Evolution of the ASV

As Acting President, I look forward to contributing what I can to promote ASV continuity and growth. As many of you know I am fully employed in a city accounting practice and would be classified as a hobby sculptor. The following priorities occur to me for the ASV:
Building a full working Committee as a team to run the ASV
Developing policy guidelines as requested by the AGM
Detailed planning for our four exhibitions scheduled for 2009.
In general, rather than to set targets that are too ambitious and lose credibility by lack of success, I would prefer to be conservative in setting targets and then to ensure we achieve them.
We need member help in ideas and time to keep running the ASV. We need to improve. We aim to have a first Committee meeting by mid December 2008.
Please send me any thoughts and suggestions at any time, and any comments now on priorities and targets for 2009 within a week if possible of receiving this newsletter:
Geoff Williams, Acting President
Post: Geoff Williams, GLW Analysis Services Pty Ltd, PO Box 245, Collins Street West PO, Vic 8007

ASV Diary Dates

Meetings are held in the Boroondara Community Arts Room, rear 360 Burwood Road, Hawthorn and start at 7:30pm.

Christmas Party

Our Christmas party this year will be held on Sunday 7th December at the home of Tim and Dianne Kervin: 3, Mary Place, Hurstbridge.

Anyone getting lost and needing to be talked in call 0410 482 256 – the party will be swinging so they won't hear the landline. Here is Tim's sculpture Diggin' the Beat.

BBQ facilities are available.

They have large indoor and outdoor entertainment areas. Please bring a chair and your meat and drink. It should be fun.

2^nd January 2009

Closing date for sculpture entries Herring Island Summer Arts Festival. Entry forms are on the ASV web site at www.sculptorsvictoria.asn.au/hisaf_entry_2009.pdf and www.sculptorsvictoria.asn.au/hisaf_information_2009.pdf. And will be posted to sculptors with post delivery of the newsletter. This time we have a limited number of sculture stands available to members with specific needs – contact us early to see if you are elegible for one and if they are the right size for your work. The trolley on Herring Island has been supplemented with some new nursery trolleys so we look forward to an easier time setting up.

23^rd January 2009

Set up sculpture exhibtion on Herring Island in the morning – Gala Preview with Melbourne River Cruises in the evening.

24^th January to 8^th February

Herring Island exhibition and demonstrations.

Monthly Meeting 11^th February

Activities to be advised – but this promses to be an eventful year.

