Dear CSP Board,

I will do my best to be brief, but if you decide you do not want to read all of this email please do skip down to the last paragraph as there is a matter that requires the board's immediate attention/decision.

I feel very strongly, and I have said repeatedly in the past, that it is important and meaningful for CSP to provide a number of exhibition opportunities that are free to our members, precisely because it is so rare for artists to have exhibition opportunities where someone isn't trying to charge them. I have been very happy to donate a great deal of time to CSP to make these exhibitions happen. However, it has been very stressful and exhausting and when I sit down and think about creating an exhibition plan that meets the boards new requirement of exhibitions generating 50% of the revenue or even writing you a justification of why they will not, I find that this adds an additional layer of stress that that makes this job more than I am willing to deal with this year. I have never had any interest in organizing exhibitions as a fundraising money pump, so I think this is the right time for me to step down as CSP exhibition chair so that someone whose goals and vision are more in line with that of the current board can step up to do the work.

The January exhibition that I am organizing at the Davis Art Center will be the last exhibition that I organize for CSP. This will be a nonjuried exhibition with no entry fee. This venue, like all of the exhibition venues that I have found for CSP, does not charge a gallery rental fee. They also pay for the reception and postcards so the cost to CSP would be very minimal. I would love to organize this exhibition for CSP, however if the board objects to the fact that there is no entry fee you of course have the option of not participating in the exhibition, in which case I will organize it as a fee exhibition for my local printmaking group. Please let me know if this is the case, as I will be sending out the prospectus shortly.

The matter that requires your urgent attention is the gallery rental for the CSP annual exhibition at the Piedmont Center for the Arts.  The annual exhibition should have been in fall 2019, however the gallery didn't have a long enough time slot available in their schedule, so I had reserved the space for 3 weeks in March, which would allow time between the DAC show and a possible show during the CSP annual meeting in the Spring. The rental fee is about 700 dollars, CSP would also be responsible for costs of a postcard, approx. $100 insurance, reception etc. Currently another group is requesting the same time slot, so they need the signed gallery contract from CSP before Monday or they will give away this timeslot. CSP bylaws require the organization to hold one free annual membership show per year. This is the show that should have happened in fall 2019, so I had hoped to also look for a free venue in fall 2020 for a second show. One main reason that we have been paying fees for this venue is because it is extremely stressful for whoever will be organizing your exhibitions to find a new venue that is large enough for the annual show each year, so reserving this spot takes a huge amount of ongoing stress off whoever is doing this "job" (which is still ridiculously stressful as is). Also, many CSP members seem to be very happy with the venue and they provide a lot of press in their local paper. If you all prefer to find a free/different place for the show you are more than welcome to do so, but please keep in mind that it needs to be large enough to hold AT LEAST 70 works. If you decide you would like to reserve the PAC for the show, please send in the signed contract before Monday or you will loose the space. I will forward the contract and contact info to Dan and Jamie.

It has been a pleasure getting to know and work with you all.
Best,
Joanna