Time to renew your membership for 2020-2021 online or by postal mail. Our membership year is September to June of the following year. Your current membership is good until August 31, 2020.
Renew by June 30 to be included in the roster and eligible to enter artwork for the fall show.
Please take a couple of minutes to pull out your favorite recipe to share. Recipes are needed for OAI's fund raiser cookbook. The deadline has been suspended but the sooner we get them, the better!
Deadline for all recipes is September 1, 2020. Learn more.
Tell us about you.
I was born in Hastings, NE and was in the same nursery as Dr. Jack Stark who is a Nebraska Board of Regents Candidate! I have lived in the Omaha area since I was 6 years old. Most of my schooling was at Franklin Elementary and then Jr. and Sr. High at Tech High School, (now the TAC Building). I have 2 children, Steve 55 and Lori made it to 50 (deceased 2019) and I have 5 grandchildren and 2 great-grandsons.
Tell us about your history with Omaha Artists, Inc.
I have been in Omaha Artists, Inc. since 1992. In 1994 right after my 3rd grandchild died of SIDS, Helen Patane asked me if I would like to be on the Hostess Committee, my response was an immediate yes! Judy Webster, Binck Utterback and I worked on this committee until 1997. Then I was on Membership for only a year because then I became the President for 2 terms. In 2000, I went back to being on the Membership Committee (I loved it). I didn’t think I was doing enough for the club so in 2001, I went on the ANAC Committee with Dick Brown. Once again in 2002, I didn’t think I was doing enough to keep out of trouble, so along with everything else, I took on the newsletter. In 2011, I became the Treasurer and I am still doing it! I have also assisted with the Art Shows and as Vice President published the roster (matter of fact several times). Someone asked why I have worked on so many committees. While never having won an art show award, I love this organization and want it to succeed and make it a great experience for others.
How did you get involved in art?
Funny story, after being so busy with my daughter’s wedding plans in 1990, I suddenly wondered what I was going to do with the rest of my life. I started a watercolor class with Opal Parmenter and did not have a clue what I was doing, but stuck with it. Watercolor is still my favorite medium.
What other organizations do you belong?
Presently, I belong to 2 book clubs. I am an Elder at my church and in charge of the Fellowship Committee. Back in 1995, my daughter Lori and I turned a negative into a positive by working with the Nebraska SIDS Foundation: we published a cookbook – three cookbooks to be exact! I have been a member of ANAC (Association of Nebraska Art Clubs) for 21 years, was the Newsletter Chair for 12 years and presently the ANAC Registrar!
What is a little-known fact about you?
I am a Beauty School Drop-Out. I got pregnant while in beauty school and could not handle the smells of hair color and permanent solution! I have been so busy in my life, a paying position was not an option. I guess I would rather do without and do for others instead.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
My absolute favorite is watching television (reality, drama, movies, sitcoms, documentaries, just about everything). I also like to read, put puzzles together and time spent with friends. After 96 hours of watching Homeland, perhaps this was not the right time to ask this question, because I obviously have Covid-Brain! LOL!
What are your travel experiences?
I was very fortunate, while married, my ex and I loved to travel. There are only 4 states that I have not visited – West Virginia, Delaware, Maryland and Washington DC. We camped in much of the United States. I have traveled to 9 different countries in Europe and have taken 4 cruises.
How do you stay motivated to paint?
This is a difficult question to answer! I love to paint but I have to be in the MOOD and I do have good intentions, then something else comes up! I love workshops. Katie Johnson and I went to David Smith’s watercolor workshop in Sioux Falls, SD just before the Coronavirus began. Also the Omaha Artists Inc. members motivate me... I simply LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them.
What are you known for?
I guess, my RED HAIR and WALKER. And I am the only member that can speak REALLY LOUD to get people’s attention!
What skills would you like to learn?
I would like to attend an acrylic workshop. I have painted with acrylics, but have never been properly trained.
Has anything or anyone changed your life?
Yes, life’s experiences are valuable lessons. I have worked very hard to make my life what it is today.
What is your favorite quote or saying?
I hate it but, use it often – “It is, what it is”!
We have an open position to be filled —luncheon hostess! The hostess positions have been handled beautifully for several years by Patti Kounkel and Carol McCall. Linda Guynn has graciously accepted the position previously held by Carol. Now, we ask for one more volunteer to fill the position being vacated by Patti! If you wish to know what you can do to help, please contact either Patti Kounkel or Carol McCall and they will answer any questions you might have and help you with your first couple luncheons should you need. This is a great way to get to know the members – a rewarding experience! We thank you!
Hello, and long time no see! We decided it is time for a newsletter!
There will not be a Fun Shop this month since the church is closed, and no general meeting/program is scheduled due to the social distancing and size limitation of meetings.
We hope to have a Fun Shop in June with Sherry Reese as our instructor, as well as the end-of-year luncheon meeting also in June! Further, we are hoping the Lauritzen Botanical Garden Art Show, with the theme “The Art of Nature”, will still be held July 29 through September 20. We will have a June newsletter for more information on these events. Please read further in this newsletter to stay on top of the affairs of Omaha Artists, and to place your vote.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges for us; the restrictions have created a different way of life for many of us – working, learning, and connecting. Cicely Tyson once said, “Challenges make you discover things about yourself that you never really knew.”
