Showing posts with label Committees. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Committees. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Post 436: PWAS Feb Meeting and "Job Fair"?

PWAS Feb Meeting and "Job Fair"?

The Prince William Art Society (PWAS) is the largest and oldest art group in Prince William County. Begun in 1971, the membership numbers have fluctuated greatly over the years and a ton of talent has flowed through our group. And the types of art created is VERY diverse as well. The group meets on the 4th Monday of the month - January through November and is open to the public to attend.

Monday, February 26, 2024 Meeting

For this meeting of the PWAS members, it began with the business side of what we're up to, with all of the wonderful updates from the Board, new art shows, events, interactions and plans. Following that, various other committee or group leads gave their updates. The difference in this meeting was obvious though, from the start. Various tables were scattered around the room with a Table Topic card.

A typical PWAS Meeting, from Jan 2024

Program Relationships, Table Topics and Members

The program directions for the meeting was for the members to move around the room enjoying snacks and beverages provided by our Hospitality Committee. (Thank you!!) The members would stop at a table and speak with the "Committee Conversation" Facilitators sitting around the room at the 6 tables. The tables were labelled as follows:

At the Planning Table was Elizabeth Stathis

At the Pop Up Events and Hospitality Table was Sandra McClelland Lewin and Penny Shaw

At the Publicity and Marketing Table was Donna Liguria, Larry Burch, and Nicole Fisher

At the Education/Workshops/Classes Table was Tom Payne

At the Programs/Scholarship Table was Emily Hawes

At the Grants Table was Mark Murphy and Connie Huebner
 
The members would go around the room speaking with each person, much like a Job Fair. Not only do we get to know members better while they share what they do, but we meet the new members. Discussion included what the table topic is, what the members skill sets are, and would they be interested in volunteering in that area of interest and join that committee. 
 
In order to GROW we need each member to pitch in and help in any small or great way they can. Absolutely, our members come from all walks of life and are made up of artists aged 18 and up. Some have families with children and some have high stress jobs and some are retired (yippee!!). We understand that and hope to find where various members are comfortable finding a place to plug in.
 
I'm sure the members, as they went from table to table and listened to the projects we have planned for the future, got a sense of where PWAS wants to go, to become known in Prince William County and be the art presence we know we are - which in turn benefits the entire Prince William Art Society membership.

PWAS Interim Treasurer Mark Murphy and Co-Secretary Connie Huebner led the Grants Table Topic which is a very important part of any nonprofit art group. Recognizing the various grants available, the tracking of deadlines, the writing and proof-reading are all a part of this Table Topic.

PWAS Member at Large Tom Payne is with PWAS President Elizabeth Stathis, Anna Gatling and Scott Elliot. The Table Topic was art education, work shops and classes - which could be for the public OR for the PWAS membership. A part of this group is not only taking part in attending art educational experiences, but giving and teaching these classes. Tom recently sent out a poll with a couple of questions to get feedback on areas of interest for the members to help target the wishes of the group on workshops. 
 
The Member at Large is also the go between person of the PWAS membership to the Board - so if there are questions, concerns, ideas and suggestions, the membership is encouraged to contact Tom to (anonymously) relay the data.

PWAS Vice President Sandra McClelland Lewin and Hospitality Committee member Penny Shaw discussing PWAS Events and Hospitality with Richard Tyler and Mark Clifton.
 
PWAS Events covers a lot of art territory but probably the PWAS member group art shows, popup shows, juried and nonjuried Calls for Art and Artists and developing these shows are of the highest interest to our members. It is definitely at these art shows that PWAS members can submit and offer their art for sale.
 
PWAS Hospitality includes everything from the monthly member meeting snack and beverage provisions to managing art receptions.

PWAS Members enjoying the Hospitality Committee's snacks and beverages. Yum!

PWAS meeting at Tall Oaks Community Center on the corner of Hedges Run and Cotton Mill Drive in Lake Ridge.

