A CALL TO ACTION….

DO SOMETHING….SOMEWHERE….SOMEHOW

There are plenty of opportunities to help.

ARE YOU interested in helping with the Pony Village Mall Art Show on May 19th & 20th?

There are many things that need to be done even if it’s just hanging flyers, setting up the room, checking in artwork, etc.  Please contact Kay Van Wart, the Show Chairperson, at (541) 266-8727 if you are interested in helping.

ARE YOU interested in organizing art workshops?

ARE YOU interested in helping with the Student Award Program that recognizes the artistic achievement of deserving students in the local schools?

Both of the above fall under the job description of Education Chairperson, which we currently do not have.  We’d really like to see someone skilled at bringing in art educators for workshops and possibly has a connection, either past or present, with the schools.  Please contact me, Stephanie Donaldson, at (541) 404-9511 if you are interested in one or both components of Education Chairperson.

In the meantime, don’t forget to attend our next Program.  Art Educator and Calligrapher, Bill Blumberg will present “Calligraphy and Prismacolor” at the next BAAA Meeting on Saturday, March 10th.  See you there!

~ Stephanie (S L) Donaldson

ph:  541.404.9511

email:  info@sldonaldsonfineart.com

Did you know

- $45 is the cost of an Individual Membership at the Coos Art Museum (CAM)?

- $25 is the cost of an Individual Membership for the Bay Area Artists’ Association (BAAA)?

- if you are a BAAA Member, you only have to pay $20 for a CAM Membership?

- BAAA Members receive discounts at local art merchants such as Art Connection, Easy Lane Frames and Bandon Artists’ Supply Store?

- that we have our own library of 100+ books that is housed in the Coos Art Museum Classroom?

- there are four BAAA Art Shows scheduled for this year?

- BAAA is open to all art forms, genres, media, styles, skill levels, and artistic goals?

- we have Programs with demos and/or hands-on projects at each of our monthly BAAA Meetings?

- that our monthly BAAA Meetings are now being held at Pony Village Mall in the space next to the Heritage Textile Guild?

- BAAA meetings are held the second Saturday of every month?

- you don’t have to live in the Coos Bay – North Bend “Bay Area” to be part of BAAA?

- from small tasks to large projects, that there are many ways you can help BAAA?

- we have a website: www.bayareaartistsassociation.com?

Do you have questions or would you like to know more about any of the above? Contact me.

Do you have ideas, suggestions, yes, even complaints? Contact me.

Are you interested in “Learning How To See”?  Then be sure to come to the next BAAA Meeting on Saturday, February 11th, where our Program by local artist, Pamela Rose Hughes, will help us do just that.

~ Stephanie (S L) Donaldson

ph:  541.404.9511

email:  info@sldonaldsonfineart.com

****And a very special announcement that did not make it into this month’s Newsletter…. the Bay Area Artists’ Association now has its very own Facebook Page…. be sure to ‘Like’ the page to stay updated on the most current announcements about programs and events!****

I pack and load the car with the 10 paintings in the “Ontogeny” series (5 ~ 16×20, 5 ~ 11×14).

I decide at the last minute to grab an 11th, an older painting which some of you might already be familiar with,  ”Marching Orders”.  It happens to also be 16×20, the importance of which I will soon share with you.  Figured that the layout of the room (three walls, each a different length) might require an “extra” piece of art, perhaps to be paired with my artist’s bio.

I unwrap the artwork, not all of the artwork mind you, because ‘clever me’ (***said with sarcasm***) decided it would be okay to wrap every other one, leaving the 2nd, 4th, etc. paintings unwrapped. Bad form. Bad, bad form.  Because even though 9 out of the 10 paintings were unscathed upon arrival, one frame managed to get so scratched up I actually let out a screech when I saw it.

And so my chicken painting came to the rescue of my frog painting.

Thankfully, I had also decided to take my point driver and needle nose pliers, both of which I don’t typically have along for hanging a show.  I did a quick switcheroo of the frames and hung the frog painting on the wall with the bio next to it.  I packed up the damaged frame and chicken painting, and headed out the door thankful that a last-minute decision proved invaluable.

