MARCH 2024 AAC NEWSLETTER
In this issue:
Applications Due For Baby Grand
Earth Day Exhibit Update
Updating artists listings on website
AAC Steering Committee commences
New Group Marketing
Artisan Social seeks a leader
Update on joining the Arden Club
Public Art
AAC influence in the wider world
Soliciting Program Ideas
Youth Artists
Shawn Pinckney talk
Applications Due for Summer Art Exhibit at Baby Grand
First round of applications for AAC Baby Grant Art Show (runs July and August) are due March 1st. Get your applications in. For details on the show and the applications, click here. The show is being curated by Meghan King and Jeanne Orr with help from other members.
Reminder Art drop-off for Earth Day Art Show
All 2D and relief artwork that has been selected for the Earth Day Art Show must be dropped off on March 5th (4-6:30 PM) at the Delaware Center for Horticulture, 1810 N Dupont Street. For larger pieces, you can use the circle in front of the center. For smaller pieces, please park in the lot across the street. If you cannot drop off during the window, please do not contact Jill or Betty. Instead, contact another artist to help you. For 3D art, delivery and pick-up will happen on April 5th, Art Loop night. Artists may bring business cards and promotional postcards to display on our information table throughout the run of the show. Please being your items in clear plastic holders for a neat uniform appearance on our table. We will be hanging the show on March 6th. After that, the exhibition will be open to the public during the DCH business hours. Mark your calendars for the exhibit reception on April 5th from 5:30-8.
The Delaware Center for Horticulture is providing light fare, but we would like to augment that since we are expecting a crowd from the Ardens. Consider bringing a snack for the table. The food donations should look inviting and be ready to serve. We will not be responsible for returning your containers, so consider this if you are not staying until the end of the reception. Also, be thoughtful and remember that this is an Earth Day Art show when selecting disposable containers.
Spread the word about the exhibit in your social media. We would like a crowd for this show. We would like as many artists as possible at our reception. Your presence will drive sales and interest in our group.
Updating Website Directory/Artist Listings
Ahead of our group shows, if you would like to update or freshen up your directory listing, we are offering free updates. This could include changing out your lead picture or having your link point to a Link tree instead of a website. Or pointing your link to a new Insta page if your website never came to fruition. For those with a paid landing page, you can update your images and/or text. Send updates to AACupdates@Gmail.com
AAC Steering Committee commences
The AAC Steering committee, consisting of Jill Althouse-Wood, Linda Toman, Rachel Kantner, Megan King, Shay Seaborne, Stevie Nolan, Cookie Ohlson (absent), met for the first time in February. The minutes from the meeting are posted in the members section of the AAC website. We will be meeting regularly on the fourth Tuesday of the month at 7 PM. Our next meeting is scheduled for March 26th at Rachel Kantner’s house.
Marketing
The steering committee voted to spend money on the following two marketing initiatives: a full-page ad in the Arden Directory and a general postcard that provides information on our collective. We can use the postcard at events like the Earth Day art show to raise awareness about our group. Members can also request postcards to have on hand at craft shows, solo art exhibits, etc. The postcard was designed by David Gerbec and features the work of 6 of our artists.
Champion needed for Artisan Social
Nobody raised their hand to champion an April Artisan Social. If nobody steps up in the next week or so, we will have to forgo it, given the lead time to plan and prepare. We could possibly push it to May, but we still need someone to run it. I have a document with all the steps we have used in the past. You don’t need to do it all yourself. We have a spreadsheet with a list of people who have expressed interest to help with various projects. The Artisan Socials were something that people found important to our organization. They provided a chance to see what our neighbors were doing and the space to have side conversations that have led to some great collaborations. Consider taking this on.
