OCTOBER 2023 Newsletter

IN THIS ISSUE

  • Artisan Social Recap (Recap from Arden Fair was in a separate email, check your email archives)

  • Happenings this Month

  • Planning Meeting for AAC Retreat in January

  • Applications (Some are due this week)

  • Stepping up, finding your role within the AAC

  • We are collecting payments for the new year for website listings


SEPTEMBER ARTISAN SOCIAL RECAP: The Buzz once again hosted another Artisan Social. We had a good turnout of 20+, though as Mhairi Craig pointed out, "There was no cake!" No truth in advertising because that was the lead picture on our Facebook Event listing. We will have to write "cake" into the specifications of the event. But we did get to see the art of two artisans who are new to the Ardens, Ardentown to be specific. Micah Altman showed us her gorgeous, nature-inspired lamps; and Bethany Rees presented not only her photography, but introduced us to the platform she uses to present proposals to clients. That might make for an interesting spin for future Artisan socials--artists presenting their business platform and best practices. Speaking of future Artisan socials--we need someone or two someones to lead this outreach for 2024. When we hosted our first social, we thought it would be a one off, or at the most, a yearly event. It is something that has proved to be popular on our calendar. Jill has made a detailed list of what needs to be done to lead this initiative. We will decide as a group how many socials we would like to have for the 2024 calendar year when we set our agenda at the January Retreat. Two? Three? Consider taking on this fun and popular event on our group's calendar.

HAPPENINGS THIS MONTH:

Ron Meick has an exhibit of recent sculptural work in Washington D.C. The show, entitled ANOMOLY will be on from September 28th- October 29th at the Washington Printmakers Gallery 1675 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington D.C. 20007. Ron is the recipient of the DE Division of the Arts Fellowships in Sculpture 

In addition to having his own show in D.C. Ron and fellow AAC member Jill Althouse-Wood are in a traveling exhibit of DE Division of the Arts Fellowship winners that is coming to New Castle County as its final stop on its 3-county Delaware tour. The exhibit will be at Cab Calloway School of the Arts from October 6 to November 3, 2023, with a reception on Friday, October 6, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Janet Williams' work will be in a new exhibit featuring landscape painters at the Blue Streak Gallery. The show will run through the end of October with the opening reception occurring on October 6, from 5-7 PM.

Jill Althouse-Wood will also be featured on Delaware State of the Arts Podcast, available on October 22. In the interview she talks about the Arden Artisan Collective, as well as her upcoming show (See below). *The Delaware State of the Arts podcast is a great way to get promotion for big events, but you have to plan ahead to get on the schedule (months ahead if you can).

And in November, I, Jill Althouse-Wood, am having a solo show, ALL THE FEELS, at the Buzz. (Breaking the 4th wall for a second) I need to put this out there, now, in this newsletter in case I am too frazzled to put out a newsletter in November before the opening reception on November 3rd, from 5-9 PM. Please come out. In addition to my paintings and digital prints--all new work, I will have gift merchandise for sale, perfect for the holidays.

PLANNING MEETING FOR AAC RETREAT IN JANUARY:

We will have another short planning meeting for the AAC Retreat in January to discuss the logistics. Things are going smoothly, but we need to stay on task. There are a lot of moving parts in this endeavor. Join us to find out how you can take a piece of the puzzle and run with it. The meeting will be at Betty O'Regan's house, 2008 Sherwood Road, on Tuesday, October 10 at 7:30 PM. Can't make the meeting but want to help out? Email Jill at ardenartisans@gmail.com

*Mark your calendars for January 20th from 7-3 PM for the Arden Artisans Retreat at the Buzz. The fee for the all-day event will be $25 ($35 for non members) and will include light breakfast fare and a vegetarian lunch. More information and applications coming in December. 

APPLICATIONS ARE DUE (SOME THIS WEEK):

We have a new Members section on our website. It is accessible from the dropdown menu at the top of the homepage. This is where you will find the applications for upcoming shows/marketplaces, etc. In the future, we will have newsletter archives, and our treasurer's report. What other items would you like to see in a members section?

The Buzz will once again have a marketplace for its December Art Loop (December 1, from 5-9PM). AAC members will have first dibs on tables, but you must act now. Applications are due to the Buzz by October 7th. Tables are $30 each (no commission taken). 

We are now accepting applications for the March/April 2024 Earth Day Art Show at the Delaware Center for Horticulture. We will have two rounds of acceptance. We need to get the first round so we can have promotional images to give the DCH for their marketing efforts. Each person is welcome to enter 3 environmental or nature themed pieces for consideration in this show, juried and curated by Jill Althouse-Wood and Betty O'Regan. Applications for the first round are  due October 27th.
 

Think ahead to the AAC's  "Small Art" Show happening in December. Applications are not available yet, but will be in early November. Each member may submit 2 pieces, no larger than 18" in any direction, including frame. Each item must be for sale, as this is a holiday/gift-giving show. 3D artists must provide their own base or pedestal (We do have limited places for 3D art on the windowsill of the gallery). 3D art must be removed after the show's opening. A commission of 20% will be taken on all work shown (10% for the Buzz, and 10% to the AAC). Applications will be taped to the back of artwork when it is dropped off for the show (Most likely some time between November 28-30th). This is not a juried show. We will hang all work that we can fit. Consider getting a Venmo account if you do not already have one. Venmo QR codes on gallery tags were an efficient way to handle transactions last year.


