Frimley & Camberley Society of Arts held the AGM on Friday 3rd February 2023 via Zoom. It was good to see so many members on the screen. The AGM minutes of the meeting will be sent out to members when the current membership list is confirmed.
The Chairman’s Report
The Chairman, Peter Tuitt, opened the meeting by saying FCSA has come through the worst of the Covid pandemic but, like all art societies and clubs, is suffering a drop in the number of members. The committee is keen to find ways to increase attendance at the Friday evening meetings and intends to take on the suggestions made in the recent members’ survey.
Peter Tuitt has been Chairman for the past four years. He thanked the committee and members of the society whose efforts have enabled the society to provide several opportunities to exhibit members’ paintings over the course of that time. The main event of the year is the Annual Exhibition, and there have been opportunities to exhibit at Frimley Lodge Park, the Queen’s Jubilee event and the Frimley Green Christmas Market. There are also paintings and cards by FCSA members at the Heritage Gallery in Camberley Mall.
FCSA Annual Exhibition Winners 2022.
The Winland Award, for Sera Knight for Red Bus & Black Cab.
The FCSA Committee Prize. Valerie Painter for Thirsty.
THE Themed Competition. Lesley Kilner for Living Legends.
The Val Brooks Award for best Pastel
Lisa Clifford for Newlands Corner.
The Seward Memorial Trophy, Carole Head for Flying Free (Also known as the People’s Choice).
Peter secured seven sponsors for the Annual Exhibition last year which helped the exhibition make a small profit. Pullingers Art Shop in Farnham also offers FCSA members a discount.
The Treasurer’s Report
Lesley Kilner began her report by saying that FCSA are grateful that over the last 60+ years of the Art Society there has been a gradual healthy accumulation of funds. This does not mean that we can squander these assets, – but it does allow us a cushion in these hard times. She went on to outline the areas where rising costs are creating a deficit and the different ways the committee are looking at to mitigate this.
The suggestion that the membership fee should go up from £16 to £20 in 2024 was passed by a majority vote. It was also agreed that there needs to be a concerted effort to increase the membership.
The Membership Secretary’s Report
Craig Whitehead is the Membership Secretary and he reported that there were some members who had not renewed this year. He went on to outline some of the points raised by members in the recent survey. Dark nights in the winter was a major deterrent. The committee has considered addressing this by closing the studio between Christmas and the AGM.
Demonstrations saw the membership divided between those who strongly prefer studio based demos and those who like the convenience staying at home to view them via Zoom. The committee has booked a mix for this year with Zoom demos during the winter months and a couple of studio based demonstrations in the summer.
Sue Whitehead reported on opportunities for members to exhibit in the coming year
Annual Exhibition (Thurs 7th Sept – Sat 9th September 2023
Coronation Celebration at Frimley Lodge
Pop up exhibitions at Long Acres and Tesco
Exhibitions at the Heritage Gallery and on-line
Frimley Green Christmas Market
The Webmaster’s Report
Olga Salgado is FCSA’s webmaster. She reported that peak viewing/visit to the website occurred around the time of the exhibition. Olga produced a number of charts to illustrate the way the website is being accessed and it was clear there were more visits this year than last. Olga reminded everyone that each member has an individual page if they have exhibited on line and at an exhibition.
Election of the Executive Committee
The Executive Committee was re-elected unopposed with the exception of the Honorary Secretary. Very sadly, the Honorary Secretary, Valerie Painter, had to step down for health reasons earlier this year. The society is very fortunate to have discovered a new member, Patti Dutton, who was prepared to be co-opted onto the committee and agreed to take on the role of Honorary Secretary. She was confirmed in this role by a majority vote.
Please note this is an account of what took place. The AGM Minutes with facts and figures will go to the membership in an email.