Today's postings
- [Baren 38977] Re: Message (and request) from the Council ... (ArtSpotiB # aol.com)
- [Baren 38978] Re: Rockwell Kent & Ox update (Julio.Rodriguez # walgreens.com)
- [Baren 38979] Re: New Baren Digest (HTML) V47 #4828 (May 21, 2009) (Marilynn Smith)
- [Baren 38980] Exchanges Update (Maria Diener)
- [Baren 38981] Re: Message (and request) from the Council ... (Rachel Silber)
- [Baren 38982] Re: New Baren Digest (Text) V47 #4827 (May 21, 2009) ("Patricia B. Phare-Camp")
- [Baren 38983] Re: workshops (J Cloutier)
- [Baren 38984] Re: money money money (aqua4tis # aol.com)
- [Baren 38985] Funds & The Baren's Future (ArtSpotiB # aol.com)
Message 1
From: ArtSpotiB # aol.com
Date: Thu, 21 May 2009 19:02:28 GMT
Subject: [Baren 38977] Re: Message (and request) from the Council ...
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Archivist's Note: Message content is missing
Message 2
From: Julio.Rodriguez # walgreens.com
Date: Thu, 21 May 2009 19:57:35 GMT
Subject: [Baren 38978] Re: Rockwell Kent & Ox update
Send Message: To this poster
Coming out of finger therapy this morning (a ruptured tendon (DIP mallet
finger) injury from 12 weeks back !!!) I stopped at an antique maps and
prints store in the neighborhood. I was wondering if they had any
woodblock prints and to my surprise they did including a whole shelf full
of mid to late 1800's Japanese prints. Many of the prints look like they
had originally been part of a book ( a whole set of bird prints, many on
ikebana and another set of more abstract designs from 1909) but they also
had a few larger prints to look at. The smaller book type prints were
matted nicely and in the range of $45 - $100. I spent a good 1/2 hour or
so looking at about 70-80 Japanese prints....there was one very nice 'fan'
print which was very tempting but the $250 price was too much for my
current budget. Since I have a modest collection of prints I inquired
about their 'purchasing' prints but was told that because the market is so
slow right now they are only purchasing Japanese prints when they come
included with other stuff from estate sales. Seems that their main
business is antique maps and documents.
After browsing at many antique maps of Cuba from the 1700-1800's I said
thank you to the owner and started to head for the door when I noticed a
little
container labeled 'freebies' that had a bunch of assorted stuff inside.
Before you start thinking that I was lucky enough to come across a 'free'
Rockwell Kent original print....(no such luck !) that was not the case.
What I did find in the pile was a 44 page booklet from a recent Kent
exhibit in Boston (March-May 2009 at Childs Gallery) which has some very
nicely reproduced images (about 60) of his prints. The last page also has
a price list for his prints ranging from $600 to an amazing $15,000 for a
1928 wood engraving "The Lovers" !!!
You can see the Kent exhibit prints online at:
http://childsgallery.com/category.php?category_id=2406
I am almost done scanning the Ox prints received so far..... 25-30 prints
is about right. Will post to the group when the website gallery is
updated. Normally signup is around 50-55 participants for these informal
exchanges and about 40-45 cards are eventually received. I am also in the
same corner with Colleen and a few others as my prints are very late and I
owe previous year(s) cards to some.
thanks...Julio
finger) injury from 12 weeks back !!!) I stopped at an antique maps and
prints store in the neighborhood. I was wondering if they had any
woodblock prints and to my surprise they did including a whole shelf full
of mid to late 1800's Japanese prints. Many of the prints look like they
had originally been part of a book ( a whole set of bird prints, many on
ikebana and another set of more abstract designs from 1909) but they also
had a few larger prints to look at. The smaller book type prints were
matted nicely and in the range of $45 - $100. I spent a good 1/2 hour or
so looking at about 70-80 Japanese prints....there was one very nice 'fan'
print which was very tempting but the $250 price was too much for my
current budget. Since I have a modest collection of prints I inquired
about their 'purchasing' prints but was told that because the market is so
slow right now they are only purchasing Japanese prints when they come
included with other stuff from estate sales. Seems that their main
business is antique maps and documents.
