take a look at the Class Preview pages to see pictures and
descriptions of the classes.

We're very excited about the classes being presented. I hope you will enjoy
checking out the Preliminary Schedule, but do remember it is PRELIMINARY.
It may change - classes will be moved, modified or removed. The final
schedule will be posted to the website on Tuesday, June 20th.

If the classes excite you and you haven't signed up to attend yet, it's not
too late! We will turn off online registration Wednesday. There are still
some rooms available at campus housing, but we must give St. John's final
names shortly, and will turn off online housing registration at that point.

Please let us know if you have questions or comments.

Regards, Jan Polish for OrigamiUSA

[Origami] Vanessa Gould's "Obit" - origami-related, but not quite origami

[Jan Polish]

Many of you will remember Vanessa's amazing documentary "Between the
Folds." But did you know what she did next? She's created a prize-winning,
critically praised new documentary called "Obit," which is now playing in
many of your cities. I've seen it (twice) and it's as fantastic as BTF.

Here's her explanation of her inspiration:

*In 2010, Eric Joisel, one of the artist subjects featured in my last film,
BETWEEN THE FOLDS, passed away at age 54. For me, it was a dual experience.
He had become a good friend, so I prepared as best I could for the loss of
a friend. What I didn’t anticipate were the feelings that come with the
early death of an artist. Ideas unfinished. Pieces frozen in time. Singular
ambitions and thoughts gone with him. Everything stopped. Of course, no one
else can ever finish them.*

*Eric was a solitary person. I was afraid that all we knew of him might
disappear with time. I wanted him to have a final acknowledgement – to be
recognized publicly. And so I sent a short announcement to most of the big
English language newspapers around the world. About a week later, the first
and only paper that responded was The New York Times. They ran a beautiful
and fitting obituary on him, along with photos of him and his work. It
recognized the unique value of the things to which he was so devoted. It
logged him into the historical record. A good account of his life and work
is now available. Recognition had mostly eluded him, and I can’t even begin
to think how he’d feel if he had seen it.*

*This led me to a deep point of curiosity about the cultural, historical
and journalistic gravity of obituaries. As I began a new daily ritual of
reading The New York Times obits, I soon discovered that nearly every one
points to an incredible human story, along with larger contexts of place
and time, history and culture.  A few months later, I contacted The New
York Times about doing a documentary, and began soon after*

Here's the link to where it's playing. https://www.obitdoc.com/screenings

Regards, Jan

[Origami] OrigamiUSA convention 2017

[Jan Polish]

Hi!

The OrigamiUSA Convention 2017 webpages are now open. We have two exciting
special guests from Italy, and are returning to St. John's after our
wonderful experience in 2016.

Please do read the texts on each page before registering, especially the
What's New page.

I hope to see many of you at the convention.

Regards, Jan Polish for OrigamiUSA

[Origami] Fold-Ease

[Jan Polish]

Michael Sanders asked about this "useless" product, and seemed to remember
it at an OrigamiUSA convention. Your memory is good, Michael, although I
also don't remember the year. The manufacturer sent samples to the Business
Committee, convinced we would order lots. We had the same reaction as you
did. Useless, and not cheap. We probably brought the samples to convention
for a laugh.

... Jan Polish

[Origami] OrigamiUSA convention 6/17-20/16

[Jan Polish]

Hi Folks,



Convention registration for OrigamiUSA Convention 2016 is underway, and
we’re getting close to the May 25th deadline to register without incurring
a late charge.


We’re really excited about this new venue and our special guests.



The venue, at St. John’s University, resolves many of the issues we had
last year. The campus is relatively flat, and we’ll have golf carts to take
people around so they can avoid the few moderate inclines and stairs. All
the classrooms, Exhibition, and Sales Areas are in the same building, which
is right across the road from the building with Hospitality. Housing and
the Dining Hall are a short walk away. The suites in the Housing building
are more comfortable than last year’s, and there is a larger common area in
each suite, complete with refrigerator and microwave. Public transportation
is available, with accessible subway station (elevators!) and buses. The
Monday night dinner will be more casual, but much more affordable.



We are pleased to welcome Tomoko Fuse back as one of our special guests
this year. Tomoko is an amazing author and creator, and also a charming and
effective teacher. Kade Chan, our other special guest, is a young creator
from Hong Kong who, at just 21, has a remarkable portfolio of simple and
complex models.



