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About ASOC Membership
Membership of ASOC is open to all people over 18 years of age. Membership fees are currently $66 for full local membership or $44 for distant membership per year. Student membership (18 to 24 years) is $33 and Household membership is $103. Membership fees are due on 1 July each year. For new memberships please add a $5 administration fee to the above amounts.
Further details are available on our Renewal of Membership Form or New Membership Form.
INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS
ASOC HISTORY
ASOC is the oldest cultural organisation in Canberra, and was founded in 1927, the year the Albert Hall was being built. We do not have a comprehesive published history, but we are endeavouring to have one written. The ACT Heritage Library and National Library have comprehensive archives dating back to our founding year. On our website you will find brief notes in “About ASOC” which provides some details of our past.
ASOC STUDIO
ASOC has been leasing a large studio in the new M16 Artspace visual arts precinct in Griffith since August 2010 when this became our new home. As a member of M16, ASOC is part of a vibrant arts community which has a large public gallery, 28 individual studios, and workspaces for three other arts organisations (CAW, Hands on Studio, Studio MAP). Our studio has excellent natural lighting, air conditioning, and a sink. We have a refrigerator, water cooler and hot water urn. We have purchased new quality easels, tables and seating for 60 people. We have a sound system and video projector. Pinboards on the wall allow members’ work to be displayed. Our studio is quite heavily used but is only open during advertised activities.
MONTHLY MEMBERS MEETINGS
In most months of the year there are members meetings held at our studio in Griffith. Meetings normally start at 2.30pm on the last Sunday of the month. We commence meetings providing information about ASOC events, and members are invited to share other information about current arts activities. Many meetings feature a demonstration by an artist or we have special guests to speak about their art activities. We encourage members to share their artworks with others at some of our meetings. Our extensive library of books and dvds opens for members to take out loans. Refreshments are provided as part of the $2 entry donation. During the year one or more of the meetings may have a formal part when important ASOC issues are discussed and votes taken. You are always very welcome to attend these meetings: just turn up! Meetings are a good way of getting to know other members and learning what makes ASOC tick.
WORKGROUPS
ASOC offers eight untutored workgroups which operate through the week from Monday to Saturday. These workgroups provide a friendly environment in which members learn from one another, and are organised by a member who has volunteered to be the convenor. Currently the workgroups focus on flora and fauna; portraits and life drawing; abstract and experimental; pastels; and watercolour. Our printmaking workgroup will have access to a printmaking press which is to be installed in 2012. Two of our workgroups welcome members in any medium, style and subject. One of these workshops operates on a Saturday which is attractive to full-time workers. Some workgroups include sessions of plein air painting, while others organise visits to galleries.
Workgroup members make a small contribution towards the rent of the studio (currently $2 per week per session), but those in the portrait and life drawing group pay extra to cover the costs of the model. The workgroups are detailed on our website and a list is provided in each newsletter. Contact details of the convenors make it possible for you to contact them about possible vacancies and other information. You can register by contacting the relevant convenor.
TUTORED WORKSHOPS During the year ASOC organises workshops tutored by a local or interstate artist, and these are held in our M16 studio. The workshops are usually run at weekends to make them accessible to all, and may be one or two days in length. We aim to cater to a whole range of different media, and take into account the range of members’ abilities in the visual arts. Workshops are advertised well in advance in our newsletter and on our website.
SUMMER ART EXPERIENCE
The ASOC Summer Art Experience (SAE) is one of our major events and is now in its twelfth year. The SAE attracts leading artist/tutors and students from the ACT and many from interstate. Up to 140 participants gather for a period of five days of focused instruction and learning in pleasant surrounds. A strong community spirit develops during this time, and typically students make big strides in their artistic development. The SAE in 2012 was held in a new well-fitted building of Kingsford Smith School, Holt.
EXHIBITIONS For many years ASOC has mounted one major annual exhibition in spring, and held in a large venue such as the Albert Hall. The exhibition has in recent years displayed over 400 members’ works in a wide range of categories, including oils, acrylic, pastel, watercolour, drawing, mixed media, and printmaking. A comprehensive group of prizes is made possible by a large list of sponsors, many being arts stores and framing galleries. In the past few years one component of the exhibition has been the Molonglo Catchment Art Prize which is run in association with the Molonglo Catchment Group which works to raise awareness and appreciation of the Molonglo environment. In 2012 for the first time it is a stand alone exhibition being held in April at the CSIRO Discovery Centre. Some ASOC workgroups have begun to mount or consider organising their own public exhibitions, and that is a very noteworthy development. We are now a partner with Cranleigh School (a school for children with special needs) and support their annual art show in October. You are of course strongly encouraged to exhibit your work in our shows.
OTHER ACTIVITIES
From time to time ASOC arranges group visits to galleries, paint outs, social events and painting bus trips. In 2011 for instance, a member organised a painting trip to Guthega with participants staying in a ski lodge. Such activities will be advertised well ahead of time.
MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE AND VOLUNTEER POSITIONS
The ASOC Management Committee is elected at the Annual General Meeting, and is the key organising committee of the Society. The officers consist of the President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. Up to eight other members are elected to the committee and they take on such roles as Membership Secretary, and Assets Officer. Other members act as Librarian, Newsletter Editor, Website Manager and Catering Officer, and they might or might not be a member of the Management Committee. Sub committees are set up by the Management Committee to which they are responsible. These include the Spring Exhibition Committee and Summer Art Experience Committee. There is always a need for members to volunteer to help run our Society of almost 300 members, and your contributions would be very welcome.
PUBLICATIONS
The ASOC newsletter is published every two months. It is our main means of communicating with members, and you can choose to receive it in the mail or download it from our website. Half our members do the latter, and that results in savings in printing and postage costs. The online version is in colour, and members can also access previous issues from our website.
The email Update is sent to all members who give us an email address. As a result 80% of our members receive this fortnightly digest of ASOC events, changes to activities and news of very recent ASOC developments. The Updates also provide information about other arts events of interest to members. The Update complements the newsletter by bridging the information between its bi-monthly issues.
The ASOC Website is an attractive place to view photographic records of ASOC events. It also has details and links relevant to major events, such as the Summer Art Experience and our exhibitions. You will find useful forms there that you can download, and find information about contacting key members of our organisation. These include contacts if you want to join a workgroup or enrol for a tutored workshop. You can also view the ASOC constitution on our site. We suggest you visit the site quite frequently to keep up to date with your Society.
DISCOUNTS FOR MEMBERS
Art materials stores, including Eckersley’s and Maureen’s Arts Supplies at Dickson, give discounts to members. Most framing stores in the region will also give discounts to members on custom framing. However discounts may not always apply to stock frames or sale items. You should always attempt to receive discounts by showing your ASOC membership card, even if you are interstate.
ADDRESSES ASOC postal address Artists Society of Canberra PO Box 7291 Canberra Mail Centre ACT 2610
ASOC studio address 21 Blaxland Cres, Griffith ACT
ASOC website address www.asoc.net.au
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