First and foremost, a heartfelt congratulations to the top three award winners in our Spring Show at Project308 Gallery, in order, first to third: Joan Shaw, Michele Agosto, and Norma Joy. Likewise, I applaud those who didn’t win, but who were accepted into the exhibition, and my condolences to those who were not. I say that, of course, tongue-in-cheek, because yours truly fell into that latter category.

Such is life. Somehow, the exhibition managed to be very good despite the absence of my artwork.

Just in case any of you who don’t know me very well think I’m seriously wallowing in my sorrows over the rejection (sniffle), as we all know, far better artists than any of us have faced similar results from simply trying to show his/her artwork. In some cases, it makes the artist re-examine his/her work; or it strengthens one’s resolve to do better, or do something new. I knew an artist in Nashville who’d won more awards for his watercolors (‘over 500’) than most likely any five other artists we will ever meet. Then, at 80, at the top of his game, he was, in 2001, rejected for the first time from a show. He admitted to me, with a trace of irony, that he might’ve gotten stale. But he also admitted that he was probably so far along, so comfortable, with his tried-and-true, that he wasn’t willing to change.

He died a year later. I’m not sure what the moral to this story is so I leave it to you, dear reader, to decipher.

This year is shaping up to be more than a windup for the next year’s 125th anniversary extravaganza. It has been moving a little less than flawlessly, largely because we have many new Board members who, despite being very capable and hardworking, are nonetheless relatively inexperienced. Compounding the problem was the (go figure) need some board members had to take vacations last winter to (get this) warmer climes! We had business to conduct, but for one regular and one special Board meeting, we couldn’t field a quorum.

Problem? Yes. Problem solved? It is now, and perhaps permanently. From now on, each Board member will be required to have a substitute who will attend meetings in his/her absence or give his or her vote on a specific issue to a sitting board member. And what do we have planned with our quorums, going about the casual affairs of running this organization? A revision of the Constitution and By-Laws. A members’ handbook. An open members and catalogue exhibition (our usual fare of any given year). A seminar, most likely on art conservation—this because we wanted it to have the broadest possible appeal, with more tightly-focused subjects in the future.

We’re also exploring the possibility of forming a BSA Foundation,with a 501c-3 status. Going 501c-3 has been discussed for at least a decade, and for much of that, I have heard compelling arguments pro and con. My thinking is that by forming a foundation separate from the current BSA Corporation, the former could seek grants and accept tax-free donations, which in turn would funnel badly-needed money to the Video Archive Project and any educational/outreach programs we have. It would have its own administrator and operate as an independent entity. Meanwhile, the BSA Corporation could go on as it has for the past 124 years. If this is the way to go, this could get us grants and donations for the Video Archive Project, which, I’ve got to say, is arguably the single most important thing the BSA has ever done. And, thanks to the meticulous work of Beth Pedersen and the first-rate videography of Jon Hand, this project is now the envy of many other arts and non-arts organizations in the region. I dare say, we have inspired a host of imitators—and all, so far, with minimal outside help.

On the other hand, we are also looking into the pluses or minuses of going wholly one way or standing pat. More on this as it develops.

Next, I want to introduce our latest Trustee, Sharon Osgood, an attorney who has been a friend of the BSA for a long time, and owns the works of at least 30 current and past members. Welcome, Ms. Osgood! We anticipate many years of your wise counsel.

And lastly, I want to thank our Board of Directors for working feverishly to so quickly patch holes in the dam. That our 2nd Vice-President, Justin Dahl, with the inestimable help of returning Board member/past President, Beth Pedersen; 1st Vice-President Cindi O’Mara, and Board member George Gilham, was able to assemble the Spring exhibition as well as it was assembled is a credit to their collective competence and dedication to getting it right. Was it perfect? No. But I view this year, with our bright-but-relatively inexperienced Board, as a warm-up for next year–which, among other things, will have somewhere between nine and twelve exhibitions, 125th commemorative branding, the Beaux Arts Ball at the Hotel Lafayette, a BSA Calendar, and much more. I want to thank Sally Treanor for her work in planning this. I am—we are—fortunate to have such a competent and experienced coordinator for this.

Because the BSA is so big and so (at times) complex, what this Board achieves, is all the result of integrative collaboration: when it moves well, it all moves as one unit. To the rest of the Board and officers–Membership chair Patti Harris; Recording Secretary Nancy Mariani; Corresponding Secretary Elaine Kessel; Treasurer Steve Siegel; Education Chair Deb Stewart; Communications Chair Cornelia Dohse-Peck, Board Member Sara Zak, and Computer Specialists Len Kagelmacher, Board Member Barbara Mink, and Paul Rybarczyk; and my extremely helpful predecessors Richard Christian and Gary Wolfe—it is an honor to work with each and every one of you. In this, the second decade of the 21st century, with all the new technology, nothing isever so simple as it was, say, when the Buffalo Society of Artists began in 1891. Or even last time I was president (2010). To hope to compete, to raise our profile, nationally and internationally, we necessarily have to have all our components working well together.

At the same time, I want to express my regrets at losing fundraising chair Norman Hornung and recording secretary Betty Leader from the Board owing to circumstances well beyond their control. We will miss your talent, insight, and energy. We’re not perfect, but we’re getting there.

George Grace, President

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