Twenty-seven members celebrated the end of a very successful year of OAG events with a festive luncheon and Installation of Officers for 2025-2026 at Mimi’s Cafe.
Special thanks to John D. Elliott for contributing photos of the event.
Incoming officers: President Michelle Curry, VP Marilyn Busse, Treasurer Cathy Burnside, Recording Secretary Cheryl Dornbush, and Corresponding Secretary Linda Bakos. Huge shout-out to these brave volunteers!
Address by the New OAG President, Michelle Curry
I feel truly humbled and honored to have been asked, and elected by the OAG Membership as your President.
Presented with this gift of hand painted, bouquet of paper art-flowers with written messages and positive words from you, I am so moved! I will keep them forever! They will sit in my Art Studio on view, to remind me and encourage me as I see them!
This position was not something I looked for or even had any idea of fulfilling. I feel like I was at the back of the class, and was brought up to the front! It came out of the blue when Lee Asta called me, and asked me! In the few days following, I also spoke with others. At first I was hesitant, but I accepted this position because it fits with what I feel is a life purpose of mine.
As persons and artists, we all have a unique fingerprint, and this needs to be celebrated, cultivated and supported, and OAG is a place to do that. Many artists feel like they don’t “fit in,” especially in this modern world we live in. I have long been a fighter for the “underdog,” and I want artists to feel a sense of belonging, and to strive for an inclusive culture where everyone is welcome to grow their gifts and become all they can be. I will strive for that culture in OAG!
I am thankful for Lee Asta, her advice, counsel and encouragement to me, her years of hard work building up OAG, as well as for the board members who have served faithfully, even as they are continuing on, or stepping down and are helping the new board to fulfill their positions.
I am thrilled and in awe of the incredible people who are on the new board, and proud to work with them as a team! I can’t wait to see what we can achieve together, along with our OAG members!
Thank you again, for electing me and giving me this opportunity to serve you in what I consider a sacred trust.
Your President,
Michelle Curry.
Message from Outgoing President Lee Asta
Outgoing President Lee Asta was dearly missed on this occasion due to serious health issues. We owe her a tremendous debt of gratitude for her ceaseless work and boundless enthusiasm during her four years as President, and we wish her a good recovery. We pledge to continue her dedicated work to make OAG thrive.
June 2025 President’s Message.
This will probably be the most dramatic president message because this message is not only my last message as your president stepping down after four years of service, but I am writing it from my hospital bed!
I hope to be released tomorrow, so I can get to my hospital appointment on Friday with two Mitral Valve Specialists . They will study the three tests results and decide if they can help me with my mitral valve issues! With that in mind: please keep those prayers coming !
Special thanks and recognition are due to outgoing Treasurer Marcelle Schvimmer for her 4 years of dedication, and to Susan Fink, Vice President for 3 years, who arranged so many great programs, demonstrations, and art tours for our members. Aside from our hard-working executive board of course I want to thank our chairs for our 75th anniversary celebration here at Chelsea back in February 2025! The two chairs of event, Ginny Kinsell and Karen McKeon not only did such an outstanding job but surprised everyone because it was the first time they planned such an event !!!! of course they were not the only ones who worked on it! Although we don’t have everybody’s name for note, to all involved in that celebration, we thank you wholeheartedly for your delicious food and helpful support for that event for our 75th anniversary! I apologize for any omissions, but we do appreciate you all n your fantastic help w this event!
I will end this part of my message with thanks once again to John Elliott our Publicity man -not only for his dedication to this job , but also for his additional treating OAG to it’s wonderful sheet cake with our new logo on it as well as the gift of my beautiful flowers He presented to me that night !Thank you John ! thanks to Barbara Fife for her wonderful Chelsea hospitality. Everybody was very impressed with your establishment.!
There are two more areas I want to thank people for : those who helped get our wonderful Artist Book Club up and running: Cathy Burnside, Lynn King, Lucy Pinkstaff, Marilyn Busse, Peggy Dean and several others whose faces I remember, but their names I have forgotten. November we celebrate our 3rd year of the Book Club.Tthank you so much. It’s been a wonderful three years of exciting discussions and sharing of experiences ! Don’t miss the November meeting as you will get to see some more of our Art inspired by the books we have read!
Lastly, thanks go to all members of OAG who contributed in someway with the success of our community Circuit exhibits! Thanks to all artists who contributed their art to let our presence be known that we exist! We are oldies, but we are now goodies in the art world of Ocala ! Thanks to all who work so diligently Circuit setup: thanks go to Cynthia Alicea, Debbie Ceres, Lucy Pinkstaff, Arlene Wells, Linda DeRosa, Carol Demme, Mary Haley Rocks, Gale Bannock, Carmen Santiago, Joannie Ford, Marilyn Busse -just to name a few! We have had many wonderful sales and even a one-member show by a fairly new member Dawn with her beautiful reflective art! Wonderful recognition for a talented artist and OAG!
In conclusion: We searched far and wide and came up with a wonderful replacement of our outgoing executive board from president down to corresponding secretary. I do hope you will all be so appreciative of the outgoing officers and incoming board members for their endurance and hard work to keep OAG functioning as a wonderful ART organization!
I do hope you will continue in your support for our incoming officers…….especially our new President, Michelle Curry!!!!
GOOD LUCK—- Michelle you will do a great job!
Love , your outgoing President-Lee (Leona) Asta, 2021-2025
Plaque honoring OAG’s treasurer Marcelle Schvimmer, who held the post for four years. Presented by member John Elliott.
To the OAG members:
I would like to personally thank two key board members working with me these last years on their friendship and hard work making OAG a continuing success.
First, Debbie Ceres as First Vice President envisioned having a circuit for the artists and it has been widely successful. Debbie filled in for Lee, our President until she resigned and has been a key player in these wonderful venues we have now.
Susan Fink, as First Vice President, worked tirelessly to bring professional demonstrators to our meetings for the last few yeas as well as leading group tours for our organization.
Cathy Burnside who was secretary/notetaker kept us straight, but most of all has now volunteered to take on my position as treasurer. I know she will be great at it!
It’s been great getting to know everyone and making enduring friendships. 🙂
Marcelle SchvimmerTreasurer (Outgoing)
A Plaque honoring OAG’s Vice President, Susan Fink will be presented at the next meeting by member John Elliott as Susan was unable to attend the luncheon.