Dear Artists of Moore County,
I am starting a group dedicated to fostering artistic
creativity. My own background is in photography and psychology. But I envis=
ion
the group as serving artists from all backgrounds (including painting,
sculpture, pottery, dance, theatre, mixed media, music, literature, and so
forth).
John Gessner of the Sky Art Gallery has agreed to host t=
he
group, which is tentatively called the Sandhills Artistic Creativity Group.
I am proposing to lead the group during the first year. =
Since
I have a long-standing interest in the psychology of creativity, my plan is=
to
give a little talk on some aspect of this subject at the beginning of each =
of
the beginning sessions and then for others to react to it. Then we will dis=
cuss
issues in individual creativity that each member would like raise. As the g=
roup
develops, I would hope that other members or outside artists will give the
opening talk.
We will be meeting once a month. John has said that Thur=
sday
nights would be best for him. So I have scheduled the first meeting for January 2=
9,
2009 at 7:00. Directions: If
you are coming south on US 1, turn right at Applebee's restaurant. The Sky =
Art
Gallery is located on your right (about 20 yards before the turn in to Big
Lots, etc., which is on the left).
I hope everyone interested in this project can attend the
first meeting. We'll exploring the group mission and make preliminary plans=
. I
would like the members to describe their own artistic interests and what th=
ey
would like to accomplish. If you plan on attending, please email me at mstratil@charter.net
to let me know (just so we'll have some idea of the number of chairs to hav=
e).
If you're interested but can't attend the opening meeting, please let me kn=
ow
and I will keep you informed. You can also call me at 910.949.6518.
I welcome feedback on all aspects of this project, so if=
you
have ideas regarding the group's mission or procedures, please send them to=
me
any time.
I hope that we can get an active, productive group start=
ed,
and I look forward to your participation.
Best wishes,
Mike Stratil