NorthWest Stone Sculptors Association
Established 05/27/1988
Geberal Membership Meeting Minutes
ORGANIZATION NAME: NWSSA
Date: 07/16/2025
Time: 7:15 P.M. PST
Location: Camp Pilgrim Firs
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Tamara welcomed all attendees and asked the members to think about items covered on the agenda during the meeting and to consider sharing ideas and thoughts with the Board for any improvement or changes going forward.
Ellie was thanked for her 6 years of service on the BOD.
Election Results: The new Board was introduced: Tamara Buchanan, Carmen Chacon, Karen Roe, Ken Barnes, Markos Weiss, Aerin Sizemore, Michael Yeaman, and Oliver Harwood
Financial Report – Ken Barnes gave the financial report outlining the past financial year.
Committees and Event Leads were introduced:.
- OR Symposium – Rachell
- WA Symposium – Cyra, Ben
- Women’s Retreat – Ellie
- Kubota Gardens – Markos
- Best of the NW – Aerin, Pat B.
- Everett Arboretum – Constance
- Occasional Gallery Shows – Leon
- Journal – Arliss, Bruce R
- New Members – Beth K
- Donations – Sharon F
- Website – Aerin
- Endowment Fund Organizer – TBA
Tamara outlined what NWSSA does for the membership:
- NWSSA Journal – Quarterly publication
- Sculptors Forum (formally the List Serve) offers online sculpting advice, tool use, stone techniques, mentoring etc. from knowledgeable NWSSA members.
- Member’s individual artist page – Soon on our new website.
- Offers discounts to Events.
- Offers opportunities to show your work to the public.
What the BOD has done this year:
- The BOD meets monthly via Zoom – the BOD does not meet in August and December.
- The BOD met for a 3-day retreat in November to discuss ideas for goals and projects and how those goals and projects will be accomplished.
- NWSSA bylaws were revised. The last revision was in 2009.
- The BOD supported the Vancouver Island Stone Sculpting Symposium.
- NWSSA signed up for the Washington Give Big program.
- Established 2 Endowment Funds
- Appointed a designated person to acknowledge donations
- Sent 2 members to the Arts Fund Board Training
- Added a new Event venue: The Best of the West
- Revised and updated our bookkeeping/accounting
- Appointed a ‘New Member’ welcome person.
- Hired a grant manager
- Updated our bookkeeping/financial management team
Tamara led discussion on ideas as to what members can do to help our NWSSA family:
- Volunteer to be an Editor – Help with Advertising, Copy Editor, article solicitor
- Assist with Data Entry
- Assist with WordPress skills to keep us up to date
- Volunteer to help with Social media, and Social media advertising
- Come on Board! – Volunteer to be on the NWSSA Board of Directors
- Teach/Mentor – Join the pool of instructors list. What and Who can you teach?
- Enable your Inner Doctor – Volunteer for symposium First Aid Tent
- Volunteer to be Donation Lead/Manager.
- Create monthly or quarterly instructional videos or zoom meetings.
Raffle tickets were drawn for 2 door prizes: A tasty jar of Tamara’s pickles and a $100 gift certificate to be used at the NWSSA auction the following evening..
The meeting was adjourned at 7:46 P.M. by President Tamara.
Minutes respectfully submitted by Karen Roe, Secretary