If you haven’t already registered, please consider joining us this year!


Regards, Jan Polish for OrigamiUSA (jpol...@gmail.com)

[Origami] CORRECTED ... Remote Tour of PCOC

[Jan Polish]

The original email neglected to mention the exact date of the tour!
Corrected below ... sorry if there was confusion.

Next weekend is the Pacific Coast OrigamiUSA Convention (PCOC) in Boulder
CO. We hope to see many of you there - there's an exciting lineup of
classes, and wonderful special guests (Leyla Torres and Michael Naughton).
But if you're not attending, you can enjoy PCOC without being there. We’ll
have a free LIVE feed, which will let you see parts of the convention. You
can take a Guided Tour of PCOC with host Jason Ku. He’ll show you the
exhibition, talk to our Special Guests, and chat with attendees. If you’d
like to join, just open the following URL on your browser between 8:00pm
and 8:45pm, Mountain Daylight Time, on Friday, October 9th:



https://origamiusa.adobeconnect.com/pcoc_2015/



Using this technology, you’ll be able to join the tour, interact with
attendees using Live Chat, ask questions and provide comments. No
pre-registration is necessary, there is no cost, and it’s not limited to
members.



Regards, Jan Polish for the PCOC Team

[Origami] Remote Tour of PCOC

[Jan Polish]

Next weekend is the Pacific Coast OrigamiUSA Convention (PCOC) in Boulder
CO. We hope to see many of you there - there's an exciting lineup of
classes, and wonderful special guests (Leyla Torres and Michael Naughton).
But if you're not attending, you can enjoy PCOC without being there. We’ll
have a free LIVE feed, which will let you see parts of the convention. You
can take a Guided Tour of PCOC with host Jason Ku. He’ll show you the
exhibition, talk to our Special Guests, and chat with attendees. If you’d
like to join, just open the following URL on your browser between 8:00pm
and 8:45pm, Mountain Daylight Time:



https://origamiusa.adobeconnect.com/pcoc_2015/



Using this technology, you’ll be able to join the tour, interact with
attendees using Live Chat, ask questions and provide comments. No
pre-registration is necessary, there is no cost, and it’s not limited to
members.



Regards, Jan Polish for the PCOC Team

[Origami] PCOC Hotel reservations ... Deadline coming up

[Jan Polish]

Our contract with the PCOC hotel states that they will not guarantee our
rate after September 8th. We haven't heard from them if they will, in fact,
continue to honor it, but if you're planning on attending PCOC it would be
a good idea to register promptly. Links are here:

https://origamiusa.org/pcoc2015_lodging

And the Early Bird price will go up on September 15th.

Regards, Jan Polish for the PCOC team

[Origami] Cy Levine

[Jan Polish]

I'm not sure how many of you have heard, so I thought I'd cross-post this:

I've just learned from Facebook that our dear friend Cy Levine
https://www.facebook.com/cy.levine.9 has passed away. Many of you will
know him from the conventions he attended, where he lit up every room he
was in. He was a close friend of Lillian Oppenheimer, and shared some
wonderful stories of the early days of OrigamiUSA
https://www.facebook.com/OrigamiUSA. I'm pleased and proud to have known
him, and I'll miss him.

Regards, Jan Polish

[Origami] PCOC Update

[Jan Polish]

Hi Folks,


We've been getting a lot of questions about PCOC status, so here's a brief
update. Registration will go live on August 24th, and here's the TENTATIVE
schedule - the days are fixed, but the exact times and events are subject
to change.


==


*Thursday October 8*



6:00-8:00pm — Wine  Cheese Reception - not in Early Bird Package (EBP)



