After the November business meeting, current and prospective Directors held an afternoon discussion to set priorities for the coming year. Both our Board and our general membership have no problem coming up with creative ideas of things we could be doing. The challenge is choosing the ones that serve our mission best. We generally agree on the overall values of the group, but there is a range of ideas about what our critical activities should be. We did agree on both an immediate and longterm focus.
The immediate focus is to improve cohesiveness of the organization. We want members to feel ownership of the NWSSA and involvement in its activities.
We also want to raise awareness among non-members attending our events of the value of joining the organization. A strongly expressed focus for the future is the need for an advisory committee of individuals involved in the regional arts world. We also want more outreach to other arts organizations and the community.
The Board has spent a considerable amount of time the past two years on revising our bylaws and establishing written policies, so that we'll look like a respectable 501(c)3 and not just a gaggle of dust-covered fanatics.
This effort has been in addition to the month-to-month management of our activities. I'd like to thank the Board members who will be leaving at the end of this year for their hard work. Meredith Earls, Michael Jacobsen and (our early departee) Patty McPhee have all contributed considerable thought to our discussions. I would especially like to thank Rich Hestekind who is leaving after eight years of service, including having been our vice president and president.
After the November business meeting, current and prospective Directors held an afternoon discussion to set priorities for the coming year. Both our Board and our general membership have no problem coming up with creative ideas of things we could be doing. The challenge is choosing the ones that serve our mission best. We generally agree on the overall values of the group, but there is a range of ideas about what our critical activities should be. We did agree on both an immediate and longterm focus.
The immediate focus is to improve cohesiveness of the organization. We want members to feel ownership of the NWSSA and involvement in its activities.
We also want to raise awareness among non-members attending our events of the value of joining the organization. A strongly expressed focus for the future is the need for an advisory committee of individuals involved in the regional arts world. We also want more outreach to other arts organizations and the community.
The Board has spent a considerable amount of time the past two years on revising our bylaws and establishing written policies, so that we'll look like a respectable 501(c)3 and not just a gaggle of dust-covered fanatics.
This effort has been in addition to the month-to-month management of our activities. I'd like to thank the Board members who will be leaving at the end of this year for their hard work. Meredith Earls, Michael Jacobsen and (our early departee) Patty McPhee have all contributed considerable thought to our discussions. I would especially like to thank Rich Hestekind who is leaving after eight years of service, including having been our vice president and president.
There are a couple of recent changes in the NWSSA to report to you. The first is that Leon White has volunteered to be chair of the Exhibitions committee. The committee not only puts on our exhibitions, but also recommends what shows we should sponsor. If you would like to help Leon, please give him a call. This is an oppommity for new members to become involved and to get to know their fellow sculptors. Thanks, Leon.
The other major change is that after being the guiding force for the symposia for the last decade, Vic Picou is stepping down as Director of Symposia at the end of the year. Anyone who has been involved in helping manage a symposium knows how much we owe to Vic for his hard work and his dedication to making the event happen. Vic has offered to serve as consultant to the new Director for the next two years, so that whoever takes his place will get the maximum support possible. If you are interested in this rewarding job (it's one of our few paid positions, albeit not paid well) please let either Vic or me know.
The Board is finishing up the process that we started last year of writing policy guidelines. We are about to adopt revised and updated guidelines for running the symposia and we are setting up a finance committee to help handle budget management more effectively. As you can imagine, the Board meetings are nothing but fun, fun, fun. Hopefully we'll leave next year's Board with less to do.
Happy carving,
There are a couple of recent changes in the NWSSA to report to you. The first is that Leon White has volunteered to be chair of the Exhibitions committee. The committee not only puts on our exhibitions, but also recommends what shows we should sponsor. If you would like to help Leon, please give him a call. This is an oppommity for new members to become involved and to get to know their fellow sculptors. Thanks, Leon.
The other major change is that after being the guiding force for the symposia for the last decade, Vic Picou is stepping down as Director of Symposia at the end of the year. Anyone who has been involved in helping manage a symposium knows how much we owe to Vic for his hard work and his dedication to making the event happen. Vic has offered to serve as consultant to the new Director for the next two years, so that whoever takes his place will get the maximum support possible. If you are interested in this rewarding job (it's one of our few paid positions, albeit not paid well) please let either Vic or me know.
The Board is finishing up the process that we started last year of writing policy guidelines. We are about to adopt revised and updated guidelines for running the symposia and we are setting up a finance committee to help handle budget management more effectively. As you can imagine, the Board meetings are nothing but fun, fun, fun. Hopefully we'll leave next year's Board with less to do.
Happy carving,
Somewhat to my surprise, my email response to Lee Gass's request for ideas about art and travels was magically transformed into an article that appears elsewhere in the newsletter. (I've got to get Lee working on my sculptures. I'd definitely get many more done.)
There's another journey I'll be taking next week: all of 15 miles north to Camp Brotherhood, a journey that for the past four years has had a powerful influence on my ideas and emotions. This gathering of sculptors is an encyclopedia of technical and trade information available for us all to tap. I'm also emotionally energized by being surrounded by the physical energy generated by a large group all working at the same time. For me, though, one of the most important influences is getting to see the variety of work we produce. While we all seem to have a love of the stone that is hard to explain to those not similarly crazed, the variety of approaches we take continues to amaze me. I'm always struck by works in materials and styles that that are very different from my own because it helps me see wider horizons of thought and vision.
Camp Brotherhood will be over again for another year by the time you read this, but journeys to Silver Falls and Camp Thetis are still possible for this year. Once again, it looks like lack of time and money will keep me away, but there's always hope for the next millennium. And the next sculpture will always be better: that's the personal journey of discovery, with its attendant joy and fear that we artists make.
The NWSSA's activities are intended to serve our members. If there is a way the organization can help you with your artistic journey, let the Board of Directors know. Better yet, offer to help make it happen.
This year's symposium season is finally upon us, kicking off with the annual Whidbey Retreat, this year with no remodeling. We've been getting inquiries from around the US and Canada about Camp Brotherhood, so hopefully we'll all have a chance to meet some new sculptors and expand our constantly widening circle of dust-covered fanatics. The Board of Directors has settled on a plan to make Camp B more affordable to our Canadian members.
Last year the Board of Directors started setting up different committees so that the workload of running the Association would be spread out among our members as much as possible. We still need volunteers for the following committees:
- A chair for the Exhibitions committee.
- A co-chair to run the Fundraising committee with Barbara Davidson. We could also use the advice/assistance of anyone who has been involved in fundraising for other organizations to help us with ideas. Or, if you are willing to do a few hours research on the Internet on funding oppOltunities, you could start us on the road to developing funding proposals.
- We have several people interested in pursuing a Sculpture Center at the former Sandpoint Naval Air Station in Seattle, but need someone to take overall responsibility for keeping track of what the City of Seattle is doing and to assess the amount of membership support for such a Center.
As the NWSSA is a membership organization, ideally everyone conttibutes to its operation, although our geographic scattering creates limitations. Consider this mumble for help an opportunity to help shape what we do. If you are interested in any of these roles, please contact me at 360-435-6358; email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Thanks.
