Convention is a great way to get together with fellow enthusiasts for events and activities beyond those provided as part of the convention! On this page, you can find activities organized by members for members to take place at Convention. If you've got an announcement, send it to the website team at website [at] origamiusa.org and we'll add it to this list.

On this page:

  • Introduction to Japanese
  • PCOC 2013 Meet-up
  • Unofficial Paper Tour
  • Pin Exchange
  • Eighth Artist Trading Card Swap

Introduction to Japanese

When: Sunday, June 23, 1pm

Where: Hospitality Area

Grab your lunch on Sunday and join Nobuko Okabe for a short introduction to Japanese conversation. Nobuko will share some important words and etiquette hints, and demonstrate conversations. Handouts will be provided. Let's talk origami in Japanese!

PCOC 2013 Meet-up

When: Saturday; 1:15

Where: Hospitality Area

Grab some take-out, and enjoy your lunch with Patty Grodner and Bunny Sanchez, who will have lots of good tips for PCOC 2013 attendees on how best to combine the convention and the International Balloon Fiesta, which will be happening the same weekend. Find out about changes to the traditional PCOC routine that will help attendees get the most of these two fantastic events, without missing a thing! You’ll also learn more about Albuquerque and the surrounding area, so you can plan your time before and after the weekend. Come with questions!

Unofficial Paper Tour

Date: Friday, June 21, 2013

Start time: 11:30 am

Duration: Estimate about two to three hours for this tour.

Starting place:

  • Entrance to Fashion Institute of Technology at 227 West 27th Street

Things to be prepared for:

  • Metrocard, estimate $8.50 to $11 per person.
  • Walking shoes
  • Water

Since people had fun last year shopping, this is my second year leading this tour. Technically we're not stopping for lunch, but since this is NYC, so other than looking at paper, advice to bring pocket change for food on the go, otherwise wait until Kinokuniya for their cafe at the second floor.

Kinokuniya is a walkable distance from FIT, so by the end of this tour, if your feet aren't dead yet. Either walk or take subway.

Paper ususally seen at this tour range from kami: mono or duo, tant, ribbons, or washi.

Destinations:

  • Chinatown - Elizabeth Center, Kam Men, Pearl River
  • 23rd Street - Paper Presentation, Chelsea Muji, Enveloper
  • Times Square - Kinokuniya (Sok Song will be teaching at Kinokuniya from 1-4 that day)

Google map: http://goo.gl/maps/yF9Pm

If you want to join the tour, or have any more questions please email Linda at animemiz [at] gmail.com, or follow her on twitter as @animemiz, or pay attention to hashtag #papertour to see random touring tweets.

Pin Exchange

From Sok Song:

Hello Origamigos!

Last Year's Pin Exchange was a huge success! Everyone had such a great time trading pins and I've gotten several emails from people who want to do it again this year so the 2nd annual convention Pin Trade is on!!

If you are interested in joining us, shoot me an email privately to sok [at] creased.com with the subject line: OUSA Pin Exchange and I will add you to an email list to keep you updated on how we will proceed. send me a photo of your pin and I will post it on the Facebook page. feel free to upload your own photos as well.

Here is the link to the Facebook event page: (you don't need to have a facebook account to see the event and the photos and you don't need to have an account to join the trade)

https://www.facebook.com/events/266276776850089/

There are really no rules or guidelines other than to fold or prepare something origami inspired that can be clipped or pinned to a badge or tshirt or our convention bag. Have fun and be creative! Some people attached pin backs to folded things. some glue dotted onto mini clothespins and others added a little string to tie onto name badges and lanyards. Some people just folded colorful mini cranes and had them to stick on badges as

a sticker...

Be as creative as you want! As for how many to make, its up to you! you can do just one to trade with a friend or a few to exchange with new origami buddies or a dozen or two to trade with the many others who will be planning to participate. I will try to keep you up to date on how many people are planning to bring a pin by email. (Last year we had over 60 different pins) Also for those of you wanting to make them at convention, I will bring with me my supply kit filled with pins and clips and gluedots that you can use and make things while you're there! The kit will be in the main all at a table. You can see most of last year's pins on the event page for ideas!

SOME INFO ABOUT THE TRADE:

We will start the trade on Saturday during lunch at 12:30 in the main hall. If you don't have them done by then, its okay, I think we will continue to trade throughout the convention and also with people only attending on Sunday!

On Friday and Sat and Sun, I will have lots of mini clothes pins and glue dots at a table in the main hall for those of you who want to bring folded objects to make pins into! Its never too late to fold something for an origami friend! ;)

Happy folding and see you soon!!!!

ps. I've had interest from several people wanting to participate remotely. At this point there isn't really a way to participate if you will not be at convention, but if you can get someone to trade pins for you you should contact them personally.

Eighth Artist Trading Card Swap

Introduction

What are Artist Trading Cards (ATC)? Historically they've been handmade sets of cards made by a group of artists who would trade amongst themselves and end up with new sets of cards with one card from each artist. So originally these creative cards did not involve origami. Jean Baden-Gillette and MaryAnn Scheblein-Dawson introduced ATCs with it to the OUSA convention in 2006 and this will be our eighth exchange.

Origami ATCs are the same size as baseball trading cards (2.5 x 3.5 inches or 64 x 89mm) and are required to have some actual origami as part of it. They should be able to fit in a trading card plastic sleeve, and that limits the overall thickness.