*Friday October 9*



9:00-10:00 — Friday Class Registration

10:00-12:00 — Friday Morning Classes, origami related, not in EBP

1:00-11:00 — Hospitality Area open

12:00-2:00 — Lunch

2:00-5:00 — Friday Afternoon Classes, origami related, not in EBP

6:00-8:00 — Welcome Reception

8:00-10:00— Registration, First-Timers class, Teaching Tips

8:00-10:00 — Exhibition open for PCOC attendees

11:00-all night — Late-night folding area open



*Saturday October 10*



8:00 — Registration open, doors open

8:00-11:00pm — Hospitality Area open

9:45 — Welcome address, announcements

10:00-12:00 — Classes

10:00-6:00 — Exhibition open

12:00-2:00 — Lunch

2:00-5:00 — Classes

6:30-7:00 — Cocktail Hour

7:00-9:00 — Banquet

9:00-9:30 — Entertainment

9:30-all night — Late-night folding area open



*Sunday October 11*



8:00 — Registration open, doors open

8:00-5:00pm — Hospitality Area open

9:45 — Announcements

10:00-12:00 — Classes

10:00-5:30 — Exhibition open

12:00-1:50 — Lunch

2:00-5:00 — Classes

5:00 — PCOC ends

5:00-all night — Late-night folding area open



*Monday October 12*



Post-convention tour, reservation required, wait list has been started, not
in EBP


==


We're waiting for meal prices from the hotel before we can finalize the
pricing, but, barring major surprises, we anticipate that the Early Bird
Package will be between $215 and $230.


Remember that hotel rooms at our special price are limited. Here's the link
to hotel reservations:



   - Reservation Hotline http://tinyurl.com/owfjs8s

Please let Barbara Gardner know if you have questions, at bfp...@gmail.com.

Regards, Jan Polish for the PCOC team

[Origami] OrigamiUSA Convention 2015 - Free Webcasts

[Jan Polish]

The OrigamiUSA Convention 2015 is this coming weekend. If you can’t make it
in person, there are a couple of ways to join us.



If you’re a member, you can attend virtual classes, streamed remotely from
the convention, for a small fee. There’s a very exciting line-up:



https://origamiusa.org/convention2015_remoteclasses



In addition, we’re excited to introduce a free LIVE feed, which will let
you see other parts of the convention, and anyone can join.



·  Take a Guided Tour of the Convention exhibition, hosted by Ruthanne
Bessman, on Saturday, June 20, 2015, 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM New York time



·  Watch the Oversized Folding event, hosted by Jason Ku, on Sunday,
June 21, 2015, 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM New York time


All you have to do is to open the following URL on your browser at the
above times:

 https://origamiusa.adobeconnect.com/convention_2015/

Using online streaming technology, you will be able to join these events
remotely, and use the chat room to send questions or comments and interact
with the other attendees.

Remember, to attend the Guided Tour or Oversized Folding Event:



· you don’t have to be a member

· you don’t have to pre-register

· it’s free



We are really excited to be able to broadcast these events, thanks to the
efforts of the convention and web teams, and the kindness of the
presenters. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.



Jan Polish, on behalf of OrigamiUSA

[Origami] OrigamiUSA Convention 2015 Preliminary Schedule posted, plus housing update

[Jan Polish]

Hi folk,

The preliminary schedule has now been posted to our website. Please take a
look at the Class Preview pages to see pictures and descriptions of the
classes.

https://origamiusa.org/convention2015_takingclasses

We're very excited about the classes being presented. I hope you will enjoy
checking out the Preliminary Schedule, but do remember it is PRELIMINARY.
We can guarantee that it will change - classes will be moved, added,
removed. The final schedule will be posted to the website on Wednesday,
June 17th.

Teachers, please carefully check for your classes and let us know if you
see any issues

If the classes excite you, and you haven't signed up to attend yet, it's
not too late! We will turn off on-line registration Wednesday. There are
still some rooms available at campus housing, but we must give Manhattan
College final names by Monday, so we will turn off on-line housing
registration Monday AM.

Please let us know if you have questions or comments.

Regards, Jan Polish for OrigamiUSA

[Origami] OrigamiUSA Convention 2015

[Jan Polish]

Hi folks,

The website pages for the convention will go live at 1:00pm EST tomorrow,
May 4th. Most of the informational pages have already been updated, so
please check them out!

It's going to be an exciting convention, as we get to enjoy origami
together, and explore our new venue.

As always, any questions ... Let me know.

Regards, Jan Polish for OrigamiUSA (jpolish at gmail.com)

[Origami] Origami sighting, sort of

[Jan Polish]

Check out the cover of The New Yorker, available now in digital format, on
your newstands soon, or at the website: newyorker.com.

