October, 2021

The deadline to enter is January 15, 2022, and it’s a live event with our paintings hanging at the ArtCenter Manatee, in

Bradenton, FL. We also have a live workshop with our Juror, Ken Call, and a live reception. Since it’s our 45th, we hope to cre-

ate a sensational time!

We know the pandemic can affect some of our events such as the reception and workshop and we’ll adjust as it is need-

ed. In the meantime, we’re forging on with optimism.

While it’s exciting to plan for live events again, we still have serious challenges to face as an organization. I want to take

this opportunity to talk with you about the most serious challenge your board is facing beyond the 45th exhibition.

As many of you have read in previous newsletters, we are in dire need of volunteers to join us on the board. We need

volunteers who are willing and able to be our successors. So far, the response to our need has fallen silent and part of that I

know is because the make-up of our organization reflects the make-up of our board. Over 75% of our membership are not in a

place to volunteer due to age and related health issues, etc. Further, our membership is comprised of people who are a part of

other member organizations within their respective state, who are probably experiencing the same issues as us…”How do we

bring in the next generations?””

To make our members aware of what we do on the board, I have asked our board members to write a short paragraph

about themselves and what they have done and do as a board member. Al of us live in different places and everything we do is

done remotely via emails and zoom. We have found zoom allows us to have that personal connectivity and the ability to ad-

dress and solve issues on the spot.

According to our by-laws, our board of directors should be of 5 to 7 people with the following general positions: Presi-

dent, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, Membership, and Past President with a two-year commitment. These positions are

broken down into duties. We also have state representatives who are non-board positions but play a key role in representing

artists within their respective state.The past-president position requirement is met wonderfully with Tuva Stephens, Don Taylor, and Marilynne Bradley.

Each of them currently carry the following duties: Tuva is our Social Media guru, Don Taylor handles the vendor donations, and

Marilynne is our Historian. Membership is Coco Dauer and Treasurer is Jean Weiner. Al of them have been serving this organiza-

tion for a bazillion years! As for Secretary, we have no need for this position because we operate through emails and zoom

meetings which are recorded. So, in essence I’m also the Secretary.

The Vice-President position has not been filled forever! This person is the back up to the President and is the person

who should be the President’s successor. Technically, they probably should be the exhibition chairperson which would prepare

them for the next step. In our real world, the exhibition chairperson is performed by whomever is available in the location where

the exhibition will occur, and often this duty falls on the current president.

I started as your president in September 2019, and I told my artist story in our November 2019 Newsletter. You can find

our newsletters on our website under the Resources tab.

Like all of you, my journey since then has been impacted by events both beyond and within my control. In October 2018,

my business in downtown Marianna was damaged from Hurrican Michael. It is the last piece of property we own that has not

been fully repaired. We managed to get the walls and roof done by February 2020, but the inside is like it’s been frozen in time.

In the meantime, I’ve been busy painting in my makeshift studio in our home.

I just completed a solo exhibit this past September of my current body of work called, “Crucian Carnival Series” at the

Panama City Center for the Arts. And, in October, it was displayed at The Joe Center for the Arts downtown Port St. Joe, Fl.

My duties have increased again since Linda Pelc’s retirement from the board. She has served us well and for a long time.

The reality of being the person in charge is, you are the stop gap for any aspect of an organization’s ability to continue function-

ing. When someone leaves and no one replaces them then it falls on the president’s shoulders. As your president, I not only co-

ordinate and manage the team and the overall process, I am also responsible for securing the next exhibition venues at least 2

years out.

I picked up managing our website not too long ago after stepping into this position when Ann Kromhout, our longtime

expert retired. Now I also have the Juried Art Services (JAS), and catalog. None of these duties for me are difficult to do, but they

are time consuming and happen all at the same general timeframe. Since we only have an annual exhibition, that busy timeframe

is now. If there is someone who wants to take on either or both the Website and JAS, PLEASE let me know right away.

The one duty that I have not fulfilled is the future year’s exhibition venues. This year’s exhibition and workshop chairper-

son is Kathy Simon-McDonald. She had graciously taken on this roll that otherwise would have also been on my shoulders.

At this moment, our very tentative back up plan for the 46th exhibition in 2023 is for me to be the exhibition chair and

Don Taylor manage the workshop piece and possibly securing the Panama City Center for the Arts in Panama City, FL. We would

prefer not to do that because we represent the southeastern part of the U.S., and we should have exhibition venues in some of

these other states. We are encouraging you to help us identify a venue for the 46th and serve as exhibition chairperson or cho-

chair.

Here is my mindset; I enjoy being a part of the SW organization, and I get to work with a great team of very talented

artists. Plus, I get to be involved with your successes when you are accepted into our annual exhibitions. Although the presi-

dent’s position is a two-year stint, I am willing to continue serving as either president or any other capacity needed. But what I

am NOT willing to do is continue operating on “hopium” without a plan for succession.

If you are like me, you are probably a member of more than one organization and these organizations are just like us,

needing to operate with volunteers. This message is really for that very small group of people who could become on of us on the

board, in hopes they will step forward.

Your input and suggestions on our 45th Celebration and our future is important. We would love to hear from you.

Thank you for your support,

Michele

John Bayalis

Jodeen Brown

Tracy Budd

William Campbell

Walt Costilow

Glenda Dunham

R. Patrick Faile

Janet Felts

Lynn R. Ferris

Steve Fleming

Dianne W. Garner

Susan Gibson

Lynne Hardwick

Catherine Hillis

Nashita Jain

Teresa Kirk

Joseph Lahita

Stacy Levy Owings Mills, MD

Theresa Fisher

Sherry Allen Tallahassee, FL

Amy Jenkins Bartlesville, OK

Barbara Buckingham, Tallahassee, FL

Gary Wester St. Simons, Island, GA

Liza Karsai, Palm City, FL

Suzanne Natzke Trinity, FL

Mike Melkins, Munford, TN

Adrienne Retief, Birmingham, AL

Robert Newell, Fort Myers, FL

Rebecca Mentz ,Jacksonville, FL

Alaura Allen, Loxahatchee, FL

Terry Ferguson, Melbourne, FL