Here is our colorful, informative October 2023 Newsletter! Lots of great things in store. You can delve into our old archived newsletters HERE (the direct link is under the About tab).
Come visit our Member Show “Aqua Vita” at Degallery soon because our last day is October 3. Artists can pick up any unsold work on October 4 when Degallery is open. It is a great show. Come by and you might find art that speaks to you. We have 22 members showcasing 68 of their more recent art – including oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, mixed media, paper, photography, glass and fiber art. Come see the wide range of incredible art from our members!
The theme for the show is is water: the physical entity of water in all its forms, but you can also think of the symbolism of water. It can represent the change that we experience in our own lives, as we grow and mature. It can also represent the change that we see in the world around us, as the environment changes and evolves. Water is a reminder that change is a natural part of life. It is something that we cannot control, but it is something that we can embrace. Change can be scary, but it can also be exciting. It can be a time of new beginnings, new opportunities, and new challenges. Water is a powerful symbol of change, and it can help us to understand and embrace the changes that are happening around us.
The Visual Art Society of B-CS has been involved with Brazos Valley Gives for the last 4 years. You can visit our page at www.brazosvalleygives.org/Visual_Art_Society On the page we have an additional fundraiser page for the Aggieland Art Trail. All proceeds go toward all our community projects, including scholarships for art students. All donors giving at least $20 will be listed on our Sponsor webpage and on our Aggieland Art Trail brochure. Early giving starts TODAY, Sept 18. The actual 18 hour day of giving is Tuesday, October 17, 2023 5am – 11pm. It is a wonderful event for the community.
Brazos Valley Gives, an initiative of the Community Foundation of the Brazos Valley, is a month-long community giving effort that culminates in 18 hours of online giving on the 3rd Tuesday of October. Giving together as one community to raise money and awareness for local nonprofits in 7 Brazos Valley counties can do a great deal.
Brazos Valley Gives is a community day of giving that strengthens nonprofits, empowers donors, and builds community. The goal for 2023 Brazos Valley Gives is $1,250,000 with 165 participating nonprofit organizations. During 2022, donors rallied to raise $1,176,760 and donated 9,677 volunteer hours to support the good works of 161 nonprofit organizations. Since 2019, the Community Foundation’s Brazos Valley Gives Day has raised $3,268,788 for participating nonprofits in the 7-county region of the Brazos Valley.
This annual day of “giving where you live” is powered by the Community Foundation of the Brazos Valley, and all donations pass-thru directly to the donor’s charity or charities of choice.
Everyone is invited to attend the reception for our 2023 Member Show “Aqua Vita” Reception, this coming Friday Sept 1 6-8pm at Degallery, 930 N Rosemary Dr, Bryan, TX 77802. We have 22 members showcasing 68 of their more recent art – including oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, mixed media, paper, photography, glass and fiber art. Come see the wide range of incredible art from our members! Great refreshments! Free and open to the public! The show runs through Tuesday, Oct 3.
The Call for Art has opened for our annual member show, “Aqua Vita.” Deadline is now August 25. The general theme this year is water: its physical forms and its symbolism. The show runs from September 1 – October 3, 2023. If you are not a current member, you may join or renew online. Student members get 50% off their submission fees. Check HERE for more information.
Congratulations to Olivia Davis, recipient of the 2023 4H Project Area Award for Photography! We are always proud to sponsor and present this award at the annual awards banquet on August 13 at the Brazos County Expo Center.
VAS has been supporting this award for over many years.
From left to right: Dr. Joel Kitchens, VAS board member and photographer, Olivia Davis, Kyler Wendt, Chairman of the the Brazos County Council Officer Team, and Matthew Pfeifer, Brazos County Extension Agent for 4-H & Youth Development.
We have two more shows scheduled, one in January 2024 at The Arts Council of the Brazos Valley, and our spring judged show in April, 2024. These shows are open to ALL artists and we now have themes! The January show is entitled “Resolutions: New Beginnings,” We encourage artists to explore the theme of new beginnings by thinking about the challenges, rewards and images of starting over, as well as the power of art to help us visualize our hopes and dreams for the future. This prompt is very open and subject to many different interpretations. The spring judged art show has the title “Art in Bloom.” I see a cacophony of color! The details aren’t finalized but the show will run April 26 – May 29! Deadline for artists is April 14th.
VAS was pleased to present these certificates at the reception for our 50th Anniversary to our 2022-2023 scholarship winners, Marcella Deer and Cedric Gonzalez, both from College Station High School. You can learn more about our scholarship program HERE.
Our new board needs your input! Grab a cup of coffee, sit back and help us! We have created 3 forms for our members:
- VAS Exhibit Questionnaire for Members Form , created by Ruth Scego, our VP and Exhibits Chair.. Fill this out if you are interested in exhibiting your art around our community.
- Member Demo and Workshop Interests Form created by Jaimie Ladysh, our Demo and Workshop Chair, We want to know your interests as a member of VAS for future demos, workshops, field trips, etc. to make art, or view art.
- Member Artist Info Form created by Wendy Keeney-Kennicutt, President and Technology Chair . We are looking for members who want their own webpage on our website. Take a look who we have now on the Our Artists tab!
All members in good standing can have their own page on our website to showcase themselves and their art! Visit https://www.visualartsociety.org/our-artists/ to learn more.