... Jan Polish

[Origami] Special Guests for OrigamiUSA convention

[Jan Polish]

We are pleased to announce our special guests for this year's convention:
Sara Adams and Hoang Tien Quyet (pending his visa).

Sara Adams is a German origami enthusiast who is probably best known for
her video tutorials on YouTube. She has done so much to spread her love of
origami, and to promote designers old and new, and we are thrilled that she
is finally able to join us.

Hoang Tien Quyet is a young and exciting designer from Vietnam, whose work
is both technically proficient and amazingly elegant.

You can see photos, more complete bios, and links to their work at:

www.origamiusa.org/convention2015

Thanks, and hope to see many of you this June at our first convention at
our new venue, Manhattan College.

Regards, Jan Polish for OrigamiUSA

[Origami] OrigamiUSA Annual Convention 2015

[Jan Polish]

Hi folks,

As most of you know, at the end of October we were notified by FIT that we
could not return to that venue.

After an intense search, we've found our new home! We are pleased to
announce that OrigamiUSA convention 2015 will be at Manhattan College in
Riverdale, NY from June 19-22. You can take a look at Manhattan's website
here: www.manhattan.edu.

This new site has several exciting advantages. The campus is beautiful, in
a park-like setting while still on the NYC subway line. The buildings range
from traditional to modern, all with contemporary amenities such as free
wi-fi throughout the campus - including outdoors.

Housing is available at a cost considerably below FIT's, and they even
include bedding!

There are several reasonably priced on-site food options.

For access, besides the NYC subway, there is free parking.

Of course, with a new venue, much will change, although we don't anticipate
major adjustments to our basic structure.

We expect to announce our special guests shortly - and we're very excited
about them, too! We'll add more information to our website as things are
finalized.

As always, feel free to contact me directly with questions or comments.

Regards, Jan Polish on behalf of the OrigamiUSA Convention Committee

Sent from my iPad

[Origami] Special Guests for PCOC 2015

[Jan Polish]

PCOC Boulder 2015 is proud to announce the following special guests:

Leyla Torres

Leyla Torres has been practicing origami for twenty-five years. One of her
passions is helping people unleash their creative potential. She also
promotes origami as a vehicle for cultivating the creative spirit while
fostering a sense of relaxation and play in our daily lives. She has a
wonderful website, www.origamispirit.com and a YouTube channel, where she
showcases her own models as well as others, in video tutorials, blogs about
origami, plus ideas and links for origami enthusiasts.



Mike Naughton

Michael Naughton learned to fold the flapping bird as a child. In 1981, he
joined The Friends of The Origami Center of America (pre-cursor to
OrigamiUSA), and discovered a whole new world of paper folding. Over the
years, he developed a particular interest in modular origami, especially
the versatile Sonobè Module and the Waterbomb Base. Along with creating new
models using these modules, he has also explored their theory and
variations. He has not yet published any books, but instead has focused on
creating and updating the handouts that he uses for his popular modular
workshops, which he has been offering at the OrigamiUSA Annual Convention
in NYC for over two decades. A self-described “popularizer,” he enjoys
sharing his love of modular origami with others, and over the years he has
introduced generations of folders to the beauty and variety of these
wonderful models.



These two guests bring years of teaching and folding experience to our
conference. If you have not reserved your room yet, now it the time. Don’t
miss taking a class with these two special people as well as classes
offered by many other talented and experienced folders.



For reservations:  http://tinyurl.com/owfjs8s

Keep an eye on our webpage at OrigamiUSA: https://origamiusa.org/pcoc2015

Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/PCOC-Boulder/1485583218338220


 If you have questions, please reply to this email, or contact Barbara
Gardner at bfp...@gmail.com, who is on the ground in Boulder.

Regards, Jan Polish on behalf of the OrigamiUSA PCOC Committee

[Origami] Housing reservations for PCOC 2015

[Jan Polish]

Hotel reservations are now available for PCOC 2015 in beautiful Boulder CO,
at the base of the Flatirons.

Dates:  October 8-12, 2015
 Venue:  Millennium Hotel
 Reservation Hotline: http://tinyurl.com/owfjs8s

It's really important to make your reservations as early as possible, like
NOW. As always, we have a limited block of rooms with our guaranteed price.
In addition, it's even more important this year because this is the primary
hotel for University of Colorado football visitors. We don't know yet if
this will be a game weekend, but once the dates are officially announced,
in January, we may find ourselves competing for rooms with rabid football
fans.