After browsing at many antique maps of Cuba from the 1700-1800's I said
thank you to the owner and started to head for the door when I noticed a
little
container labeled 'freebies' that had a bunch of assorted stuff inside.
Before you start thinking that I was lucky enough to come across a 'free'
Rockwell Kent original print....(no such luck !) that was not the case.
What I did find in the pile was a 44 page booklet from a recent Kent
exhibit in Boston (March-May 2009 at Childs Gallery) which has some very
nicely reproduced images (about 60) of his prints. The last page also has
a price list for his prints ranging from $600 to an amazing $15,000 for a
1928 wood engraving "The Lovers" !!!
You can see the Kent exhibit prints online at:
http://childsgallery.com/category.php?category_id=2406
I am almost done scanning the Ox prints received so far..... 25-30 prints
is about right. Will post to the group when the website gallery is
updated. Normally signup is around 50-55 participants for these informal
exchanges and about 40-45 cards are eventually received. I am also in the
same corner with Colleen and a few others as my prints are very late and I
owe previous year(s) cards to some.
thanks...Julio
Message 3
From: Marilynn Smith
Date: Thu, 21 May 2009 20:23:24 GMT
Subject: [Baren 38979] Re: New Baren Digest (HTML) V47 #4828 (May 21, 2009)
Send Message: To this poster
At the moment I have some extra time on my hands because it is down
time from our traveling back to the states. Maria, I am not in
exchange #41. I know this is unusual but I would coordinate it if the
rules can be stretched to allow a non exchange participant to do so. I
have been a Baren member long enough and I have done several exchanges.
I can't be exchange coordinator I do not have the job skills. Perhaps
instead of totally stepping down this enormous task could be shared?
Barbara Mason asked for help for the Mall when the task became too
great. Are there parts of this job you could continue and parts you
could pass off to others?
I would happily coordinate one exchange every year. Unfortunately I am
in Baja half the year so that limits how much I can help out. It is
also one reason I have not coordinated, I seem to do exchanges when I
am out of country. Life changes, I also have not offered because of
our house remodel, mainly my studio. My studio is done and I have
space to spread things out!!! How many exchanges do we have annually,
is it 4??? Could we get 4 people who would be willing to each
coordinate even though they might not be in the exchange but are
active members?
I apologize for sending this to the entire list. I could not get a
private email for Maria to go through. And I know I am way over my
limit for daily emails.
Marilynn
time from our traveling back to the states. Maria, I am not in
exchange #41. I know this is unusual but I would coordinate it if the
rules can be stretched to allow a non exchange participant to do so. I
have been a Baren member long enough and I have done several exchanges.
I can't be exchange coordinator I do not have the job skills. Perhaps
instead of totally stepping down this enormous task could be shared?
Barbara Mason asked for help for the Mall when the task became too
great. Are there parts of this job you could continue and parts you
could pass off to others?
I would happily coordinate one exchange every year. Unfortunately I am
in Baja half the year so that limits how much I can help out. It is
also one reason I have not coordinated, I seem to do exchanges when I
am out of country. Life changes, I also have not offered because of
our house remodel, mainly my studio. My studio is done and I have
space to spread things out!!! How many exchanges do we have annually,
is it 4??? Could we get 4 people who would be willing to each
coordinate even though they might not be in the exchange but are
active members?
I apologize for sending this to the entire list. I could not get a
private email for Maria to go through. And I know I am way over my
limit for daily emails.
Marilynn
Message 4
From: Maria Diener
Date: Thu, 21 May 2009 20:28:23 GMT
Subject: [Baren 38980] Exchanges Update
Send Message: To this poster
Exchange #40 will be uploaded this weekend for everyone to see.
Thank you participants and thank you Robert Simola for an excellent job.
