May 2011 BSA Newsletter (PDF)

We had our Annual General Membership Meeting on May 7th and I am wondering where you were. I thank those of you who did attend and wish many more of you were there.

We certainly had a wonderful attendance at the Annual Spring Exhibition the night before. Don Siuta’s installation of 58 BSA members’ works was right-on. Exhibitions Chair, Paula Sciuk executed all the intricacies of a demanding job with finesse and we were squished like sardines for a while. Could that have been the result of the extensive communications reach into the Western New York community by Patti Harris and committee? Maybe so! Perhaps people responded to the large ad on the second page of Artvoice or to the broadcast over the air waves courtesy of Steve Fortunato (we know his mother Pat). Then of course, we are on Facebook and our own Website. Congratulations, once again to our six artists who accepted honors! Kathleen West-Hennahane was awarded the Elmwood Framing and Interiors Award, Anita Easter was awarded the Socrates Educational Consultants Award, Catherine O’Neill was awarded the Magavern and Magavern Grimm and in addition the Second Place award from Meridian Wealth Management for her other watercolor. The Third Place Award of Jane Davisson Gibson was presented to John Parascak. And the prestigious Presidents Award was presented to James Sedwick. He was all smiles – actually they all were. You will be too, just stop in to see the exhibit in this our 120th year of celebration.

Congratulations are extended to Linda Ludwig for becoming a full-fledged Exhibiting Member. She is the first person to have accomplished this goal since it was written into our constitutional re-write in 2008. As an Associate Member she was successfully accepted into 3 juried exhibitions within the required 5 year period – this one being her third.

Back to the Saturday morning membership meeting and what you missed.

BSA LOGO DESIGN: We presented, on screen, our newly designed logo that you have seen used in a variety of communications. Take note of the re-design of the BSA medallion that is now being used on Letterhead and on Business Cards for the Board of Directors. The Board expressed an interest in developing a refreshed and consistent “look” for the contacts we make with the public, the letters we seem to always be writing (even though we think we are going paperless) and a MARKETING BOOKLET. Barbara Evans came up with a marketing-type tool and Erin Harris molded it to fit the BSA look. The board, in a joint effort, developed the text. It is the neatest, coolest little Booklet for BSA and I am sure you will want one and another couple to hand to potential members. They will be available at our various events or by calling me.

ARTFLICKS: Those in attendance had a good exchange after the last ArtFlick at Gary Wolfe’s home talking about “Guest of Cindy Sherman.” The next one is a Banksy film called “Exit Through the Gift Shop” and is about street art. Space is limited so call Gary to reserve a seat. P.S. It is a “bring your own” (beverage or snack) and you might consider sharing.

LENDING LIBRARY: We have created a LENDING LIBRARY of these DVDs that BSA has purchased for membership use and now have an official L.L. LIBRARIAN, Paul Rybarczyk! Call Paul at 881-6196. We will keep the selection of BSA videos posted on an E-Flash and perhaps our website in the future. A DVD donation from Dianne Baker on Jackson Pollock has been gratefully accepted. If anyone else would like to donate a video on artists or artist made films, we will be happy to accommodate.

Speaking of our WEBSITE we will have updates and modifications taking place very shortly. Some modifications cover changes to the menu drop-downs and the names of menu items. The Upload area will be changed to have a choice of “Sale” or “Not for Sale,” a limit of 50 characters will be a change in the Artwork Description Box and re-arranging the dimensions to read H x W x D will be consistent with the universal code in the fine art world. One change that will affect those who have NOT completed their artist’s profile on the site is that you will become non-operational. You will still be listed as an exhibiting member, but when someone clicks on your name (which will be in a different color), your page for additional information will not open. We are doing this to eliminate the site looking both unprofessional and incomplete to the visitor. Please make every effort to complete your profile now. Help is available . . . call Len, Gary, Patti or me.

The continuation of our STUDIO VISITS continues to be very much appreciated and enjoyed by those who attend. Our last one with Adele Becker, Ginny Lohr and Susan Budash was outstanding and elicited much positive buzz afterward. By the time you read this our upcoming visit and demo with Mark Lavatelli will be over. Mark is super at explaining his work and we look forward to being exposed to more about the encaustic process. Next on the schedule is a visit to Barbara Evans outdoor “garden studio” for those who would like to draw or paint the amazing variety of flora collected in one place or simply visit. Call to reserve for June 18th.

