Ever since the ribbon-cutting at the NEW Kelly location, President Belyn Richard and VP Linda Lewis have been working hard with the Board to adapt to renting a new location and then adapting to the Covid restrictions. It hasn't kept them down, though.
This month nearly all the Board Directors donned their masks and met at The Kelly, spacing themselves at a respectable social distance apart and continuing their work. There were many items for discussion, primarily an effort to raise more grant money. Phyllis Kennedy, Charter Board Director, has now kindly agreed to take on the grueling position of Fund-Raising Chair and has been busy writing grant submissions.
Special Activities Chair Charlotte Whetstone has jumped into the fray by already gathering a committee to plan a huge Arti Gras for Mardi Gras. It promises to be specutacular; we have already reserved the Wetumpka Civic Centner, for what will include music, a draw-down, silent auction costumes, and lots of fun events and food!
In the meantime, Curator Carol Hickman is moving on with the exhibit schedule and hopes to add some pop-up exhibits in public places such as banks next year, as the virus allows. We're also looking into workshops and Tuesday With Kelly events.
Coming this winter, there will be a special Members Party in November. Then in December for several weeks before Christmas, there will be an extended Artists Market in The Kelly with over a dozen local artists selling their art on commission. It looks like it'll be even more exciting than last year with the current time and space.
In the meantime, we are revving up with an online exhibition of "Confronting Covid." VP Linda Lewis, who is also PR chair, has been working with Hope Brannon to streamline and update our website, https://www.thekelly.org/ and has had all our logos revamped.
She's also chaired a committee to update our core documents, which Attorney Justin Edwards, a new Board Directors is reviewing.
Secretary Libby Christensen also edits the Kelly Canvas News Clips and Kelly Canvas magazine, plans to have a new quarterly magazine out next month. So as Covid continues, so do we....adapt, overcome, and plan for the future.
Photo of the ribbon-cutting with Mayor Willis and to the right Linda Lewis, then Belyn Richardson, and finally Kathy Willis. On back row are Charlotte Whetstone on left with Libby Christensen behind the Mayor and Wayne Turner in the middle--by Mit Fontaine.