The Lowdown on our Hubs

Part 1: How did Hubs begin?

Several years ago your Board of Directors (BOD) decided to create a one-of-a kind program which they called Hubs.  It was designed to provide additional programming for our members on a regional basis.  As you all know getting around Vermont is not easy or quick. By supporting regional activities our BOD hoped to provide the membership with convenient events thus making it easier for all members to participate in the VWS.

The Hub program began with an assessment of where our membership was most concentrated.  Geographical areas, Hubs, were defined according to these natural groupings.  This effort was expected to address the issue of easily accessed VWS activities.  Furthermore, it was envisioned that volunteers would assume the role of Point Person to process and forward information throughout the Hub and larger VWS as needed.  The Point People would also oversee Hub activities.  It was expected that each Hub would determine the events of interest to them.

The Point People - the "centers" of each Hub, are the heart of the Hub program.  The role of the Point Person remained fluid beyond the basic tasks of communication and activity oversight.  This allowed each volunteer to determine the extent and limits of their volunteer commitment.  Other factors impacted each Point Person position differently.  Great variety in size of membership differentiates our Hubs.  Additionally some Hubs include a number of seasonal members creating a major change in size throughout the year.   Our New Hampshire Hub covers a rather large geographical area running from the Massachusetts border to well north of Hanover NH and as far east as the coast.  The urban Hubs have the benefit of many non-VWS art centered programs while our rural Hubs do not have numerous other artistic organizations -another situation that impacts the Point Person position.  Strictly defining the position of Point Person would interfere with recognizing regional differences. Flexibility in the role also allows for smooth transitions between volunteers.  Each Point Person will contribute their unique perspective and talents to the position.

The development of the Hubs program seemed to be going along well. The  goal was clear, the Hubs defined and a system of communication established. However any new program goes through a period of struggle to define itself and develop.   Although initiating the program seemed simple enough we found ourselves experiencing growth pains.  We needed to question, wrangle and test forcing the program to grow.  Our members were happy or unhappy with the drawing of regional lines they were happy/unhappy with the Hub they were assigned or they were happy/unhappy about the number or nature of their Hub's activities.  Everyone's input was important to the healthy growth of the program.  We struggled to balance our members' requests with what could practically be provided.    A" Guide to Hubs" is posted on the VWS website if you are interested in more details.  We seem to have settled into a workable organization but that is not to say all members are satisfied or that the Hub program will not need further tweaking.

Next month Part II:  Hubs, Beyond the Beginning

A State Hub meeting is scheduled for Saturday May 10, 2014, Bethany Church, Montpelier, VT.  It is the annual rally for our Point People, however others interested in the Hub program are welcome to attend and participate.  Our theme is:" Building on our Strengths".

If you would like to attend this meeting or have comments regarding our Hubs, please contact Pam Dexter, Director of Hubs, phdex.nest@gmail.com,

Or phone me (603) 352-1184 after April 30, 2014.

- Pam Dexter, Director of Hubs

I was an artist since childhood. I had a great art teachers in both middle and high school and went on to major in art and architecture at Penn State. I switched majors and eventually chose to study elsewhere, ending up in Sweden and finishing my PhD in Sociology and Anthropology in 1984 with a focus on India. I never did return to training in art but over the years kept up figurative studies in pencil and charcoal plus some oil painting and acrylics here and there. I did not return to classes until returning to the USA when I took watercolor classes in western Massachusetts starting in 1997 in the Jeanne Dobie tradition. Although I have followed the changes in pigment selections, I have stuck to this tradition which combines well with my somewhat fine lines and sensual colors. My themes are most often figurative reflecting a fascination with the human form but also reflect my deep feelings about the many sides of nature.

My anthropology took me to India and Nepal, to the rainforest of Borneo, and even to the hills and hollows of central Appalachia. I visited the Corbett Tiger Reserve in India in 1999 as part of my attempts to develop projects in tiger conservation. I had taken my watercolors with me, and when I asked some local people what they would suggest I do to help save the tigers they told me to write and illustrate children's books. I finished an online course in children's book writing in 2002 but it was not until 2011 when I returned to South Asia and the tiger reserves that I was able to follow up on that suggestion. Although I have not yet published a children's book, I am deeply involved with trying to do so and am working on two themes, both of which have made up a big part of my life: India and Nepal, and the hills and forests of Pennsylvania and Vermont, my new home since 2004.

I have had studios around Pine Street and in Shelburne, but now work out of my home which I share with my dear wife Charlotte in Burlington Cohousing.