Joining the Arden Club discussion
We are moving slowly ahead with talks to join the Arden Club as a gild. I wrote a proposal that covers all the Club requires which includes thoughts on budget and building usage. This is by no means a slam dunk. I will be going over the proposal with Pat Toman, Arden Club president. After that, we will schedule a meeting for the AAC at large to discuss the issues before both sides decide if this is for us. There are many good reasons to join the club. It would give us a building, structure, regular meeting times, a bank account, lots of publicity through their mailing list, ability to apply for grants and a larger volunteer pool. On the flip side, it would also water down our brand and give us less freedom as we negotiate with leadership. There are reasons to join the Club and reasons for hesitation. Ahead of the meeting (To be scheduled—hopefully this spring), I am trying to explore what other options we have. I will be meeting with DE Division of the Arts Programs Officer, Kathleen Dinsmore who specializes in organizational support to see if she has any ideas for our group for the path ahead. How have other groups in DE handled their growth and development? I will also talk to the Buzz to see what the actual costs of meeting there on a regular basis would be. In the end, we may still vote to merge with the Arden Club, but it won’t hurt to have a plan B.
*In the meantime, we are asking AAC members to keep their Arden Club membership up-to-date as all those who sign the petition to create a gild must be a member in good standing for at least a year.
Public Art
Bethany Rees led a meeting that included Linda Celestian, David Gerbec, Jeanne Orr and Mike Tanis. They decided it really makes sense to be submit a proposal for one big project—so that even if multiple artists are working on it, it still has cohesiveness as you are driving down the road and works as placemaking for the community. They took pictures of the potential mural locations, the 95 overpass bridge and the CSX bridge, as well as the utility boxes ( 7 of them along Harvey and 2 smaller ones Swiss Lane and Lower Lane) . Bethany will measure the spots this week so they can come up with an accurate budget to give to apply for a grant. We’re going to miss the DE Division of arts deadline (March 1) which was perhaps too ambitious, and try for the National Endowment of the arts grant which has a second round deadline of July . That will be more competitive but Collin (the consultant from the University of Delaware who is helping us) thinks we have a good shot and that the reviewers will like the project. If we got that grant, painting wouldn’t be until next summer (2025), which I think is fine because the towns will have to have time to vote on the proposal. Bethany is looking to get this added it as an item in the upcoming transportation monitoring committee.
AAC Influence
I went to the Artist open house at the Delaware Contemporary and said hello to Morgan Hamilton, who staffed the DC table at our January retreat. He was impressed with our retreat program and said he want3ed to offer more of what we had going on—in terms of programming—at future DC Artist Open Houses. He wants to have a conversation about what artists want and brainstorm presenter ideas. This interaction shows that the AAC can be part of a greater Wilmington arts conversation. Think about this during our upcoming shows at the DCH and Baby Grand. Engage with people outside of Arden. Could they be a resource for us? For programming or future exhibits? Can we help them by bringing our artists to them?
Got a program idea?
Got an idea for an upcoming program? I was recently discussing a paid speaker that I wanted to bring to the AAC. Linda Celestian said that we had a lot of Arden talent we should tap first. She threw out the idea of having a resident writer, she suggested Gordon Hesse, help artists write artists statements and give tips on grant-writing. Have a great idea for a program? Let us know.
Arden Youth Artists
Arden Youth had a successful show in February. Did we ever doubt it? The powers that be had conversations about making the Youth Art exhibit a yearly event. With all that was going on, the AAC had little to do with the success of the exhibit. The credit can go to Emily Ferrell and Bernadette Donohue, and the artists themselves. I would like to think about how we support this initiative going forward. Can we offer 1-to-1 mentorships to the young artists, partnering each with an artist from the AAC. Can we provide a workshop about framing/show presentation or invite them to participate in a program about writing artist statements? (See above). Let’s start having some side conversations about this.
Arden Artisan Spotlight on Shawn Baron Pinckney
Many of you saw the Anne Lowe, American Couturier exhibit this past year at WInterthur. Arden resident, Shawn Baron Pinckney was one of the designers tapped to create several Anne Lowe inspired works for the exhibit. He will be speaking about this experience at March’s Arden Scholars Gild which takes place at the Arden Gild Hall on Tuesday, March 19th at 7:30 PM. It’s free but for a small donation to keep the lights on. Consider attending. What a wealth of creators we have in this community
Warmly,
Jill Althouse-Wood, AAC Steering Committee Member
“The world is before you, and you need not take it or leave it as it was when you came in.” James Baldwin