Today marks my five year anniversary of taking over the volunteer position of managing our local arts council fine art gallery. The Waimea Arts Council is located in the old firehouse station and fireman's bunkhouse (photo above). I've been a supporting member and had my work in the gallery since moving to Waimea in the mid- 80s. Five years ago I felt I was able to contribute more to the organization and then later wondered if I had taken on too much.
The mural on the side of building was my idea after the county (our landlord) removed the carport. I saw the side of the building like a billboard and a perfect opportunity to display rotating mural. The building is located at the crossroads of two major highways on our island. In reality the "highways" are only two lane roads better know locally as the upper road and the lower road. Only the visitors using maps know them as Highways 19 and 190.
During the past five year's I've enhanced the presence of the gallery in our community, increased visitor count and thus increased sales by utilizing of my marketing skills. That is until the economic doldrums set in. With the help of a gallery committee we've used the downturn in the economy to get out of our comfort zone, having fun and trying new events, while learning from our mistakes. I'm always asking the committee "How can we make it better?"
Over the years I've also attended many workshop addressing non-profit board development. Now I find myself planning board retreats for three nonprofits I'm involved in which include the Waimea Arts Council, Waimea Community Theatre, and Recycle Hawaii. Fun stuff since I am passionate about the arts and the environment.
This coming year I may have to decrease my involvement as I plan on graduation and utilizing my newly found accounting skills to supplement our household income. We'll see how classes and the job search goes the first of next summer.
