Artist Exhibit Opportunity-Downtown Ventura-Goodwill Window

An Open Letter from the Board of Directors

Dear Fellow Members (and potential members) of the Artists’ Union

A fantastic art opportunity has come our way. Goodwill on Main (formerly the ground floor of Nicholby’s) has offered two Main Street windows as display areas for art by members of the Artists’ Union. The manager of the store visited the gallery during our “Gimme Shelter” exhibit. He was moved, and then inspired to incorporate art into his window displays.

Would you like to have your artwork displayed in large attractive windows fronting Main Street? If so, read on—the Gallery Committee has developed the following guidelines for selection of artists’ work:

1. All artists displayed must be members of the Artists’ Union. Selected artists should be members in good standing who’ve demonstrated their willingness to work in an artists’ cooperative by fulfilling a regular volunteer commitment—such as curating exhibits, gallery sitting, serving on committees, etc.

2. No theme is suggested, but artists should be cognizant of Goodwill as a business and its ongoing needs. Art will be juried in by the Gallery Committee.

3. Participating artists should have proof of insurance or sign a waiver releasing
Goodwill from theft or damage.

4. All art will be available for sale, the Artists’ Union will take its normal 25% commission of which 5% will be passed on to Goodwill as a processing fee.

5. The art will be up four to six weeks. Artists must be willing to promptly retrieve artwork.

6. To submit work send jpegs (for the art you’d like to exhibit) Please include description and dimensions of the piece(s). You can also send window proposals. These are the same as our gallery/exhibit proposals.

We are pleased to be able to offer this as a benefit to our working members. If you are interested, please contact the gallery committee at info@venturaartistsunion.org

Finally, we are grateful to each and every member who volunteers above the minimum level of commitment in order to keep our doors open and our unique artistic gifts available to the community.

We would especially like to thank our Gallery Host Coordinators, Barbara Turner and Alyssa Barber, who work long hours and regularly go above and beyond the call of duty to keep the gallery staffed and open. We hope to hear from many of you soon.

Thank you,
The Board of Directors of the San Buenaventura Artists’ Union

Open Letter to Members from AU Board of Directors

June 28, 2009
Dear Fellow Artists of the Artists’ Union,

One of our goals as a Board is to keep in touch with our members and volunteers. For the immediate future, the Board has divided up the duties of the directorship, and we’re each filling some part of the position on a volunteer basis. The calendar is up on the website,[and this blog] the rest of 2009 is filled in, our organization is working well.

In the positive energy category, the Board is considering the idea of scheduling a second event for each show besides the reception. Some possible examples are: an artists’ salon, an art talk, a small party/happening, music night, poetry night, films on the wall. Can you think of more? We’d love to energize our gallery with free or low-cost events. The best way to get through hard times is by having a good time!

Now is the time to express our immense gratitude to the chairpersons of the committees that keep our gallery doors open. Kudos to our Gallery Host Coordinators, Barbara Turner and Alyssa Barber who work long hours to do just that —keep the gallery staffed and open. Not only are they essential, they’re also terrific!

Patty Van Dyke and her team of reception hosts keep the party going. Each reception is more creative than the last. A huge thank-you to our party-meisters!

Ramon Byrne and his construction committee keep the gallery sanded, spackled, painted, and lit. They also do all the other behind-the-scenes work that we often don’t realize has taken place. They’re indispensable, and we’re ever grateful.

John Parker has agreed to be our Media Director. He gets the word out in a professional, polished way.

Laurie Pegg-Scott, Dona Wieckowski and the art drop-off team keep the exhibits running smoothly, every five weeks. They make it a warm, friendly experience for all of us.

The Gallery Committee headed by Phil Taggart meets regularly and comes up with timely contemporary exhibits that fulfill our mission statement. Don’t forget that anyone can make a proposal for a show on a particular theme or in a unique medium—the form is on the website. Do you have an idea for an exhibit you’d like to bring into being? Don’t delay, just do it!

Lynn LeTourneau, our Membership Coordinator, has plans in the works to schedule more regular membership meetings and potlucks to bring us together for good times and group planning. The Board is so grateful for her presence, and eagerly awaiting the unfolding of her plans.

And finally, we are grateful to each and every member for your unique gifts that you share with our artistic community and the larger community. We’d love to get your ideas and expertise for next steps. See you at the next reception.

Thank you,
The Board of Directors of the San Buenaventura Artists’ Union

P.S. Please take a look up at the new awning painted by artist elle-je freeheart! The artists in the next dimension immediately above us are having a raging good time! Inspiration? You bet!