Galleries are open again! Many of us have been itching to get our creative juices flowing after so long in confinement. Well, you now have an opportunity to get your photos seen by the crowds… crowds of under 300 at a time, of course.
Returning to Geneva again on 30 July 2020, the Swiss Photo Club (SPC) Photo Awards are a unique opportunity for every photographer – whether amateur or professional – to have their best work exhibited in a real gallery. Submit your best photos to the competition. They’ll be exhibited for nine days at Galerie La Cave in old town Geneva.
How it works
- A jury of Swiss Photo Club’s photography instructors will select 50 photos from among the submissions to be printed in a large size (offered for sale or yours to keep).
- All other photos will be printed in a smaller size and exhibited as well.
- The jury will select one grand prize winner, and public votes from the exhibition visitors will determine the other four winners (including one prize reserved for the most-voted small photo).
The exhibition is free and open to the public. During the exhibition, Swiss Photo Club also provides free photography workshops, as well as a festive opening and closing celebration that are also free to attend. Come and check out the photos of your talented neighbors — and try your own luck at the competition!
Naver Couture's sewing workshops are a wonderful way to be sociable and creative whilst having fun. We caught up with Nathalie Underhill to find out more.
Why did you start Naver Couture? What has been the inspiration?
I wanted to inspire people to get back to basics by teaching them how to sew for themselves, and by practising this great skill we learn to value and appreciate our clothes much more and at the same time build a conscious closet.
I run classes to help people build their own home sewn wardrobes, make alterations for a better fit and up-cycle second-hand clothing to promote circular fashion. Students of all levels come to see me. There are classes that follow a set program and others that enable students to work on their individual projects. I help my students to understand how the various machines work, how to overcome sewing technical issues, how to use, hack and adapt commercial patterns and to create unique made-to-measure garments.
We all know it's hard to find clothes that fit correctly if you are slightly outside the regular cookie-cutter size template, especially for petite, tall, curvy or larger women.
I really enjoy interacting with people and sharing my knowledge. Seeing people's confidence grow as they master the various skills is very rewarding. The camaraderie that builds up in the various workshops really makes it fun! The classes are in English or French and sometimes both so we get a good mix ideas and people.
Have you been working on this idea forever, or was it something that came to you recently?
I was trained as a Fashion Designer at the Rhode Island School of Art and Design and worked for fashion houses in the US, the UK, Belgium and Switzerland. With the arrival of my children I decided to set up my own business from home making made-to-measure garments, alterations and curtain-making. It was not until two years ago when I accepted to give a few private sewing lessons to a client who was very keen to learn herself that everything changed. I discovered a new passion of teaching and I am now actively teaching people of all ages and I love it.
Selene Folkensen wrote to knowitall.ch, "I am happy to share some fantastic Art courses being offered by my friends Stephen Preece & Katya Kaftanova at e5 portfolio.
They are offering two great Summer 5-Day Art Programs in Geneva. As a parent, summer can sometimes be tricky to find activities where your child can boost their creative mind, have fun, learn and improve their skill sets. The e5-summer academy does all of these things and guarantees that participants will leave charged and in a good place.
Drawing Academy
The first week in July will be given by Stephen Preece and will be a week of experiments and learning some great drawing skills for beginners or enhance them if you are an advance learner.
Do you ever get the need to do something creative, to get your hands dirty and build something imaginative of your own? Or would you just like your kids to get off their digital devices and spend more time using their brain for a more practical use! Or do you have a business idea which you want to develop in the workshop using professional tools and machinery that you can’t afford yourself?
If so, Knock on Wood may be just what you need! Launched two years ago by three entrepreneurs with a passion for woodworking, the organization has now delivered more than 170 workshops to individuals and businesses located in and around Geneva. Co-founder, Zsuzsanna Varga, told knowitall.ch,
“Originally from Hungary, I have lived and worked in many countries throughout my life, employed mainly in adult education and training, either as a solo entrepreneur or as a co-founder of other businesses. When I arrived in Geneva I started looking for an urban workshop so that I could have access to tools and machinery for my latest project. Although I wasn’t able to find one, I discovered a lot of interest in the idea on social media, so in 2016 I decide to create a new urban workshop, with the support of my two co-founders, Sebastien Vigny and Sanna Takala!”
A new English-speaking photography club has just been launched for those living in Geneva, Vaud, and neighboring France!
Called “In Focus: La Côte Photography Group” the new club has been set up by professional photographer, Catherine Lewis, with the aim of bringing people together with a common interest in photography. Whether you are a beginner just starting to get to know your own camera, or an experienced amateur who wants to attend local photographic exhibitions with like-minded people, there is something for everyone in the new group.
As a professional in-house and freelance photographer with many years’ experience working in the UK for different magazines as well as a national newspaper and several corporate clients, Catherine knows exactly what is required to take a good shot! Having trained at the London College of Printing for a postgraduate degree in Photography, Photojournalism and Printing, she also has a good understanding of how photography should be taught.
More recently Catherine has been running her own photography business in France and Switzerland, focusing on portrait and botanical photography, the latter of which is a special passion for her and has led to much work with the Royal Horticultural Society. During this time, she has met many clients and friends who have become frustrated by photography…but why?
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