Remember, your reservation can always be canceled, but if you don't make a
reservation early you may be locked out, and there are few housing options
within walking distance to the convention hotel.

MORE INFORMATION:
 Visit the PCOC 2015 web page on the OrigamiUSA site (
 https://origamiusa.org/pcoc2015) periodically as it will be updated often
 as we get closer to convention.

 And ‘like’ us on Facebook (
 https://www.facebook.com/pages/PCOC-Boulder/1485583218338220)


You don't have to be an OrigamiUSA member to attend PCOC. If you have
questions, please reply to this email, or contact Barbara Gardner at
bfp...@gmail.com, who is on the ground in Boulder.

Regards, Jan Polish on behalf of the OrigamiUSA PCOC Committee

[Origami] Remote Classes at OrigamiUSA Convention

[Jan Polish]

OrigamiUSA is committed to continuously improve our services to our
members, towards the mission of sharing the joy of paperfolding. For the
2014 convention we will be experimenting by offering a platform for you to
feel as if you are right with us, even if you can’t attend in person. Using
an online virtual class technology, you will be able to join selected
classes remotely, with the possibility to ask questions of the instructor
and interact with the other class attendees, as in on-site classes.



When you register for a class, which has a nominal $5 fee and is available
only to members, you will receive a communication with details, guidelines
and instructions to attend the class. You will need a computer connected to
the Internet and a browser that supports the platform (test instructions
will be included in the communication). We hope we will have successful
online classes, and that you will be able to help us support expanding the
joy of folding. Note: if there is a problem with the experiment, your money
will be refunded immediately.



There are images of the models to be taught, here:

https://origamiusa.org/convention2014_preview_sat_sun



You can register for these classes, here:

https://origamiusa.org/convention2014_remoteclasses





Here are the classes that will be available:



Saturday, 11 to 11:45am

Nick Robinson, Animals, Animals

Level: Low Intermediate

Description: An assembly of young animals, including a baby rabbit, a mad
dog, and Sue's flapper (a baby bird).



Saturday, 12:30 to 1:30pm

Erik and Martin Demaine

Level: Not Rated

The Demaines will discuss recent results and developments in their research
on computational origami, folding robots, and curved crease sculpture.



Sunday, 10 to 10:45am

Robert Lang Rif-Rif Bird

Level: Intermediate

This is a rigidly-foldable, rigidly-flapping bird (similar to Randlett's
New Flapping Bird). Although this design takes only few folds, it makes use
of precise reference points and has a double-reverse-fold, so it's not
simple.



Sunday, 2 to 2:45pm

Isa Klein Anthea

Level: Intermediate

Anthea is a cross between a star and a flower. It can be assembled with 3,
4 or 5 modules, all resulting in a pleasing final model. This creation was
inspired by observing the angles of a previous creation. It is marvelous to
observe the kind of freedom that the paper allows!



Monday, 10 to 11:45am

Jeremy Shafer Design Workshop

Level: Low Intermediate

In this class we will first brainstorm ideas for subjects to fold and then,
once we've decided what to fold, Jeremy will walk the class through the
process that he takes to design a model. Keep in mind that origami designs
usually evolve over many tries, and sometimes even end up morphing into
something completely different from what we set out to fold, so what we'll
end up with by the end of the class is anybody's guess!



In addition to the classes originating at FIT, there will be two classes
originating elsewhere and broadcasting to a room in FIT, which you can also
join remotely. These classes are as follows:



Saturday, 2 to 2:45pm

Fabian Correa Reindeer (Reno)

Level: Intermediate

This is an intermediate level reindeer that allows a lot of shaping at the
end, which makes the model look more artistic.



Saturday, 3 to 4:45pm

Aurele Duda Wheat Ears

Level: Intermediate

This model is folded from a strip of paper in a ratio of length to width of
4:1. You can comfortably fold it in A3 paper cut into three strips.



We are really excited to be able to present this innovation, thanks to the
efforts of the convention and web teams, and the kindness of the
presenters. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.



Jan Polish, on behalf of OrigamiUSA

[Origami] Special Guests for OrigamiUSA convention

[Jan Polish]

We are pleased to announce our special guests for this year's convention:
Nick Robinson and Isa Klein.

