2011 Tucson GAS conference cancelled, date changed, new location yet to be announced

Yesterday evening, in an official email sent to its members, the Glass Art Society‘s executive director Pamela Koss announced a major shake-up in its plans for its 2011 conference citing a tough economy and Arizona’s recent passage of a controversial new law targeting immigrants. The opening paragraph of the announcement mentioned the Glass Art Society Board of Directors’ “fiduciary responsibility.” This seems to be an allusion to what must have been shaping up as a poorly-attended, money-losing conference. An email from the Hot Sheet to Koss requesting further details had not received an immediate response Saturday morning.

Koss’s letter took pains to stress this change of plans was not a signal that GAS was boycotting the state of Arizona, but made several references to the political controversy over a recently passed state law that some have claimed unfairly targets those of Latin American heritage. The announcement reads: GAS “made the decision  to cancel the conference because the economics did not support going forward  in this political climate.  With a Latin American focus for this  conference, the controversial issues in the state are particularly poignant.  Whether glass artists south of the US border would come; whether GAS would be  liable for things that could happen in Arizona for the Latino members; whether  GAS could weather the negative economic impact to the organization that this  issue could cause; whether in this economic climate the local committee could  raise the money needed for the conference; were all issues that the Board needed to consider.”

While the conference in Tucson may have been cancelled, GAS has every intention of proceeding with a 2011 conference at an as-yet-to-be announced venue. The dates of the 2011 conference have been changed to June 9-11, 2011. An announcement of the new location is expected to take place during the 2010 GAS Conference just a few short weeks away in Louisville, Kentucky.

Look for further updates as new information becomes available.