Alabama River Region Arts Center Volume 1, Issue 3 December 2010
The ARRAC Update Happy Holidays!
Wetumpka’s Old High School to Become ARRAC INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Board / Officers
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First Classes
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Christmas on the Coosa Auction
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Membership Update
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New Year
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About us
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Facts ….. • We need our community’s financial help! • Our start up costs have increased to over $8,000! • We need more Volunteers for Our Committees ! • Our web site is www.arrac.org.
We have great news in that the Elmore County School System is working on an agreement with ARRAC to make the Old High School by the Wetumpka Performing Arts Center the new home for ARRAC. Our section of the school includes approximately 11,000 square feet of floor space and 4,000 square feet of wall (display) space. We have several hurdles to cross before we sign the lease. 1. Raise enough funds to cover the electric and water bills for at least 3 months which is estimated to be around $4,800.00, 2. Secure our liability insurance estimated at $ 800.00 for
six months ($1,600.00 a year) and 3. Get the place cleaned up and rooms painted (material cost estimated at $1,600.00).
ARRAC has also received a donation of $1,000.00 from Mr. Ben Russell of Russell Land Company thanks to the efforts John Wayne Taylor.
We have been fortunate in that thanks to Myra Johnson’s quick action and hard work, The ARRAC has received a $1,000.00 grant from the Mildred Weedon Blount Educational and Charitable Foundation.
The relationships we have developed with these two fine community supporters will assist ARRAC now and in the future. As the benefits of our Arts Center start to spread around the community more agencies and individuals will step forward.
This is our first grant and even though the amount is not grand in scale the confidence that the Mildred Weedon Blount Educational and Charitable Foundation showed in our cause is!
Speaking of individual contributions, we would like to thank our first Gold member Ms. Mary Wolfe (Elmore County) and our latest Bronze members Ms. Francis Arnold (Elmore County) and Mr. Monte McKinney (Montgomery) for their support.
New Founding Officers Appointed ARRAC’s Board is pleased to announce that we have our founding officers in place. They are: Vickie Ham – President Carol Barksdale – Vice President Dawn Sullivan – Secretary/Treasurer Let’s welcome our new Officers and support their efforts with our volunteerism, ideas, suggestions and opportunities leading to more support from local businesses. If you find someone or a business that would like to help ARRAC, let one of our new Officers or any Board Member know. Thank you!
Our Strategic Plan 1. Meet the needs of the Community. 2. Expand our high quality Arts programs. 3. Become financially independent. 4. Develop a building fund to support our mission.
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As we grow our financial needs grow as well. If you know someone who would like to help, contact any of our Founding Board Members …. Thank you for your help!
The ARRAC Update Our First Classes Are Published Our first classes have been published on our web site for February 2011. We have a quilting class, several clay classes and a series of children’s painting classes. We are currently working on getting adult drawing/painting classes on the schedule and a metal jewelry, white oak basket and a modern furniture workshop scheduled. These workshops will be spread through out the first two quarters of 2011.
workshops at ARRAC which will include outdoor lab work at the ARRAC. If you have someone ask about a possible class or if you have a suggestion for a class, contact Vickie Ham or Carol Barksdale with your suggestions. See the bottom of this page for their contact information.
A Sculpture Garden in the Making ARRAC Volunteers have found a landscape Architect / instructor that would like to design the master plan for the ARRAC back yard sculpture garden. This will be the first step in creating an outdoor area to display large exterior art pieces. The design will be the foot print for many of the future horticultural workshops and classes that will be coming to ARRAC. Keep your eye on our website!
We have started discussions with the Agricultural Extension Office to develop horticultural classes and
Christmas on the Coosa Auction Raises over $800.00 ARRAC would like to thank all of the Artists that contributed their work to the “Christmas on the Coosa” Silent Auction. The auction raised at last count $840.00 for the ARRAC. We owe Vickie and Jim Ham a big “Thank you” for spearheading the auction, coordinating the collection of art and manning the ARRAC booth. Not only did Vickie and Jim recruit bidders, this dynamic duo worked all day spreading the word about the ARRAC, answering questions and recruiting new members. Well done!
All unsold items are now posted on the ARRAC online Gallery and will be hung in the Wetumpka Gallery with 100% of the sales going to ARRAC. This is a great example of the power and commitment of our members and community support to help ARRAC succeed.
Founding Board of Directors and Officers Below are the emails for the Founding Board and Officers. Drop them an email if you have any questions or suggestions!
Pat Johnson – wdturn@bellsouth.net Frank Sullivan – sullivanpottery@aol.com
BOARD John Wayne Taylor Carol Barksdale – bdaleart@aol.com Myra Johnson – huntn4bears@elmore.rr.com
jwtrht@att.net Interim Treasurer – Dawn Sullivan
OFFICERS Vickie Ham – President vjham@aol.com Carol Barksdale – Vice President bdaleart@aol.com Dawn Sullivan – Secretary/Treasurer Seamarie74@aol.com
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The ARRAC Update Our Membership Continues to Grow! We are pleased to announce that our Membership has grown to 22 Members since November! This is a great start, but as we move forward we need more Members and Volunteers to participate in our programs.
******* Help Wanted ******* The ARRAC is looking for persons interested in filling Committee positions including; Marketing, Fund Raising, Curriculum/Programs, Gallery design and Room clean up Captains.
So if you know someone that would like to participate, give them our web address (www.arrac.org) and/or have them give one of Our Officers or Board Members a call (334) 578-9485. We can answer questions and find out what interests they have.
Contact any Officer or Founding Board Members for more information.
There are exciting times ahead!
New Year New Grants, New Fund Raisers Well a new year is on the horizon and that means that Myra Johnson and her fund raising committee will be hard at work appealing for support of the ARRAC.
ARRAC needs your help!
Got a Story ?
This is a critical time through January as we need to round up as much financial support as possible to carry the ARRAC through until the first grants of the season have been secured.
Have you got a story you would like to get printed in the news letter? Contact Frank Sullivan at sullivanpottery@aol.com for more information.
We need all members out in the community spreading the word about our arts center and drumming up financial support. Our goal is to increase our membership to 300 members this year. This will take the assistance of our current membership to accomplish. If you have a fund raising idea that you would like to share and participate in, contact Myra Johnson or any Board member or Officer.
(Photos courtesy Black belt Treasures)
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ALABAMA RIVER REG IO N ART S CE NTER
85 Canal Cove Wetumpka, Alabama 36092 Phone: (334) 578-9485 E-Mail: director@arrac.org We’re on the Web!
See us at: www.arrac.org
NEWSLETTER TITLE About Us… The Founding members are composed of local Artist from varied disciplines that have a common goal to create a public non-profit organization based in Wetumpka, Alabama focusing on nurturing all categories of arts in the River Region. The Arts Center is a volunteer based, community supported organization that will derive it’s funding from public and private donations, contributions, grants benefactors and the proceeds from memberships, Artist Space, Rentals, Gallery Art Sales and special events.
ALABAMA RIVER REGION ARTS CENTER 85 CANAL COVE WETUMPKA, ALABAMA 36092
MEMBER NAME
STREET ADDRESS
ADDRESS 2 CITY, ST ZIP CODE
Volunteer at www.arrac.org Memberships at www.arrac.org