ArtMatters Newsletter August
August 2020 ArtMatters Newsletter
We are following CDC guidelines in maintaining a safe space. Please wear a mask and maintain social distance. We will provide a way to sanitize your hands and can have up to 6 people at a time in the shop. We hope to see you soon.
Visit Our Current Exhibition
The Songwriters and Musicians of Carver County
The Songwriters and Musicians of Carver County Vl CD is for sale at the Arts Center for $15. You can order it online from our website and it will be available for download on Bandcamp for $15 soon. Thanks to the 24 songwriters who donated their music to this collection. August is the last month for musicians to submit to the Pandemic Arts Journal. We are evaluating the possibility of the return of The New Song Collective in the fall. Steve Kelzer, music@artsofcarvercounty.org.
Listen, Read and View the Pandemic Arts Journal submissions we have already received.
Active Literary Committee
The Literary Committee is pleased to welcome Amy Stender as the next Literary Liaison for ACCC. Amy brings a long list of accomplishments as a fiction writer and is eager to hear from you about your ideas for activities involving and supporting authors during the pandemic. She will be working with a committee that consists of local authors Jim Kane, Sheri Kramer, Anne Jackson, Mona Smith, and Susan Coultrap-McQuin. If you have suggestions for Amy or would like to join the Literary Committee to help plan and host events, please contact Amy at literary@
Sincere Thanks
We want to thank Susan Coultrap-McQuin for her unmeasurable contributions to the ACCC while serving on the board. Her term as board member included roles as Secretary, serving as the Literary Liaison and being on the Operations Committee. While this may seem like a lot, it does not even come close to accounting for her dogged determination to ensure the highest standards were always met in everything she did, her unflagging energy at moving the ACCC forward and upward and her wise counsel in guiding the arts in Carver County. Susan, from the bottom of our hearts, we thank you.
Art Tourism/Barn Quilts of Carver County
Recently, a vibrant, new barn quilt has been installed in Watertown, MN. Kathy McCann is the owner of the farm and the quilt pattern is the Mariner’s Cross (also called the Nautical Star), which symbolizes “hope” and “a fresh start”. The design is a symbol of a sailor always able to find his way home.
Being the first barn quilt in Watertown, we have met with the Mayor, Steve Washburn. He was very interested in the art and the economic development aspects of the barn quilts in Carver County. When COVID-19 permits, Coach buses will again be filled with 55 enthusiastic art and agriculture-lovers. Tours will include Watertown and guests will be having lunch at a local eatery. Watch for the Barn Quilt Tours, where Community, Countryside and Culture meet!
NEW! Student Memberships
Hello, I’m Mary Williamson, a new ACCC Board Member. As we are navigating the new ways of doing things in the ACCC, one area remains the same. Membership and who that is made of? As I was accepted onto the Board a few months ago, I was simultaneously working on an Art Membership for my own Studio, with a strong focus on young adults. A passion of mine is teaching, especially youth. In the ACCC the focus on new members, art enthusiasts and artists alike, are geared more towards adults. The young adults have not had a seat at the table, yet.
During our recent Board meeting, I proposed inviting young adults to join the ACCC in a Student Membership. The Board met the idea with enthusiasm, and we are working on adding this option for students between the ages of 14 and 18.
This demographic is currently under-served in the real world in the area of support and opportunity outside of their high school environment. With the membership, they would have an opportunity to not only invest in something in the collective sense but invest in themselves. They would be able to join at $25/year, we are working on determining an amount of in person volunteer time they would serve each year as well as the perks – low entry fee for first art exhibit for instance.
In the short term, the thought behind this is to give passionate young adults a chance to be a part of something bigger than themselves, allow them to participate fully in the organization, see how they can influence and affect others with their art and reap the benefits of personal growth and life skills. In the long term, many of these young adults hold skills that we can only aspire to. Having them become full members at this younger stage in life will allow them to grow, participate and share their skill sets and experiences with the ACCC and more importantly remain in the ACCC as their passion for art potentially becomes careers in art and therefore become vested supporters of the ACCC hopefully for life.
This is an untapped demographic with so much potential, I will be working on some marketing to get the word out, share with the public, home and non-traditional schools as soon as possible. I am excited about what they will bring to the ACCC table, there is so much to learn from them, as well, we as a strong, supportive community can mentor and support them. Just thinking about the new technology that the young artists are growing up using boggles my mind, with the pace of change they will be a great asset to our Membership. If you would like to discuss this with me, please send an email to membership@artsofcarvercounty.
Submit a Nomination or Application for the ACCC Board of Directors
Treasurer: Are you good with numbers and want to volunteer your time? We are seeking an ideal energetic candidate for Treasurer on our Board of Directors. This is a great way to get to do something you love, be immersed in art and are able to stay home while still being effective. If you feel you are a good fit, please apply online, link below. For questions, please contact Cynthia Anderson, info@
Members at Large: Seeking artists and supporters of the arts interested in being on the Board of Directors to help navigate the new norms that challenge our organization and to bring focus on the arts. If you believe in the arts and want to help support artists, writers, and musicians in the county through the Arts Consortium, please apply today, or if you know someone who is passionate about the arts, please nominate them, and we will send them an invitation to apply.
Online ApplicationArts Consortium of Carver County MN
