Who we are:
Mountain Sculptors is an association of artists creating three-dimensional work in Western North Carolina and the surrounding region. The group's activities enhance community awareness, understanding, and appreciation of contemporary sculpture, and advance members' technical, aesthetic, and professional development. We value building strength in the art community. We celebrate tradition and diversity.
What we do:
We get together often, build our knowledge and experience as professional artists, show our work as a group - and have fun!
Our lively meetings are generally at a different member's studio each month. We share accounts of what we have been doing, exchange technical and resource information, chew on philosophical and social issues about art, respond to members' requests for constructive critiques of their work, and plan group exhibitions and other opportunities for public exposure to sculpture.
Membership Policy:
Membership is open to all. The group's planning and resources are directed primarily toward serving professional sculptors who regularly participate in the group's activities. All of our formal group exhibitions are juried.
Discussion of Membership Policy
Professional sculptors:
We don't presume to judge who is a professional sculptor, but some suggestive indicators would be one or more of the following:
* regularly exhibiting
* gallery representation
* work in public and private collections
* commissions
* teaching
plus:
* devotion of substantial time to sculpting
Students, pre-professionals, serious amateurs, and folks in related careers (for instance, professional craftspersons or industrial designers) who are devoting substantial time to sculpting can make valuable contributions to the dynamics of our group. The diversity of our membership assures that we can all learn something from one another.
Participation:
We value the camaraderie of our monthly meetings, studio visits, demonstrations/workshops, and occasional field trips. A bonus has been some collaborations between individual members after interaction within the group. In view of our positive experiences in this regard, we are currently focusing the resources of our all-volunteer organization on programs and benefits for members who regularly attend and actively participate.
We previously had a requirement of attending at least three meetings a year to be eligible for exhibitions and to retain membership. Now you are welcome to be a member even if geography or circumstances dictate that your attendance must be limited. We welcome membership of folks from neighboring states, former residents of Western North Carolina who want to stay in touch, and for that matter anyone who feels a connection to sculpting in these mountains. We just want you to be aware that our plans and use of group funds are geared mostly toward serving actively participating members.
If you can't attend often, let us know if you have ideas for ways you can contribute and participate in other ways.
Juried exhibitions:
All of our formal group exhibitions are juried. We seek an outside juror when we can. Otherwise, the jury will consist of at least three members. Most of our formal exhibitions are open to submissions by all members. For selected opportunities, invitations may instead be extended to a subset of members selected by an outside juror or by a jury consisting of at least three members. Jurying is a way of balancing the advantages of open membership with presentation of high-quality professional-level sculpture. We know that everyone will not always agree with every decision of the jurors, but we believe this commonly accepted process is the most reasonable method for showing to the public what is generally the best work from the group. In addition to our formal group exhibitions we may occasionally plan informal unjuried events where members may share their work.
Further notes about membership:
Interested individuals are encouraged to visit a meeting or two to discover whether there is a good fit before committing to joining.
Dues are currently $25 per calendar year, due January 1, not prorated. Occasionally there may be fees to cover costs for workshops and field trips, and sometimes for exhibition participation.
Meetings are generally the third Monday of the month from 6pm to 8pm, usually at a different location each month in the Asheville, NC area. Most years we skip some winter months due to weather issues and sometimes a month in the summer. Workshops and field trips may be on other days of the week.
Space and parking are often very limited at our members' studios where most of our meetings are held. Working out carpooling arrangements is just one more reason and excuse to get to know fellow members.
An elected steering committee takes care of most business to keep meetings mostly free for learning and interaction. After election, the steering committee members decide among themselves how to divide the tasks, such as treasurer and secretary roles, and coordination of programs and exhibitions.
Communication is primarily by occasional emails sent to the membership as blind copies by the steering committee secretary. Members wishing to share announcements, resource requests, etc. can email the secretary, who compiles and edits messages for circulation to the group. Selected items are posted on our website.
Inquiries may be sent to info@mountainsculptors.org. We'll be happy to send you information about the next meeting and answer questions about membership. But generally we won't continue to send you emails. The occasional member emails with announcements about meetings, exhibition opportunities, etc., are a benefit of membership. If you don't make it to the first meeting after an inquiry, you'll need to contact us again to ask about future meetings.