The ARCHIVIST PROJECT at BPAC continues at a slow but steady pace. Richard Christian has by now sifted through BSA historical papers up to 1980. He is cataloguing our records into a computer program for BSA and the BPAC. We are asking for help. Is there someone out there who can shadow Richard for a short time and then VOLUNTEER a few hours once a week, once every two weeks or once a month? If so, get in touch with Richard or me.

BSA STATE AND FEDERAL DESIGNATIONS: A while ago we mentioned that the Board took out both General Liability and Directors and Officers Insurance. At that time, some questions surfaced when I was checking into our status for Insurance purposes. I called a particular department in Albany and was told that we were actually decertified in 1952 for failing to file appropriate information. We have been an “unincorporated association” since then, even though we have been filing income taxes as a N.Y. State Corporation. This according to counsel, could create personal liability issues for the officers.

With the help and advice of lawyers from Hodgson Russ, working pro bono, we recently applied for and received reinstatement from New York State. We are now back legally as a Not-For-Profit Corporation chartered by the State of New York! I filed in February and just received the official “Reinstatement and Report of Corporate Existence.”

In addition, we had already been registered with the State of New York Charities Bureau which gives us the ability to solicit funds. My next step is to re-file with the Bureau and at this time our classification may change due to our income. I will keep you posted.

Anticipating your questions, I will add that while we are a Not-For-Profit Corp. in NYS, we are not designated as a 501(c)(3) by the Federal Government and therefore any contributions to us are not tax exempt. We will be able to re-examine this designation again in the coming months to see if it makes sense for the BSA to apply for it. More to come!

We are in the planning stages of developing a PHOTOGRAPHY PANEL. Nita Easter is planning to hold the first meeting toward the end of the summer season. BSA photographers will create an agenda for discussion. The date for the panel will be held later in the Fall at the Burchfield Penney Art Center.

We would also like to hold an informational session on COPYRIGHT during the course of this year. We just need to find the time! Paula was introduced to an art law attorney during the NYFA Mark program that is willing to work with us. One more thing to look forward to!

You missed the first viewing of raw footage from the VIDEO ARCHIVE PROJECT but it will not be the last. Gary, the tech, ran a short introduction of the interview with Joe Orffeo by Victor Shanchuk that was recorded by Larry Kinney and then a more recent interview with John Novelli by George Grace recorded by his friend, Tom Corbett. Dianne Baker has set-up an interviewing schedule and a few more will be completed by the end of this month. We will be meeting with the BPAC to understand what suggestions and assistance they might provide. This is of great significance to the history of visual artists in Western New York and to BSA and we are asking the membership to help support this mission.

To that end, we have formed a FUNDRAISER called “Eye Candy” to be held on Friday, September 16th from 6-9 p.m. Our Trustee, Peter Heffley has been very helpful in moving us forward by engaging the Vern Stein Gallery for this benefit. Coni Minneci, Chairperson along with Russell Ram, Richard Christian, Susan Miller and I have enclosed a letter to each of you asking for your participation. The Video Archive Project needs to be able to cover some of the costs of pre and post production. Please commit to this fundraiser and to the history of visual WNY artists.

Again, by the time this reaches you, the drop-off for ARTPARK will be a done deal. Patti and company will be asking for volunteers to sit but not as extensively as in the past. We all look forward to seeing everyone at the opening reception on Sunday, June 12 from 12:00 to 2:00.

Following the Exhibiting Members exhibit will be the OPEN MEMBERSHIP EXHIBITION with a drop-off date of August 6th. This is the first opportunity afforded our Associate Members to exhibit at the BSA Artpark Gallery. A prospectus is included with this newsletter.

The submission deadline for the 115th CATALOGUE EXHIBITION is July 1st and any questions you may have can be addressed by the Chair extraordinaire, Paula Sciuk. Please remember it is not a must to submit a proposal for an installation. But, hey – the challenge is there.

Remember to look to the BSA Website for information on Prospectuses, Kudos, Seminars, Studio Visits, Deadlines and upcoming Events. Remember to pick up the newly developed Booklet for yourself and one for a prospective BSA member.

Please consider volunteering for exhibitions or any other area of interest. This Board of Directors has been working diligently to make this, our 120th year one of celebration. Get involved, you will be glad you did and I as well as the rest of the BOD look forward to working with you.

Yours in Spring,
Beth Pedersen

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