Getting up to speed.
Entering the labyrinth.
Holding the fort.
Manning the phones.
Paying the bills.
Threading the needle.
Walking a tightrope.
These all apply. There are so many aspects to this job! The job description is just the tip of the iceberg. In the office, when the phone starts ringing, all sorts of hurdles and service issues pop up. We now have an amazing team in place: over-achievers like Christie Devereaux, Joanna Biondolillo, Mary Ahern and Elena Zelenina on board as volunteer officers, and Emma Seely-Katz, the cracker-jack of a digital content and office coordinator, plus an amazing web-master, and a solid, competent bookkeeper. Sandra Bertrand and her team continue to produce a quarterly online magazine to highlight our membership and bring invigorating and insightful news to all of us.
Things are starting to fall into a better place, after the confusion caused by COVID. Our Executive Board of Directors has also been stepping up. Thank you, Susan Hammond, for agreeing to step in as Vice President, and Sonia Stark for volunteering to be Treasurer. A big thanks to Joan Lewis for all she has contributed, with all these changes, as Nominating and Governance chair. Jeffrey Wechsler has been working hard with Joanna on the Monmouth Museum exhibit planned for 2022 and the list goes on. Christie has worked tirelessly to support the catch-up.
I truly love that our NAWA members and current leaders are people who do a thing for its intrinsic value. They are sharing and creative team players. One of my goals is to straighten out the gaps in the automated platforms we use and make sure everyone’s data is stored in reliable places, whether the cloud, or a manila folder (heaven forbid!). But it is also about the “platforms,” so onward to better and better!
With the 2021 Annual upon us, I hope everyone will understand the limitations the pandemic has thrust upon us, but with the cooperation and experience of One Art Space to guide us, we do have the privilege to return to an in-person venue. Please bear with us this year, and if you got shut out of the in-person reception, try to understand, and join the Zoom if you can, or come to the gallery any of the days of the run of the exhibit (Oct. 16 – 23) noon to 6. Let’s hope for better circumstances in 2022 for the 133rd!
(NOTE: As of our date of publication, we are happy to announce that the 132nd exhibition was a rousing success, showcasing 220 member artists. Please visit the NAWA website www.thenawa.org to experience the exciting array of artworks and share with family and friends. sb)
