EXECUTIVE BOARD

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A Message from Leona Asta, President

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 omission, 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 Dates and several others whose faces I remember, but their names I have forgotten. November we celebrate our 3rd year of the Book Club. Thank 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 some way 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

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