The first shuttle to the Walker Icebreaker event will depart at 6:45 pm Friday. Buses will load on the 11th Street entrance of the Hilton. Later shuttles going to the Walker will continue until 8.
Return service to the Hilton will begin at 8:30. All buses will make one final return trip from Walker Art Center to the Hilton at 10 pm.
See you at the Icebreaker!!
As you are getting ready to join us for the 2nd Joint VRA + ARLIS/NA Conference in Minneapolis, you might still have questions about some things. The “About Minneapolis” link on the conference website will give you lots of information and tips as will many of our blog postings.
Some last minute reminders –
Airport/Hotel Transportation
For detailed information please see the blog posting
https://vraarlis2011.wordpress.com/2011/01/10/airport-hotel-transportation/
Registration
Attendees can register on Wednesday evening at the registration desk that will be set up in the hotel lobby from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. On Thursday thru Sunday the registration and hospitality desk will be outside of the Red Wing Room, which is located on the third floor of the Hilton Hotel. The hours are 8 :00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. on Sunday.
Shhh….Silent Auction
If you are bringing items with you for the Silent Auction, please be sure to turn them in to the Registration Desk by 8:00 a.m. Friday, March 25. Bidding begins on Friday and ends on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
Volunteers
Volunteers are still needed for the hospitality desk on the last two days of the conference. If you have a spare hour or two, please complete the volunteer form, at: http://www.vra-arlis2011.org/InfoVolunteer.taf. Please contact Kristen Mastel meye0539@umn.edu, Registration and Hospitality Desk Coordinator, for more information.
Tours
If you have signed up for one of the tours on either Thursday or Monday, please check in with their tour shepherd at the main street level entrance to the hotel no later than 10 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time.
See you soon in Minneapolis!
One of the frustrating things about spending time away from home is trying locate all the conveniences you take for granted at home. It also might not sound appealing to wander the streets of Minneapolis in our lovely March weather trying to find a place to buy contact solution. Never fear – the Skyway is here! The handy website SkywayMyWay.com can help you find anything you need in downtown Minneapolis – all without ever having to walk outside. Here are a few helpful suggestions.
Forgot your toothbrush? Need a prescription refill? Want some snacks to keep in your room? The downtown target store, located at 900 Nicolette Mall, has a Pharmacy, Health Clinic and Optical Center, Photo Center, Starbucks and a Fresh Grocery section. It is open 8 a.m. – 10 p.m. Mon – Sat and 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. on Sunday.
Have a letter or package that you need to get in the mail? Did you just win the Silent Auction item of your dreams but it won’t fit in your luggage? There are four post offices accessible through the skyway, the closest located on the street level of the Baker Center.
Ran out of cash? There are a number of ATMs close to the hotel. Don’t see your bank listed here? Visit SkywayMyWay.com for more options.
Found a tear in your favorite suit? Visit Sew What! in the TCF Tower and they will have you fixed up in no time.
Want to relax in your room with a bottle of wine? Visit Haskell’s Liquor store in the Young-Quinlan Building, street level. Please note that liquor stores in Minnesota are not open on Sundays.
Wondering what a Vendor Slam is? Experience it first-hand in Minneapolis on Saturday, March 26, scheduled in Salons ABC.
Vendors and exhibitors will give short presentations about products and services of interest to library and visual resources professionals. Complete with visuals, you will be able to obtain more in-depth knowledge of the resources available to you and get to know these terrific supporters of our conferences and professions better.
Slam Part One commences at 10:00 a.m. and Part Two at 1:30 p.m. Please join us for these fun and engaging events!
It’s almost conference time! Here are a couple of updates on details regarding the Founders’ Fête, the Titian exhibit at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and the Icebreaker Welcome Party.
The Founders’ Fête is almost full, but there are a few tickets left. If you are interested in attending, please add the event to your conference registration. (The Add a Workshop, Event or Tour! blog post from March 2, 2011 gives details on how to do this: https://vraarlis2011.wordpress.com/2011/03/02/add-a-workshop-event-or-tour/)
Details on transportation to and from the hotel, museum, and Gale Mansion are available on the conference blog. Please see: https://vraarlis2011.wordpress.com/2011/03/16/conference-transportation/
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts is located about 0.3 miles (or approximately 2-3 city blocks) from the Gale Mansion and about 1.7 miles from the hotel. If you choose to walk from the Gale Mansion to the MIA, you are encouraged to walk in pairs or small groups around the park. Enter the museum off of 3rd Avenue South.
Founders’ Fête attendees get free Member-For-A-Day passes for the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. This pass offers all the benefits of being a member for the day, including a discount in the museum shop and free admittance to the Titian and the Golden Age of Venetian Painting exhibit on Thursday. Founders’ Fête attendees are encouraged to reserve a time to view the Titian exhibit by contacting the museum (see number below).
