April 2010

From the President
Carol Stearns

We welcome a new member Celeste Collier to TAA. Celeste is a very talented artist that paints in various mediums. She will be a great asset to the Gallery and we are pleased she has joined our family.

Dedication: To set apart by a solemn act: devote or set apart to some work or duty: I want to acknowledge and thank the many members who are dedicated to the Gallery: The members who attend the General Meeting the first Tuesday of every month. The members who docent extra time to keep the Gallery opened. To Dick Roark who came in on Saturday, the third, to sit for a friend who could not make her docent time. He didn't have to cover for her. They could have called Marian and have her scurry around looking for someone to cover the time. These members are truly dedicated in showing an interest in what takes place with the Association. To all of them, the Board says THANK YOU.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: It has been brought to our attention through Pat Anderson's husband Dave ( who works for the Police Department) that counterfeit bills are showing up in Sierra Vista and surrounding towns. Perpetrators are passing counterfeit $1.00, $5.00 and larger bills. As a precaution, we have a black Counterfeit Detector Pen that will be in the cash drawer at all times. USE IT ON ALL BILLS AND KEEP PEN IN CASH DRAWER. It is simple to use. Take a bill regardless of denomination and make a small mark on bill. If the mark turns yellow it is a good bill. If the mark turns black it is counterfeit. Any questions please call Alice.

The new By-Law regarding the Memorial Wall was approved: Please write down on your By-Law sheet the added high-lighted sentence under VII - Gallery Operations #1 Memorials: A prominent area in the TAA Gallery will be established for pictures and memorial plaques honoring the deceased member or TAA friend. It will be displayed in a manner for visitors to read at eye level and not be intermingled with other pictures or paintings not pertaining to the memorial wall. I am in the process of writing small obituaries for each deceased artist on the memorial wall. This is a way of paying tribute to our deceased friends and letting visitors know who they were.

SCOPE OF NOTICE for By-Law Article II- Officers and Board of Officers #4. Commencing in 2001, the term of office shall be two (2) years and will be limited to two (2) consecutive terms. An exception can be made to the limit of two (2) consecutive terms but must be made on individual offices, one term at a time, and must be approved by a 2/3 majority of the members present at the February meeting when the slate is presented.

Proposed By-Law to be Voted on May 4th at General Meeting: Commencing in 2010, the term of office shall be two (2) years and will be limited to two (2) consecutive terms or until (the Officer's) successor is elected, and must be approved by a 2/3 majority of the members present. An exception can be made to the limit of two (2) consecutive terms but must be made on individual offices, one term at a time, and must be approved by a 2/3 majority of the members present at the February meeting when the slate is presented.

Our Publicist Jan Huthoefer will be going to a seminar this Friday regarding putting TAA on Face Book. For those of you who do not have a computer this is a web site on the Internet which could be of great value in advertising TAA and the members' work. As she learns more details she will inform us.

From the Vice President
Marian Spencer

First of all, a big THANK YOU to those of you who are helping see us through this crisis - the crisis of restoring the Visitor's Center to whatever. The reason we lost our source of power and heat was that there was never any scheme established. The electrical lines in the Gallery are mixed with those of the rest of the building. The grant to restore the Visitor's Center was only to repair that part of the building and we had very little communication concerning our needs. The power outage was supposed to be ended by April. We have to be patient. In the meantime we try to use the overkill extension cord for the jewelry case, and the battery-powered light donated by our President in the restroom. The Visitor Center's power source was tangled with ours and we wait as patiently as possible for "April."

Now the Good Things: A coating of tar on the roof solved the problem of running water in the craft room, at least temporarily, and we can use the space we have. The city electrician, Paul Hamm is ready to repair our electrical service. Docents should turn on lights when needed. The furnace works IF IT IS TURNED ON. The side door should be used only for emergencies. Everyone using it - or not using it - should check to have it locked. Slam it. The city may have been using it or someone used it and neglected to lock it afterward.

Remember, Docents, when you are in charge of a show or you are a Featured Artist, you are expected to sit extra times. If you cannot sit, CALL as soon as you know. CALL MARIAN, CALL THE GALLERY, CALL ALICE! If you need to leave early for any reason, CALL! If we expect to remain in business, we must have the place open. It is scary to call and get no response. I may not be in a good position to walk to the Galley just then to see what happened.

As someone who has sat a lot for the last three years, I find that our large purchases come from other countries with CASH. If they intend to shop they go from one gallery to another, find what they want, and are ready to take it with them. Many have removed the painting from the frame so they could pack it for other lands. As long as they have purchased the painting and THEY REMOVE IT and THEY OWN IT the only help they should be given is the space and a possible tool.

SALE SHELF. Our little sale shelf is back and available for sale of useful items kept in neat array: We needed some old art magazines to refer to when a visitor asked, "What is scratch art?" We are often asked for quilt patterns available from old magazines or books. Price items with the dots available in the quilt bag drawer. Docent removes tag, places pay in box and the fund is a donation to TAA. Do not write sale in cash book.

From the Gallery Directors
Pat Anderson & Sue Olivo

Our Open Judged Show was a great success! Thanks to all of you who volunteered to help with the necessities: music, refreshments, entries and hanging. It was much appreciated! The 6' artist has been initiated. You might have noticed that not all artists have a 6' space. This is due to the amount of art submitted. The artists were assigned their space at a random drawing witnessed by other artists on the In/Out day. We will rotate art every month, but we may instead decide to do it every two months. As with everything we've done, this is on a trial basis. Also, as we have more artists join TAA, the space may be adjusted. Even though you have your own space, it is still necessary to talk with a Gallery Director before a change is made. You may still replace an item that is sold. The mini-minis have their own space. Many tourists buy the smaller paintings, so it is better to have them all together. We also have new labels for your artwork. You may exchange the ones you now have with the new ones when you come into exchange your work or you may do it while you are docenting. The labels will be in the cabinet that goes up to the Craft Room. Thanks to Carol Stearns for arranging the Memorial Wall. It looks great! As a reminder, PLEASE call the artist when you have sold a painting, no matter what the size. Also, some artists would like to have the name and address of the purchaser so a thank you note may be sent. There is a receipt book at the register to use. If there is anyone interested in being a Featured Artists this year, you may call Pat Anderson or Sue Olivo to inquire about availability. The In/Out date for April is the 30th. See you then!

From the Craft Directors
Lu Proll and Gerrianne Bielefeldt

Our craft area is enjoying great success. Sales are up and that is great for the gallery. Thank you all for making these terrific items.

We will continue our display window with the spring theme until the end of April. All Easter items will be put in your box or be put in the kitchen if your box is full. We will then display our Red, White, and Blue for our patriotic holidays of Memorial Day, Flag Day, July 4th, and finally Labor Day. As you craft for these days, remember that other items not related to these days need to be brought in as well. We are still keeping our fingers crossed that our 'leak' has been repaired. We have moved some things around to accommodate this 'fix' which has given us more space for displaying our crafts. With this extra space we can certainly use more items!!

Please remember to check the kitchen for any items that were put there for a number of reasons...some may be missing a tag, item could be damaged, or item could be dirty or faded. We also have a few items that have been in the gallery for quite a long time...some of these items will be removed from display and put in the kitchen. If an item belongs to you, please take it home and then replace it with a newer and fresher model.

Please remember that items left under the window for display are for the craft directors or craft committee to disperse, whether it is to display or to be put in the crafters personal box. If for any reason it is necessary for an item or items to be removed from under the table...please notify one of us... we will need to know the reason why, and then we will decide where the item(s) should go.

Thank you all for the great job you are doing creating these wonderful crafts. We are proud to have you in the gallery.