By
Armand Cabrera
This is a week late. Sometimes life gets in the way and things like this blog get waylaid. Most people don’t know but Diane and I rescue animals when we can. We have a few cats and a dog here.
We also tend to collect strays; not permanently, but on occasion, if we see abandoned animals we get involved and try and help them either get back to their owners or get them to a rescue where they can be adopted.
momma
In the weeks leading up to the Illuxcon show, we were involved with rescuing a mother cat and her kittens. The mother had been abandoned in our neighborhood. It was only after we started to interact with her that we found out she had kittens. Before we could trap them and rescue them they were attacked in the woods behind our house. We thought they had been killed but over the next few days, the mother brought them to our garage. Unfortunately, one kitten subsequently died while we were caring for them and tested positive for rabies forcing both Diane and myself to undergo rabies vaccines.
R.I.P. Shilo
All of this was going on while I am preparing for one of the biggest shows of the year for me. I literally had to get one of the shots the day before I drove up to the show with all of my stuff so that I wouldn’t break the vaccine schedule and then I had the last shot on the Monday I drove home after the show.
the surviving kittens
Once I arrived though everything that had been a worry seemed to melt away as I entered the bubble of goodness that is the IX show. The Goggleworks in Reading PA is the new venue for the show for the next five years. The space is much bigger and allows for more work to be shown by the artists in attendance.
photo by Will Dudla
The new Hotel is a great space with plenty of nooks around the lobby and conference rooms for casual conversations between small groups of people.
All of the volunteers work very hard to get the artists the help they need to set up and break down as well as any other things that may arise during the five days of the show.
Meeting other artists, catching up with old acquaintances, and making new ones are what make this show special for those lucky enough to be juried in. Pat and Jeannie Wilshire have built something truly amazing and it is reflected in its success with sales now topping half a million dollars.
