JULY 2023 NEWSLETTER

1. ARDEN FAIR BOOTH: It is happening. We have enough artists to participate and make it worthwhile. We will need a few more people to take two-hour shifts. Rachel Kantner is organizing this effort. Please email Rachel if you are willing to take a shift.  If anyone has a small item to donate to a gift basket giveaway, we are also taking donations. Don't feel obligated. This is a smaller effort than last year. The giveaway is an enticement to collect emails to market for our events. (Not a fundraiser.) Again email Rachel. In addition, we will ask any AAC members with booths to proudly display an AAC logo prominently--can be our oval sticker--as well as postcards for the AAC Small Art show in December.  

2. BIGGS MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART Delaware Division of the Arts Award Winners Exhibition: July 13- September 24.  Opening reception Friday, July 14 from 6-9 PM. The Biggs is honored to partner with the Division to showcase this phenomenal group of local artists, including AAC artists Ron Meick and Jill Althouse-Wood (Shameless self promoting). Come join us at the Biggs! Or stop on your way down to the beach this summer to see the exhibit. For more information check out Bigg's website.

3. VISITING CHILDREN'S BOOK AUTHOR" Not an AAC event or Arden artisan. My friend Michelle Nelson Schmidt is visiting ACRA Summer Program on July 21 at 11 AM. She is doing this program for free (She normally commands $$$ to do school assemblies). Michelle has given her electric talk in 42 states and did a talk several years ago at the Buzz. Since the time, she has written a short, moving memoir which encapsulates her inspirational talk and tells the story of her publishing journey. Kids and adults alike come away from her programs feeling as though it is their duty to follow through on their dreams. ACRA's board is allowing the public to attend Michelle's talk. She will have books for sale afterwards. They make excellent gifts. She is the real deal. I encourage everyone who can to come. 

4. AFTERNOON WITH THE ARTIST: The Arden Artisans Collective will continue to work with the Arden Craft Shop Museum on this programming. We did not get a lot of applications by the deadline. As we seek more more participation, we will continue to accept applications on a rolling basis for upcoming Afternoon programs.  Please consider showing your work at this venue. It is a great opportunity, and the ACSM doesn't take commission on sales. Submit Applications to Arden Craft Shop Museum during open hour Wednesday 7:30-9 PM and Sundays 1-3 PM. Or email copies of applications to ArdenArtisans@gmail.com.While we work out the upcoming schedule, we invite you to attend the August 13th (1-3 PM) Afternoon with the Artist which will feature a narrator reading selected poems of Frank Stevens. Details are in the July/August Arden Page.

5. FALL ARTISAN SOCIAL--We have a date for our next Artisan Social. September 25th, 2023 from 7-9 PM at the Buzz. If you would like to present work, let me know. Work should be new work. We will take repeat artisans if you have new work you want to share. Email Jill if you are interested in showing (can be actual work or images for powerpoint).

6. EARTH DAY ART EXHIBIT-- I am curating an exhibit of AAC Artists with an Earth Day Theme to take place at the Delaware Horticultural Center in March/April 2024. I will be putting out a call for the first round of entries by the end of October. We need images to the DHC by November for their marketing team. Start to think about what you may want to submit and have good images ready. Work needs to be able to be hung on a wall for this exhibit.  No freestanding 3D work. This is our first exhibit outside of the Ardens, so I am looking for quality presentation that puts us in a good light and artwork that fits the theme of Earth Day. 

7. WEBSITE LISTING RENEWAL--Artisan listings in the AAC Websites run November to November. We will start collecting $20 renewals/new listings for the 2023-4 year s at the September Artisan Social. If you need a page designed to go with your listing, that cost is a one time fee of $50. Updates to your page can be made at a nominal rate.

8. SMALL ART SHOW/WINTER MARKET-- We will once again have the AAC Small Art Show for the First Friday Art Loop in December at the Buzz. It looks like it may be up for three weekends this year. TBD. Like last year, members will be allowed to submit. One change is that in addition to the Buzz taking their 10% cut of any sales, the AAC will also be taking 10% of sales for a total of 20% commission on any pieces sold. I can't remember the size qualifications we had for last year's show. Anybody know? My pieces were 10" square. I think we may have allowed 18" in any direction. It will be similar this year if you are thinking ahead and preparing. We will include work by any high school students who want to participate. All work must be available for sale and finished in a professional manner. 2D work must be ready to hang. 

A winter market will also happen concurrently to the December Art Loop on Friday, December 1. AAC members will have first shot at tables, a few weeks before we open it to the greater public. The applications for that will probably go out Early October. 

8. AAC RETREAT--Mark your calendars for Saturday, January 20th, 2024 from 7AM-3Pm. This is an important date. We are hoping for lots of participation. (You don't need to participate whole day). We are going to be creating a day that will set us all up for success in the new year. We will have an AAC 2024 kickoff meeting as well as speakers, activities, social coffee time and prepared lunch. I have already secured a representative from the Delaware Division of the Arts to speak to us about resources for artists and artist groups. Would you like to be on the planning committee for this special event? I will host an open planning meeting for the retreat on Tuesday,  July 11, 2023 at 7:00 PM at my house, 2110 Hillside Road. Email me if you would like to be on the retreat team. Or just come. And ignore the mess--we are in the middle of renovations.

**QUESTIONS REQUIRING FEEDBACK--Do you think you will attend the AAC retreat? Would you be willing to pay around $25 for such an event. Fee would include coffee/pastry reception in morning and lunch. We need to rent the Buzz for this occasion. Because this retreat would include a formal meeting of the AAC, they are charging us for rental of room 1 & 2, but they are giving us 8 hours for the price of 4. I am hoping for 25-40 people to make this work. Email and let me know if you would participate and if the fee would be acceptable.  (We wouldn't turn anyone away for the inability to pay.)

9. YOUTH ART EVENT: AAC and Buzz are in talks about having a youth-inclusive exhibition event. The idea was broached by Emily Ferrell, who had the experience of a youth/adult art exhibition when she was young. Let's brainstorm some ways we can include our youth. Some ideas that come to mind Mentor/mentee Art show for Art Loop (Which means the we would have to have a mentor/mentee program), Artisan Social featuring youth artists, Afternoon with the Artist youth event at the Craft Shop Museum. This is something we will explore further at our Retreat Event.