As with any organization, I think a lot depends on the local involvement. I am in Oklahoma, and our RA here has made a real effort to include illustrators. As far back as I can remember, we have had an art director for every Spring conference and a portfolio show with critiques (face to face) with the art director available. She also created a new volunteer position for someone to coordinate for illustrators, and he is an illustrator. Because he is an illustrator, he has a better understanding of what illustrators want and need. Also, he does or arranges for presentations at monthly schmoozes. Admittedly, more of the schmoozes are about writing than about illustrating, but we have many more writers than illustrators in our area. The writers also find that it is good to hear the illustrators' perspective as we can learn a lot from them.
Even though our RA really wants to provide for the illustrators, we have had some years when we had trouble getting ten to fill a workshop, and due to the expense of having an art director in, there have been discussions about whether we could afford to have an art director come for 4 or 5 people. I'm afraid there's a bit of a chicken egg situation. You can't afford to have events if no one shows, but no one shows if you don't have events. So far, we've ended up with enough that it has kept going. For the last couple of years, the art director has done a special workshop where the illustrators sent in illos on a specific text, got critiques back before the conference, then redid the illos based on critique for further discussion at the workshop. we have had a number of people come from out of state for the illustrator session, and at least one woman told me that she was willing to travel from South Carolina because it was such a unique opportunity.
Oklahoma isn't that far from Arizona (okay New Mexico is a big state to drive through, but it could be worth it), so if we're able to do something similar in the Spring here, you might consider coming to our conference.
You might google our "illustrator coordinator" Jerry Bennett, to get in touch with him, and he could probably give you some thoughts on how to reach other illustrators and become involved in the illustrator community of SCBWI. He uses the handle "The Illustrator formerly known as Jerry Bennett."
I hope you find a home in SCBWI.
