Statewide Strategy and Planning Session Minutes - June 14 1997

The 1:00 p.m. meeting, held at the Dunedin Art Center, was preceded by a picnic lunch hosted by the Florida Gulfcoast Society of Scribes. Guild members brought pieces of their work to show. The following members were present:

• Florida Gulfcoast Society of Scribes, St. Petersburg: Linda Renc, Candace Berner, Nancy A. VanWinkle, Carol Layland, Frank Walsh, Sally Robertshaw, Rosemarie Croussouloudis and Shirley Steel.
• Scribes of Central Florida, Orlando: Judith Leitch, Joanne Fink, Dawn Call, Barbara Silver, Betsy Beall and Jean Norton.
• Suncoast Scribes, Sarasota: Dotty McMillian and Julie Schwartz.
• Calligraphers Guild of Jacksonville: Bobbi Yoffee
• Calusa Scribes, Ft. Myers: David Betts

Mutual Goals: “Shared Vision for a Common Goal”
Joanne stated that there are presently 7 to 9 guilds in Florida with similar needs and the same pool of talent who do everything. If everyone works together to improve calligraphic arts, it is possible to collaborate without taxing individual societies.

Joanne proposed a high caliber newsletter of statewide interest for the mutual benefit of all guilds and by sharing the costs, and assigning one thing for each guild to sponsor.

The Association for the Calligraphic Arts
Joanne distributed handouts and reviewed the development of an international organization to promote the calligraphic arts.

ACA has up to 35 guilds who have joined as charter members and out of the first ten to join, 2 were Florida guilds. It is hoped that 50 to l00 guilds will have joined by Confluence. The deadline for joining is July 1, 1997, and the dues are $1.00 per member or $50.00 minimum per guild.

ACA is going to do three things: 1) education To ensure calligraphic future, new blood will be brought in by creating educational programs and offering them in he school systems. ACA will work as a link between guilds; 2) exhibition ACA will sponsor international exhibitions. In ten years, there may he as many as ten exhibitions on the road because it takes a long time for an exhibition to travel the circuit; 3) excellent public relations ACA will promote so that the museum community will know that calligraphy is an artform worthy of recognition. There will be blanket PP so that guilds can release to local newspapers for coverage. Also, for individual artist works that calligraphic art is a serious undertaking. Calligraphers can make a living with calligraphy and we can help one another with pricing, etc.

Joanne stated that it will take several years to realize dreams and volunteers are needed now, not to take away from individual guilds, but one member from each guild to report to the ACA Regional Coordinator, Dawn Call (Scribes of Central Florida, Orlando). Dawn will oversee that everything is being done and report to Joanne with regard to timeframes.

Discussion ensued regarding the formation of a state guild. This would he a regional test or pilot program that would later become a function of ACA. Each guild would contribute money (according to the number of membership) for the cost of projects, postage, etc. One person from each guild would be needed to make sure all guilds are doing their jobs. The regional coordinator would help to oversee, coordinate. Meetings would be held one or two times yearly or at statewide exhibitions or conferences. The consensus of the group was to start with a statewide newsletter as phase one.

Statewide Newsletter/Journal
It was agreed that each guild would reduce the size and/or frequency of individual newsletters, publish a statewide newsletter, and prorate the cost according to the number of membership. Each guild will contribute one article, and one page will be designated to happenings in each guild area. Newsletters will be sent to guilds for distribution and it was suggested that to eliminate duplication of mailing lists, a check needs to be made for primary guild. It was also suggested that E-Mail and Fax numbers be added to addresses.

Newsletters will be published twice yearly in September and March except for the first newsletter which will be published October 1997. Dotty McMillian and Linda Renc will be co-editor. Dotty will design and will obtain bid from her father who is a printer. Linda will write and collect articles from guild volunteers: Candace Berner, St. Petersburg; Bobbie Yoffee, Jacksonville; Dotty McMillan, Sarasota: Alison Clement, Orlando; Jerry Tresser, Miami; and David Betts, Ft. Myers.

Exhibitions
Judith Leitch (Orlando) volunteered as coordinator and Bobbi Yoffee (Jacksonville) to organize a combined calligraphy exhibition. A beautiful site is required, with each guild having a venue, and transporting to the next guild's site. Entries would be up to 4 framed pieces with photos and slides submitted to a jury. Joanne will serve as a juror and traveling instructor. A professional photographer can be hired to do all the guild's photos at once. In order that beginners do not compete against professionals, there will be 4 categories: beginner, intermediate, advanced and professional. Judith will prepare guidelines and timeframes and provide to guilds. A lot of publicity is required and that will be up to each guild. It was agreed that 1999 may be the earliest that an exhibition can be organized.

Workshops
Carol Layland (St. Petersburg) volunteered to coordinate a location for a 60 person retreat. It was suggested that the first newsletter contain a poll for what retreats people are most interested. A number of names were suggested with Suzanne Moore being first choice. It is believed that many instructors are anxious to be in Florida during the winter months so the goal for the first retreat is February 1998 or Fall of 1998.

Websites
Alison Clement, website coordinator (Scribes of Central Florida, Orlando) will design a website (www.calligraphers.com) and each Florida guild may have their own subpage, updating local information on a monthly basis.

Conferences
Joanne questioned whether the statewide, regional or local guilds were interested in hosting an international conference. One or two guilds would need to chair categories. Not everything with a conference needs to be handled locally. Hosting guild would receive help from ACA volunteers and ACA will work with local guilds and contract with travel. Local guilds would contract with individual conference presenter. There has to be enough community interest to sponsor. The first group who says they want to sponsor a conference will do 2002. Those present felt the need to speak with guild members for commitment and will re-evaluate after one year of pooling interest on coordinating for Florida first.

Other Programming Ideas
Changing Calligrafaire to a statewide show in the fall was suggested as well as coordinating the first newsletter with Calligrafaire. Judith will give a report for the newsletter by August 1, 1997, with regard to Calligrafaire status.

Increasing Local Membership
Dawn and Linda will refer back to notes of ideas presented at the meeting at Calligrafaire to increase new members and bring back old members. Bobbi observed that guild members are not focused on calligraphy but rather on crafts. Bobbi volunteered to write an article for the newsletter regarding her book which received a good reception when presented this spring to the media center representing a 3 county area. The book was 2 years in the making and consists of 4 kits: 1) the history of calligraphy; 2) Medieval calligraphy; 3) contemporary calligraphy; and 4) a natural teaching kit (photos available). Bobbie is presenting the project at the conference and Joanne is interested in presenting to ACA.

Joanne inquired if guild members would be willing to volunteer to go into schools with materials to introduce calligraphy if ACA provided grants. Joanne is also willing to provide Alphabetica prints to put on walls and also members can provide works for education in schools. There remains the question of what constitutes a teacher.

Next Statewide Meeting
The next statewide meeting will be held either at Calligrafaire or at the retreat.

Adjourned
Many thanks to guild members who provided a sumptuous lunch, guild members who traveled near and far, the Dunedin Art Center for use of the center, and especially Linda Renc and Joanne Fink whose organization skills and hard work made it all possible. The meeting adjourned at 5:30 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Shirley A. Steel
Recording Secretary

Approved,

Linda Renc
President