All other conference attendees will find a free pass to the Titian exhibit in their registration packet. Due to the popularity of the exhibit and the need of the museum to control the number of visitors in the exhibit space, entrance times are allocated. It is strongly encouraged that you call the MIA ahead of when you would like to attend the exhibit and reserve a spot for the time you would like to view the exhibit. The number to call to reserve tickets is: 612-870-6323 or 888-642-2787. Please call 612-870-6323 for same-day reservations, as space may be limited.
Additional Icebreaker Welcome Party details:
Schedule change – due to an unforeseen development, Olga Viso, Director of the Walker Arts Center will be unable to welcome attendees to the event.
All attendees are asked to wear their conference badge to the Icebreaker Welcome Party.
Free buses will provide attendees transportation from the hotel to the Walker Art Center and back to the hotel. The first buses will arrive at the hotel and loading will begin at 6:35 p.m. Buses will begin the first round-trip to the Walker Art Center at 6:45 p.m., arriving at the Walker around 7:00 p.m. Latecomers buses will leave the hotel for the Walker at 7:30, 7:45, and 8:00 p.m.
Early return buses (from the Walker to the hotel) will leave at 8:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. At approximately 9:30 p.m. all buses will return guests to the hotel, and continue making round trips until all guests have been safely returned. The last return trip will be approximately 10:00 pm.
Everyone should enter the museum through the Vineland Place entrance (the buses will drop attendees off at this entrance). Greeters will meet attendees at this door and will be directing people to the location of the party, gift shop, and bar.
There will be a coat check available at the Walker, however attendees are encouraged to leave their coats at the hotel if possible (buses will be heated).
All attendees will receive the 10% member discount at the Walker Shop. The Shop will be open from 7:00-9:30 p.m.
Christy Dent, Event Committee PR
cldent@stthomas.edu
Well it’s time to write about that dreaded topic – THE WEATHER.
Ok, let’s be honest, March is not Minnesota’s best month. This time of the year, we are just getting over winter, with only a trace of spring in the air. It has been an unusually long winter here, as has been the case for a lot of the country. Snow cover is still around, but it shouldn’t be as evident in downtown Minneapolis. We were hoping for some warmer temperatures, but the current forecast has highs only in the 30s. You should bring a coat, hat, gloves, and scarf. Sensible walking shoes or light boots would be helpful too. But do remember you can get to many places via the skyway and weather forecasters can be wrong!
Also there are flood warnings posted for many areas in the state. Please note that flooding is not expected in Minneapolis.
Click below for the 7-day forecast.
WCCO Weather
Friends, it’s almost here! We thank the many volunteers who have come forward to make it happen this week and all the donors who overtopped the website with amazing, clever, appealing, OMG-I-must-have-it prizes. We on the committee admit we have not seen the like of this turn out of high quality/value items. We think you will be inspired to bid so come prepared to take possession of your dream Shhh…Silent Auction! lot. We have tallied the values of all donations and they weigh in at an astonishing $39,125! That figure is NOT a typo! Of course the opening bids will be a percentage of the actual value of each donation, allowing for you to snag a deal!
If you are bringing your donation to drop off, please label it clearly by including a copy of the donation form you filled out before March 11. Otherwise, securely tuck in a note explaining who it is from (individual, chapter, etc.) and what it is so we can sort it out. And please have all the donations that were not shipped ahead of time turned in to the Registration Desk by 8:00 a.m. Friday, March 25! We have many to set out and your timing will be key to our success!
In a late breaking development, the Exhibit Hall will not open until 10:00 a.m on Friday morning. This gives you a bit more time to review what is available on line so you can finesse your bidding strategy then get in there and begin the quest! Get on the web page (https://vraarlis2011.wordpress.com/silent-auction/silent-auction-item/) and see what astonishing treasures await your swift pen. Julieann Swanson has brilliantly and tirelessly uploaded all the donations for your perusing pleasure. There are over 100 listed (gasp!), so bear in mind some are the separate components of chapter ensembles, but also the Silent Auction Committee shall be consolidating others into intelligently considered lots.
And it’s still not too late to “Shhh” yourself!
Don’t forget to finalize arrangements for your Purchase Orders for the major donations for institutions. It will be exciting to watch the final bidding unfold and entertaining to see the battle of wits in the Jeopardy! game as Shhh… Silent Auction! bids are being recorded.
We would like to take this opportunity to recognize the contributions to this committee’s work by one of its original members who in the early days moved on to serve the conference on another committee but not before she made a significant impact on Shhh… Silent Auction!, Inga Theissen! Please take a bow, Inga, and know that you are still missed. We also thank Allan Kohl for joining the committee in Inga’s stead. He too has made enormous contributions- from the moment he stepped in, he stepped up.
We await, breathlessly, the conclusion of this saga in Minneapolis! Our engines are idling, ready to roar into gear! See you there!
