At the Annual Meeting on June 9, it was my pleasure to report the status of the Association to the general membership. It was great to see a turnout of nearly 50 members! After a big thank you for attending, I thought it appropriate because of new members to briefly state the history and pride of our organization. Beginning with the foresight of Miss Ellen Browning Scripps and Eleanor B. Parkes, the latter our first president, the Association was founded in 1918, followed in 1921 by a gallery made possible by the generosity of Ms. Scripps, through the La Jolla Library Association. Four of California’s leading landscape artists brought the LJAA to national prominence during its first four decades.
In 1955, the Athenaeum (formerly the La Jolla Library Association) granted LJAA a 50–year lease for space on Athenaeum property for $1 per year. In 2005 that lease expired and our gallery relocated to its present venue at 7932 Ivanhoe Avenue.
The legacy of our early founders is highly important, in their drive, their artistic excellence, and the goal of our gallery “serving local artists since 1918.” This is no small matter, and we should be proud of our long and continuing success.
We’ve had wonderful shows this year and good sales, thanks to the cooperation of members in being Team Leaders and staffing the gallery during the shows. Our successes are due to volunteers at every level, and the Board’s thanks go to each one of you.
There are challenges ahead, and decisions that must be made. Our lease is up on December 31,2007, and we are working to adjust to adjust that lease for the future or, if necessary, to seek a new location for the future⁄ to relocate the gallery.
The LJAA Board is staffed with energetic, experienced members. We will give you the best chance we can for exhibitions and for maintaining our name, our pride, and our history. Through this newsletter and emails, we will keep you closely informed as things develop.
We are confident of a bright future!
Rodger Heglar, President
The next La Jolla Art Association Board Meeting is on Monday, July 2 at 6:30 PM at the Gallery. All are welcome.
Caroline Morse, Secretary
John Valois conducted the voting by the membership, who approved several changes in the Bylaws and Rules of Order. One of them included separating the former Treasurer⁄Secretary office into two distinct Treasurer and Secretary positions. Another change reduced the minimum number of required Board members from 7 to 5.
Another change covered transferring the determination of specific amounts of dues from the Bylaws to the Rules of Order. Another change now requires the approval of 2⁄3 of the membership for dues increases exceeding 40%.
The last of the substantive bylaw changes states that Board meetings will continue to be held monthly. The Board will decide when and where those meetings will occur and will give advance notice to the membership.
The full texts of the amended Bylaws and Rules of Order can be found by clicking those items on the LJAA Home Page at www.lajollaart.org.
The newly elected Board members will fill the following positions:
Our Association’s thanks was given to the outgoing Board officers President Scott Graham and Treasurer Jan Thompson. Thanks also to outgoing Board members Gregory Reade, Webmaster; Julie Ricksecker, Secretary and Newsletter ; Michael Sussna, Membership; Jerry VanDeBerg, Special Events. Additional thanks to Jeff Brosbe, who served as Director of the Gallery Transition Crew and has now assumed the Editorship of the LJAA Newsletter.
REPORT FROM THE TREASURER
Our fiscal year runs from May 1st through April 30th. Last month, I put together our year end financial report and this month our accountant is preparing our taxes and a financial review. If you did not attend our annual meeting in June, the following information gives you a picture of our finances and the reasons why the Board is looking into alternate, less expensive gallery space.
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It is readily apparent that our expenses exceeded our income. In the last fiscal year, we had a net loss of $6,933. The major income sources were commissions on gallery sales ($ 29, 677 — $19, 058), member dues ($7,819) and net exhibition income from gallery and entry fees ($33, 797 — $8,775). Gallery sales were approximately $30,000, the same as last year. The major expenses were rent ($40,066) and other costs of maintaining the gallery ($7,840 + $1,549). Our rent has more than doubled because we were required to pay common area expenses that we previously were not billed for.
For the remainder of this calendar year, July through December, 2007, because member dues have already been paid and most of our gallery fees collected, I estimate our monthly expenses will continue to exceed our monthly income. Unless we can boost sales in the gallery or run a fundraiser, our savings are estimated to decline to about $50,000.
Our lease expires at the end of December and soon we must make a decision about whether to stay on at our Ivanhoe location.
By the end of 2006, the LJAA membership numbered 134 which included the admission of 11 new members. Since 1990 the number of admissions was greatest during the 2002–2005 years when 74 new members were admitted. As older members will recall, 2005 also marked the beginning of the association’s occupancy of the Village Gallery at 7932 Ivanhoe Street. Unfortunately 25 (34%) of those peak year members did not renew their membership in 2007. While the reasons for non–renewal were not for the most part given, anecdotal evidence suggests that “lack of sales”, “no time to contribute service”, “construction near gallery”, “other commitments”, and “lack of gallery name recognition” were some of the factors involved.
Fortunately, 2007 has also proven to be a good year for new admission. To date, 20 new members have been admitted so that currently the membership numbers 120 artists, including 86 Exhibiting Members, 28 Life Members, and 6 Associate Members.
Recommendations were made to increase publicity and marketing efforts as one possible means to increase membership retention. Another recommendation included the exploration of way to increase member interaction in order to foster member identification with and commitment to the LJAA.