24^th February

Closing Date entries for MIFGS 2009

Monthly Meeting 11^th March

1^st to 5^th April

Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM) 12, 19 November 2008

John Wooller as President and Chairman opened the meeting at 9.30 pm on 12 November 2008. He noted 17 members were present, with apologies from another 7 members.
The Treasurer’s report was read by Patrick Culshaw and accepted. It showed a surplus of $814 for the year ended 30 June 2008 ($2,418 in the previous year). A summary is included in this newsletter, or for email contact members is posted on the website at www.sculptorsvictoria.asn.au/2007-8_cond_p_l_bal.pdf
The Membership Report was read by Ronit Freedman and accepted. It showed 130 members as at June 2008 (137 June 2007), with 24 new members joining during the year. Our current membership is 108 financial members, the reduction being due to non renewals.
Exhibition Reports were discussed and accepted:
A Report on Herring Island Exhibition, read by Jenny Rickards;
A Report on Melbourne International Flower & Gardens Show, by Bronwyn Culshaw;
A Report on the ASV Annual Exhibition 2008, by Bronwyn Culshaw;
A Report on the Tesselaar Show by Mark Cowie.
A Report on the Web Site was made by Jenny Rickards and accepted.
A Report on the Newsletter was made by Jenny Rickards and accepted. Feedback and comments from members were requested.
A report on Activities was made by Gilliam Govan and accepted.
A report on the Constitution was treated as read, as included in the last newsletter.
At the request of the Chairman, Jenny Rickards gave a short summary of the motions she proposed, as listed in the Agenda.
Due to the late time, and the understanding that no Quorum existed, the Chairman adjourned the meeting to the same place in one week’s time.
John Wooller as President and Chairman re-opened the meeting at 7.30 pm on 19 November 2008. He noted that 11 members were present, and, as circulated by email to members, the new Constitution had been accepted with 5 additional clauses by Consumer Affairs with immediate effect on 12 November 2008. He said that he would therefore carry on the previous meeting on the basis that it was a legitimate AGM with an adequate quorum under the new Constitution. He observed that the 11 members currently present in this adjourned meeting also constituted a quorum under the new Constitution.
The Chairman asked for nominations for positions as Officers under the new Constitution for 2009:
President: there were no nominations.
Vice-President: Geoff Williams was appointed.
Secretary: Leon Frankcom was appointed.
Treasurer: Patrick Culshaw was appointed.
Public Officer: Patrick Culshaw was appointed.
Ordinary Member1 of Committee: Denise Dempsey was appointed.
Ordinary Member2 of Committee: Marija Patterson was appointed.
The position as President remaining unfilled, Geoff Williams agreed to be Acting President.
The Chairman asked for volunteers for other positions for 2009.
Jenny Rickards volunteered to coordinate Herring Island Exhibition.
Patrick Culshaw volunteered to coordinate Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show
Bronwyn Culshaw, Gillian Govan, Marija Patterson volunteered to coordinate the Annual Exhibition.
Mark Cowie, John Wooller volunteered to coordinate Tesselaar Exhibition.
Ronit Freedman volunteered to keep membership records, but not renewals.
Leon Frankcom volunteered general help on membership matters.
Jenny Rickards volunteered to maintain the newsletter to end February depending on the outcome of discussion on the membership clauses.
Jenny Rickards volunteered to negotiate with David Ormiston Smith on continuity of the web site.
It was acknowledged that these positions were appointments to be made by the Committee.
The positions for controlling monthly activities, publicity, donor support, and services and supplies directory, appeared vacant from 1 January 2009, with newsletter coordination and website coordination possibly being vacant from 1 March 2009.
The Chairman asked for discussion of the motions proposed by Jenny Rickards, one at a time.
It was unanimously agreed to reconsider the membership clauses.
The second motion was withdrawn with renewed membership of ArtsLaw by the ASV.
It was unanimously agreed that the Committee develop policy guidelines on exhibitions, keeping in mind services to members.
The fourth motion was amalgamated with the third on policy guidelines.
The fifth motion was withdrawn with the move of the Annual to Manningham for 2009.
The Committee was asked to review fee reductions for members electing to receive notices and newsletter via email.
In Any Other Business, a vote of thanks was made to Jenny Rickards and Robert Lee for organizing Herring Island. Ideas were canvassed regarding Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show.
A vote of thanks was made to John Wooller for his work as President.
More detailed minutes may be obtained from the Secretary in due course.
Geoff Williams Secretary 2007-8

CONSTITUTION

The issue of the membership clauses in the new Constitution is evidently of continuing concern. I do apologize to members for not actively seeking their comments on the draft constitution in our last September meeting. I was not feeling well and nearly cancelled my trip to Europe that month, but we evidently needed to have feedback.

The membership clauses in the new Constitution were based on a perceived reality, and also a feeling that more members mean more revenue and more helping hands.

I believe it is useful to include brief notes on the positions taken by other sculptor organisations in discussion on the membership clauses. For example a brief review of the Internet showed:

• International Sculpture Center in USA: www.sculpture.org
  Membership is open to anyone interested in sculpture, and they have 11 classes of members.

• Royal British Society of Sculptors: www.rbs.org.uk
  Appears to be professional sculptors only

• Sculptors Society of Canada: www.cansculpt.org
  Appears to be open to graduates in fine arts who exhibit professional work: Canadian residents only

We do not have to follow other organisations but it seems to me that we should be aware of experience and standards in other countries, and in other states.

John Bishop and Leon Francom have expressed interest in looking at the alternatives on membership clauses for the Constitution, with comments and recommendations for our next Committee meeting,

If you would like to make some contributions, please contact them at:

John Bishop 9885 2660 after 7pm and Leon Frankcom 93971410.

Alternatively for post, you may send mail to me as follows and I will send it on to them:

Geoff Williams, GLW Analysis Services Pty Ltd, PO Box 245, Collins Street West PO, Vic 8007.

