Over the Fence

From an article published in the Toledo Blade....

Article published Thursday, June 29, 2006
NEWS OF ART Baseball-themed exhibit to open in Adrian gallery.
The Lenawee Council for the Visual Arts will present the exhibition “Over the Fence: Portraits of Negro Leaguers” July 9-Aug. 6 in its gallery at 112 West Main St., Adrian.

The pencil and clay works of Ann Arbor artist Phil Dewey will pay homage to Negro League baseball stars such as Josh Gibson, Buck Leonard, James “Cool Papa” Bell, and Buck O’Neill.

As part of the July 16 artist reception, Detroit-area Negro League veterans Harold “BeBop” Gordon, Cecil Kaiser, and Melvin Duncan will share their memories of Negro League life during a talk at 2 p.m. in Joanne Steele Insurance, 130 North Main St., Adrian, followed by a meet-and-greet for Dewey and the players from 3 to 6 p.m. in the LCVA.

The timing of the exhibition was set to coincide with the July 30 induction of 17 Negro League and pre-Negro League players and executives into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. Inductee Sol White (1868-1955) played for Adrian’s Page Fence Giants in 1895.

James Freeman Exhibition

I stopped by the U of M Hospital yesterday to see a watercolor exhibit by Jill Stefani Wagner. Her "Tuscan Days" watercolors are really beautiful. Anyway, I didn't know until I got there that James Freeman (LCVA Member) has a collection of work right next to Jill Stefani Wagner's. Both exhibitions are a part of the University's Gifts of Art Program. I can't tell you what a pleasant surprise it was to stumble upon his exhibition. The lighting was perfect as the sun beamed through the skylights into the lobby making it an ideal spot for reflection. The name of his collection is a perfect description of his work. They lean heavily toward artistic expression as opposed to functional ceramic pieces. I especially enjoyed his "Archeological Series" pieces which had a crustlike texture unlike the typical smooth glaze finish.

If you are interested in checking them out yourself see below or click here to link to U of M's Gifts of Art Exhibition Schedule.

Sculptural Ceramic Vessels
James Freeman
U of M Hospital
Taubman Lobby, North
Floor 1
June 19 - August 16, 2006

Tuscan Days: Recent Watercolors of Italy
Jill Stefani Wagner
U of M Hospital
Taubman Lobby, North
Floor 1
June 19 - August 16, 2006

Update From Kimberly

Here's an email I received from Kimberly on 6-14-06

Ok Folks,

I have not written anything lengthy in awhile. So I am going to make up for it now!

The "Lenawee Artists of All Ages" is up and running. Next weekend is the Maple City Fest and here is a list of events:

Thursday, 22nd, 6-8pm: Downtown Architectural Tour-space limited, sign up at the gallery

Friday, 23rd, 10-6pm: Childrens Art Activities-activities start around 11 and go to about 3pm

Saturday, 24th, 9-11 am, Historical Adrian Architectural Tour (sign up is same as above), 11-2 pm Desert Reception.

If you can help out for any length of time on any of these days, please contact me via e-mail or phone.

Next, Our next show is called" Over The fence" Its all about the Negro Baseball league that was here in Adrian. there will be speakers, memorabilia vendor and of course an artist who works in portraiture.

At our board meeting we voted in changes and restructuring of the 2007 calendar. It is roughly set as follows:

Jan, 11-Feb 17th "Can Do" - A community Service project/show with emphasis on food for the hungry.

March 1 - April 7 "New Work" - Same format as always (member show)

April 19 -May 5 "County High School Show"

May 10-June 14 "Spotlight Show" - this is a 3 member show. Anyone interested in being a part of the show would need to submit images to the gallery by the last week of the box show, the juror of the box show would then pick out of all submitted, the chosen three would then curate their own show together. A prospectus will be available as we get closer.

June 12-July 19 "Lenawee Show" -Same format (Member Show)

July 26- Aug 25 "Relay for Life" (Non-Members) Show of survivors of/relatives of/Art of cancer

Sept 6- Sept 27 "Box Show" Same format, only length has shortened to two weeks.

Oct 14-Nov 5 "Recycle Show" (Non Members) In conjunction with Tyreee Guyton at Adrian College

Nov 15-December 23 "Holiday Show" Same as always


If there are any questions about specific shows, let me know.

We have agreed to allow non-members to show for a nominal fee of $20 per show. They would not be members, but we would request they sit at least one time if they show. This rate would be reduced to $10 for students.

It has been suggested and agreed upon that using the gallery for art classes when we are not open would be something we should do..how come these things don't dawn on us earlier???? If you would like to teach a class, contact Christine Marsh, or myself via e-mail.


