Evening AOI functions in London can be a costly business for those living far from town. The forums as described in the AOI newsletters were where, it seemed, one would get the opportunity not only to talk shop but to get an insight into many of illustration's burning issues of the day. But to avoid missing the last train home you have to clock-watch as the evening progresses; invariably you must slide out of the door just when questions move beyond the obvious, thwarted once again in your attempts to make contact with like-minded beings. The South-West region AOI group came to be formed out of the considerable frustration we experienced trying to communicate with fellow illustrators. A suggestion that the AOI offer a reduced country membership or organise some regional meetings wasn't met with any positive response (this was in late 1986) . . . After attending a forum where the art director repeatedly put his very out-of-date slides upside down in the projector, we shared the westward bound train home. Our conversation about current jobs and past rip-offs, with examples of work pulled from our portfolios, turned out to be the most interesting part of our day, and we both decided that being able to discuss work at an informal level was exactly the stimulation we were seeking. While we were very keen on the idea of a regional get together, neither of us wanted to be lumbered with administrative commitments. We felt that the meetings should be structured round the illustrators' current work, providing a framework for the exchange of ideas and information. We had no idea who else was out there in our area. Our first task was to locate all AOI members in our area, but there were difficulties getting hold of a computer printout. We went to London and pored through the entire AOI membership, pulling out all the members in Wales and the West Country. Vicki Rogers, who was very enthusiastic about plans, gave us AOI stationery and stamps to contact all on the list. We sent out a letter inviting interested parties to a portfolio meeting at Bristol Polytechnic on an evening in mid March 1987, and put an advert in Despatch. We hoped that someone other than our two selves might turn up! In the event there were about 15 people. We decided we would work our way through everyone's portfolio, just to break the ice. There was no canteen, bar or even vending machines, so we carried on despite rumbling stomachs, very much enjoying the different work revealed. Techniques, useful contacts, anecdotes, successes and failures were aired. We eventually had to be turned out by the caretaker with scarcely time to arrange the next meeting. lan Dicks and Margaret Chamberlain offered their house in Bath as our next venue and we all agreed to bring along a contribution towards supper. This second meeting was a resounding success and all the subsequent meetings have evolved from it. At every meeting newcomers add their names to the list and this is taken over by the person organising the next meeting. They also inform Despatch in time for publication (we've had some hiccups there!). The meeting is usually held on a Friday night and usually, but not always, at someone's house. This in itself has been fascinating, adding another dimension to our getting to know each other. We feel that showing whole portfolios is too time-consuming, unless we are greeting a new member, so the regular requirement is three or four recent pieces of work plus something good to eat and a contribution towards what you like to drink. In theory the evening shouldn't cost the person organising it anything-some have claimed they enjoyed the leftovers for a week afterwards! The meetings are spaced approximately two months apart, but timed to accommodate events such as the Bologna Book Fair and the Bath Arts Fair. We average 20 people at a meeting and cover between us all areas of illustration. Meetings have so far been centred around the Bath and Bristol area, with people travelling from Wales and outlying regions. Agents and publishers' reputations are won and lost in animated conversation over supper. The group is marked by the generosity of one illustrator to another. As an information exchange and a morale boost its success is undoubted. We've now been in operation for 18 months, delighted that our hopes for a regional group have been fulfilled in such an uncomplicated and rewarding way. Rosemary Murphy and Sue Shields, July 1988
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SOUTH WEST ILLUSTRATORS HISTORY Text of an article in Association of Illustrators Magazine July 1988
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