The May 1998 newsletter had the following:
From the President Stephanie Goldman
     "Speaking of proud, if you have not seen Jim Wilsterman's 'Arizona Epiphany' in the Weisman Gallery at the SDMA, it is a 'must see!' The two times I was there, a crowd was gathered around the piece enjoying the sculpture immensely. This ongoing quarterly exhibition is something we are proud of and thanks goes to Steve Brezzo, Director, and the Board of Trustees for their ongoing commitment in support of San Diego artists that are members of the Guild and the Museum. It is our hope that this will stimulate an awareness in the community of the vital role the SDMA and the Guild play in the contemporary art scene."

     Highly successful All California juried by Wolf Kahn opened May 29, 1998 with a preview lecture by Wolf on May 8. We had 1700 entries, a guild record and grossed a record $30,000.
     Wolf Kahn gave the lecture at the SDMA on May 8, 1998 called "Ten Prejudices about Art and Artists and an Attempt to Correct Them."

     In the June & July 1998 newsletter was this article:
Wolf Kahn's lecture makes arts points laced with humor
     "Speaking on May 8th at Copley Auditorium in Balboa Park, entertaining an audience estimated at 350 artists, Wolf Kahn made comments about art accented with humor.
     'I love the ambiguity of things, the mystery of things,' he said. 'We know the minute that we give any thought to life at all, it is just filled with mystery… The fact that there are so many unanswered questions is what gives life so much pungency, so much reality.' He explained that is what allows the artist to transcend life and to reach beyond what has been done before….
     Wolf Kahn… commented on the difficulty of selecting few exhibitors, 90, from 1683 submissions. 'Viewing such a large number… I waited for moments of pleasure and surprise to come along. I paid little heed to expertise and professionalism. Instead I valued a certain innocence of spirit.'" (Note: Here the author feels it is necessary to add a personal comment: "This type of selection is one of the main reasons the general public has little or no interest in supporting the visual arts or the artists. It is this very idea that expertise and professionalism, which is rewarded in other entertainment professions, such as athletics, and it is from that, that the athletes gain such great respect and admiration from the general public, which is consistently ignored in the art world. Only when expertise and professionalism is rewarded by the artists to themselves, will they ever achieve any respect or financial remuneration on par with other professions from the public. P.S. The author's Florentine Mosaic, was rejected by the juror.")

     Statistics for the 1998 All California Exhibition: "A total of 760 artists entered, and 67 were Guild members. Of the 1683 slides juried, 162 were from Guild members. Ninety-one artists were selected including eight Guild members listed in the page one story. The Guild currently has 146 members, so this represents one of our best representations in years."

     Three members of the Guild, Rich Buchwald, Lola Juris, and Dottie Stanley demonstrated and exhibited their work at the Guild's day at the Del Mar Fair on Sunday, June 21, 1998.

     This was recorded in the July 21, 1998 minutes:
     "Stephanie discussed with Steve Brezzo the idea of selling Guild Artist's work through the Museum Bookstore via slides."

     Nancy Clark came up with this idea for the Artists Guild members to sell their work out of the SDMA Bookstore. She felt that the Bookstore could have a computer installed with 5 images from each member. Employees would update these each week as necessary. A computerized "shopping cart" would allow purchases via the Internet and the use of a credit card from anywhere in the world." (Note: This idea went nowhere.)

     On July 24, 1998 this letter signed by the Artists Guild Board of Directors was sent to Katy Dessent, Steve Brezzo, and several members of the SDMA staff as well as Wolf Kahn:
     "On behalf of artists through out the state of California, the Artists Guild thanks you for the Museum's exquisite presentation of the All California Juried Exhibition.
     This exhibition is an excellent and unique avenue for California artists to show their work to the public. Fifty-eight of the participants attended the reception and were genuinely thrilled to be part of the exhibition. Those who could not attend were also moved by their inclusion in the show and very sorry they were unable to make opening night. Collectors, Dealers and Artists through out the state called to obtain artists phone numbers for either representation, sales or education opportunities. The Artists Guild received requests from many artists for information on membership.
     Despite the fact we received no written critical review the show has been deemed a huge success. Here are the facts: we received extraordinary verbal feedback from the museum going audience, there were 1200 guests attending the opening reception, 1700 slide entries were submitted for jurying and most importantly a hard working volunteer committee of the museum was able to write a check to the museum for $12,367.50.
     Thank you for attending the reception and taking part in a great opening night. We appreciate your strong support of all Artists Guild exhibitions."

     The September & October 1998 newsletter had this note:
Picnic Thanks Museum
     "The Guild expressed its gratitude to the SDMA staff for its support and hours of work on the All California Exhibition by hosting a picnic on August 5. The theme was Italian, the food was delicious, and the many staff members who attended were most appreciative. The event provided a wonderful opportunity for staff and Guild to become better acquainted."

