2019 Keepsake Ornament Club Convention

Last summer, almost 2,000 KOC members gathered in Kansas City for the 2019 Keepsake Ornament Club Convention. Some fan favorite games and seminars were held, including a new sculpting seminar given by some of our Keepsake Artists!

“The idea for the sculpting seminar actually came from our KOC Convention planning team,” said Keepsake Artist Nello Williams. “We had to figure out how to hold the seminar so attendees could follow along while making their own sculpts.”

With only 40 minutes to complete a full sculpt, Nello and other artists were challenged to help attendees create a nice complete piece. After brainstorming with the team, one of Nello’s personal hobbies gave him an idea.

“I like to create custom candy molds and cookie cutters in my free time,” he said. “We decided to investigate having a mold or cutter that would get attendees started, but also let them add their own touches with help and direction from the artists. We found that what worked best was using a stamp or cutter and a clay that Sharon Visker found at the craft store.”

Seminar attendees ended up leaving with a one-of-a-kind design that tied in with other exclusive ornaments available only at the 2019 KOC Convention.

“I was able to take a computer file that Tom Best created for a convention lapel pin and have Rodney Gentry do a 3D print that Kris Gaughran, Anita Rogers and Sharon Visker then used to test with clay,” said Nello. “Once we had it working, Robert Hurlburt took it to our molding shop to get a bunch of duplicates made for the seminar. And there were SO many more artists involved, too. It was a real team effort!”

In in the end, almost 700 people signed up for the seminar and left with a fun, exclusive piece they created themselves!

“I turned out to be a lot of fun,” said Nello. “The best part was just talking and interacting with the people who came. And who knows…maybe we’ll do it again at the next convention!”

– By Hallmark Senior Editor,
Lindsay Evans

Experience the Magic: The Art of Sculpting Workshop

Williams, Nello. “Nello Williams on the KOC Convention Sculpting Seminar.” Hallmark Keepsake Community, May 06, 2020. https://keepsakecommunity.hallmark.com/share/nello-williams-on-the-koc-convention-sculpting-seminar.