Nelson Park - 5/20/23

The Colleagues gathered for our final en plein air meeting at Nelson Park on May 20th. We ALWAYS benefit from just the pure camaraderie of meeting in person! And while attendance was not quite as ‘robust’ as last year - members still dropped off books & items for the ‘free’ table (always a highlight:) and Georgia did a live demo of Japanese brushwork…

Patricia P. and Joe Balabuszko had display tables featuring Artist Trading Cards (as seen @MakerUniversity) – with supplies to create. (*Remember – Anne K. runs an ATC exchange year-round – feel free to join in at any time – contact: akaese2000@ gmail.com!)

President Colleen Mlecoch walked us through our ‘year in review’ – and while it didn’t feel smooth and productive in real time – the final analysis was….remarkable? Thank you, all. for bearing with the hurdles of in-person vs. virtual – it could be a little stressful at times. That said, The Colleagues ONCE AGAIN showed a remarkable willingness to roll up their sleeves and ‘just try things’ as we forged ahead. The Board thanks you.

A special acknowledgement goes to Anne Kaese for stepping up and bringing us her outside expertise and sharing her calligraphic interests. It truly made our year. Versatility is going a long way in these times of transition – thank you Anne, for the Pilgrimage and the Cuthbert Uncial and introducing Della Hutchison to the fold – so memorable. Anne also brought the Maker University format to the CoC! Maker U started out small, but it will only grow. Thank you to the Colleagues who were able to pull together programs in a short time: Jean Formo,

Lin Lacy, Anne, Patricia and Sally Wightkin (as both teacher AND emerging tech guru!). Thank you, Maura and Georgia and tech-master Analisse for solid, behind the scenes support as well!

It was also a highlight to welcome (new) special guest calligrapher Nina Tran. Pointed pen now seems a bit more accessible somehow... Maker U ‘took a small village’ to pull off, but now that we broke the ice, we can modify it to further fit our needs and it will only gain momentum. Members: Have something to share? Let’s start thinking about next March… it can be anything – even a workshop experience you already had with an instructor that made an impression.

What a major learning curve we had – yet so many successes as we look back…

The new Board has year one under it’s belt – looking forward to an even more streamlined ‘year two’.

That is the plan… See you for the 2023-24 adventure.