SVAC September 2026 Newsletter
Annual Meeting
We had a successful annual meeting in August. We plan to send out a separate email in the next couple of days to just our members, it will include the slides from the meeting and some important rule changes for Open Studios. Anyone who is not a member but is interested in the information, please send me an email and I will forward you the information: mjupp10@gmail.com.
24th Annual Exhibition
Twenty-five artists will be participating in this year’s annual exhibition. The exhibit will open with a reception on October 2 from 4 to 6 pm. in the Special Exhibition Gallery at the Sedona Arts Center. Please join us in supporting your fellow members and artists in celebrating our 24th annual exhibit. Appetizers will be provided by the artists, and a cash wine bar will be available during the evening.
The exhibit will be open from October 2 to October 16 daily from 10 am to 5 pm Sunday hours are from noon to 5 pm. Most artwork is for sale, and gallery sitters will be available every day to answer questions and provide more information about the artwork.
This year we also will have a People’s Choice Award for one piece in the exhibit that receives the most votes from visitors to the gallery. The winning artist will receive $100. We will be using a digital version of the Open Studios drawing card, created by Kristin Varon-Burkhart for the show. We want to capture email addresses and demographic information about our visitors. This will also be a good test as we plan to roll this concept out at Open Studios. We will be running an ad in Kudos the week of the show and plan to beef up our social media presence to increase our visitor count!
We look forward to seeing you on October 2!
Artist’s Breakfast
The next artist’s breakfast will be held in West Sedona at Café Jose. We will meet on Monday, September 14, at 10 am. We hope to see you there!
SVAC Scholarship Program
Several people have asked me about this recently. We announced that we dropped this program several years ago because there was so little interest from the students. I know of several other Art organizations who came to the same decision. We no longer allocate $10 of every Open Studio application fee to the scholarship fund and what was left in the fund was used for Open Studios marketing in 2024.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Creative Constellation Series at Star Creative
Opening Event on September 26 4-7 PM
9435 E Cornville Road, Cornville
It is with great joy that we introduce the inaugural gathering of our Creative Constellation Series at Star Creative, a Center for Spirituality and the Arts in Cornville, Arizona for a monthly celebration beginning this fall.
Every event will center on an artist sharing their creative modality and illuminating their craft whether through conversation, performance, or hands-on invitation. Across the series we will celebrate the full spectrum of creative expression. Expect themed based cuisine, thoughtfully crafted libations, remarkable art, and above all community.
At Star Creative, we believe your creativity matters, your love matters, your light matters. This is only the beginning, and we would be honored to have you with us.
With gratitude and much love,
Francisco and Maureen, Proprietors
Joann Tomsche SVAC Artist
from Far from Near
September 15 - October 10, 2026
Yavapai College Gallery, Prescott
Opening Reception, Friday, September 18, 5-7pm
This exhibit includes paintings from three distinct, but connected bodies of work made over a ten-year period during which my subject matter shifted from macro to micro. The unifying concept is my focus on finding the balance between structure and open space. Personally, this translates into spending time alone, and also connecting in my communities, including SVAC.
The visual thread that connects the paintings is my practice of noticing and capturing the extraordinary in the commonplace, whether in nature or in my studio. My photos contain the seeds of ideas I gradually transform into paintings. The series progresses from mixed media work centered on a horizon line, which include tiny details within the larger composition, to roads and paths leading through the middle ground into an unseeable destination, to botanical abstractions of minute lichen-magnified a thousand-fold found in Northern Arizona.I relocated my studio and home to Sedona in 2023. My art practice spans over 45 years of painting, graphic design, art teaching, gallery management, and installation design.
Special viewing opportunities for Joann's Show:
Fourth Friday Artwalk, Friday, September 25, 5-7pm
Monday ArtTalk, Monday, October 5, 10am-noon
Free!
10’x 10’ Popup Canopy with sides
Includes a case for the frame which has wheels so it can be easily rolled to your desired location. Sorry I don’t have a photo, it’s been in my storage shed for a few years.
Email me Liz Learmont at: lizlear13@gmail.com or call or text me at: 760-533-3396.