Our new normal means that many of us are either not working or at least working from home, which saves us commute time (I now get 3 weeks to the gallon), and having to get dressed for work (loving daytime pajamas), no shaving, no makeup or time-consuming hair styles! Now is the a period in your life where you can have the time of your life…to do what you wish, when you wish, and how you wish whether it be cleaning, organizing, decluttering, exercising, relaxing, or creating. We are fortunate we have the internal and social resources to cope with this experience and opportunity. Opportunity, you exclaim??!!! Yes, the opportunity to read or write that book, work on computer skills, shop online, try out new recipes (we do have a cookbook coming out), bring back the art of sending cards, doing puzzles, playing cards, learning something new, prayer or meditation, going through photos, reconnecting with people from the past (family or friends), music, sewing, knitting, and working on the Lauritzen Garden art piece…just enjoying the peace and quiet from the hustle and bustle of the outside world.
Prior to the sudden shutdown of our life as we knew it, I bought the book QUIET – the Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. This is a book about silence and solitude and stories of successful leaders, from a witty high-octane public speaker who recharges in solitude after an engagement, to a record -breaking salesperson who quietly taps into the power of questions…introverts like Rosa Parks, Chopin, Dr. Seuss, and Steve Wozniak, to name a few. It has made me realize, this time is beneficial for both introverts and extroverts. Perhaps this is a time for us to think and create differently, to show kindness, and to live each moment as if it were our last.
I leave you with a poem written by Kitty O’Meara, a retired schoolteacher from Madison, Wisconsin. She is said to be the poet laureate of the pandemic:
“And the people stayed home. And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still. And listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently. And the people healed. And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal. And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed.”
May you have an incredible month of unforgettable moments of joy,
Katie Johnson, President
The tapestry of life is a picture of a journey created stitch by stitch.
– Andy Fox
NOTICE TO THE MEMBERS:
Presentation of New Slate of Executive Officers for 2020-2021
President: Barbara Egr
Vice President: Sherry Reese
Secretary: Linda Leary
Treasurer: Jo Anne Nielsen
Because of the current situation with the Covid-19 Virus, we will be voting in a different manner.
Make contact only by text or email: Katie Johnson, 402-310-0349 or email.
Presentation of the new board will be made in June, 2020 providing restrictions are lifted and we can be together for a June Meeting.
With the slate of new officers, we thank the previous officers for their dedication and willingness to serve. Linda Guynn has elected to step down from her position of Newsletter Chairperson: again, we thank Linda for her dedication and willingness to serve. We have a delightful addition to our board: Danielle Easdale had agreed to take on the position vacated by Linda Guynn.
We still have 2 openings and that is the positions of hostesses. If you would like to inquire about the requirements for these 2 openings, please contact Patti Kounkel and Carol McCall. They will be happy to show you the ropes and answer any questions you might have. We also thank Ms. Kounkel and Ms. McCall for their service and dedication in the location selections and reservations for our board meetings and general meetings.
We thank you for being the 2019-2020 winning team and welcome the new season of yet another winning team to keep up the OAI vision and momentum! These winners are all volunteers. Volunteers dedicate their time and make a difference to the lives of others. Dedicating your time as a volunteer helps you make new friends, boosts your social skills and gets you involved with the art scene in and around the Omaha area. Ask how you might be a part of this winning team.
With a new board set in place, a new roster will be created. We ask that you review the roster – front to back. If you have any updates or changes, please contact Jo Anne Nielsen, 402-250-6464 or by email.
Barbara Mitchell at an OAI Fun Shop.
New Members:
Sympathy:
Stay healthy!
Barbara Mathewson
Courtesy Chair
Hello you wonderful people. I miss you all.
Location: Lauritzen Botanical Gardens
Registration: Wednesday, July 29, 11-1 pm
Reception: Sunday, August 2, 2-4 pm
Take Down: Sunday, September 20, 2-4pm
This show will take place IF Lauritzen Gardens actually opens before then. And if we do have the show, we will most likely have many new precautions in place to make sure we all stay safe from this crazy virus. All of this will be worked out with Lauritzen, our Art Show committee, and our presiding officers. Watch for an upcoming email in June to let you know how the art show will work, as far as taking in paintings, registrations , etc.
In the meantime, keep painting!
This show at the Gardens needs to have nature as its focus, in some way or shape.
If things return to normal, the next show after that would be in October in Fremont at Gallery 92, with the theme that would have been for our cancelled Spring Show at Hot Shops, which was "Shadows".
Please stay tuned - at this point everything is up in the air. But keep creating - that's what artists do!
Sharon Clawson
Art Shows Chair
As required, there was a committee of 5 members including the president, (Katie Johnson, Barbara Egr, Jo Anne Nielsen, Sherry Reese and Dick Brown) who reviewed the By-Laws and Constitution. Again, because of the unusual circumstances of the COVID-19 Virus, we will be voting differently.
We ask all members to review the recommended changes. These are being shown in this May 2020 Newsletter. Those accepting the changes and voting “yay” and those voting against these recommendations, please contact President Katie Johnson by text at 403-310-0349 or by email only.
We thank you…
Advisor: The Advisor shall form a committee of the Advisor and (3) three members to select the winner of the Genie Schafer Scholarship and the OAI Memorial Scholarship. A committee of three, the advisor, one executive board member and one member shall select the recipients of the scholarships from the applications submitted by members of OAI.
Membership: Word change from object to objectives.
Punctuation, spelling and some grammar were corrected.
As all of you already know, the Conference for 2020 has been cancelled. ANAC will hold the next Conference, still in Fremont, June 9-12, 2021. If you have any questions, please contact Jo Anne Nielsen 402-250-6464.