Joplin Regional Artists Coalition
Board Meeting
February 8, 2022
Attendees: Andrew Batcheller, Daria Claiborne, Nancy Erwin, Al Gritten, Brenda Hayes, Sandra Parrill, Emily Rose
Absent: Angel Brame
The meeting of the JRAC board was called to order at 6:00pm by President Andrew Batcheller.
Agenda Approval: A motion was made by Sandra Parrill to approve the agenda and seconded by Brenda Hayes. The motion was unanimously approved.
Minutes Approval: Minutes approved via email prior to meeting and dispersed to members.
Daria Claiborne presented the Treasurer’s report that shows a beginning balance of $8,789.43. Ending balance after membership dues and disbursements result in a balance of $8,341.04 in the bank account. Treasurer’s Report Approval: A motion was made by Al Gritten to accept the report and was seconded by Emily Rose. The motion was unanimously approved.
Membership update: Current membership stands at 111.
Board Elections: We welcome our newly elected Brenda Hayes, who is already making a big difference with our social media campaign. The following existing board officer appointments were unanimously reconfirmed for the term 2022: Andrew Batcheller, President; Emily Rose, Vice President; Angel Brame, Secretary. The position of Treasurer formerly held by Chadan Tomlin was unanimously confirmed to Brenda Hayes.
Show Updates:
Verdant reception is ready to go for February 11th, the weather alternative date.
Andrew Batcheller reported our bid for a show with KC Artists Coalition this year was unsuccessful. We will check with Laura Lowry-Greene to see if the space for Front & Center is still available for this year.
The Post Library Show is set to run from November 17th to December 29th. We will work out a drop off date at the library. Andrew proposed we use the theme “The Eyes Have It.” A motion to accept the theme was made by Brenda Hayes and seconded by Al Gritten. The motion was unanimously approved.
Initial planning was discussed for the Emerging Artist show at Spiva sponsored by JRAC. Daria Claiborne and Sandra Parrill have volunteered to reach out to local art instructors to get the word out to young and amateur artists. The board considered the possibility of proposing a junior membership as a new level of JRAC membership. This is tabled until such a point where we may gauge the interest of the younger set who demonstrate talent and interest in JRAC. Emerging artists should submit images of their work via email to be juried by the Board no later than October 1st.
Workshops/Other Activities:
Gold Leaf Workshop–Andrew Batcheller has set the date for Sunday, March 20th, from 1 to 3pm at his studio. Space will be limited to 10 people with masking protocols in force. Gold leaf, sizing and Masonite boards will be generously donated by Andrew; attendees will furnish their own brushes, preferably old, battered ones they don’t mind ruining. At the appropriate time, an email will be sent out asking for RSVP on a first come, first served basis.
Plein Air Workshop/Paintout Event—Al Gritten is in the midst of discussing an intro to plein air painting workshop with Jeff Legg. Dates and potential costs need to be considered. This will likely not be a free event for JRAC members, but will be an amazing opportunity. We’d like to get this set up for summertime as a predecessor to holding a plein air paintout event in September or October.
Pizza/Wine Think Tank at Spiva—We are getting this set up tentatively for Tuesday, March 15th, from 6 to 8pm. A motion to set a $200 budget was made by Al Gritten and seconded by Sandra Parrill. The motion was unanimously approved.
Ideas for a potential fundraiser/show were briefly discussed. We may coordinate with Downtown Joplin Alliance for a space to do this or look at First Thursday as an opportunity to fundraise and engage the public. We will look for ideas from the membership at Think Tank.
The Board unanimously approved Andrew Batcheller’s request to put out an email to the membership to let them know he’s accepting donated household items and furniture for Afghan refugee families settling in the Joplin area. He will open his studio on Sunday, February 13th, from 12 to 3pm for this purpose.
The meeting was declared adjourned at 7:21pm by Andrew Batcheller. The next meeting of the JRAC Board will be at Andrew Batcheller’s studio on Tuesday, March 8th, at 6pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Emily Rose