The IJA Mission Statement
- To educate and render assistance to fellow
jugglers.
- To provide an accessible source of information
pertaining to juggling to jugglers and the public.
- To record and maintain the history of
juggling.
In 1947, the IJA's founders
— George Barvinchak, Bill Dunham, Jack Green, Art Jennings,
Eddie Johnson, Bernard Joyce, Harry Lind and Roger Montandon —
created the IJA to answer the need for "an organization for jugglers
that would provide meetings at regular intervals in an atmosphere of
mutual friendship," and their motto was "to render assistance to
fellow jugglers." The IJA was created on June 17, 1947, in
Pittsburgh, PA, where our founders were attending a meeting of the
International Brotherhood of Magicians (I.B.M.).
It took three votes to name the new
organization. There was a lot of debate over simply calling it
"American," but [Art] Jennings pointed out that there were jugglers in
England and Germany who had already, through [Roger] Montandon's
"Bulletin," voiced an interest in joining. He said they should be
included — and why not think big anyway?
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&mdash Juggler's World Vol. 39 No. 2.
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And the International Jugglers' Association (IJA) was born. The
IJA has fulfilled the founders' commitment through its annual festival
(or convention, as it was called until 1990), which is held every
summer, and through its videos, publications and World Juggling Day.
Jugglers attend the IJA's annual summer festival to participate in
games and championships and in workshops
and excursions, as well as to enjoy informal camaraderie, meet
world-renowned performers who attend as IJA
award winners and guests, and to
exchange ideas on performance and juggling technique. Oh, and to
juggle with people from all over!
The IJA seeks to provide members with education, inspiration and
communication. Communication takes the form of: JUGGLE magazine; an electronic newsletter; the IJA roster; and the IJA Forums on this web site.
The IJA also produces professional festival DVDs for purchase.
The members of the IJA constitute a savory blend of
top professionals, avid hobbyists and enthusiastic beginning
jugglers. It is the intention of the IJA to provide services at a
reasonable fee to all who seek to share their love of juggling.
Part of maintaining the history of juggling has been to create an
archive of props and other materials
related to juggling.
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