Greetings! As the 2012 BAAA President, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the 2011 BAAA Board and Committee Chairpersons for their hard work and dedication over the past year.

I would also like to take a moment to revisit the “Purpose” of the Bay Area Artists’ Association as it is written in the Bylaws:

“BAAA shall strive to support the success of member artists by providing opportunities to interact with other artists, to exhibit their work and through educational programs; and to promote arts as a positive and necessary component in a healthy community.”

Nowhere in the “Purpose” statement or the BAAA Bylaws, in general, is there a restriction on: form, genre, media or style.  There is also no restriction on the skill level or goals of the artist.  For example, you might:

work in 2-D or 3-D, (form)

paint landscapes or sculpt nudes, (genre)

use the most expensive camera and lens money can buy or use markers on cardboard boxes, (media)

etch realistic portraits on glass or weld non-objective sculpture from recycled metal, (style)

be a hobby artist or a professional artist known around the globe, (skill level)

create art for fun, fame, or fortune, (goal)

What I’ve listed above barely even scratches the surface, but essentially what I would like to tell you is that you are ALL welcome at BAAA! Your input and initiative is needed and I invite you to come to the BAAA Meeting on Saturday, January 14th to share your ideas for 2012.

~ Stephanie (S L) Donaldson

Phosphorescence Revealed ©2011 S L Donaldson

What does a venue have to offer in order for people to want to visit it?

Music?

Food?

Drink?

Should it be free? Or does charging an entry fee make it ‘the cool place to be’?

Should there be other things to do there, like play games?

Should it be casual or formal in order to draw a crowd?

Should it appeal to the young, old, poor, wealthy, male, female, etc.?

Should the advertising be online, on tv, on the radio, on posters, in the newspaper, on leaflets stuck under windshield wipers?

Why am I asking these questions?  Well, I’m surprised by something and maybe you can shed some light on it.  It pertains to the Coos Bay-North Bend Art Walk.  No, don’t stop reading just because you aren’t from this area…YOU may have experienced, or may be experiencing, the same scenario in your hometown.

I am surprised by two things…

1. That artists aren’t FLOCKING to the Pony Village Mall for the Coos Bay-North Bend Art Walk.

2. That the public isn’t FLOCKING to the Pony Village Mall for the Coos Bay-North Bend Art Walk.

Okay, maybe ‘flocking’ is an exaggeration, but there is an opportunity here that simply is NOT being used to its fullest potential.

Back in May, the Pony Village Mall began participating in the Art Walk by providing a venue for artists to set up displays of their work.  What does the Mall provide:

1. A display venue for FREE (there is no vendor fee or commission taken).
2. Tables, easels, chairs…even tablecloths for FREE.  They set it up and break it down.
3. Lets you set up early (Art Walk is from 5-8pm, but you can set up as early as 10am when the Mall opens).
4. Music/other live performances…FREE.
5. Food & beverages…FREE. (Many provided by the stores or culinary vendors.)

So with all of the above, WHY aren’t more artists joining in?  The numbers have been hovering between 10-15 and I know for a fact we have ten times that number in Coos County.  Is it lack of time?  Lack of artwork?  Competition? Shyness? “Family’s in town”? Do they try it out, become discouraged by lack of sales and not come back?  Or (now we come to the second thing I’m surprised about that I mentioned earlier in this post) are they discouraged by the lack of interest by the public?

What does the Art Walk or Pony Village Mall or ANY event/venue have to do in order to draw in people?  The public has the opportunity to visit the Mall not just for shopping, but to enjoy art, food & drink, and entertainment. Granted Pony Village Mall’s participation in the Art Walk is only a few months old, and perhaps the word simply has not gotten out to ‘all’ artists and community members about this opportunity.  Or maybe there is some greater force of inertia at work here, but I can’t seem to put my finger on it.

Got any ideas?

The “Hop to It!” Bunny Art Show continues on the Bandon boardwalk until the Cranberry Festival in September, at which time the Awards will be announced.