October 2024 AAC Newsletter

In this issue:

  • Recap Artisan Social

  • JOY IS ART group art show

  • Small Art Show and December Art Loop Market

  • Book Discussions

  • Art & Crafts Gild Update

  • AAC Open planning meeting for 2025 and beyond

  • Payment due for AAC website listings

  • On the Horizon: Youth Art Showcase at the Buzz

The Arden Artisan Collective is 2! We celebrated our birthday—with cake (Thank you Lon Sullivan)— at an Artisan Social on September 10th. Attendees experienced multi-media presentations about inspiration and process from artists, Linda Celestian (silk sculptures), Ron Meick (wood and encaustic sculptures) and Sharon Bousquet (eco-dyed paper and collages). Talk about creative spark—the room was crackling with it. Thank you to Shay Seaborne for being point person on this community-builder. Just ask Shay—it is really good for the central nervous system.

Five AAC artists will be showing work in conjunction with the show Every Brilliant Thing at the Delaware Theatre Company, 200 Water Street; Wilmington. In the play, a handwritten list of the small joys that make life worth living becomes immersive storytelling. The showcase, JOY IS ART, will coordinate with this theme and will feature work by Jill Althouse-Wood, Alida Fish, Annette Hearing, Russ McKinney, and show curator, Sadie Somerville. The show will hang in the lobby gallery from October 23-November 10, and will also be accessible during box office hours. A reception for the exhibit will take place Friday, November 1, 5:30-7:30 PM. As there is also a performance that evening, please see www.delawaretheatre.org/parking for parking instructions. Sadie will be curating a second exhibit in February to accompany the play Tuesdays With Morrie. This is an invitational. She will be in touch with artists whose work fits the theme and her vision for the show. The graphic in this newsletter pertains to this exhibit. Please share this graphic on social media—even if you don’t have work in the show. Exposure of the collective helps us all.

The AAC will once again hold a Small Art Show and December Art Loop Market. The date of the opening is Friday, December 6 from 5-9 PM. Applications are soon due—OCTOBER 7— for Market Tables. The cost of a table is $30 (no commissions will be paid). The market is not exclusive to Ardens residents, though they will have priority. You can find the application online at www.ardenartisans.com/applications. Information about the Small Art Show is there as well. Submissions for that show are not due until December 3rd.

The AAC is hosting book discussions. The first book discussion will be on *Thursday, November 14, 2024, 7-9 PM at Betty O’Regan’s house (2008 Sherwood Road; Arden), on the book Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking by David Baylis and Ted Orlando. Point person is Jill Althouse-Wood. Looking ahead, the second book discussion is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, January 23, from 7-9 PM (location TBD).  The pick for that will be Eric Maisel’s classic, Coaching the Artist Within: Advice for Actors, Visual Artists, and Musicians from America’s Foremost Creativity Coach. We hope that creatives of all disciplines—not just the visual arts— will join us for what is sure to be a thoughtful discussion. Both books are classics, readily available in public libraries and as used books. But, should you not have time to read the books, we encourage you to come join the discussions regardless. We will be discussing topics brought up in the books, many of which are universal experiences for artists. These discussions are free and open to the public. Bring a treat to share if you are so inclined. For more information—including descriptions of the books, check out the events tab on the Arden Artisan website and scroll down.

*This is a correction from the original newsletter which said the 14th.

Arts and Crafts Gild update: Megan King will be presenting the petition for the Arts and Crafts Gild at the November Arden Club meeting. While the AAC and the A&C Gild will be separate groups, the AAC is instrumental in launching the group. Having the two groups will allow for different focus. The AAC will continue to support and make visible the makers in our community and address issue that we as makers of all levels have. We will continue to have a component that helps to market for our artisans. The Arts & Crafts Gild will be a group that offers education about the arts and sponsor related activities to artists and non-artists alike. Membership in the A&C Gild, as in the Arden Club will be open to the surrounding area. It is our hope that the two groups can work in tandem on some initiative and be complementary in others. Both groups will reinforce, dare I say—laud— the cultural significance of the visual arts in the Ardens.

AAC Members Open Planning Meeting: We will have an open group, interactive meeting to create a vision board for 2025 and beyond. Details are developing. But for now, mark your calendars for Tuesday January, 14, 2025, 7-9 PM. Two questions to think about—What do you want from the AAC? How are you willing to contribute to the group? The more participation we have, the more vibrant and impactful our group will be. 

**Payment is due for listing in the Arden Artisan Directory on the AAC website. Listings in our Arden Artisan directory are $20 per year which runs November 1-October 31. This funds our website for the year. If you are a new listing, we can link to an existing artist website or Instagram. Simply send a photograph to represent your work, as well as your name, primary medium, and website or social media link to AACupdates@gmail.com.  If you don’t have a website or dedicated social media page, we can create a landing page for a small one-time set-up fee of $50 (in addition to yearly fee). In this case, you need to send 5 images and a 500-word (approx) bio/artist statement to AACupdates@gmail.com. Make all checks payable to Jeanne Orr. Or give her cash. Jeanne can be found most weeks at the open artist studio at the Buzz on Monday nights starting at 7 PM. Any Artisan from hobbyist to professional is encouraged to list with us to show the breadth of our creative community. If fees are a hardship, please contact ardenartisans@gmail.com for scholarship and work trade options.

The Buzz will once again host an Ardens' youth art show for the Wilmington Art Loop on Friday, February 7th.Emily Ferrell is the point person. More information will be available in subsequent newsletters. For now, put the event on your calendar. Talk to the creative youths in your life about participating. Last year's event was a wonderful success. Our youth artists are indeed talented; and this show was a valuable experience in showing and, in some cases, selling their art. Consider helping with this endeavor. I'll post Emily's email in future newsletter. (This item came in just at the cusp of sending it out, so I didn't get all the necessary permissions before publication.) 

Ciao...until next month. 

Jill Althouse-Wood, member of the AAC steering committee

Please indulge me as I present a trio of Leonardo Da Vinci quotes (I just finished the Isaacson bio and am in the grip of it still.)

* Art is never finished, only abandoned.

* It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.

* Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art.