An Important Matter for Every BSA Member to Consider
For more than 120 years the Buffalo Society of Artists has been a voluntary association of local artists committed to supporting one another and to exhibiting high quality artwork in the Buffalo region. To be an exhibiting member of the BSA has carried a certain distinction over the years. However, the actual significance and meaning of membership in the Society has been as diverse and varied as the members themselves.
For many, belonging to the BSA has been about the juried exhibition opportunities offered twice a year, for some it has meant a chance to network, form friendships and fellowship with like-minded art makers, others have found in the BSA the opportunity for professional growth, and some have seen membership in the BSA only as another line on their resume. Perhaps, for most of us, BSA membership represents some combination of all of these factors. Nonetheless, whatever the BSA may mean to individual members, it has continued to exist and function as an organization for as long as it has because of what it has meant to the members who have volunteered their time and talent to implementing and maintaining BSA’s initiatives and activities. Whether helping the organization by sitting on the board, chairing a committee, planning and hanging exhibitions, taking minutes, writing letters, helping with mailings, handling finances, hosting studio visits, soliciting patrons, preparing food for openings, arranging for social events or educational presentations, a usually small core of volunteers has kept the BSA operating for the rest of us. And for this we can be thankful.
However, simply being thankful is not enough. In order for the BSA to maintain vitality, responsiveness to its membership, and relevance within our ever changing and expanding artistic environment, we need to build what Robert D. Putnam calls “social capital.” Putnam writes, “Just as a screwdriver (physical capital) or a college education (human capital) can increase productivity (both individual and collective), so too social contacts affect the productivity of individuals and groups.” One way for us to grow our social capital is to increase the proportion of members who are willing to volunteer and/or take a turn (or another turn) at leadership in the organization. If you were a member of a baseball team, you would not simply have your time at bat then sit on the bench to watch the rest of the game. You would be part of the rotation, contributing when and as often as you had the opportunity to do so. This is what would make for a winning team. So too, friends and fellow artists, in order to reach our goals, in order to make the BSA meaningful to us all and the community in which we operate, we need your active involvement, and we need it now.
If for some reason the BSA were facing a deficit of financial capital, it would be incumbent upon myself as president and upon the board members exercising due diligence to inform the membership of this situation so that we all could take the appropriate action to replenish and/or manage our fiscal assets. Our concern is not our lack of financial capital. It is our social capital. We had over 200 Exhibiting members and over 40 Associate members submitting membership renewals last Fall but less than five completed the section indicating what committees or initiatives they would be willing to volunteer for. Each year as the nominating committee has formed and sought to identify members willing to replace those going off the board the committee has found it increasingly difficult to find individuals willing to say yes.
Of course there are a multitude of very valid reasons why people decline. They are too busy, they have family concerns, they need to do their art, or they don’t think they have much to contribute. The funny thing is that those who do end up volunteering are also too busy, have family concerns, need to do their art and are unsure of what they can bring to the mix. Yet they do contribute and in the process receive bits and pieces (sometimes jewels and gems) that help them grow and continue their journey as artists. Is it all easy and “kumbyah?”. Not at all! Nothing of any worth in life is without its difficulties and frustrations. But getting more involved with the BSA as a board member, officer, committee chair or volunteer will have its rewards. Of this I can attest or I would not have agreed to take on the office of President a second time.
So where does that leave us? Over the last six or seven years the BSA leadership has committed itself to a vision, to growth, to serving its membership and to impacting the community in which it operates. With strategic planning, new initiatives, structural changes and increased opportunities BSA has set and reached many goals already and has created a more professional public face for the organization. The ideas and initiatives currently underway and being considered offer greater possibilities and potential for our group and its members. The Buffalo Society of Artists with such a long and auspicious past stands at the doorstep of a promising future.
Who will step up to help take us there?
Peace
