Greater Brandon Arts Council Launches Membership Drive

To all artists, art lovers, advocates, supporters and greater Brandon residents who want our community to thrive and develop:

As president of the Greater Brandon Arts Council, I am extending to all of you a warm welcome and invitation to join, or in some cases rejoin, the GBAC for 2013. 

We are an organization that is striving very hard to foster the arts in the community, sponsor art events, and spread information about local cultural events throughout the area. We cannot do this without you, the artists and art lovers of the area. 

You can help us in this task by joining the GBAC, registering to be listed (free to all) in our online directory and helping us to advertise your events on our website by sending that information to our webmaster, Kevin Weilbacher, or to me. 

We cannot list events if we do not know about them! The website is for everyone –to learn about the arts in our communities and to connect you with other artists and organizations with interests similar to yours. 

You can also participate in our activities and meetings, letting us know what your needs and desires are in your particular art genre. All artistic genres are represented in the GBAC, though we need to see more of you involved! 

Visual arts, theater, music, dance, literary and all other genres need to be and should be connected through the arts council. We can all work together to make the arts an ongoing and important element in the lives of the people in this area. 

Our monthly board meetings are held at the Bloomingdale Regional Library, 1906 Bloomingdale Ave., Valrico, at 10 a.m. the first Wednesday of each month and are open to anyone who wishes to attend

There are several levels of membership in the GBAC. Please go to the website for more information and a membership form which can be filled out and paid for online. See, too, the online directory and feel free to call or write to any board member for further information.

We have a number of events planned for the future. Some are still in the planning stage, but will definitely happen. Others are well into fruition and we urge you to join us at each of them.

June 3, 2013- Ballpark Bingo – an evening sponsored by GBAC- and the first of six events planned by Center Place, kicking off the annual Brandon’s honorary mayor’s race. Dawn Galia, director of Center Place, is the candidate and we are proud to be able to support her candidacy. The event is at Center Place at 6:30 p.m. Dinner will include your favorite ballpark favorites:  Hot dogs, nachos and cheese, beer and soda, and a yummy dessert. Other ballpark gastronomic delights will be available as well. The cost is $20 per person with all proceeds going to Dawn’s charity of choice, Center Place programming.

September 14, 2013 – the annual Gallery Hop is back. The fifth annual “Find the Hidden Treasures of Brandon” begins at 10 a.m. at selected venues that will tickle your interest in all the arts. This free event closes at Center Place from 5 to 7 p.m. with the annual reception for the Brandon League of Fine Arts “Artworks” exhibition - a juried show open to all artists in the area – and the drawing of names for the hop venues’ baskets. There will also be a drawing for the grand basket and a special basket from the GBAC which will be raffled to those who were unable to attend the hop or who wish to purchase raffle tickets to support the arts council’s work. There will be food and beverages offered as well. This event has been popular in the past so join the fun and learn about the wonderful art-related venues we have in the greater Brandon area.

November 2, 2013 – an indoor-outdoor art festival is planned. Center Place is the location; there will be a Chalk Walk sponsored by the center, Brandon League of Fine Art artists in their tents outside or at tables indoors showing and selling their wonderful work, and an outdoor section on the deck, sponsored by GBAC, where adults and children alike can participate in hands-on art activities such as painting, pottery, jewelry makin, and other activities as yet undetermined. We are looking for active participants in this event and hope to make it an annual event for the whole community. There will be lunch items available for a nominal cost.

Watch the local news media for more information and updates on the activities of the GBAC and check out the website which contains membership and directory information as well as updates.