A Rant (and a rave)

First the rave… we have some truly outstanding artists in the area. I am constantly surprised at the quality of work that comes from our members. Even with the effort that goes into the creation of a painting, sculpture, jewelry and the demands of a personal or family life, some of our artists still take time to actively support the Arts Council.

Shryl Miles is leaving our board after two years of dedicated service to the Council. We will miss her presence at our board meetings but look forward to more beautiful watercolors. Shryl promised to continue to help us with graphics and printing for our events.

Bernie Fierro is on our board and yet still has time to create and teach. Bernie is a valued board member “at large” and his insight and help is greatly appreciated.

Bill Smith will join our board at the end of June to replace Janice Wright as Treasurer. We will miss Janice as she kept us on the straight and narrow when it comes to finances. We welcome Bill and look forward to his contributions.

These are a few of the artists who help advance our cause.

Now the rant… everything the Arts Council accomplishes is with the work and efforts of a few members. So few they can be counted on ones fingers without using the toes. We try to provide opportunities and service for our artist members but get little in return. If you benefit from a presence on our website, it you exhibit in one of our Wall-Space Galleries, if you exhibit in one of our shows such as the just complete Celebrate the Arts!, if you feel we bring value to the community, isn’t it time you also stepped forward to help? We have openings on the board as well as needed help with our events. Some areas in which we need support consume more time than others, but don’t let that deter you. We need volunteers to help only during part of the year and some areas need only a couple of hours a week on average. For example, sitting in the City Hall Gallery on a Saturday from 1-4 p.m. so we can keep that venue open. We even have openings for people to work from home using the telephone.

If you feel it is time to help make this organization successful and to expand our benefits to everyone, contact us and we will discuss how we can best work together within the time constraints you have,