In an effort to streamline duties and alleviate stress on committee heads, we have decided to create "Teams". These groups of 4or 5 people would share the workload of a particular task throughout the year. We have some teams forming and would like more participation and people to sign up. They are as follows:

Membership Coordinator: They will handle any newsletters, membership updating, mailings: Janet graham and Jennifer Melms are currently signed up

Installations: they will coordinate with the committee heads the hanging and takedown of each show: kathy Tice Taylor and Jill Shaffer have signed up for this so far.

Education: They would organize the classes and teachers etc: Christine marsh has volunteered for this so far.

Receptions: They would coordinate and set up receptions for each show: Marjorie Castle and Emily Kackstetter have signed up so far.

Media Relations: They will be responsible for getting out press releases, via telegram, Access, radio etc..Cathie royer, Mary Martin and Heidi Spence have signed up so far.

Financial committee: These people help to raise funds/sponsors for the shows. Lad Strayer, Kris Schmidt, Greg DuMars, Lee Lewis Walsh and Jennifer Melms have already formed and started this group.

community Liason: This team would need to find out from various groups what is going on and when so that we maybe able to better coordinate events with what is happening in the community. We currently have no one signed up.

Grant Writing committee: This team would start the grant writing process in order to get funding. No one has signed up as of yet.

NEXT...Adrian Area Chamber of Commerce downtown has wall space (approx 10x7) they would like to put art on a rotating basis. If you would like to put your work on the wall let me know. The space requires both large and small pieces, two people could team up as well. More info? let me know.

Another thing, June 27th, at Mr.Ed's at 6:15pm is the members committee next meeting regarding the Box Show. be there if you want input.

Currently, an international Festival is in the works and planned for the same day as our auction. They have asked for our help, but it is very short notice. I will have more info as we investigate it further.

ALSO, ZANTA, a womans service organization is hosting an Art Gala Auction on Sept 9th. They will also have a silent auction-like a pre-auction, of a few f our boxes. They are collaborating with us to help drive up both of our organizations. If you have a piece of art you would like to donate to their auction, please let myself or Jill Shaffer know.

AND FINALLY...Yes there is a light at the end of this e-mail...

Bud Gale and his son Tim will be having a two man show at the Adrian Public Library. I do not have exact dates, but know that the reception will be on Sept 20th. I will ask Bud to send me more info...Bud can you send me more info? Thanks.

Marjorie Castle has been selected as Artist of the Month in Jackson! You Go Girl!!!

If I have missed anything, as always, someone will let me know!

have a good day!

Kimberly (my fingers are bleeding) Myers-Pinkel

Basil Boys Meeting Review

The meeting started by announcing that all issues voted on will still need to be approved at the Board Meeting on Tuesday, June 13th at the gallery.

The first item on the agenda was voting on whether we should allow non-members to enter shows a la cart style. We proposed and approved that non-members can enter any show for $20, however they would be asked to gallery sit at least once. These persons would be considered contributors and not members for tax purposes.

The second issue was the introduction of the new calendar of shows for 2007. The new calendar once approved by the board will be posted next week. We essentially modified it by adding the "LCVA Spotlight Show" (formerly three person show) and by shortening the Box Show to two weeks.

The third issue was the approval of the "LCVA Spotlight Show" proposal. We voted to have the Box Show Juror select the artists. We also agreed that the artists in the show would curate the show. And, we agreed that we would use the TAA prospectus for the standards for application and slide submittals.

The fourth issue was the approval of using the gallery for classes during normally days which the gallery is normally closed (Sunday - Wednesday).

The fifth topic was the approval to streamline tasks by creating teams. We will be emailing and postal mailing all members asking them to complete a survey of their time and talents. Teams will be created for various tasks. For example, the Reception Team will be made up of persons who organize and set up for receptions. The Media Relations team will be responsible for advertising, cards, etc. The goal is to reduce the time spent trying to repeatedly find volunteers for the same task show after show.

Other discussion topics include the creation of a new website soon to be completed in the next month or two, Maple City Fest activities are being fine tuned, and Jennifer brought up some new ideas for the "Canstruction" Show. Jennifer also brought up some new ideas for coordinating membership information. She volunteered to be on the Membership Coordination Team and will propose her ideas at the next meeting.

The upcoming Box Show was discussed at different times during the meeting. It was fairly obvious to me that we have a lot of work to do in planning for this show. Therefore, we set up a time to meet specifically for planning the Box Show activities. That meeting will take place at Mr. Ed's Restaurant in Adrian on Tuesday, June 27th at 6:15 PM. All are welcome to attend, however since they do not have a conference room please RSVP with me so we can reserve a big table. Thanks