Meeting Minutes
Torch Club of the Fox Valley
08 December 2016
Atlas Coffee Mill & Café
Notes taken by: Jude Kuenn, secretary
Attendees: Karen Bachhuber, Nancy Bodway, David Debbink, Marcia Debbink, Mary Flanagan, Paul Freiberg, Jean Hedges, Walt Hedges, Barbara Kelly, Bill Kelly, Jude Kuenn, Mary Poulson, Richard Schoenbohm, Jan Smith, Bob Swain, Helen Thiel, Peter Thiel, Donna Weis, Sofia Wilson
Guest: Sue Bennett
BUSINESS MEETING
Meeting called to order at 6:35pm.
- Guest Introductions: Richard introduced Sue Bennett, visiting again from Seattle, WA.
- Meeting minutes from 11/10/16 were accepted, motioned, seconded and approved.
- Treasurer’s report: 12/05/16 balance is $3,901.39. Annual IATC chapter dues will be paid early next year. Report was accepted, motioned, seconded and approved. Barbara confirmed both Bill Kelly and Peter Thiel are authorized to sign Torch Club of the Fox Valley checks.
‘GoDaddy’, website host, invoice is due this month. Remitting one vs. two years was discussed. With the many benefits of having our own website, proposal was made to renew for one year at $90.00. Proposal was amended to renew for two years, paying $180.00. This was accepted, motioned, seconded and approved. - Old Business:
A. Paul Freiberg advised January’s meeting will be a round table evening. Come prepared to talk concisely for 2-3 minutes about a book or movie, highlighting a line or an idea that influenced and/or affected you. Paul’s example was Hemmingway’s sentence: “Destroyed but not defeated”. (from ‘The Old Man and the Sea’) - New Business:
A. Membership change: Amy Oberg has tendered her resignation.
B. Seeking new members: through attrition, please recruit new members.
C. Planning for conventions: Annual IATC meeting will be in Kalamazoo in June 2017. - Announcements:
A. Mary Poulson confirmed the Noonhour Philosophers’ will start Wednesday 1/04/17. Noon meeting will be at the First English Lutheran Church, NW corner of City Park.
B. Jan Smith mentioned “Bending Brilliance” is the current exhibit at the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass. Thursday 12/15/16 from 5-7pm is ‘Art After Dark: Ugly Sweater’ evening. There will be techno music and craft beers.
Business segment adjourned at 6:55pm for dinner.
Sofia Wilson presented “Origami”
Ts’ai Lun of China is credited with inventing paper in 105 AD. Japanese origami began sometime after Buddhist monks carried paper to Japan during the 6th century. It’s possible that paper folding in the west originated with the Moors much earlier; however, it is not known if it was independently discovered or knowledge of origami came along the silk route in the fourteenth century.
The modern growth of interest in origami is attributed to Akira Yoshizawa (1911-2005), considered the grand master of origami, credited with 50,000 models. He also invented wet folding and back coating.
Robert J. Lang (1961-) is now recognized as one of the world’s leading masters of the art, with over 500 designs catalogued and diagrammed. In 2001, he left his career in physics to fold full-time. Dr. Lang created origami software and originated crease patterns. He is one of the pioneers of the cross-disciplinary marriage of origami with mathematics.
Modern science uses:
Space telescope (2002) - opening from 1.3 to 3 meters, becoming completely rigid in space
Solar array (2013)
Heart stint (2003) – inserted through an artery, it opens once permanently in place
Artistic uses:
World Tree of Hope at San Francisco’s City Hall – a holiday tree made entirely of paper birds
Starburst dress (2011) - made from 20 lbs. of candy wrappers, included shoes, purse and date’s vest
Crane croutons (2007) – folded wonton sheets became cranes
Smallest crane (2004) – 0.1mm x 0.1mm
Largest crane (1999) – 215’ wide and used 1,750 lbs. of paper
There are 80 types of origami today, like Kirigami, quilling/coiling, origami architecture, and tea bag folding, to name a few.
Sofia passed around a bag of origami stars made for each of us. Through her guidance and instruction, we made boxes, bottom and top, to take our stars home.
The evening adjourned at 8:52pm.