ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2009

REPORT OF THE OPERATIONS MANAGER

When I stood before you at about this time last year to report on the state of ArtSpace, I had no idea that I would be standing before you again this year. But as the adage has it, man proposes, God disposes (although there was probably no divinity involved in this one.)  In any case, I'm delighted to be here.

Last year, I opened the meeting (in a shameless bid for approval) by misquoting the president’s opening to congress, to wit, “Ladies and Gentlemen, the state of our ArtSpace is strong.”

I can’t say that this year.

Because, in many ways, the state of ArtSpace is even stronger
 

Our exhibit schedule in The Ellen Nelson Gallery was as rich and innovative as it has ever been, thanks to the tireless and informed work of our Exhibit Committee chaired by Martha Farmer and including Gregg Luginbuhl (Bluffton University), Luke Sheets (Ohio Northern), Joe Bonifas (Shawnee High School), and Mary Ann Sullivan (Emerita, Bluffton University). 

We began with the Duck Stamp Show, apparently a connoisseur’s exhibit.  The six people who saw it reported that it was wonderful.  We moved, then, to Internal Landscapes, the annual Photography Club Juried Exhibition, the Kewpee High School Invitational, and Spring Show, all of which were extremely impressive and well-received.  They were followed by Rocky Bridges (an American original) and the show you see through the door behind me, the wonderful, witty, and superbly crafted works of James Mellick. 

 Meanwhile, we had a full series of exhibits in ArtZone, including in the fall, Anita Lehman’s A Question and the ArtAbility Exhibit.  During the Photography Show, Craig Orosz of The Lima News mounted an exhibit of photojournalist images from the newspaper.  The Kewpee show spilled over into ArtZone, and during Spring Show, ArtZone featured a salon de refuses, a selection of art not juried into Spring Show, but re-juried into the Salon.  In June, Amanda Richard brought the work of her home-schooled pupils and for the last two months, we have had an exhibit of Japanese art and artifacts presented by the Sister Cities Association.

Concurrent with these on-site exhibits, we mounted four shows at the St. Rita’s Mezzanine Gallery:  Marge Brandt and Neptune Hot Glass, a return of the popular African Art show, a second exhibit by ArtAbility, and the currently running Phil Hugo/Bruce Chesser show. 

 As I say, the exhibit history for 2008-2009 is full and rich.

I will let Kay report fully on our upcoming class schedule and the Rallies, which are her special bailiwick, but I do want to say that this has been one of the best Rally seasons ever.  On the second weekend, we tallied a door count of over 1,400 patrons, and there have been several nights with over 1,000 attendees.  As I’ve said elsewhere, the Rallies are a phenomenon.

On the education front, in cooperation with the Lima City Schools, we offered a series of three Soup and Salad Lectures on The Portrait, with Mary Ann Sullivan, Professor Emerita, Bluffton University.  Then, on Sunday, October 26, members of the group toured the Children in Art exhibit at the Dayton Art Institute.

Under the category of Events, we tried a number of new things this past year.  In November, spearheaded by Vanessa Damschroder and her committee, we mounted Deck the Halls, a combination Luncheon, Dinner, and Shopping experience, the meals served on seven holiday-themed tables (the web page devoted to the event is full of images of the tables and guests; look under Archived Events).  In December, with one month planning (that is, from ‘let’s do” to the event itself!) we offered Jazz at the Greenhouse, a beat-the-odds concert (just consider the date between Thanksgiving and major holiday shopping) which drew in 300 aficionados.  Then, in April, local film critic David Adams joined ArtSpace to present three films with artists as their central focus.  The films were shown in the Lima Senior High School auditorium.  Board member and director of the Arts Magnet program, Sally Windle, deserves our hearty thanks for all the work she did to bring off the film series.  All three of these events are scheduled for reprise in the coming year.

We have benefited from grants this year: one from the Ohio Arts Council and another, with the funds of which we have embarked on a program of facility renovation which seems overdue.  We started small, refinishing the floors in the Ellen Nelson Gallery and the Conference Room.  Next up, putting down a new floor in the first-floor classrooms and refurbishing the building’s front façade.  New paint there at a minimum, probably a new color scheme as well.  There will also be new equipment purchased.

One of the special pleasures of the last few months has been getting to work with our new Associate Manager, Kay Van Meter.  Our skill sets complement one another pretty well.  She prods me to action when I'm in too dilatory a frame of mind.  I'm able to curb her enthusiasm for house cleaning.  It works.

Finally, ArtSpace has benefited this past year from the work of a number of volunteers and interns.  In particular, we’d like to thank Phil Hugo for his patient work on the facility, Sharon Bruce for her dedication to the task of attending to the resource library, and Fay Wagner for helping out on numerous occasions.  Our interns included Melissa Neiderhiser of Bluffton University and, this past summer, Terran Washington of Kent State University.  Terran is majoring in Visual Communication (what we once called Graphic Design) and he has given us the Hugo/Chesser announcement postcard as well as, forthcoming, newly designed versions of the Education flyer and the Photography and Spring Show prospectuses.  We predict great things for this talented designer.

There’s a coming-up section at the end of the handout.  As always, we hope you’ll join us for as many of the forthcoming exhibits and events as you can.

You are (still) ArtSpace.

Thanks.

REPORT OF THE ASSOCIATE MANAGER

 65-67 Town Square

Lima, OH 45801

A Report From The Associate Manager

Five Things That Were Left Out Of My Job Description:

• Bat removal
• Locksmith
• Curator of items deemed archival
• Tile repair
• Training teenagers in proper telephone etiquette

   I do these things happily, well maybe not the bat removal. All the odd jobs help to insure that ArtSpace/Lima is a pleasant and inviting place to visit. As the Associate Manager I believe that my job is to contribute toward the smooth operation of this organization. I am only here to help.

   I help with rallies. This year we have been blessed with wonderful weather and well behaved crowds. There is a small community of volunteers that make the evening run smoothly. Beverly Miller and her trusted side kick Mark are always at the token table. Beer would not flow as easily without Jim Wood, Jason, and Rick Carter our brew crew. These are the people who make my job a lot easier. The season is quickly coming to an end and we look forward to next year.

   I help with instructors, classes, and scheduling. This summer we hosted a group of students from The Learning Tree Center. They had a gallery tour, learned about our featured artist Rocky Bridges and green art. We placed recycling bins of paper, plastic, and metal in the classroom and their day was spent creating art from found objects.

   I also help with events. Last winter we tried a few new ideas Deck the Halls, and Jazz at the Green House. Both of these events were well received and we look forward to doing them again this year. Again there is that core group of volunteers, like Faye Wagner, that help make these things possible. Without the support of our membership there would be no programs, no events, no ArtSpace/Lima.

  In my small way, I help to support the mission statement of ArtSpace/Lima which has always been to promote the arts by providing a venue for artists. If that includes the occasional bat removal, then I am only here to help.

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For a printable copy in pdf format

click  Operations Manager's Report.pdf

click  Associate Manager's Report.pdf