Big Plans for 2013 at WCA-MI

WCA MI members gathered in January at the studio of Brenda Oelbaum in Ann Arbor to celebrate the new year and plot our strategies and projects going forward. We reviewed our priorities, which include:

Increasing membership (to 100) Barbara Carson, Membership Chair, has lots of great ideas for how to do this, but she could use some help. Anyone with expertise in this area, or who is just a willing hand, please contact Barbara at bacarson@gmail.com

Fund-raising, We need to find ways to increase our funding, and we are looking for ideas. In a first step, we held a raffle during our January party which raised $35 and Brenda’s Dr. Sketchy party raised $200. This is just as beginning, and with a little work and creativity we can do much more to make WCA-MI financially viable. All suggestions are gratefully considered: contact WCA Treasurer Loisann Arnold at robertarnold2@charter.net with your great ideas.

Exhibitions. In addition to Eye on the D which is tentatively sheduled for next fall 2013 at Wayne State Community Gallery, we hope to organize an all member show in Wyandotte at the Rivers Edge Gallery. (More on this as it develops) Margaret Parker is exhibitions chair : mparkerst@gmail.com

Professional Development is an important concern of most WCA-MI members. As part of our ongoing efforts I will be conducting online interviews with member artists in our Member of the Month section on this blog. ALSO any member who is having a show, has won a prize or has anything at all to crow about can contact me at kaletts@arborart.com and it will make its way onto our blog. (Please include a lo-res 4-6 jpg with your news)

Community Service remains an important concern for many of the WCA-MI members, with Brenda Oelbaum and Carol Morris heading up outreach. They are actively engaged in an ongoing art program at the Women’s Detention Center which is now sponsored by our WCA-MI chapter. Other ideas are in active development and you will hear from us as they develop. If this is an area that interests you, or if you have an idea about a project that brings art to the community, contact Carol at silkrhino@aol.com

Publicity/Public Relations is headed by Amanda Moyer, who is also working on creating a Young Women’s Caucus on the Arts. This is an exciting area, and Amanda is looking for help from mentoring artists from the WCA-MI. Contact her at amanda.moyer@inbox.com

WCA-MI continues to struggle with strategies to include farflung members of the statewide organization. We have members in Grand Rapids, Grosse Point, Wyandotte and we need to include them in our plans. Exhibitions are probably the best way to engage the geographically diffuse membership. Also, meetups held related to events in various parts of our region have been well-attended and well liked. We will continue to schedule these throughout the year. If you have an opening in your area and would like to be the site of a meet-up, contact me at kaletts@arborart.com to schedule.
Each member attending shared her most positive art experience of the year and her #1 goal for 2013. They ranged from success in the studio to exhibition opportunities, residencies and more. All the artists are engaged and active and looking forward to the coming year for further advances in their art practice.
Debra Golden won the new/continuing membership raffle which included a complimentary 3 month membership to TurningArt, an online art-leasing site.
Barbara Carson won the fundraising raffle prize, a basket containing chocolate and champagne, among other gifts and coupons.

2013 is shaping up to be an exciting year but it will only be exciting for you if you participate!