By Jennifer Jean Okumura
President, Massachusetts

We’re excited to see you all and be back together. Spring of curiosity!  With all the energy and excitement we’re seeing this time of year, spring is a time of renewal, joy, and a time to create a roar with new inspiration. Spring has always been a strong advocate for outdoor, hands-on experiences and recognizing Earth Day today and every day as we move forward to the warmer months; as we recharge and gather for thought-provoking conversations about the most pressing topics in the world.

Continuing a year filled with hope, we celebrate with our two recent exhibitions on virtualgallery between https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=bbiKTwsDAQD and a successful in-person exhibit featured in https://artscopemagazine.com/2021/12/capsule-previews-for-artscope-96/. Second, on view Changing lives, Changing the future, leaving a mark with sales and a feature https://artscopemagazine.com/2022/03/dynamic-and-transformative-diverse-membership-rejuvenates-atlantic-wharf/, workshops such as Marketing and Social Media as part of your Creative Arsenal VII/VIII, classes, social events, Closing Reception for Changing lives, Changing the future on May 1 to SHELTERING IN PLACE Social and Art Salon V’ on May 15th that will bring you even more reasons to celebrate this time next year. Let Art continue to shine in our lives.

Thank you for all your support, thought-provoking, and beautiful works, as we live in dynamic, progressive, and constant change, as we experience life through artists’ eyes.

Congratulations to our three Fine Art Scholarships recipients Sarah Grinnell and Kara Keene. Both received $1500, and McKayla Vermette is our $1000 winner sponsored by AetnaCorp. in Cambridge, MA, where young women all received scholarships based on overall achievement in Art, academics, community, and extra-curricular work.

In addition, we continue our members’ visibility through our PR coverage via sponsor Artscope Magazine, Artscope e-blast, social media platforms, and Hello World, An Art Affair Around the Globe (a virtual travelogue of artworks created by nearly 250 artists working in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Australia and our online ‘Shops.’

There is the power of local community collaboration, such as SEBA and South End BusinessAlliance, to support, strengthen and unify us as artists. With that said, our Chapter continues to grow with a healthy roster: www.nawama.org/calendar. We have scheduled demo/talks such as:

‘A Few Basics of Marketing and an Introduction to Instagram’ as part of ‘Your Social Media Arsenal on-going workshop,’ on May 19, 1- 3 pm
‘The 15 Word Exercise II’ in 2022
‘SHELTERING IN PLACE Social and Art Salon V’ on May 15, 2022
Transcultural Exchange’s 2022 International Conference ‘Create the Future’ November 4-6.

In addition, we celebrate our members’ successes, such as being the featured artist in Boston Globe: Wonder Women Now; New England Watercolor Award for Excellence; The Attleboro Arts Museum for the Vision of Eight in August; Sculpture at the Federal Reserve Plaza, Monhegan 5 week summer residency; long list for Jackson’s Painting Prize, PBS_NJ; Shedd Aquarium social sites; ArtExpo New York; and Scope Miami exhibitor; Playing with States: A Conversation with Local Printmakers hosted by Harvard Art Museums, along with Fractal 2-Fractals NFTs; FineArt America; Cape Ann ARTWaves featuring many of our outstanding members; BroadArt America Institute at Harvard and MIT; Harp Publishing the People’s Press ‘The Marrow of Longing;’ and retrospective solo and group shows among others. We are making waves as a Chapter, congratulations to all!

I wish everyone a great season of fun and relaxation and, of course, running around from one creative endeavor to the next.

By
Roberta Millman-Ide
President

NAWAFL’s March was busy with our invitational exhibit for 2020-22 Board Members titled: “Why We Volunteer”- The Driving Force behind The National Association of Women Artists, Florida Chapter (at ArtServe, Fort Lauderdale) as well as “Flight of Fancy” (at the MARJCC, Miami ) which both just ended at the start of April. Thank you to Anabel Rub Peicher & Sara Zigdon for coordinating these exhibitions.

April began with our next exhibition, “Re/Aligned” at the Center for Performing Arts in Bonita Springs with our upcoming reception on Thursday, May 26th, 5-6 pm. The Exhibit closes on May 27th. Thank you Muffy Clark Gill, our Florida West Coast Coordinator, for putting together this show!

Our Monthly Online Presentations have also been featuring wonderful artists: March 23rd; NAWAFL Member & Treasurer, Kathy Ferguson, demonstrated “Cyanotypes: The Basics and Beyond ”. And, on April 20th our NAWA President gave a beautiful presentation on her “Evolution of an Artist. A Journey”. And, our upcoming presentations will be a “Studio Tour and Critique” on May 18th with NAWAFL Member & Recording Secretary, Anika Savage. In June, Rhona Schonewald will do a presentation followed by Kathy Coakley, and in September, doing a workshop on cold wax and oil paint. And so many others to follow!