Exchange #41 found its coordinator! Sorry, I misspoke earlier. Your
coordinator is Joseph Taylor and you can reach him by emailing:
Coordinator41@barenforum.org
The Exchange 41 page has been updated, please keep for your reference:
http://www.barenforum.org/exchange/exchange_41/exchange_41.html
And an entire month has gone by just like that (almost) so be sure to start
on your prints as soon as possible to make sure everyone makes the deadline
this time. We have a full exchange and 6 participants waiting on the wings
for their chance.
Deadline is August 1st.
Maria
(See how easy that was? Don't YOU want to be an Exchange Manager? Sign up
now!!!)
Thank you participants and thank you Robert Simola for an excellent job.
Exchange #41 found its coordinator! Sorry, I misspoke earlier. Your
coordinator is Joseph Taylor and you can reach him by emailing:
Coordinator41@barenforum.org
The Exchange 41 page has been updated, please keep for your reference:
http://www.barenforum.org/exchange/exchange_41/exchange_41.html
And an entire month has gone by just like that (almost) so be sure to start
on your prints as soon as possible to make sure everyone makes the deadline
this time. We have a full exchange and 6 participants waiting on the wings
for their chance.
Deadline is August 1st.
Maria
(See how easy that was? Don't YOU want to be an Exchange Manager? Sign up
now!!!)
Message 5
From: Rachel Silber
Date: Thu, 21 May 2009 20:53:49 GMT
Subject: [Baren 38981] Re: Message (and request) from the Council ...
Send Message: To this poster
I'm Rachel Silber, a very beginning printmaker. I've been "lurking" on
baren, getting tips and inspiration, for a couple of months now. I've
never joined any of the exchanges though I hope to do so in the future. I'm
impressed by the overall quality and civility of the discussion here, and
I've just been waiting to chime in when I felt I had more to contribute.
However, I am involved with a couple of non-profit organizations that have
some similar challenges.
Term limits aren't that necessary if there are regular elections. People do
get tired, and it's healthy to have a way of transferring responsibility in
an orderly way. Deciding to re-up for a job every now and then is not a bad
thing either. I'm not seeing that the problem is "you can't have this job
til you pry it from my cold dead hands", I'm seeing that the problem is
"hiring one's own replacement".
If Baren is to have a growth path and bring on bigger projects, council
members should feel that they can and should delegate portions of their
jobs, either by forming a formal committee or informally getting help. But I
think it would be helpful to have the responsibility for getting jobs done
in the hands of the same people who make the decisions.
May I suggest that we look for a volunteer to be Maria's "buddy" in the
upcoming exchange? It would be a good idea if this person were committed to
doing at least exchange #42. I would guess, however, that there is a lot of
exchange specific knowlege in Maria's head that would benefit Baren to be
written down in the "Exchange Manual". Just writing that document, if it
doesn't exist, would be a worthwhile project for the buddy to do.
As for how to organize the funds and start new projects -- those
exhibitions, workshops, scholarships and so forth -- given the geographic
distribution of the group, projects will also need to be highly
distributed. This would be my suggestion:
-- Baren members can create proposals for projects.
They provide the who/what/where/when, the budget, the timeline, the names
of the responsible individuals.
-- The council might put proposals up for comment and vote on them taking
into account the feedback of the membership. Or we could all vote, but I
think a smaller group discussion about the actual allocation of funds would
be helpful.
-- I'd be curious to see a Baren budget. What proportion of the available
funds should be tapped for projects? Certainly there should be a buffer of
operating capital, based on the expenses that the group has.
-- There should be some feedback and reporting requirement in the proposal
guidelines, to let the membership know what happened with the project. It
would be good, I think, for Baren to keep the flexibility to either fund a
project up front or to reimburse after agreed-upon expenses have been
incurred.
One organization I belong to has a grant process somewhat along these lines.
If there's an interest in seeing our grant proposal form (it's not very
complicated), I can send it along.
I'm glad to finally introduce myself, and I hope for a lot more creative and
useful discussion from this group.
Rachel Silber
baren, getting tips and inspiration, for a couple of months now. I've
never joined any of the exchanges though I hope to do so in the future. I'm
impressed by the overall quality and civility of the discussion here, and
I've just been waiting to chime in when I felt I had more to contribute.
