AGM Report
The Adelaide Art Society has had a successful year. Membership is increasing, weekly painting groups are well attended, workshops are popular, and we are still comfortably financially in profit.
Workshops over the past year have covered a wide variety of styles and media. Our hard working Art Organiser has invited us to learn from Regina Hona, Maxwell Wilkes and Ross Paterson from interstate, as well as local artists Trevor Newman and Alan Ramachandran. There was a long waiting list for the interstaters, which is pleasing because it is always a stressful exercise to bring presenters here. We have to charge more to cover the travelling expenses we have to pay, and the artists charge more because prices are higher where they come from. We are very lucky here in Adelaide! Trevor is a favourite among our members, and his weekend was popular. With Alan we did a series of four Tuesday nights which gave us a planning session, homework time for practice and reflection, and then a painting session. This proved to be a most successful format. All of these artists are so generous with their time and knowledge, as well as being such nice people! We look forward to meeting Colley Whisson later in the year.
The weekly painting groups continue to thrive, and I thank all those leaders who keep them going so well. The effort of maintaining the tea and coffee supply, and the banking of the fees is not great but so important in the smooth running of the Society. The studio is also being used more now with groups of members getting together informally to paint at different times.
Exhibitions are as usual, well executed in organisation and artistic merit, but under sold. A sign of the times I’m afraid. Several members expressed a view that we should select more, so we surveyed that through the last newsletter. Response was not huge, but did indicate that people agreed with this, so as a result the committee has decided to make SALA and the Fringe exhibitions both selected, and the October one unselected. The two that are advertised as part of the wider community events are historically better attended by more casual members of the public, so it seems fitting that we put on our best face for them.
During the last year we have purchased a data projector which enables us to project from the computer on to the screen. This means that DVDs can be shown at social nights or artist’s demonstration works can be photographed and displayed. This replaces both the TV and slide projector.
We also once again won a grant from the federal government, and have already ungraded the vacuum cleaner, and will soon be purchasing new chairs for use at social night; it will assist in the updating in the kitchen and we will get a computer for the library data and eventually borrowing.
I am very fortunate to be supported by wonderful committee members. My most valued Vice President and Treasurer, Helen Taylor deserves special mention. She keeps her finger on the pulse, and me on task. Our Art Organiser, Barb McGuire as always does a great job, and follows through when others would give up. Newsletter editor Graham Mills spaces his overseas jaunts to make sure the newsletter is done on time. Tony Wynne keeps the maintenance in hand, Winston Head coordinates the models among other things, and Doug Thomson steps in for exhibition organisation back up when needed.
Our retiring members, whose time given to the committee has been so appreciated are Glenda Parker, minute secretary and Word 2007 explorer, Pamela Smith, our exhibition organiser, who climbed that sharp learning curve with style, Lyn Hamilton and Carolyn Waterman whose canny library purchases have kept us all perusing the shelves searching out the new books. I thank them all on the members’ behalf for their invaluable contribution.
I look forward to the next year of learning and fellowship at our art society, and many years to come.