Nick, from England, is an extremely prolific creator, and author of over 60
origami books. His enthusiastic and witty teaching has made him a welcome
addition to many convention, and this year we're pleased to have him as a
special guest at ours. His website is at www.origami.me.uk.

You may recall that we announced Isa, from Brazil, as a special guest last
year, and then were extremely disappointed when she could not obtain a
visa. Well - she has one now and she's definitely joining us. Isa has
created many models, mainly modulars, and is renowned for her origami
assemblies and practical applications of her work. Her website is at
www.isaklein.com.. .

The convention dates are June 27-30, and registration will open on May 9th.

Hope to see you there!

Regards, Jan Polish for OrigamiUSA

[Origami] Origami Sighting

[Jan Polish]

I was at the Metropolitan Opera last night - Massenet's Werther with Jonas 
Kaufman - and was shocked to see origami! 

There's a scene where the heroine's sister is trying to cheer her up, and talks 
about how happiness is like a little bird with wings (very much paraphrased - 
and the opera's in French, so I'm actually paraphrasing the English titles). To 
my surprise she pulls out an origami bird from her purse and flaps it around! I 
sit in the highest reaches of the opera house, so even with opera glasses I'm 
not absolutely certain if it was a crane or flapping bird, but it was 
definitely origami! I may have to go to the HD performance on the 15th and hope 
that there's a close-up.

It was a wonderful performance, with that extra little bonus! 

Regards, Jan Polish

Sent from my iPad

[Origami] PCOC update

[Jan Polish]

well ... we were actually ahead of our prediction!

The preliminary schedules are already on the website, here:

https://origamiusa.org/pcoc2013_takingclasses

Please let us know if you spot any problems!

Thanks, Jan Polish for the PCOC team

[Origami] Phyliss Meth

[Jan Polish]

The funeral for Phyliss has been set for tomorrow afternoon, in Jamaica,
NY. Please contact me for details if interested in attending.

Thanks!

Regards, Jan Polish (jpol...@gmail.com)

[Origami] Phyliss Meth

[Jan Polish]

It is with great sorrow that I announce the passing of our dear Phyliss
Meth, who died this afternoon from complications of COPD, at age 85. It was
fairly sudden, and she had been in full vigor up until just a few weeks
ago.

Many of you will remember Phyliss as the Manager of The Origami Source for
many years. When Lillian Oppenheimer decided to turn her book and paper
business over to The Friends, it was Phyliss who took up the challenge and
turned it into a professional operation, run from her basement. She was so
committed to helping us grow, and did anything she could to support us.

I knew her for almost 30 years, and for so much of that time she defined
OrigamiUSA (or The Friends) for many of us ... gruff and a bit bitchy, but
with a heart of gold and a great sense of honor and humor. If Michael was
the Pop of our old Mom and Pop existence, I think in many ways it was
Phyliss, not Lillian or Alice, who was the Mom.

She will be missed. But as one of my friends said, “now there’s quite a
group from The Origami Center on the other side – hope they have some great
paper!” And, knowing Phyliss, she’ll have it all organized real fast.

Phyliss’ daughter, Jean Baden-Gillette, has asked that, in lieu of flowers,
contributions should be made to OrigamiUSA in Phyliss’ memory. Funeral
arrangements will be announced soon, and condolence cards can be sent to
Jean, at 77-38 162nd St., Fresh Meadows, NY 11366.

Regards, Jan Polish

[Origami] PCOC

[Jan Polish]

Just a reminder that the Early Bird price for PCOC goes up on September 1st
... so if you're planning on attending, you'll want to register soon!

And we've had a few hotel room cancellations, so if you're hesitating
because you don't think there are any more rooms, please contact Patty
Grodner via our website.

Thanks! ... Jan Polish for the PCOC Team

[Origami] PCOC registration is now open

[Jan Polish]

Hi folks,

Registration for PCOC 2013 is now live, with one exception ... the Sorry
Kit link is not yet live, and will join the rest of the website in a couple
of days.

Remember that you don't have to be an OrigamiUSA member to attend a PCOC.

If you have any problems, please send me an email at jpolish at gmail.com.

See you in Albuquerque!

Jan Polish (on behalf of the PCOC team)