DAN AGM 15th February 2017.

Droitwich Arts Network

11th April 2017

In attendance

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DAN AGM 15th February 2017.

Peter Hawkins (PH)

Rosie Philpott (RP)

David Dolphin (DD)

Graham Wilson (GW)

Kat Webber (KW)

Mike Johns (MJ)

Malcolm Wakeman (MW)

Julia Rollit (JR)

Faustyna Popkiewich (FP)

Stephen Evans (SE)

Paul Richardson (PR)

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DAN AGM 15th February 2017.

Apologies

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DAN AGM 15th February 2017.

Helen Karakashian

Tamara Jelaca

Nick Wardle

Ian Peden

Julia Hamilton

Rhys Jones

Chris Walker

Tina Watkins

John Bodley

Ruth Bourne

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New Members

  • We welcomed two new members:
    Graham Wilson – mainly works in watercolours but has recently started experimenting with water-based oils. Always loved and enjoyed art but really took it up in retirement. He has an exhibition in June at the Artrix, Bromsgrove.
    David Dolphin – Similarly always loved art but started painting more in retirement.

News/Updates

  • We will not have a presence at the St. Richard’s Festival. Nobody came forward to organise a children’s art tent like previous years. However, we do not feel this will be a great loss to us as the festival is going to work slightly differently this year (due to the High Street revamp) and we already have a lot going on (ArtsFest and Corbett 200)
  • We hope (with the help of the public) to create a permanent memorial to John Corbett. We will be asking the public for ideas during the picnic. We are hoping that a professional artist can create whatever we come up with.

Interactive Section

Kat Webber

  • Kat Webber (currently an A-Level student) showed us some of her latest work. She is studying classical portraiture as part of her A-Level and had painted her friend in this style. She has particularly been looking at Rembrandt and Gainsborough as her inspiration.
  • She has recently started using oils and asked the network for advice. She feels she is being too tentative and not using the paint thick enough. However, the network suggested that this wasn’t a bad thing and, if you’re not careful, the colours can become muddied. A couple of members suggested using water-based oils which have a quicker drying time and both have had positive results with them.

Drawing Exercise

  • Malcolm Wakeman and Rosie Philpott volunteered to be models and the network had some fun trying to sketch them using chalk on black card (a very unforgiving medium)!
  • Here are a couple of sketches produced on the night:
  • The exercise was not intended to be intimidating and members had lots of fun trying it out. Although members didn’t have to, a lot of us shared our sketches with the group and it was great to see the variety of styles.
  • Mike Johns provided some background music for the group.

Faustyna Popkiewich

  • Faustyna shared with us some of her practice portrait sketches of celebrities.
  • The network encouraged her and suggested ways she could improve.

Ideas for future meetings

  • Everybody thoroughly enjoyed the new style of meeting so we want to continue in this vein. Ideas that were suggested:

- 15 mins on the history of some art
- Favourite artists / styles
- We could we have a theme and people bring their work and compare?

- Mike Johns suggested he could do a 10 minute talk on his jazz music and improvisation.

  • Please send any other suggestions to Peter or Rosie.

Agreed actions

Action / By
Ideas / Send suggestions for future meetings to Peter / Rosie / ALL

Engaging Members and Attracting New Members

  • The Committee and other members have put together a DAN poster, hoping to encourage membership (attached in the email):
  • We intend to distribute these to various places such as the new housing estates and estate agents.
  • Please feel free to print and distribute as you wish.

Agreed actions

Action / By
Poster / Share the DAN poster / ALL

Ceramic Mural

  • We had an article on the front page of The Standard regarding the repair of the ceramic mural in the town centre – this was largely thanks to a visitor to the town who saw the state it was in and decided to investigate.
  • DAN has put together a DAN proposal (attached in this email), as agreed at the last meeting.
  • Peter Hawkins has spoken to the marketing agents for the shopping centre who support the idea in principle.
  • The original creator of the mural (and her son) will be thrilled to restore the piece. They will revise the quote for restoration (originally given in 2011).
  • The mural will have to be taken away to restore.
  • Once restored, the piece should be stronger and, being constructed in panels, will be portable, so could be moved should the shopping centre be redeveloped in the future.
  • While the restoration is happening, DAN will produce a banner to cover up the recess to the public what is happening.
  • The proposal is that DAN will take ownership of the mural and sort out its repair. We have already begun to source funding for this project (with research conducted by Ruth Bourne).
  • It was generally agreed by those present that DAN should go ahead with this as we have a responsibility to look after the art in town. Effectively, we are the facilitator of the repair, so will be contributing our time, but we are not putting any of our own funds into it.
  • Peter requested that members suggest any improvements to the proposal by 18th April.

Agreed actions

Action / By
Proposal / Read the proposal sent out with minutes and suggest ways to make it stronger by 18th April. / ALL

AOB

  • On behalf of Rhys Jones, Malcolm Wakeman briefly discussed ArtsFest and briefly went over some of the events that are happening. All can be found on the ArtsFest website:

Date of next meeting:

Tuesday9thMarch, Park’s Café, 7:15pm

Rosie Philpott

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