It is hard to believe that it has been four years since I first became your BRAA president. Overall, I have spent 10 years (so far!) serving the BRAA in one capacity or another. Good times go by fast!  Being able to serve our membership is my pleasure and I am grateful to have that opportunity. As I leave my position as president, I want to congratulate our new management team for 2024 and wish them great success in sustaining and improving the BRAA. I am happy to share with you any experience I have gained throughout my years and to advise or encourage you in your own endeavors with BRAA. 

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During these ten years, BRAA has grown and now we have about 150 members, including Club 80 folks, families and individuals. BRAA is always finding ways to do new things for our members – we established the Art Space as a venue for our members to sell their artworks; we organized play dates so our members could share their talents; and we now have weekly meet-ups at Glade Church so our members can get together to paint and share ideas.

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We are already organizing the 2024 BRAA Theme Show. It will take place at the Alexander Black House from July 31st to September 25th. Michele Walter and I have confirmed this time slot with the Black House but we have to think about the theme!!! Do you have suggestions? I also contacted the Moss Art Center about hosting our 2025 New River Biennial. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed our last exhibit there in 2019 and we are hoping and looking forward to displaying there again.  More information will be forthcoming as we work out the details.

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At the last Board Meeting, we decided to close up our office and the Art Space location at 318 N. Main Street at the end of this Holiday Market (January 31). HOWEVER, we are still keeping our eyes and ears open for new locations for these important BRAA spaces. A couple of months ago, Michele and I attended the DBI meeting to learn more about the new project by the Town of Blacksburg for the old location of Cook’s Dry Cleaner, next to the Maroon Door Restaurant.  This is a potential location for our needs so we asked DBI to consider BRAA as a tenant.

 

Also at our last Board Meeting, I suggested that BRAA might like to host and sponsor an Open Studio tour for our BRAA members in the coming year. In order to make this happen, we need to have a committee of interested people willing to make this a reality! Please think about being a participating artist and/or being a committee member to make the Open Studio Tour a dream come true. This is one way to attract more public attention to the BRAA and its member!

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I wish everyone a creative holiday season and the best to our newly elected officers as they bring in the New Year. Thank you for allowing me to be your BRAA president for four productive and art filled years.