Empress Patti McRae Baley, Janice Lurie, Julieann Swanson and Allan Kohl
Each morning, Thursday through Sunday, we will be offering an early morning mini-tour for anyone bright-eyed and bushy-tailed enough to participate. These walking tours will introduce you to the downtown Minneapolis skyway system, and highlight works of architectural significance within easy walking distance of the hotel. Each Morning Minne-Tour will last approximately 35-40 minutes. These tours are free, and you don’t have to register in advance — just show up by 7:45 am. We’ll meet at the main downstairs entrance to the Hilton (around the bronze musicians sculptural group). Although most of the time will be spent inside the all-weather skyway system, each Minne-Tour will also take you outside for a few moments, so dress accordingly! For more information, click here.
The following is the information regarding transportation for workshops, tours, and special events.
Workshops
All workshops will be held off-site. Transportation is provided as part of your workshop fee, and has been arranged to get you to your workshop location prior to the scheduled start time, and to return you to the hotel after the scheduled time for your workshop’s conclusion.
Thursday morning workshops will be held at the Minneapolis College of Art & Design (MCAD). The bus is scheduled to arrive at the hotel at 7:15 am. Loading will begin at 7:25 am. The bus will depart no later than 7:40 am to arrive at MCAD before the 8:00 am start time for morning workshops. The bus will make a return trip to the hotel at 12:15 pm, and another return trip from MCAD to the Hilton at 1:00 pm.
Thursday afternoon workshops will also be held at the Minneapolis College of Art & Design. At midday, the bus will make two scheduled roundtrips. The first will load and depart from the Hilton at 11:15 am, bringing participants to MCAD by approximately 11:30 am. The bus will make a return trip to the hotel at 12:15 pm, and another return trip from MCAD to the Hilton at 1:00 pm. At the 3:45 pm conclusion of the afternoon workshops the bus will return participants to the hotel.
Monday morning workshop will be held in Anderson Hall on the West Bank campus of the University of Minnesota. The bus is scheduled to arrive at the hotel at 8:15 am for loading. The bus will depart no later than 8:35 am to arrive before the 9:00 am start time. At the conclusion of this workshop the bus will pick up passengers at the drop-off location at 1:10 pm for return to the Hilton Minneapolis.
Tours
The times listed for each tour include the departure time from the hotel and the estimated time of arrival back at the hotel. Buses will be available for loading 15 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time. Tour participants should check in with their tour shepherd at the main street level entrance to the hotel no later than 10 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time.
Special Events
Founders’ Fête (Thursday evening) will be held at the Gale Mansion. Buses will begin running to the nearby Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MIA) at 5:30 pm. Beginning at 6:25 pm, buses will stop at both the MIA and the Gale Mansion. From 6:40 pm to 7:20 pm, buses will stop only at the Gale Mansion (not at the MIA during this time). If you want to walk to the Gale Mansion from the MIA, it is only .3 mile away and should take about 7 minutes. Click here for a Google map. From 7:20 pm until 9:00 pm, buses will resume stops at both MIA and the Gale. After 9:00 pm (closing time for the MIA), buses will run only between the Gale and the hotel. Last trip will be approximately 9:45 pm, arriving back at the hotel by 10:00 pm.
“Icebreaker” Welcome Party (Friday evening) will be held at the Walker Art Center (WAC). Buses will arrive at the Hilton Hotel to begin loading at 6:15 pm. At 6:30 pm, they will begin taking guests to the WAC. Buses will continue to make trips from the hotel to WAC until approximately 7:20 pm. At 8:30pm, and again at 9:00pm, early departure buses will take guests back to the hotel. At approximately 9:30 pm, all buses will return guests to the hotel, and continue making round trips until all guests have been safely returned. The last return trip will be approximately 10:00 pm.
What if I miss the bus . . . ? Please be advised that buses will depart at the scheduled times; they cannot wait for latecomers and no-shows. If you miss your bus, you will not be eligible for a refund. Conference registration will have a list of workshop locations and tour destinations, with addresses. You are welcome to use this information to arrange for alternative transportation at your own expense.
Allan T. Kohl
Tours & Transportation Coordinator, VRA + ARLIS/NA Joint Conference
Visual Resources Librarian
Minneapolis College of Art & Design
2501 Stevens Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55404
612.874.3781
allan_kohl@mcad.edu
During the conference a number of events will have food served. These include hearty hors d’eouvres at the Founders’ Fête and “Icebreaker” Welcome Party, and buffets for breakfast meetings and the joint VRA & ARLIS/NA lunch. The local planning commttee is aware that many of our members are vegetarians. We have been working with the food providers to include vegetarian items at these events so as to give our members as much choice as possible.
Bon appétit!
VRA + ARLIS/NA 2nd Joint Conference Blog 
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