Geoff Williams Vice President

A Celebration of Our Creative Talent

Alexander Knox announced as winner of the prestigious Melbourne Prize for Urban Sculpture 2008

Victoria’s abundant artistic talent was celebrated today during a ceremony at Federation Square to announce the winners of the Melbourne Prize for Urban Sculpture 2008, the Professional Development and the VicUrban Awards.
Valued at more than $60,000, the Melbourne Prize for Urban Sculpture 2008 is one of the richest prizes of its kind in Australia and enhances Melbourne’s reputation and a creative capital.
The winner of the Melbourne Prize for Urban Sculpture 2008 is Alexander Knox for his work Maxims of behaviour 2008. Alexander’s work is located on the facade of the Royal Mail House on the corner of Bourke and Swanston Streets and operates winter nights until 2012 (see attached image).
Melbourne Prize Trust Executive Director, Simon Warrender, said “We have been delighted with the way the 2008 prize has been embraced by al finalists, who have presented an exceptional range of works and are evidence of the immense talent we have in Victoria”.
Mr Warrender said, “The Prize has grown throughout the past four years and would not have been possible without the generous support of all our partners and patrons and the dedication of the judges. This year’s finalists have been selected from a much larger list of entrants than when we launched in 2005.
The final 10 works, which include propositions and finished works, will be showcased free at a two-week public exhibition at Federation Square between 10 and 24 November 2008. The exhibition enables exposure for the finalists’ and showcases artistic excellence to the public, celebrating the creative vibrancy in our community in one of our most high-profile locations.
Each of the 10 finalists received a $2,000 artist fee, generously supported by Australian Art Resources and the Melbourne Prize Trust, to assist with costs associated with displaying their entered work at Federation Square.
The following awards were announced at BMW Edge today and will be published at www.melbourneprizetrust.org
Alexander Knox and his work, Maxims of Behaviour 2008, receives the Melbourne Prize for Urban Sculpture 2008: $60,000 cash, comprising $30,000 cash and $30,000 cash for an International Travel Grant, generously supported by the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation and the City of Melbourne respectively.
The work points to the future of urban sculpture and the transformational process in experiencing our urban environment.
Tom Nicholson for his work, Monument for the flooding of Royal Park 2008, receives the Professional Development Award: $9,000 cash, plus a three-month artist-in-residence at Sculpture & Spatial Practice, VCA Art, University of Melbourne, generously supported by the Faculty of the Victorian College of the Arts, Fundere Fine Art Foundry and the Professional Development Award Trust.
Professor Andrea Hull AO, Director and Dean, Faculty of the Victorian College of the Arts said, “the Professional Development Award not only provides financial reward but the opportunity for career development. We are delighted to provide the 3-month artist in residence.”
Louise Paramor for her work, Tritonic Jam Session 2008, receives the VicUrban Award: The VicUrban Award is an invitation to a selected finalist from the 2008 Melbourne Prize to participate in a research project with VicUrban, the Victorian Government’s sustainability agency.
VicUrban CEO Pru Sanderson said that the VicUrban Award would provide a rare opportunity for local artist Louise Paramor to experience the inner workings of the urban development process and to make a creative contribution to the look and feel of our urban environment.
"Part of creating liveable neighbourhoods is ensuring that the public realm is attractive, meaningful and memorable, and urban sculpture and public art have a huge role in that process.
"High quality urban design and public art are recognised as distinguishing features of VicUrban’s growth and redevelopment projects and VicUrban is recognised as an innovator and leader in these fields," Ms Sanderson said.
Visitors to the public exhibition at Federation Square may also cast their vote for the Civic Choice Award, valued at $3000, by completing the voting form in the free exhibition catalogue. The Civic Choice Award will to be announced on www.melbourneprizetrust.org on Thursday 27 November and is generously supported by J K Fasham Pty Ltd.
Over the past four years, entries for the annual Melbourne Prize have continually raised the bar of quality, creativity and artistic excellence and the cycle is set to continue with the Melbourne Prize for Literature in 2009 and Melbourne Prize for Music in 2010.
MPT media release