However, I am involved with a couple of non-profit organizations that have
some similar challenges.
Term limits aren't that necessary if there are regular elections. People do
get tired, and it's healthy to have a way of transferring responsibility in
an orderly way. Deciding to re-up for a job every now and then is not a bad
thing either. I'm not seeing that the problem is "you can't have this job
til you pry it from my cold dead hands", I'm seeing that the problem is
"hiring one's own replacement".
If Baren is to have a growth path and bring on bigger projects, council
members should feel that they can and should delegate portions of their
jobs, either by forming a formal committee or informally getting help. But I
think it would be helpful to have the responsibility for getting jobs done
in the hands of the same people who make the decisions.
May I suggest that we look for a volunteer to be Maria's "buddy" in the
upcoming exchange? It would be a good idea if this person were committed to
doing at least exchange #42. I would guess, however, that there is a lot of
exchange specific knowlege in Maria's head that would benefit Baren to be
written down in the "Exchange Manual". Just writing that document, if it
doesn't exist, would be a worthwhile project for the buddy to do.
As for how to organize the funds and start new projects -- those
exhibitions, workshops, scholarships and so forth -- given the geographic
distribution of the group, projects will also need to be highly
distributed. This would be my suggestion:
-- Baren members can create proposals for projects.
They provide the who/what/where/when, the budget, the timeline, the names
of the responsible individuals.
-- The council might put proposals up for comment and vote on them taking
into account the feedback of the membership. Or we could all vote, but I
think a smaller group discussion about the actual allocation of funds would
be helpful.
-- I'd be curious to see a Baren budget. What proportion of the available
funds should be tapped for projects? Certainly there should be a buffer of
operating capital, based on the expenses that the group has.
-- There should be some feedback and reporting requirement in the proposal
guidelines, to let the membership know what happened with the project. It
would be good, I think, for Baren to keep the flexibility to either fund a
project up front or to reimburse after agreed-upon expenses have been
incurred.
One organization I belong to has a grant process somewhat along these lines.
If there's an interest in seeing our grant proposal form (it's not very
complicated), I can send it along.
I'm glad to finally introduce myself, and I hope for a lot more creative and
useful discussion from this group.
Rachel Silber
Message 6
From: "Patricia B. Phare-Camp"
Date: Thu, 21 May 2009 22:07:05 GMT
Subject: [Baren 38982] Re: New Baren Digest (Text) V47 #4827 (May 21, 2009)
Send Message: To this poster
Huhm, how bout if we use some of that surplus to pay for the website
maintenance? The website does promote woodcut printmaking and the arts
to the general public worldwide -- I think that fits in with some of the
NPO uses of the fundage...and it could provide a stipend to an IT
student or starving artist!
maintenance? The website does promote woodcut printmaking and the arts
to the general public worldwide -- I think that fits in with some of the
NPO uses of the fundage...and it could provide a stipend to an IT
student or starving artist!
Message 7
From: J Cloutier
Date: Thu, 21 May 2009 22:24:09 GMT
Subject: [Baren 38983] Re: workshops
Send Message: To this poster
Karma's suggestion of paying members to do local workshops sounds great
to me! I know a lot of people are enthusiastic about videos, and they
can reach many folks, but it would be wonderful to be with someone who
can answer questions, and point out what I'm doing wrong. (Of course
I'm influenced by the fact that videos don't work for me - downloading
them on our slow connection isn't a possibility, and we don't have a TV.)
Great idea!
Jane
to me! I know a lot of people are enthusiastic about videos, and they
can reach many folks, but it would be wonderful to be with someone who
can answer questions, and point out what I'm doing wrong. (Of course
I'm influenced by the fact that videos don't work for me - downloading
them on our slow connection isn't a possibility, and we don't have a TV.)
Great idea!
Jane
Message 8
From: aqua4tis # aol.com
Date: Thu, 21 May 2009 23:28:51 GMT
Subject: [Baren 38984] Re: money money money
Send Message: To this poster
karma, i second your idea
georga
georga
Message 9
From: ArtSpotiB # aol.com
Date: Fri, 22 May 2009 02:14:25 GMT
Subject: [Baren 38985] Funds & The Baren's Future
Send Message: To this poster
Hello Friends.