John Valois
Membership Director
Transformations, featuring the work of Dana Levine, Caroline Morse,Jeffrey R. Brosbe, Peggy Palm, Lev Tsimring, Artie Mattson, Peter Myrdal, and Kris deYoung will be at The Village Gallery from June 25 – July 8, 2007. A reception for the artists will be held from 4 – 7 p.m. on Sunday, July 1st.
Dana Levine is leading the group exhibit “Transformations” which opens on June 25th and goes through July 8th. The artists’ reception will be Sunday, July 1 from 4–7 PM.
Irina Negulescu will be presenting her one-woman show July 9 – July 22.
Raye Anne Marks and Tyla Colton will be presenting their two–person show July 23 – August 5.
LJAA will have a booth with members artwork at the Art Walk on the Bay, September 8 & 9. Be sure to visit the Embarcadero during that weekend and stop by their booth.
LJAA will be applying for group show participation during the 2008 season in the Poway Center for the Performing Arts. Additional details will be published in the late summer and early fall. This will be an excellent opportunity for new members to find an exhibit space for their work.
Jim Respess, along with Master Photographers Peter Gorwin and Robert Barry, will be giving a workshop in July on Digital B&W Photography. This workshop will include my many secrets on getting your print to look as good as you would like it. The workshop will be on Saturday July 14 from 8:30 to 5:00 PM and will include lunch, handouts and a CD. For more information, go to http://www.pgphotographics.com or call Jim at 858 272 1926
The Carlsbad–Oceanside Art League invites all Southern California artists to enter the 57th Annual Open Juried Fine Arts Award Show at the League’s Gallery. Bring your entries to 300 Carlsbad Village Drive – Suite 101, Carlsbad. Entries will be received on July 28th and 29th. Cash awards in the amount of $2,500 will be distributed. The show runs from August 1–September 2, 2007. You may call the gallery at 760–434–8497 for more information. To obtain a prospectus, visit the gallery or the web site at http://www.coalartgallery.com
Gwen Nobil’s mixed media painting, NATURE’S FIREWORKS took first place in the recent Masters of the Moment show. This show is East County Art Association’s 12th annual regional juried art show. Reed Cardwell was the juror of over 300 entries. The show is on exhibit at the East County Performing Arts Center through June 30th.
Mary Lou M Holmberg has had 4 paintings selected for the El Cajon Alley Cat Art Walk Show. The reception is July 6th 4–7PM at Sophie’s Gallery, 109 Rea Ave., El Cajon. The juried show will run from July 6–August 3.
One of Randi Helsel’s paintings, THOUGHTS OF LOVE, was selected for the juried 12th annual Masters of the Moment Show at the East County Art Association. It will be at the East Count performing Art Center until June 30th.
Judi Sim has four paintings juried in at the San Diego County Fair 2007. One, CAT CONVERSATION, won a 3rd Place in the black & white drawing category.
Jerome Lipetzky was awarded second place in landscape⁄cityscape oils at the SD County Fair in Del Mar.
Jenny Ferrone’s watercolor painting KOI AND LILIES has been juried into the San Diego Watercolor Society current June show : Cool Clear Water. The show can be seen until June 29th at the NTC Promenade at Point Loma’s Liberty Station , 2825 Dewey Road, Suite 105, San Diego.
Jeffrey R. Brosbe has had work accepted into the Alley Cat Art Walk Show in El Cajon. He will also have work in the TRANSFORMATIONS show at The Village Gallery from June 25 – July 8. The reception will be from 4 – 7 p.m. on Sunday, July 1st.
Fujiko Isomura will have three artworks in the Cultural Fusion exhibition at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido Museum, 7⁄28–9⁄30. He also will have a piece in the 15th Anniversary Exhibition at the Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL, 8⁄3–30.
Yanina Cambareri presents WATER, a collection of new watercolor paintings at East West Art & Framing in 7720–D El Camino Real, La Costa Center, (760) 944–0670. The reception will be on Sunday, July 15th, from 2–5 PM Hors d’oevres, wine and live music. Show runs from July 5th through August 31st.
Jane Fletcher’s paintings PORTRAIT STUDY OF CHRIS and PORTRAIT STUDY OF DIANA will be exhibited in the San Diego Portrait Society show at the POWAY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS from June 1 through June 27, 2007. Her painting MOSAIC # 38 will be exhibited in the Riverside Museum of Art from June 7 until July 7, 2007. Jane has also been invited to exhibit her painting THE GARDEN BENCH at the La Jolla Athenaeum Music & Arts Library Gallery from June 23 through July 14. Additionally, she has 12 paintings from her Mosaic Series in the ARTIST’S SPACE GALLERY in Del Mar until August 30, 2007.
Tony Cuban has been juried into the Alley Cat Art Walk which runs the 6th & 7th of July on Rea Street in El Cajon, He also has eight pieces on display at the San Diego Art Institute C note sale, will be displaying at the CatNip Show at the Spanish Village in early July, and has an exhibition of several pieces at the Crazy Burger on 30th Street, one block south of El Cajon Blvd.
Marion Mettler will have pieces from her current series of mixed media and monotypes, ANCESTRAL PALIMPSEST in a one–person show at the Adams Avenue Grill for the month of July. It is located at 2201 Adams Avenue, 619–298–8440.
Julianne Ricksecker received the North County Printmakers award for her piece in the San Diego County Fair Fine Art Exhibition. The exhibition runs June 8 through July 4, 2007.