August MAS Hi-lights

Chatham Library Art Fair

Seymour Page & Joan McPhearson
Jay Babina

Nancy Chapman, Dick Christofferson, Seymour Page

MAS Outdoor Exhibit & Sale

Deacon Graves House

Ellen Fabian and Pat Anderson

Karen Weisner

Bill Seekamp

Corina Alverezdelugo

Bev Shirmeier

President’s Letter

Since its inception, I have been a member of the Madison Art Society. It has given me a unique perspective as to how it has grown, but also how it has stayed true to its overall mission. In rewriting our Bylaws this past year, one thing has remained constant, that the Madison Art Society was created to advance the cause of fine art by holding exhibitions and conducting programs for the benefit of our members and the general public. Whether our MAS member is a professional artist or just starting their artistic journey, each of our members is valued and we provide them with opportunities for personal growth and a chance to display their art work. The artistic journey never ends and this year, our demonstrations by well known accomplished artists have inspired many of our mem bers to try new techniques or take a challenging new course.

Providing our members with opportunities to display their work is another goal that the Board of Directors has been working on this summer. Besides having a chance to show our work or to sell our work, we have been promoting joint collaborations with local community groups. The donations from the sale of artwork have benefited these organizations, and it has raised the community’s awareness of the quality of fine arts that is being produced along the shoreline. On July 12th, several of our artists displayed their work at the Deacon Grave House. Some photos from this event and from this past weekend’s, August 2nd, exhibition at the Second Annual Scranton Memorial Library Festival of the Arts held on Wall Street are in this issue and on the MAS web site. Although the weather did not cooperate, I heard several very positive comments as the public admired the high quality of art created by eightteen artists that displayed their work. We all owe special gratitude to Seymour Page, Dick Christofferson and John Copelin for organizing this event along with Dick Kennedy and the Lions for putting up the two large tents and John Tubbs, who as always, creates great graphic displays and posters for MAS. On October 4th and 5th, we have another opportunity to display our work to benefit the Friends of Hammonasett at their Flutes, Feathers and Fine Arts event. See inside story
Our Annual meeting is next fall, September 11th, 2008 at the Madison Surf Club which is always a good time and a chance to vote for our Board of Directors. During the summer, members meet every Wednesday morning to paint outdoors if it is not raining. In the winter, we provide studio time to paint together on Mondays. We are currently working on our 501 3C tax exempt status so we can pursue grants and work with donors. Please take advantage of the many options that we have provided to become an active member in our organization.




Beverly Schirmeier
MAS President

MADISON ART SOCIETY 2008 EVENTS

Demonstrations




August 7th 6:30 p.m., Chris Zhang, a portrait demonstration with a model


This was well attended and everyone was very pleased with this wonderful demonstration.






October 9th 6:30 p.m., Gabor Svagrik, landscape painting




Outdoor Exhibitions




Flute, Feathers and Fine Art - Friends of Hammonasett- October 4th and 5th. A special event is being planned to have Indian singer/ flute player, Joe Fire Crow perform. In addition, there will be wild bird exhibitions and lectures and MAS Fine Art Exhibition. There will not be any charge to enter the park or for parking that weekend and they expect thousands of participants. MAS members can enter the show without a charge. . They would like a commitment of 20 to 30 artists. We are going to use a free large tent (about 12 artists can fit, however it is full by now). Artists must provide their own display racks and be present with their art work throughout the day. They can put up their individual tents and display racks (tents and racks can stay up overnight at their own risk) (do not leave the art work). The event’s tents will be up in the same location.
I have created a waiting list for tent space and there may be a possibility of obtaining another tent, so let me know if you are interested in tent space by August 15th. The paintings do not have to be scenes of Hammonasett. There is a 25% donation for paintings that are sold that goes to the Friends of Hammonasett to build an event room 45 by 45 feet at the Nature Preserve. RSVP interest to me by August 15th (Bschirmeier @yahoo.com) to sign a participation form. Artists that are going to participate are invited to a reception at Meig’s Point Saturday, October 4th night from 5 to 8 P.M., but I need a head count as to how many of the artists will be planning to attend by August 15th.

Plein air Painting
MAS members go outdoors to paint on Wednesday mornings in the summer. If you are a member and are interested in joining us, contact Bschirmeier@yahoo.com.

Can you Hear us now?
Communication with our members is important. Cheryl McManus, a MAS board member, has performed admirably over the years in writing and distributing the MAS Hilights to our members in a timely manner. She is handing over that mantle to Jay Babina, a board member and graphic artist by trade. We are going to continue to send out the MAS Hilights on a regular basis, but we would like to move towards online communications to provide more you with frequent information and to reduce overhead costs. The money saved can be used for more demonstrations and shows. We need your email account information and the ability to keep the information current. Plea se send a verification of your information to our Membership Chairperson, Maude Schmidt, include your name, email address, address to verify your membership information. She can be reached at mws3637@sbcglobal or 203-245-0807. Maude has taken on this task and deserves all of our thanks for years of dedication and diligence.
Have you gone to our website at madisonartsociety.blogspot.com? Jan Blencowe created our website and keeps our website up to date with the latest news and photos. We want you to be kept informed, so keep us updated of personal address changes.

Election of the Board of Directors – Surf Club September 11th at the Surf Club




The Nominating Committee shall consist of three Board members who shall submit to the Secretary of the Society a slate of nominees for the position on the Board of Directors (at the Board meeting preceding the Annual Meeting). The list of nominees shall be mailed to each eligible voting member at least three weeks prior to the date of the Annual Meeting. The slate of the Board of Directors shall be elected at the Annual Meeting by a simple majority vote of at least 15% of the membership being present to vote based upon the Nominating Committee's recommendation and considering any nominee from the floor during the annual meeting. The election will be conducted in accordance to parliamentary procedures. Each nominee shall have been determined (in advance of the publication of the list of nominees) by the Nominating Committee to determine if they are willing to serve if elected.
Remember we also stated in the new bylaws that Artist and Associate Artist Members can now vote for the slate of nominees for the Board of Directors. The four officers complete a 24 month tour of responsibility and they are elected by the Board of Directors within 30 days from the member election. The slate is as follows:




Beverly Schirmeier – President Don Trownsell- Vice President
Nancy Chapman- Secretary Joan Mc Pherson – Treasurer
Membership- Maude Schmidt Hi-lights- Jay Babina
Demonstrations- Beth Wardwell Town Hall Exhibits- Maryanne Rupp
Directors
Denise Casey Penny Chittenden John Copelin Ellen Fabian
Dick Kennedy Seymour Page Patricia Seekamp John Tubb
Joe Veckerelli Paula Solimene – New BOD Nominee