Given my new posting at the helm of the NWSSA of late, I've been thinking about just what it takes to successfully run an organization like this. The inclusivity of this organization is paramount. That is, you want to have a healthy team of new learners, old masters, younger generation, older mindset, hobbyists, professionals, and everything in between. On a personal level, I want to see people know what-it-is-we-do so they can make an educated choice about whether they want to be involved in the world of stone sculpture either through the means of "hands on" or by supporting this brand of art monetarily. How can we be successful at this? Here are some thoughts:
- By running exciting symposia that nurture the spirit of stone carving by educating, inspiring, and opening doors both metaphorically and academically.
- By having art shows that offer diversity in size, skill level, and content, support challenging ideas, communicate processes, are well thought out, and stunningly publicized.
- By raising the profile of our professionals through international, regional, and national means.
- By creating buying power within our organization.
- By nurturing "out of the box" thinking that offers insight to those outside our community and creates a fun outlet for those wishing to communicate with alternate means.
- By enabling volunteers to contribute time with relative ease in a streamlined fashion.
- By never forgetting that it is our generosity that makes us rare.
I welcome dialogue..
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2 comments:
Much food for thought, Gerda. Right now I want to comment on your last point, that generosity makes us rare. I take that to mean that generosity is rare among communities of similarly-committed individuals, and that view accords with much of my own experience. If generosity is both rare and highly valued. it should attract interest and the community should grow. And if, as many participants in NWSSA symposia have suggested throughout the entire history of the association, generosity should be infectious inside and outside the community and that should make it less rare.
What makes generosity rare? Why is it rare?
Lee Gass
Continuing to do all the things you outlined is the right thing (track?). My view is to step back and look at NWSSA as a place where anyone who carves stone will want to be (or at least pass thru). Making NWSSA activities and qualities visible and available to those who need and want to discover the place called NWSSA is the essence of what you are talking about and trying to capture.
20 years ago being able to produce a Sculpture Northwest or put up a mail list, and hold a symposium are products of an active community. Today we have a different "front-end" for those rising up (awakening) to stone carving. They're called things like Facebook, Blogs, Twitter, Web 2.0. that are underlying communications mechanisms. The NEED to see other folks work, exhibit your own work, learn about the carving process, and participate in the community still exists, it's just the tools are different by which folks find and talk with each other and the essence of what we call a symposium will have staying power but its name and how it's run may morph into something more in keeping with the style and needs of the next participants.
Keeping the organization vibrant and generous are high value.
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