PWAS Program and Scholarship Committee Chair, Emily Hawes talking shop with Mr. Gates, Evelyn Chatters, and Rosemary Schatz. The annual Jewell Pratt Scholarship is one of the projects PWAS manages, and is named after our original PWAS member Jewell Pratt Burns. She is very dear to PWAS.

PWAS Social Media team Nicole Fisher (Facebook) and Donna Liguria (PWAS Artistry Spin Blog) speaking with Robert Dew. Larry Burch, the PWAS Webmaster, is not pictured. 
 
Publicity, marketing, promotion, the PWAS website, the PWAS Blog, and Social Media is a very large umbrella Committee and necessary part of any nonprofit art group. 
 
From writing a Press Release to posting messages on Instagram and everything inbetween - managing getting the word out online and offline, in print and on target - Publicity has a lot of avenues both paid and free to push PWAS news, announcements, partnerships, showcases, art classes, art shows and any other art events.

PWAS President Elizabeth and Vice President Sandra

PWAS Members Mingling

PWAS member Nicole Goble and Co-Secretary Bettie Sperty

PWAS members relationship building with a purpose. It is our belief that by working together as a team toward a common goal, we build these friendships and participation within the group to get things done! 
 
If you missed this meeting, you can always find out more and/or sign up for a PWAS Committee here.

Mark, Robert, Penny and Donna

A big thank you to our official PWAS photographer, Otis Stanley, who took all of these great photos - recording for the PWAS history - and the internet - what a great, fun, and marvelous team this art group is. I know I have made some great friendships and learned so much from all of these talented folks.

And of course, the last picture from Otis... 

Who was wearing these kicks?

 We had a fun and different meeting this go around. Many of our meetings feature guest artists showing what they do, which are always so good. We've covered how several different artists do their watercolor painting, mixed media, oil painting, digital art, abstract painting, traveling art, so many GREAT topics! Many of these guests are well known in the NOVA area. Future programs will also offer topics of interest spoken from the membership directly including the art business and more. Miss one meeting, you may miss the one you were most interested in!


Author: Donna Liguria
Artistry Spin Blogmaster and an artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA, specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com, her Donna's Esty site and her Blog at Donna’s Cave Paintings.

Photography/Video Credits: Otis Stanley

Local Art: The Prince William Art Society is a 50+-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia. Visit us at any of our local art shows or join us for our monthly meetings - held on the 4th Monday of the month at the Tall Oaks Community Center at 12298 Cotton Mill Dr, Woodbridge, VA at 7:30pm

Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership

Have an idea for a blog post? Are you a writer and want to help with the blog? Let me know! Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment!

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Post 426: PWAS Meeting Recap, Mon Jan 22, 2024

PWAS Meeting Recap, Mon Jan 22, 2024

The Prince William Art Society meets on the 4th Monday of the month at 7:30pm at the Tall Oaks Community Center on the corner of Hedges Run and Cotton Mill in Woodbridge, VA. This past Monday, the art group met and covered a lot of the new plans and future of PWAS for its members.

New Board, New Art Shows, New Committees

Information was provided for a lot of the new art show events and other avenues for members to show their art. The Board is in search of people to fill positions and  committees that are very important to help the entire group including a full time Treasurer, an Events Committee, Planning, Grants, Public Relations and Marketing Committees.

A signup sheet for committees was provided and we hope to have something on the PWAS website soon, as well.

As PWAS is basically a group of 'traveling artists' at the moment, the Board is actively in search of not only a new gallery/art space, but member encouragement to help with this much needed "PWAS HOME" for the membership.

Joining and rejoining the Prince William Art Society is now available to easily do online at https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership (the preferred method as it is a safe and very convenient process).