What a wonderful story to read! I am so pleased to hear about the life of
The Baren.
All of this requires some deep thought. All of the issues brought up by the
many letters sent in by participants of The Baren are so relevant. I have
been on several boards and president for 3 years of the California Society of
Printmakers, an international group nearly 100 years old. Maybe through
those experiences some information can be shared that might be worth
considering.
Many groups start with a small number of dedicated persons and perhaps
someone with charisma. All involved are generous souls. Expansion and longevity
are often issues that a group doesn't survive. Usually the original persons
eventually need to pass on their roles to new people. New combinations of
the personalities, combined with the evolution of a group and its purpose, can
bring wonderful advantages.
Passing on duties is crucial. This splits into several parts.
Finding a replacement is often hard as the original person grows into a
role, perhaps even developing it from something fairly modest into a larger set
of duties. Possible replacements don't feel competent enough to fill the
job. This makes people reluctant to volunteer.
I have seen bd. members bring in new people by just asking them to come by
for a visit to see how things work. That is how I was lured into several
boards. Then the friend and others help them learn a role. I have also seen
new people take on roles thanks, to the leader's wisdom of watching new
attendees (as "at large bd. members"), seeing not only what their skills are but
also what they enjoy doing. One starts by giving a small, limited in time
and energy task while observing the person involved. A new person's confidence
is developed over time as many are embarrassed to try to help. Many artists
are inexperienced in task oriented group needs and don't know what is
involved. Artist group members can be too vocal in what they want from others
rather than assuming that someone is growing into a role. A good leader acts as
a buffer and deflects criticism.
One way that makes all easier is to have the current bd member "expert"
pair up with a replacement before the bd. member tires of the job. One major
organization (AHAM, that group of all home appliance manufacturers) has an
effective system. Each term of president is three years. There is a team of
three, with one being the former president, the current president and the
upcoming president. An active arrangement, the three have scheduled meetings on a
regular basis. This means that there's an experienced mentor, a person in
the thick of the action and a person learning the role. The sharing of
expertise, developing future projects and continuing current affairs is carried
by all three but the current pres. is the one in charge. The short term
ensures turnover and fresh ideas yet an awareness of what the greater tasks and
consistancy's importance carried forward. It avoids reinventing the wheel
too.
Next, there's the selection/choosing of the new persons in each role.
This boils down to elections or the choosing of a successor. In some
organizations finding a person who will be actively involved and show good judgement
can be difficult. The CSP, that printmaking group I mention periodically,
periodically has used a wonderful system. Although as a juried in membership,
it is a different group, I'll ask you to bear with me here. At one time
every new member who was geographically local enough was urged or "expected" to
serve on the Board for one year after acceptance. This method brought great
benefits to both the member, the Board, and the organization as well. As
new members were included, the consistancy of the group remained generally the
same, the methods of interacting carrying the tone of the board. Members
formed great friendships, networking and career advantages. My point is to mix
in new members all during the process, not to wait until they're "needed".
And to discover a method that makes members welcome just to sit in and maybe
help. The invitations should be constantly given out.
Another great method is for the leader to periodically ask each bd member
to recommend others. Then the leader or that bd. member would ask that person
to "sit in" meetings or become an "at large" person. This method works best
only if the agenda brings it forward frequently. During elections the board
would recommend members to particular roles (after coaching the member in
the role previously). This meant that nobody was tossed into the water before
learning swimming. If the at large bd. member wasn't ready, they would be
encouraged to remain on as they were unless they never want to help. Many
find that difficult tasks are not really all that hard.
Last, about finances. How long did it take to accumulate this amount so
that the board can know what to expect in the future for expenditures? Would
this be a one time spend or is more expected in the future and at what rate? A
coupla thousand dollars isn't really very much when it comes to spending or
to the bank account of a nonprofit.
