Stone Carver's Workshops?

["Stacy Shure" <shurefamily@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Elaine:

I've travelled from Los Angeles, California to symposia in different
states - and when at all possible, DRIVE!  Otherwise, I have taken tools on
planes, but pre-9/11.  I don't know what the security rules would be now.
If you call the airline, I suppose you could arrange a pre-check in
inspection, but the tools would have to be shipped as luggage (no more
carrying the pnuematic hammer in the carry on).  Otherwise, if you have the
address of where you are going, you can ship your tools.  Several sculptors
at Art City in Ventura have done this - by packing the tools into a large
wooden crate and then shipping via truck carrier.  It's expensive, and
sometimes you have to make a lot of calls to "catch a ride" on another load
going in the same direction.  Otherwise, check the symposia director and see
if they will make tools available for you.

Regarding Western Canada -- I'd check out the Northwest Stone Sculptors
Assocation ("NWSSA") that is located near Seattle, WA.  I believe that they
run the  Thetis Island Symposia, as well as one on Whibey Island (in
September, hand tools only) and also their famous International Stone
Carvers Symposium which is held every July at a retreat near Lake McMurray
about 1 hour north of Seattle, 2 hours south of the Canadian border.   The
symposia that this group runs are first class, wonderful people and very
well organized.  Worth checking out!!

I've never heard about the other symposium that you asked about - do you
have any information about it, like where it is located and who runs it?

Hope this answers your questions.  You can reach the NWSSA at their
website --

http://www.nwssa.org

Stacy Shure