The new PWAS Board takes to the table at our first meeting of 2024. Left to Right is Tom Payne (Member at Large), Connie Huebner and Bettie Sperty (Co-Secretaries), Elizabeth Stathis (President) and Sandra McClelland Lewin (VP). Mark Murphy has graciously volunteered to be the interim Treasurer until another PWAS Member steps forward


A good number of PWAS members braved the cold temperatures and a few more arrived later but we had about 33 members in attendance with some new members too!

 To contact the board or a specific committee member, see the Board Members and Contacts page on the PWAS website.

Photo by Larry Burch

Guest Speaker Janet Stoeke

Typically, our PWAS meetings begin with the invited guest speaker, followed by snacks (meet and greets) and then the business portion of the Prince William Art Society. This month's guest was Janet Stoeke who gave a very interesting program about how she creates the art she does. 

Many questions were asked by the artist members that found her process fascinating, including her use of wax paper as a sort of pallet that she uses to begin a painting, pressing the brush handle down the paper and down her canvas to begin her trees.

Janet has also written 26 books. 

Photo by Larry Burch

Photo by Larry Burch 





See the post about Janet Stoeke to learn more.
Read more about Art NonProfit Committees here

Have you enjoyed being a member of PWAS? Get involved - rejoin and signup for a committee today!


Author: Donna Liguria
Artistry Spin Blogmaster and an artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA, specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com, her Donna's Esty site and her Blog at Donna’s Cave Paintings.

Photography/Video Credits: Larry Burch and Donna Liguria

Local Art: The Prince William Art Society is a 50+-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia. Visit us at any of our local art shows or join us for our monthly meetings - held on the 4th Monday of the month at the Tall Oaks Community Center at 12298 Cotton Mill Dr, Woodbridge, VA at 7:30pm

Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership

Have an idea for a blog post? Are you a writer and want to help with the blog? Let me know! Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment!

Tuesday, January 23, 2024

Post 425: Nonprofit Art Group Committees

Nonprofit Art Group Committees

A nonprofit art group is made up or various committees which help do the work toward that group's mission and goals. Within the membership of the group, volunteers step up to join and add their skill sets and/or interests to a particular committee. This blog post explores various aspects and managing art committees with a leaning toward the Prince William Art Society's committee needs.

Types of Art Committees

Standing Committee - a permanent body of people that are necessary to the art group's duties, policies, goals, responsibilities, and objectives. The persons can be elected or volunteer, but there should be a Chair person for each committee. The standing committee is permanent in the sense of "there will always be this specific committee within our art group". The members of the committee may change over time, but that committee needs to be in place. A standing committee may also be in place for as long as the members of it wish to serve and are not (necessarily) subject to Board member elections.

    Examples: Programming and Scholarship Committees

Ad Hoc Committee - is not permanent, is a temporary team, and serves different purposes. They can solve problems, develop ideas, and/or are brought together to achieve a specific task. Once the task or project is resolved, the committee can be disbanded.

    Examples: Nominating Committee for Board Elections or a Research Committee for a project.


Subcommittees - are a collection of members from a larger committee or board that generally focus on solving a particular task under the parent group, and reports to that parent. They are for a specific purpose and often a period of time.

    Examples: GoWell Stonebridge and the GoWell Warrenton Committees would be a sub from an Events Committee; a Gallery Committee could easily have its own subcommittees

Select or Special Committees - a type of committee appointed as needed with a timeline to complete a specific task, issue or oversight.

    Examples: Research Committee, Gallery Search

The Prince William Art Society (PWAS) Board is working to provide more opportunities for our members to:

  • Exhibit/sell art at local venues.
  • Expand members knowledge of the art business.
  • Procure grants from state, county, and cities.
  • Provide meaningful networking (learn about outside shows, meet artists outside PWAS).
  • Build friendly member relationships to better help one another.

Hence, the need to have a more in-depth look at our committees and how we can grow them. Members should review the committees that they would like to become involved in - whether they have experience or not. Obviously, we would hope that a person's background, life and work experiences would lend themselves to the appropriate group but volunteers are certainly welcome to join where their interests lead them too. 