Those who volunteer should have public recognition in addition to people
"just knowing". A special page on the website, a token gift ("oh yes, this pin
was in thanks for my year's volunteering on The Baren, a terrific
weblistserve") might be good. It would also be nice to give an overt nod to those who
have served for so long and so faithfully. That would not probably
deplete the money. It would be great to overtly recognize our Baren originator
with a noted, special gift, be it desired tools or a gift certificate of
materials. My group gave a bouquet and museum membership as thanks for my work and
tenure. I wish that they would do this for EVERY president! I spent three
years without doing any of my own work in order to fix certain problems that
had developed over a long time. It was worth it. The special recognition of
those who really knew the behind the scenes story meant a great deal to me.
Giving a stipend or paying a board member (nonprofits are sticky regarding
money and volunteers) may set a precedent that cannot be continued over
time. Once a role becomes paid, then everyone else who follows may very likely
expect the same. Since The Baren does not make much money, this could be hard
to maintain over time. Sometimes a schism develops later when those who
want a group to make money disagree with those who think that the focus needs
to remain on the volunteer nature (original theme) of the group. If there was
to be any paid job (if affordable over time) it would be website maintance
as that can be easily outsourced. No board member should take on that job as
paid!
Perhaps a different angle could be considered regarding finances. How could
the money be used to expand the role of The Baren?
There was the video sugguestion, which would conform with the 501 nonprofit
requirement of educating others of the field. Because there are a few
members who already provide videos to promote their careers as well as teach
others, this could become complicated territory. How about expanding the idea
further?
Instead of a video, why not consider sponsoring an art student or
printmaking educational department in a college/school for printmaking materials? The
Arts are basically gone out of schools nowadays. Or at least in my area. If
a modest set of tools was purchased and a group brought together to do a
demo in classroom, we would be expanding the field by interesting students in
printmaking for themselves. We would also be teaching future, new patrons!
There's nothing like the personal interaction with real people despite the
great benefits of the Net. And the 510 nonprofit rules status (tho rarely
enforced) would be ensured through this kind of project. This idea could be
further developed.
There have to be many more ideas out there... this is just what came to my
mind and jotted down.
Best Wishes.
ArtSpot Out
Benny Alba in studio
Art is the visible face of any culture."
What a wonderful story to read! I am so pleased to hear about the life of
The Baren.
All of this requires some deep thought. All of the issues brought up by the
many letters sent in by participants of The Baren are so relevant. I have
been on several boards and president for 3 years of the California Society of
Printmakers, an international group nearly 100 years old. Maybe through
those experiences some information can be shared that might be worth
considering.
Many groups start with a small number of dedicated persons and perhaps
someone with charisma. All involved are generous souls. Expansion and longevity
are often issues that a group doesn't survive. Usually the original persons
eventually need to pass on their roles to new people. New combinations of
the personalities, combined with the evolution of a group and its purpose, can
bring wonderful advantages.
Passing on duties is crucial. This splits into several parts.
Finding a replacement is often hard as the original person grows into a
role, perhaps even developing it from something fairly modest into a larger set
of duties. Possible replacements don't feel competent enough to fill the
job. This makes people reluctant to volunteer.
I have seen bd. members bring in new people by just asking them to come by
for a visit to see how things work. That is how I was lured into several
boards. Then the friend and others help them learn a role. I have also seen
new people take on roles thanks, to the leader's wisdom of watching new
attendees (as "at large bd. members"), seeing not only what their skills are but
also what they enjoy doing. One starts by giving a small, limited in time
and energy task while observing the person involved. A new person's confidence
is developed over time as many are embarrassed to try to help. Many artists
are inexperienced in task oriented group needs and don't know what is
involved. Artist group members can be too vocal in what they want from others
rather than assuming that someone is growing into a role. A good leader acts as
a buffer and deflects criticism.
One way that makes all easier is to have the current bd member "expert"
pair up with a replacement before the bd. member tires of the job. One major
organization (AHAM, that group of all home appliance manufacturers) has an
effective system. Each term of president is three years. There is a team of
three, with one being the former president, the current president and the
upcoming president. An active arrangement, the three have scheduled meetings on a
regular basis. This means that there's an experienced mentor, a person in
the thick of the action and a person learning the role. The sharing of
expertise, developing future projects and continuing current affairs is carried
by all three but the current pres. is the one in charge. The short term
ensures turnover and fresh ideas yet an awareness of what the greater tasks and
consistancy's importance carried forward. It avoids reinventing the wheel
too.
