SOMETIMES WE GET THE BLUES

The Potters’ Guild of B.C. was created in
the 50's as an assecation of polters,
with the double purpose of increasing
the awareness of both the public and
those who work in the medium to devel-
opments locally and tothe broader world
of pottery and ceramic art. So, we have
had annual sales, workshops and exhi-
bitions, and regular meetings where we
formulate plans and exchange informa-
tion over tea and homemade goodies.
That the Guild has functioned inciden-
tally a8 @ social group of people with
similar interests has been a happy be-
nus. In fact, its been an exciting and

lively forty years!

For most of those forty years, however,
the ongoing struggle has been to keep a
sufficiently large group of members In-
volved in the day to day functioning of
the organization. Thal it has survived is
a tribute to the volunteer hours donated
so faithfully by so many members over
the years.

Inaneffort to free up their available time
for the important task of steering such
an organization, the Board of Directors
took a big step in 1985, The Guild, by
establishing its Gallery of B.C. Ceram-
ies, has aequired a home, and has been
able to hire a small parttime staff to look
afler basic business and publishing of
the Newsletter. The fact that this job
could very easily be a full-time position
is irrelevant, because the Guild cannot
afford it! The fact is also that Gallery
staff are often hard-pressed to find
enough hora in the day or week, and a
full-time staff of two would not be unre-
allstic.

The funds available for carrying out
education and information services are
rot uniimited, regardless of the success
of the Gallery. Program budgeting is
always a combination of informed
guessing and wishful thinking as to
whether we will be able to get through a
year in the black. Our funding ts subject

to the whims of the buying public, the
tourist season, etc. We could not survive
if we were not on Granville Island. No
other location in the Lower Mainlarvd,
apart from possibly Robson Street, where
commercial rents would make It totally
impossible, is of such high profile and
with such access to a buying public,

It is admirable that the Guild has been
able to be self-supportive, for the better
part of these forty years. 1 cannot fail to
sense that in becoming more business-
like, however, we have lost something. Is
it a fact of the 90's (hat so many people,
male or female, have greater financial
pressures, so that they therefore have
little Hime tovolunteer with such a group?
Perhaps the workshops have taken over
the secial role that the monthly meet-
ings once did. Is the fact thatthe Gallery
“makes Ube money for us* a reason for
our loss of interest? Admittedly, a lot of
our membership live outside the Lower
Mainland, and find it physically impos-
sible to attend sessions. Perhaps the
Guild Board worries too much about the
success of programa.

The Board of Directors continues to be a
dedicated volunteer group of men and
women who plan as best they can for
those activities to inform the public and
the membership. The Board however,
does worry about the fact that so few
members show up at meetings. To say
that these meetings are too often, or too
seldom, or the wrong day, or whatever,
are only excuses, it would seem to me,
for the reality that people don't seem to
find Guild involvement of any value to
them. Because there is so littl apparent
support for their activity, the Board
members often suffer burnout very
quickly, and find that if they're lucky
they can commit three years to being
involved, Three years is a very short time
when it comes to planning major exhibi-
tions, or dealing with other long-term
issues.

Page 6

It's that time of the year when we must
appeal to the membership to consider
becoming more involved with the Guild,
from being willing to stand for Board
election, and If elected, to serve for a 3
year period, to offering to help the Board
and staff in some other way. from mail-
ing the newsletter, to helping in the
library, to attending meetings or gener-
ally offering support or asslatarice in the
Gallery.

Please respond to this editorial by
writing down a sentence or two about
what you think the Guild's role should
be. How do youthink it should change?
Should the Guild attempt to raise
additional funds from other outaide
sources to support its programs?
Should there even be a Guild? Do you
find It even remotely possible that
you can become more involved your-
self? Let us know your thoughts.

A nen-profit organization such as the
Guild Is only as effective as {ts member-
ship! That's yout!

Jan Kidnie

An added note on this tople of
volunteering: Canada's Minister of
Communications, has announced
the creation of the Lescarbot Award
program to recognize the
contribution made byvolunteers and
_ benefactors to the promotion and
development of cultural life in
Canada, Its regions or in individual
communities. Under the regional
eligibility criteria, “Candidates must
have made an outstanding.
sustained contribution ta the
development of the eultural sector
of thelr region for at least five years,
and especially during 1991." If any
of you have any questions or
suggestions regarding polential
candidates please contact the Guild
office. Deadline for submission is |
the end of October, 1991.

October, 1991