You'll quickly see the relationships and connectivity that should be in place between many of these group of committees. Indeed, often they will need to work hand in hand to strive toward the art groups success.

No one person nor group - nor Board, can do it all. Nor should any member of a group expect that they do.

Typical Committees Within an Art Group

The Prince William Art Society does not currently have all of the committees listed here (or perhaps need), but these groups are typical of many nonprofit art organizations. Some committees might be bundled or renamed differently, here is an overview:

Executive Committee - PWAS sees the Executive Committee as the elected Board Members, but this can be a subset of the Board members for urgent situations or on demand situations between Board meetings.

Membership Committee - recruiting, engaging and maintaining membership within the art group is an ongoing and very important committee for any art group, society or guild. Ensuring advantageous benefits for joining the group should always be a high priority. Between membership fees, donations and a small percentage taken from art sales, these are typical methods of funding a nonprofit art group and the costs of maintaining the organization's annual expenses.

Finance Committee - the group that tracks the Benjamins of course. All assets and liabilities, the preparation of the annual budget, overseeing any endowments, taxes, investments, and other strategies must be clearly organized. This is another standing committee where at least one person should have major financial experience.

Fundraising and Developmental Committee - for many nonprofit art organizations, fundraising is usually the primary activity (after Memberships). Fundraising can include many types of events like silent auctions, galas, competitive runs and contests, raffles and other creative methods for raising money for the organization. Other opportunities for raising funds is gaining donors (large and small), sponsors, philanthropists, patronages, as well as grants and endowments. Fundraising should be a standing committee and work in conjunction with other committees such as short term and long term planning. When an art organization develops big plans and goals, fundraising must be on the agenda.

Strategic Planning and Outreach Committee - This committee works towards developing, executing, and defining the PWAS as a 3-5 year strategic plan.

Marketing Committee - if no one knows about your art group and your goals or that your nonprofit exists, how can you raise money for it? Marketing should be a standing committee. This group pushes the PWAS mission across all channels.

Public Relations Committee - this is a group where creativity and prior experience can really help. The committee handles all printed materials like flyers, leaflets, whitepapers, brochures, etc. - with a UNIFIED message. This is the public face of the group, making a positive image imperative. The Webmaster of the group's website, social media and Blog Admin typically works with the PR folks.

Social Media Committee - the areas of where the art group posts events and images, announcements, invitations, plus - plus. On Facebook, Twitter - X, Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube - whatever platform the art group uses, posting should be on a steady and consistent schedule. The PWAS Blog, Artistry Spin is a part of this committee.

Gallery Committee - when an art group has an ongoing space to house and/or be a base for the art group, a very active group of people need to handle all aspects of running that gallery. From exhibits, calls for art, events, receptions, volunteering, sales, space rentals, and so much more, the Gallery Committee manages the space that houses the art and artists and the public that will visit. Finding a new Gallery is a main objective of PWAS. (PWAS Gallery Committee disbanded at this time.)

Building and Grounds Committee - this group is involved in upkeep, accessibility and renovation of any art group's physical space. (PWAS has no need of this one at this time.)

Education Committee - Workshops, classes, art education activities, initiatives, and opportunities for their members and/or the community. The committee can include both teachers and students, classes for the public and workshops for the members. 

The art organization can develop any of their committees as needed.

New Proposed PWAS Committees

For the Prince William Art Society, the following new committees have been noted to be must haves, high priority groups to help reach their objectives. A committee can be as large as needed and it is often recommended to have an odd numbered group so that when voting on a topic, there is a tie breaker.

Events Committee* (High Priority)
  • Help with set-up, take-down of shows.
  • Collecting the inventory lists for Pop up shows.
  • Help assign display spaces.
  • Assist with hanging/taking down art from shows.
  • Printing labels.
  • Maintaining artists in Square machine.
Grant Committee* (High Priority)
  • Write concise, compelling applications for funds to be used for venue rentals, training, equipment, etc.
  • Editors, reviewers.
There are a lot of grants for nonprofit art groups "out there" with a lot of money on the table for those art groups, galleries and art organizations to help with all manner of outreach in their communities.
 