These presentations are free to NAWAFL Members…made possible by volunteer presenters. As a presenter, it is a fabulous way to hone your teaching and speaking skills; and since I record and upload these presentations to our NAWAFL YouTube Channel with invitational links for NAWAFL Members only…. It can also be used by the presenter to promote themself and their artwork if they choose to.

That’s it for us to share for now. But we have a lot more planned for Fall 2022 & well into 2023!

By
Fran Gardner
President

NAWASC: BIG NEWS

Our Chapter’s 2022 in-person exhibit, “Spring Fusion: Renew and Reinvent,” was on view at the spacious Aiken Center for the Arts in downtown Aiken, South Carolina, through May 6th. The show included 50 works of art from 22 talented Chapter members. ACA hosted an opening reception on March 31 which was open to the public. Members and their guests attended from across the state. The exhibit was judged by Columbia, SC artist Heidi Darr-Hope who was also present at the opening and shared her thoughts on why she selected these pieces for honors. 1st Place was awarded to Susan Irish for “Regeneration,” 2nd Place to Mary Cooper McDonough for “Writing Poetry on a Sunny Day,” 3rd Place to Judith Carlin for “Together” and Honorable Mention to Carol O’Neill for “Camelia.” The judge also awarded two Judge’s Commendation Awards to Fran Gardner for “Mark Leaving: Binary” and Mary Bell Steffen for “Looking Down from Moose Road.” The venue and time were chosen to coordinate with the large number of tourists visiting Aiken during the Masters Golf Tournament in nearby Augusta.

Introductions: New Members

We introduce you to our new chapter members:

• Brittany Taylor-Driggers lives and works in Lancaster, SC. She is an associate professor of art at the University of South Carolina Lancaster where she is also the Curator of Collections at the Native American Studies Center.
• Kimberlee Maselli lives and works in Cary, NC. She has exhibited her landscapes and abstracts widely and won many awards. In addition, she has authored 4 art books.

NAWASC is proud to include these women in our membership and we look forward to working with them.

Update: Professional Development

As a result of our members survey, we offered our first professional development online program. We want to get to know all members, so at this first event, 14 artists presented and discussed one piece of their work. Insightful and fun, we will offer another “meet and greet” event in June. We have other topics in development for August and October.

Communications:   Let Us Promote You

One of our primary goals is to spread the word about our National Association, our SC Chapter and our members. NAWA has an incredible history — when opportunities arise, we always share the history, legacy, and benefits of NAWA and SC Chapter membership. Our newly printed rack cards are being distributed at events and local places of interest. We are always on the lookout for places to network with artists, share the story of our historic organization and find great SC venues to show our work.

Most recently we posted the winning entries in the “Spring Fusion: Renew and Reinvent” exhibition. The homepage was also refreshed with images by our latest members and lots of photos from our “Spring Fusion” day of events. For reference, past newsletters are posted on the website to download.

Note that our email address has changed.
art.nawasc@gmail.com

Member Feature: Susan Irish, Artist and Retired Art Teacher from Charleston, SC

Tell us about your work:
I am on a mission to promote better stewardship for Mother Nature by creating paintings that depict the battle between the flowers and the toxins. I ask the question “Who will win? My medium is oil and cold wax applied in thick layers on wood panels. I gouge into areas and use incongruent colors. Trash that is part of my human footprint is embedded into the work in a variety of ways.

Who is your art crush?
Michael Hedges is an abstract expressionist artist that I deeply admire for his ability to work large and with a lot of color and movement. There is an energetic and spontaneous essence with a solid command of the elements and principles.

Tell us about your most influential time:
Being sequestered in my studio during the pandemic was a dream come true for this introverted artist so when I was invited to 2 artists’ retreats for connection with other women artists, I didn’t believe I needed that experience. I went anyway. I found a sisterhood that was life changing.

What is your superpower?
I like to play. The teacher in me knows the value and my intuitive nature thrives in play. My ability to play while painting is my superpower.

The greatest moment in your art world:

In 2016, I curated and hosted an epic show called “We, The People, How Artists Respond To Racism” The gallery was packed with brilliant artists and attentive guests. There was a drum circle that created a heartbeat for the community and there were deep conversations that echoed the power of the arts in the community.

You’ve won first place in the “Spring Fusion” show, now what are you going to do?
Winning First Place at “Spring Fusion” was so delightful because I created the painting, especially for that show, and it was well-received by the wonderful Aiken community. So, to top that experience I will have to cross the big sea. In March of 2023, I will be in Ireland as an artist in residence along with fellow member Laura McRae-Hitchcock. I will spend the entire month following in the footsteps of Ireland’s first female botanist.

See Susan’s work on Instagram @artbysusanirish and on her website at www.susanirishartist.com

NAWA SC is proud to be a part of the National Association of Women Artists and further the national mission in our state of South Carolina – to promote awareness of, and interest in, visual art created by women in the United States. Please contact art.nawasc@gmail.com if you have questions about this news update, have news to share or wish to join the NAWA SC Chapter. To learn more about our members and our chapter, scan the QR code to visit https://nawasc.org.