* MEMBER REQUEST--Janet Williams subscribes to a service that will host unlimited (?) web addresses. She is looking to share expenses with others who want a hosting platform. The hosting company Siteground supports WordPress but it doesn’t have an another website builder. 

LET'S GET REAL FOR A MOMENT...

The AAC has accomplished a lot since we have became official in September of 2022. We have launched a website with an active directory of artisans, hosted four Arden Artisan Socials, partnered with the Arden Craft Shop Museum for Afternoon with the Artist, had a Small Art show and Art Loop Market, hosted a social media workshop, and had two successful and different Arden Fair Booths. We have put out monthly newsletters. And looking ahead we have another Small Art Show and Market, an AAC Retreat, two large group art exhibitions outside of the Ardens in 2024.  

We started this with not much in the way of structure. I, with the help of a handful of people, have willingly shouldered a lot of the agenda because I was so enthusiastic about the need for this group and wanted to get it going. But it has been a lot, and I have simultaneously been working on my own projects that may require more of my time in the near future. The AAC will only continue if we have many people to carry the load of smaller tasks and people willing to fill leadership roles. I was ever so appreciative that Micah Altman (brand new to the Ardens) and Rachel Kantner (representing the Donut Hole), stepped up and created an Arden Artisan Booth presence for this year's fair. We need more of this if the AAC will thrive.

Something we will discuss in the meeting portion of the AAC Retreat in January is our structure. I am proposing that we vote in a 5-person steering committee (with a 1-2 year commitment) that will meet monthly. This group will be responsible for carrying out the proposed 2024 agenda that the membership at large comes up with at the retreat. This group will also approve spending.  At the retreat, we will break into small groups to discuss marketing, exhibitions, social events etc. From these small groups, we will form a directory of sorts of volunteers that the steering committee can call on to help execute (in big ways and small) our agenda. Start to think about how you can to contribute. Can you be in charge of organizing  quarterly Artisan Socials? Can you take on the social media accounts, creating events when needed? Can you design exhibition postcards and get them printed? Can you help with food for special events? Can you reach out to new artisans who move in and invited them to join? Can you be on the website team, helping us to refine and upgrade our online presence? Can you co-curate an exhibit or help hang a show or help run the 2024 Arden Fair Booth?  I personally like doing the newsletter and would be happy to cede all of the above (yes, I am tired) to do this one task. We need all members to contribute. The question you should ask yourself is how can I serve this group?

A RISKY SUGGESTION...

I am really hoping that 2024 is the year that we start the Arts and Crafts Gild. Yes, I know, we risk of spreading ourselves too thin, but hear me out. We have had interest from members in giving/taking art classes and having more social interaction while doing fun art activities. I believe this is a bit outside the AAC realm. Our focus has been to put a spotlight on Arden's makers and help them level up (whatever that means for them). An Arts And Crafts Gild could be better able to handle the enjoyment of the arts. 

We could start slowly with an Arts and Crafts Gild. Maybe meet four times a year in the beginning. Being a gild has the advantage that we can use the space at The Guild Hall to have workshops, art parties or guest speakers. (Currently AAC has to rent the Buzz for workshops, The other option we have is to offer the workshops free to the community--which is hard to do if there is a fee for supplies or speakers). As a gild, we could officially take on Arden Fair responsibilities that many in our membership have already been doing: T-shirt booth, running craft fair. What do we need to make this happen? We need 1-2 people to chair this gild. It should be people who are not on the AAC steering committee. I am willing to be the person to take on lead cook responsibilities for a dinner gild dinner which is another responsibility of an active gild. What do you think? Is this the year we form a gild? We will vote on whether or not to start a gild at the January retreat. 

As a refresher, here are the two mission statements we came up with for the two groups.

 The AAC is ARTIST CENTRIC
THE ARDENS ARTISAN COLLECTIVE nurtures artist/artisans at all levels (professional/hobby/student) through educational activities and events; uses the arts to enhance community-building within the Ardens; and magnifies the visibility of Arden artisans outside of the Ardens community.

The Arts and Crafts Gild would be COMMUNITY CENTRIC
THE ARTS AND CRAFTS GILD aims to add to the cultural conversation and community experience by providing educational and recreational programming for the enjoyment of and participation in the visual arts/crafts.

If you have interest in being on the AAC steering committee or taking a leadership role to start up the Arts and Crafts Gild, let me know by email ahead of the January retreat.

--Jill Althouse-Wood

REMINDER: If you have news of exhibits, craft shows, workshops (that you are giving), etc that are happening November or later, get the information to me by October 15 so I can post on website, on social media, and in our newsletter. Additionally, you can send news of awards to post on social media. Your triumphs are the group's triumphs. Please provide all  information to me in print-ready copy and provide an image, if applicable. Send info to ardenartisans@gmail.com

WE ARE COLLECTING WEBSITE PAYMENTS FOR THE NEW YEAR!
Listings in our Arden Artisan directory are $20 per year.  Our website year runs November 1-October 31. (Prorated, it will be $10 after May 1st). Make check 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. After you pay, you 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 social media presence and require a landing page directly on the AAC website, you can have one created for a one time fee of $50 (also payable to Jeanne Orr). $30 of fee will go to the website creator and $20 to the AAC. In this case, you need to send 5 images and a 500-word (approx) bio/artist statement to AACupdates@gmail.com.