Title : A Symposium is taking shape!
link : A Symposium is taking shape!
A Symposium is taking shape!
[By Paulo Mendes, Symposium Correspondent, in Porto] After getting around in Porto showing the city or hunting for sketchers, it is now fiinally time to enter into the heart of the big event: At 9h00 in the morning, volonteers and organizers were gathering at the main entrance of the Alfândega building. I saw many familiar faces, including some good sketcher friends who were willing and eager to embark in such a laborious and noble endeavour.
In the main congress room splitted by a large curtain, a wide area filled with chairs is separated from the other that will be open to public. It was on the first that volonteers were given clear instructions about their multiple tasks for that day and for the days to come. Final questions were answered, and by the end everyone seemed to know where to start. In a question of minutes, both halves of the room were bustling with activity.
Among large tables still empty, unopened boxes and busy people moving around, the instructors check-in was taking place, some of them still carrying their luggage while reuniting with long time friends from previous symposiums. It was so nice to see them all, as well as some of my own good friends who were coming from Lisbon and elsewhere.
At the end of the morning I had finally the pleasure of meeting Rita, one of my fellow correspondents. How nice to meet someone in person after so many weeks exchanging emails. Besides being an excellent sketcher, Rita is a lovely gentle person, a great company to work with on the next days, and I couldn't resist to sketch her at the table. Little bit afterwards, on the bus towards the port wine cellars, both of us would meet Marina, our other equally fantastic and talented colleague whose work I've been long admiring.
The faculty was taking a tour into Poças Júnior port wine cellars. After a short bus trip across the river, we were directed to the reception room, where a history and explanation on their wines and their making was given. From theory to practice, some of those wines could be tasted, and many sketches turned out much better!
Some time for sketching was allowed, and while the instructors were capturing the old and typical atmosphere of the cellars with amazing results, I was trying to capture a few of them in action. Between a couple of failed attempts, my best succeeded results came from illustrious victims Kiah Kiean Ch'ng and Rob Sketcherman.
On our way back, instructors were left in their hotel and I went back to Alfândega after a halfway errand. To my surprise, the empty and unpacked room I left in the morning was now looking like a real Symposium hub! I couldn't help to be amazed on how everything was running so smoothly: As a member of a couple of associations in my younger years, I helped more than once to organize events by no means as huge as this one, and I know how tiring, stressful or even conflictuous things can become at some point. Nothing of that could be perceived here, not a sign of a slightly somber countenance! The atmosphere was quiet, everyone was doing their job peacefully and by seven o'clock, time to close the doors, nothing seemed out of place. It will never be too much to leave a word of appreciation to this extraordinary working group, from organizers to volonteers!
What a great day this was; And tomorrow will be even better!
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