Short-Term Planning Committee* (High Priority)
  • Secure venues for exhibits, working with realtors, gallery curators, business owners.
  • Plan exhibits at local venues, organize paperwork.
  • Secure outside jurors.
Long-Term Planning Committee* (High Priority)
  • Help find venues for long term exhibits.
  • Work with County and Arts Council to establish permanent County Arts Building.
  • Apply for large state grants.
Note that planning types of committees are recommended to be from 9-15 members (when possible) to allow for more viewpoints. - 
 

Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.” —Pablo Picasso


Activities Committee* (High Priority)
  • Help organize classes (venues, instructors).
  • Plan field trips (get quotes for bus).
  • Plan late spring or early summer picnic at county pavilion.
  • Monthly or bi-monthly art challenges.

The Activities Committee is sort of an offshoot of the Members Committee and is the "fun" side of things that your membership can enjoy. PWAS feels that building relationships with like minded artists is beneficial to the entire group.

Other PWAS Committees

Program Committee
At the PWAS meetings every month, the Program Committee arranges a guest speaker, a presentation, show and tell, or other art discussion of interest to the PWAS members and visitors that is in addition to the business meeting.

Scholarship Committee
The Jewell Pratt Burns Scholarship and Committee annually presents an award to 1 or 2 Prince William County graduating high school seniors, that are moving forward with an education and career in the an arts. 

Hospitality Committee
  • Food and Beverage for Meetings – solicit members to provide snacks and beverages.
  • Help organize Art Receptions.
  • Holiday Planning.
  • Summer Picnic.
For ongoing projects and planning, updates and/or changes, the art groups By Laws would need to be updated to include the agreed upon duties and responsibilities for any of the additional committees.
 
Where, when (date and time). Sometimes regular meetings work well but the committee will need to arrange what works best for their needs and upcoming projects.
 
With all that being said, if you belong to an art group, get involved at a committee level. Contact your Member-at-Large (for PWAS this is Tom Payne) and discuss where you can best fit in.

*Designates a New Committee for PWAS

Organize Your Art Committee

Art Groups are made up of people that love and create art. While there are huge art groups with huge budgets, HR and payrolls, many small art groups must work with their volunteer members to work toward the success of the whole, even with much smaller budgets. While some members have vast experiences and knowledge to help the group and team, many folks have to learn as they go. I hope to help here with tips to help artist members have a bit of understanding on how a committee is expected to flow - no matter the name or type of committee.

1. Purpose. 

Have a crystal clear purpose toward a common objective. Each and every meeting is scheduled so that all goals and objectives can be solved and progress is methodically accomplished. Definitely, time must be used wisely, so by having a clear purpose and understood by all of the team, this helps to achieve the purpose for the meeting.

2. Preparation. 

Having an agenda sets expectations, keeps everyone on the same page, and stay on topic. Create an outline and be sure to prioritize tasks, goals, and ensure no important details are missed. And email out the agenda to your team members in advance of the meeting.

Keeping to the agenda is just as important as preparing for the meeting. Some groups assign time periods per topic, less important or low priority topics might be shelved, or if someone needs more info on a topic, that discussion can go to the parking lot, a phone call or an email. 

Know the By-Laws of your art group. There is no sense in discussion or suggestions that do not coincide with the By-Laws of your art group.

Where and when (date and time) should be upfront and LARGE. Sometimes regular meetings work well (weekly, monthly...) but the committee will need to arrange what works best for their needs and upcoming projects and deadlines.

Smaller committees typically meet in each other's homes but here in Woodbridge, we've had committees that meet at Wegmans - upstairs, or in coffee shops.

3. Updates.

Set a time (15 minutes or so) at the beginning or end of the meeting for your stakeholders updates.

