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| Carmen's Large Sculpture shows the past and present trends in wedding card boxes. This entry was a contest winner at IBA 2006. |
Over the last few years, the call to coherently gather and organize the history of the balloon industry has become more urgent. Newer members of the community express interest in knowing how it all started. Career professionals have long memories and enjoy sharing stories of the early days.
The search for the origins, and development of, balloons and balloon art has always been a focal point for Balloon HQ. On his own, Larry Moss created his own "Big Blow Theory" of balloon evolution to fill in the missing gaps. His theory was published in the book Twisting History: Lessons in Balloon Sculpting.
A more (ahem) accurate history was compiled through research and the help of some of the early balloon artists on BHQ. This exists in the chapter of the Guide to Balloons and Ballooning on The History of Balloons. The chapter includes early references to balloons in literature, information about Michael Faraday creating early rubber balloons in 1824, and insights from BHQ community members about balloon modeling in the 1930s, 50s, and 70s.
Recently, BHQ created a forum for the interactive compilation of our historical knowledge base, our Who's Who database. Expansion of this resources has been slow going, we hope to return to that work soon. Rest assured, all the entries submitted are archived intact, awaiting attention from a dedicated editor.
In March, 2006 a long time member of the balloon industry, Joel Ekey, requested help to create a "Balloon Hall of Fame." His goal is to establish and curate a physical building that will house our history. We have spoken with Joel, and hope that his efforts can be combined with the BHQ Who's Who, so that both projects can move forward and preserve our history. A rich, searchable history online for anyone in the world that wants to read it. A traveling exhibit to be showcased at balloon industry events and public museums. And, perhaps a museum of our own some day in the future. It's a lot to strive for, especially for our small industry. But, what's wrong with thinking big?
The 2006 IBA Balloon and Party Convention was held March 9 through 12 in Rosemont, IL in association with the TransWorld International Party and Halloween Show. Over 100 event photos, taken by Mark Zettler and uploaded and documented by Alan Johnson, are featured at BalloonHQ. Industry professionals who attended the conference have reported positive feedback about the event. Take a moment to view the 2006 IBA Photos.
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| Azure Blue Wedding by Laura Buchanan |
Laura Buchanan is the owner of Balloons " Baskets Extraordinaire in Fayetteville, GA. This company is a full service party decorator offering balloon decor, balloon bouquets, gift baskets, floral designs and much more. Laura's extensive BHQ portfolio is full of beatuful photographs of unique and eye-catching balloon decor.
See Laura Buchanan's BHQ Portfolio.