This year, we will honor and recognize the spirit of the original ATC Swap at OUSA by making it more personal and are limiting it to only attendees of the 2013 OUSA convention. Depending on how many people participate, we will try to actually meet as a group. To swap with each other but more importantly meeting and sharing with fellow ATC swappers.

NOTE: there will be no remote trading per se this year: in other words, you are asked to send cards in but you cannot expect a traded set to be sent back, due to the high number of past participants and prohibitive costs and coordination with shipping and handling. The only exception is if you designate an attendee of this year's convention as your ATC proxy to be responsible for your cards. So international and remote participants should coordinate on their own with an OUSA Convention 2013 attendee to return their ATCs.

Please read these guidelines for participation.

General Information

  • 1) Everyone is welcome to participate in this ATC Swap. But you must register by Monday, June 10, 2013 and you will receive an email confirmation afterwards within 24 hours.
  • 2) There is no official design theme to follow for this swap.You have creative control!
  • 3) An official set consists of 27 cards. Only ONE SET per participant.*
  • 4) Each official set must be received before or no later than Wednesday, June 19, 2013, by mail, courier service or hand delivery.
  • 5) One of the 27 cards will be kept for the official collection and the exhibition. It will be replaced with an official Eighth ATC Swap title card for each traded set.
  • 6) There will be no remote swapping per se which involve sets being mailed in and traded sets being mailed back. (See REGISTRATION for the swappers who are NOT ATTENDING the convention)
  • 7) We will meet at the convention to receive our traded sets, meet each other and to "talk swap".
  • 8) The group swap location will be announced by email and at the convention and will meet on Saturday, June 22, 7 pm.
  • 9) Registered participants will receive periodic emails about the ATC swap, tips on making your ATC and updates.
  • 10) Unofficial and private swapping of ATCs is encouraged, whether it's extras from this swap or other cards you have.
  • 11) You will receive an official ATC button to wear at the convention so other swappers can identify and swap with you. How to receive a button will be announced by email and at the convention.
  • 12) Cards for this Eighth ATC Swap will be on display at the OUSA convention exhibition hall with the name of the artist, the creator(s) of the model and artist comments.

*Recognizing that sometimes artists want ATCs from ALL participants or from specific artists, I will try to keep this exchange flexible and open enough to allow for this possibility.

Registration

  • 1) To register, email Talo Kawasaki at talokatcswap [at] earthlink.net Please include your name, email address and mobile phone number.
  • 2) Deadline for registration is Monday, June 10, 2013. If you miss this deadline, you can still register and be added to any group that has less than 26 artists. However you will be put on a waiting list when all of the groups are full. In the event an official registrant cancels, then a wait-listed person will be added on the official registry in the order of their initial entry and notified by email within 24 hours afterwards.
  • 3) Once registered, you will become part of a group of 26 artists. If your group does not total 26, then you'll be notified by email so that you won't need to make more cards than necessary. But extra cards are handy for private swapping.
  • 4) If you register but are NOT ATTENDING the convention, you can arrange for someone you know who is attending the OUSA Convention and agrees to be responsible for your cards. Their name and contact information (email address and mobile phone) must be included as part of registration. Whomever you designate as your ATC proxy must contact me at the convention by noon, Saturday, June 22 in person ideally (or by mobile phone) and arrange retrieval of your traded cards.
  • 5) Please notify me by email ASAP if you change your mind and no longer want to be part of this swap.

Atc Cards

  • 1) An official set consists of 27 cards: 2.5 x 3.5 inches or 64 x 89 mm. However, feel free to make extras for private swaps, especially if you want cards from other groups or individuals.
  • 2) One set per person.
  • 3) No official theme. Follow your own creative impulses.
  • 4) Your ATCs must include origami or be an origami folded card.
  • 5) Please include on the back of the card a label with this info:
    • Name of the artist
    • Location of the artist
    • eMail address
    • Name of the origami creator(s)
    • Title of the card
    • Edition number of card, i.e. 1/27, 2/27, 3/27 etc.
    • Date
  • 6) For the exhibition display, please include a small 100-word "artist notes" or commentary about your ATC with your set. (Optional)
  • 7) Please protect each card with a plastic card sleeve and respect your masterpieces.
  • 8) Please package participating set in a ziplock bag or similar.
  • 9) Mail your ATC set (ideally in a padded envelope) to:
    Talo Kawasaki
    ATC SWAP
    270 Clinton Street
    Brooklyn, NY 11201
    USA
    Phone: 718.643.6926
  • 10) If you have designated an ATC proxy at the convention to be responsible for your cards, please include their name, email address and mobile phone number. This will help ensure you get your set of traded cards.
  • 11) ATCs must be received before or no later than Wednesday, June 19, 2013, by mail, courier service or hand delivery. This will allow time for your card to be displayed and prepared for the swap.

Deadlines

Registration– by Monday, June 10, 2013
Mailed set received– by Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Designated ATC proxy– must contact me by Saturday, June 22, 2013, noon
Swap Meet up– Saturday, June 22, 7-8 pm Location TBD

Contact Information

Talo Kawasaki
talokatcswap [at] earthlink.net
Home: 718.643.6926
Mobile: 917.733.6563