4. Assign Meeting Roles 

Assign, select and/or vote on roles and rules for your committee.

    A. Select your Chair or Lead Person - you could have a co-chair but someone needs to report to the Board. The Chair person also keeps the group on target (in focus) and moving forward (and probably creates the agenda with input from other members). Select a motivated, approachable, team builder as your lead.

    B. A Note Taker is needed, or a Secretary for each committee. A specific person is assigned to take detailed notes - these are the Meeting Minutes and are an official record of your meeting.

    C. A Timekeeper - no one likes going down a rabbit hole and losing track of time. If the meeting is supposed to be an hour and a half or two, then be polite and stick to it (as best you can). Herding kittens is always a challenge and your timekeeper should alert the group that time is slipping away - even more especially if high priority subjects haven't been touched yet.

    D. Dedicated Members - recruited volunteers with a passion for the arts; great skillsets, go-getters, and/or a desire to learn.

These are the basics roles but your group may need other roles as well. Just ensure that the same people are not always stuck doing all the volunteering nor all of the tasks. Hold people accountable.

5. Process. 

    A. A voting process should be in place when decisions must be made. That's when odd numbers of members comes in handy - it is recommended to have between 5-7 members is typical for most committees.

    B. Participation - Invite input and participation from all members of the committee. Define each person's tasks when assigned and if you volunteer to do a thing, DO that thing. Ensure that all of your people voice updates to their tasks, projects, etc. I believe this truly helps to show that the group is a Team.

    C. Progress - No one likes going to a meeting and things go off the rails. Or when no decisions are made and you leave knowing less than when you arrived. As we all know, everyone is busy, so stay focused and on target.

6. Rules of Order.

Know at least the basics of Robert's Rules of Order for Meetings 

This is the common and fair method for organizations and the attendees to have an equal voice in every meeting, so knowing RRO helps a lot.

7. Give Advance and Fair Notice of Meetings and Time Frames

Members should always have adequate time to prepare, attend, and consider issues before every meeting.

Also note that if meetings can be via alternative method options like Zoom, that links and notices are sent well in advance.

8. Detailed Meeting Notes.

Have someone that keeps accurate and thorough notes about the meeting and what was discussed, decided upon, who was assigned a task, what the progress was and what will need to be followed up on.

If someone cannot make the meeting, detailed notes will help keep everyone on the same page and is a reminder to all on the who, what, when, where and whys.

9. Meeting Closure Begins with "What Are the Next Steps?"

Common goals via next steps should move the objectives forward at every meeting.

10. After the Meeting, Share the Notes within the Committee. 

If there are parking lot topics, continue the discussion outside.

Typically your committee's chair person would report the progress at the art group's Board meeting in a more condensed form.

Take away about Committees

Make sure everyone in your committee knows dates and deadlines and honestly, everyone should be taking some notes - especially if you have followup to do. Everyone also needs to understand the art organization's mission and plans for the future - for this is why we are doing what we do.

Getting involved is something PWAS will be urging everyone toward. Sure, you can work as a solo artist all you want to, but getting involved in the workings of your local art group has a ton of rewards in itself.

Let me know what you think in the Comments below. Do you have additional ideas on how to help run a committee meeting or a specific committee?

For Further Reading:

A How-to Guide for Nonprofit Board Committees


Author: Sandra McClelland Lewin
PWAS Vice President 
 
Author: Donna Liguria
Artistry Spin Blogmaster and an artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA, specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com, her Donna's Esty site and her Blog at Donna’s Cave Paintings.

Local Art: The Prince William Art Society is a 50+-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia. Visit us at any of our local art shows or join us for our monthly meetings - held on the 4th Monday of the month at the Tall Oaks Community Center at 12298 Cotton Mill Dr, Woodbridge, VA at 7:30pm

Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership

Have an idea for a blog post? Are you a writer and want to help with the blog? Let me know! Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment!