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Dear Ms. Webster, <br />Thank you for your note and your interest in the LAA Youth Art Show. I am guessing you <br />sent your inquiry to me as President of the Louisville Cultural Council, but I also sit on the <br />board for the Louisville Art Association. <br />Historically, LAA and LCC jointly hosted two annual art shows showcasing the work of area <br />children. The December show was limited to students in Louisville schools and was hung at <br />the Louisville Center for the Arts. In March, LAA, LCC and the Louisville Library host a show <br />open to all Louisville resident children (as well as grandchildren of Louisville residents who <br />do not reside in Louisville) which is hung at the Louisville Library for about a month. <br />As you may know, both organizations are completely run by volunteers. Because of this, <br />LAA and LCC must continually reassess where volunteer interests lie and how to best match <br />talent and interests with programs. It is accurate that matting the children's work was a labor <br />and cost consumptive effort. However, there were several other factors that carried more <br />weight, particularly the difficulty in recruiting sufficient volunteers to organize and run the <br />show at a time that overlapped with the annual LAA Holiday Members' Show and Sale and <br />with the business of the holiday season. <br />In the end, the LAA Board made the decision to collapse the two shows into the March show <br />at the Louisville Library. In addition to the timing concerns mentioned above, focusing on <br />this show offered these additional benefits: <br />As a public location, the art in the show in the library is viewed by many more people and is <br />far more accessible to the young artists and their families than could be provided with <br />volunteers opening the Arts Center. <br />The library has ample additional space for a large reception which featured demos by <br />professional artists, some of which were participatory for the children. <br />Revisiting how the shows were done afforded the opportunity for new volunteers to step <br />up, become engaged and share their good ideas which is important in keeping shows and <br />organizations vital and responsive to ever changing needs. <br />This was actually a tough decision that included brainstorming conversations about how we <br />might reach out and be allies to the wonderful art programs in the schools. I know the <br />school year is a very busy time, but I would like to invite you to attend an LAA board meeting <br />and share your ideas and thoughts about how LAA can support local teachers fostering a <br />love of art and pride in personal creativity among our school children. Board meetings are <br />typically 5:00 PM the first Tuesday of each month. In November, that coincides with election <br />day, so I believe the meeting will be held on October 30 as an exception. <br />If that is not possible, I would be very happy to meet with you at your convenience and learn <br />more about your programs and how we can work together as a community to make sure we <br />are doing our part for the children of Louisville. <br />Sincerely, <br />Susan Honstein, LCC Board Chair, LAA Board <br />303 666 -0032 <br />PDF created with pdfFactory trial version www.pdffactory.com <br />