Next, there's the selection/choosing of the new persons in each role.
This boils down to elections or the choosing of a successor. In some
organizations finding a person who will be actively involved and show good judgement
can be difficult. The CSP, that printmaking group I mention periodically,
periodically has used a wonderful system. Although as a juried in membership,
it is a different group, I'll ask you to bear with me here. At one time
every new member who was geographically local enough was urged or "expected" to
serve on the Board for one year after acceptance. This method brought great
benefits to both the member, the Board, and the organization as well. As
new members were included, the consistancy of the group remained generally the
same, the methods of interacting carrying the tone of the board. Members
formed great friendships, networking and career advantages. My point is to mix
in new members all during the process, not to wait until they're "needed".
And to discover a method that makes members welcome just to sit in and maybe
help. The invitations should be constantly given out.
Another great method is for the leader to periodically ask each bd member
to recommend others. Then the leader or that bd. member would ask that person
to "sit in" meetings or become an "at large" person. This method works best
only if the agenda brings it forward frequently. During elections the board
would recommend members to particular roles (after coaching the member in
the role previously). This meant that nobody was tossed into the water before
learning swimming. If the at large bd. member wasn't ready, they would be
encouraged to remain on as they were unless they never want to help. Many
find that difficult tasks are not really all that hard.
Last, about finances. How long did it take to accumulate this amount so
that the board can know what to expect in the future for expenditures? Would
this be a one time spend or is more expected in the future and at what rate? A
coupla thousand dollars isn't really very much when it comes to spending or
to the bank account of a nonprofit.
Those who volunteer should have public recognition in addition to people
"just knowing". A special page on the website, a token gift ("oh yes, this pin
was in thanks for my year's volunteering on The Baren, a terrific
weblistserve") might be good. It would also be nice to give an overt nod to those who
have served for so long and so faithfully. That would not probably
deplete the money. It would be great to overtly recognize our Baren originator
with a noted, special gift, be it desired tools or a gift certificate of
materials. My group gave a bouquet and museum membership as thanks for my work and
tenure. I wish that they would do this for EVERY president! I spent three
years without doing any of my own work in order to fix certain problems that
had developed over a long time. It was worth it. The special recognition of
those who really knew the behind the scenes story meant a great deal to me.
Giving a stipend or paying a board member (nonprofits are sticky regarding
money and volunteers) may set a precedent that cannot be continued over
time. Once a role becomes paid, then everyone else who follows may very likely
expect the same. Since The Baren does not make much money, this could be hard
to maintain over time. Sometimes a schism develops later when those who
want a group to make money disagree with those who think that the focus needs
to remain on the volunteer nature (original theme) of the group. If there was
to be any paid job (if affordable over time) it would be website maintance
as that can be easily outsourced. No board member should take on that job as
paid!
Perhaps a different angle could be considered regarding finances. How could
the money be used to expand the role of The Baren?
There was the video sugguestion, which would conform with the 501 nonprofit
requirement of educating others of the field. Because there are a few
members who already provide videos to promote their careers as well as teach
others, this could become complicated territory. How about expanding the idea
further?
Instead of a video, why not consider sponsoring an art student or
printmaking educational department in a college/school for printmaking materials? The
Arts are basically gone out of schools nowadays. Or at least in my area. If
a modest set of tools was purchased and a group brought together to do a
demo in classroom, we would be expanding the field by interesting students in
printmaking for themselves. We would also be teaching future, new patrons!
There's nothing like the personal interaction with real people despite the
great benefits of the Net. And the 510 nonprofit rules status (tho rarely
enforced) would be ensured through this kind of project. This idea could be
further developed.
There have to be many more ideas out there... this is just what came to my
mind and jotted down.
Best Wishes.
ArtSpot Out
Benny Alba in studio
Art is the visible face of any culture."