Dear Friends,
This past June, after eight years on the job, Rachel Volpone handed over the presidency of the Guild to me.  Since I have never learned to sit on my hands, I eagerly accepted the position.  I was not sure if I should be excited or terrified at the prospect of following in her footsteps.  The Guild, as we all know it, has been shaped by Rachel's passion and vision.  We will benefit from her legacy for many years to come. 

 

Thanks to a very hardworking committee of planners this past spring, the Guild already has a full schedule of events and exhibitions that goes through December 2013. The Guild's 35th Annual Juried Show and 8th Annual Festive Home are just around the corner.  Starting in the new year, we have seven exhibitions planned including member shows; Nancy Moore's curated exhibition on women; and Cameraworks.  We will end 2013 with the 36th Annual Juried Show and the 9th Annual Festive Home.  All of these exhibitions depend on your support as artists and volunteers, so please look for more information about how you can get involved--and display your art--in the coming months.

Next up at the Guild is the 35th Annual Juried Show, with receiving Thursday, Sept. 6 through Sunday, Sept. 9.  Juror Steve DeFrank has trained in painting and sculpture, and he is an instructor in Fine Arts and Critical Thinking at the School of Visual Arts in NYC.  This show features on-site jurying and cash prizes, and it is a terrific opportunity for recognition.  The exhibition opens on Saturday, September 22 and runs through Friday, October 26.  Check our website at rgoa.org for complete details and the entry form.

Festive Home, the Guild's own version of holiday revelry and shopping, begins November 16 with an opening party.  This year, over 10 designers will unleash their amazing talents and create vignettes to answer the question: What Color Is Your Holiday? Once again, members will be contributing small canvases, there will be beautiful objects for living and giving, and members will have the opportunity to be showcased in a designer's vignette.  A call for art will be published shortly, so get your best pieces ready for the designers to review.
 
Early this summer the Guild's barn experienced a lightning strike which took out our fire alarms, telephone, several of our brand new gallery lights, the credit card machine and computer communications.  This was the surprise of my new term in office.  After looking down many rabbit holes, Guild Coordinator Joan Isaac and I have sorted out insurance issues and replacement items, and we are happily back in business at the office.  The barn building is over 100 years old and has many idiosyncrasies which need watching over.  I am glad to report that Rick Rodamar has joined the Board at the Guild as our Facilities Manager.  He has already been busy making some small but significant repairs.
 
Our Summer Camp was a huge success again this summer, thanks in no small part to Camp Director Mary Harold and our new Guild Vice President Pam Stoddart and Camp Chairperson Jacqui Lang.  Campers from ages 7 - 15 poured into the Guild for 7 weeks to experience sculpture, photography, sewing, fashion design, mural-painting, print-making, knitting and more.  The important thing about RGA's summer camp is that campers not only learn a specific technique, they also learn how artists--their teachers--think.  They learn about the decision making process that goes into creating a work of art, and they learn to work in teams on projects.  The campers' excitement was palpable on Friday afternoons when parents crowded in for an art opening or fashion shows.  Staff and parents alike were blown away.
 
The antique Guild barn has a basement that would have scared the most intrepid artists away, but this summer Rick Rodamar has been steadily cleaning, replacing lights and shooing away the spiders.  Rick, Justin Perlman, Mario O'Connell and Dan Bernardis, Martin Harold and I spent a Saturday cleaning away old materials and debris and taking loads of stuff to the dump. We were joined by boys from Lion's Heart, a community service group for young men.  Everyone worked very hard to clean the basement, and I am very grateful for their energy and enthusiasm.  The basement has a serious leak issue that we are addressing with the help of the town engineer.  We are  hoping to find a grant or matching funds to offset the very basic clean up job and tools we have purchased.  Donations from members for this project would be most appreciated!  The eventual goal behind all this activity is to provide some raw space for sculptors and eventually classroom space for sculpture, and Justin will be developing a plan for how we can make the most of this space.

Children's Classes

RGA's New Sewing Circle
After the enthusiastic response to 2 sessions of Project Runway during Summer Camp, Deb Crichton is forming a Sewing Circle at the Guild for kids of all ages. Starting Wednesday, September 26, 4:30 - 6pm, kids can bring their sewing machines and either work on a beginning project selected by Deb or they can work on their own projects with her guidance.  Deb plans the occasional craft project, such as a silk painting or learning to knit (Mary Louise will join Deb for this).  Cost is $20 per session for Guild Members and $25 for non-members, plus a materials  fee for craft projects.  Participants will pay for 5 sessions in advance.
 
Traditional Drawing & Painting with Carol Miller.
Starts Saturday, September 15. 
Ages 7 - 12, 11am - 1pm; ages 13 - 18, 1:30 - 4:30.

Introduction to Art with Laura McCormick.
All ages Dates/times to be announced.
 
Adult Classes
 
Introduction to Art with Laura McCormick.  Dates/times to be announced.

Painting with Jock MacRae.
Wednesdays, 10am - 1pm.

Life Drawing monitored by Victor DeMasi. Thursdays, 7 - 9pm.
  

  

President