JOURNAL OF THE FELLOWSHIP OF QUAKERS IN THE ARTS
Issue #23 Fall 2001
Clerk's Journal: A Call for Help
Summer is months away, but even so, it's time to think ahead about the Lemonade
Gallery at the 2002 FGC Gathering in Normal, Illinois.
The Gallery was a creation of FQA, its gift to the Gathering that is the largest
annual assembly of Friends in North America. Its appearance made history:
FGC didn't have a Quaker art gallery until it was 98 years old. For the four
years since its inception in 1998, the Gallery has consistently "topped
the charts" in evaluations, as the most popular and highly regarded of
the myriad of afternoon Gathering activities.
But in 2002, the Gallery faces a very serious challenge, and it needs your
help!
Here's the situation; For the past four years, I've served as "Curator" of the Gallery, handling the arrangements, attending meetings, struggling to get us a good space, organizing the receptions, dealing with the Intent to Show forms, coordinating performances, making sure artists (and FGC) get the proceeds from art sales, etc., etc, etc.
It's a lot of work, and it's been a labor of love.
But now it's time to lay this task down. I need to move on to other projects,
and the Gallery needs to avoid becoming a one person operation – that
would be the death of it. I know this for a fact: I've been researching FGC
history, and it's clear there where projects become identified with one person's
concern and commitment, they don't outlast them. (There was, for instance,
a woman Friend, Esther Holmes Jones, who for many years ran a UN peace program
for FGC at Cape May; but when she finally retired, it disappeared.)
As the Lemonade Gallery approaches its fifth anniversary, it is also coming
to a crossroads, namely: the shift to becoming a self perpetuating project.
The key to that process will be an orderly transition. This means we need
someone to step forward and take on the task of Assistant Curator in 2002,
looking toward taking over as Curator for 2003 and beyond.
What will the Assistant Curator get for her or his labor? Well, of course
your reward will be very great in heaven. Plus there is the satisfaction of
seeing us quietly make Quaker history each time the gallery appears –
this has been a biggie for me. (If you haven't already, check out the saga
of the Gallery's creation online at: http://www.quaker.org/fqa/gallery/index.html)
And there is the prospect of something a bit more tangible to come: at this
point, the Curator gets a "work grant" from FGC equivalent to the
basic registration fee (but not room and board). I've been lobbying FGC to
allot a work grant for the Assistant Curator too, but that is in doubt as
this is written.
So, to speak plainly, it's a lot of work for little or no pay. Sound familiar,
artists???
But if the Gallery is to survive and flourish, this needs to be done. So I put it to you straight:
Is there someone out there who will come under the weight of seeing the Gallery make this transition?
If so, please email me ASAP at: [email protected], or write by snail to me Chuck Fager %FQA, P.O. Box 58565, Philadelphia PA 19102, preferably before Third Month (March) 1, 2002.
When FQA started the Lemonade Gallery, we created what has become the most
widely known vehicle for American Quaker artists ever. Now it's our task to
preserve and advance this creation.
11/12/2001
Types & Shadows is published quarterly by the Fellowship of Quakers in the Arts. Subscriptions are available through membership in the FQA.
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