     On November 9, 1998 Stephanie Goldman wrote this letter to Katy Dessent, President of the SDMA Board of Trustees:
     "As you know the Guild's All California Juried Exhibition in 1998 with Wolf Kahn as juror was extremely successful. It grossed almost thirty thousand dollars in revenues by an all volunteer committee with assistance from the museum staff. Receiving over one thousand guests at the opening reception with only Museum Calendar media support is a valuable achievement. It was reported that many visitors to Monet went through the All California and responded with enthusiastic support. Art dealers, gallery representatives and collectors from all over the state called for access to artists' names, addresses and phone numbers.
     Since 1915 the Artists Guild has been a strong working committee of the museum… Our exhibitions juried by well-known artists are relevant and reflective of the California art scene today and fit perfectly into the rapidly changing environment of museum politics for the new millennium….
     I speak for the Guild in thanking the Board of Trustees for its continued commitment and strong support for all of our exhibitions. My request, Katie, is that in choosing a new director, he or she be sensitive to the important contribution the Artists Guild's exhibitions make to the education and appreciation of San Diego's art and cultural community. This successful relationship between the Guild and the Museum continues to play a dynamic role in San Diego's growth. The Artists Guild's exhibitions maintain a priceless connection to museum members and the general public…."

     Mary Coman and Herbert Turner were the next two artists selected for the first Artists Guild Presents program following Walter Wojtyla and Jim Wilsterman. Scott Atkinson was the curator for this program.

     The March 1999 newsletter had this note:
     Larry Urutia, Curator of California Contemporary Art, selected four new artists. They were Ken Goldman, Louise Merrim, Susan Osborn, and Sean Sullivan. ("Artists Guild Presents")

     The May 1999 newsletter had this note:
     Holly Witchey, Head of the New Media Initiatives Department at the SDMA was selected to give a talk called "Wining and Dining in the Renaissance" at the Artists Guild Annual Meeting in June.

     The following was recorded in the May 17, 1999 minutes:
     The Guild approved a motion to show our support of the SDMA by joining it at the President Circle Level of Membership in the amount of $1,250 for one year. 7 approved, 3 opposed.

     From the June 1999 newsletter is Stephanie Goldman's last President's Message:
     "Over the last two years the Board and I have accomplished more than I ever thought possible…. We have improved on the newsletter over the last two years, and it is now being enjoyed by the museum staff and all of the Board of Trustees of the museum (where I have received very favorable comments on its content). Through continual networking with the Board of Trustees and museum staff, we have become more visible as a committee of the museum that is as relevant today as it was when it first began... It is important to the Board and to me that the Artists Guild continues to move into the new millennium with the positive energy and goodwill that we have all worked so hard to create."

     Linda Drake, the new nominee for President of the Guild, called the author and asked if he would like to serve on the Board of Directors. When she asked what task he wished to perform, he replied, "What does no one else want to do?" Linda replied, "Treasurer." So the author became the Treasurer of the Guild in June 1999 with a balance of $23,367.78 in the Guild account.

     An article about outgoing Board of Trustee President, Katy Dessent was on the front page of the July 1999 newsletter. Here is a small excerpt:
     "Dessent feels that the new director Dr. Don Bacigalupi, who begins on August 1, will have significant contributions to make… His devotion to the arts, to education, and to people will take the museum in exciting new directions."

     The last Artists Guild membership exhibition held in the SDMA was in 1999. Here are some statements made for the catalog:

Juror's Statement:
     "On behalf of the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, I wish to express our pleasure in viewing so many talented artists participating in Artists Guild '99. The selection of art is always personal and choosing just one work of art is exceptionally difficult when there are so many artists who deserve recognition.
     It has always been a goal of the Foundation to support both emerging and established artists and I would like to thank the San Diego Museum of Art Artists Guild for the opportunity to uphold our mission." Billie Milam Weisman Director Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation

President's Statement:
     "The goal of creating a juried exhibition is to show a body of work that has been selected by caring and discerning eyes, representing a cohesion of visual and artistic styles.
     This year's exhibition, juried by Billie Milam Weisman, is a testament to the level of professionalism that exists in the community of artists who participate as members of the Artists Guild….
     The Artists Guild sincerely thanks Mrs. Weisman for her outstanding eye in selecting this year's participants. In addition, we wish to thank Sara Bush, coordinator of curatorial affairs for her untiring assistance; JoAnn Silva for her superb graphics; Scot Jaffe and his team for the installation of the exhibition; Louis Goldich and the registration department for their secure storage and handling of the works, and all the Artists Guild members who entered and made it very challenging for our juror to select this year's exhibition and award winners.
     We are especially grateful to SDMA's acting director, Caron Smith and it Board of Trustees, for their enthusiasm and support of the Artists Guild. We invite you to enjoy, celebrate, and proclaim for yourselves your own artistic experience of this exhibition." Stephanie Goldman, President, Artists Guild 1997-99

Acting Director's Statement:
     "The San Diego Museum of Art's long-standing partnership with the Artists Guild is once again commemorated with the Artists Guild '99 exhibition. This exhibition and our relationships with the Artists Guild provide an ongoing recognition of the human hand behind every work of art. Museum's all too easily become temples of culture in which works of individual human beings, forged under the complex conditions of a life being lived, are literally put on a pedestal and abstracted from the realities of time and place.
     One of the many pleasures of displaying the Artists Guild exhibition is the intimate conjunction of artist, work, and viewer. With the small ensemble selected for this exhibition by Billie Miram Weisman, we can focus on the visions, methods, and styles of twenty artists living and working in San Diego. Time, place, and context are shared by artist and viewer, making the potential for communication through art very rich.
     The museum is grateful for the work of its curatorial, registration, and design and installation departments, which made this exhibition possible, and to the Artists Guild. To the artists whose works were selected, we extend our congratulations and appreciation." Caron Smith, Acting Director, Curator of Asian Art.

back to top