Trustees Report 2021
We had thought and hoped that this last year was going to be a better year on the Covid front but as we now know, this was not the case. ‘Getting back to normal’ seemed a long way off but by showing great resolve and encouraging one another with that ‘Dunkirk Spirit’ we have been able to take the opportunities when they arrived to get back to doing what we do best. Maybe it is only at this late juncture in spring 2022 that we are beginning to see the light at the end of the Covid tunnel.
For the past year the RGA Council has continued its regular meetings, still via ‘Zoom’. Much time has been spent trying to reorganise events that were already in the diary. The planned Drawing Exhibition at Reading Museum along with artists’ talks and workshops had to be postponed once more. But on a more positive note, along with our two Online Exhibitions we have been able to hold two physical exhibitions – our RBH Corridor Exhibition No.26 and the 90th Annual Exhibition at the Old Fire Station Gallery in Henley.
The RBH exhibition was very well supported by members and we achieved some good sales. Our works of art brightened up the corridors of the hospital and brought a note of positivity for the patients, who had to spend unexpected time there and also for their families when they came to visit. The staff also showed their appreciation; one doctor from Respiratory Medicine commented ‘my walk to work from the car park is now a joyful experience thanks to all these wonderful artworks’.
It was with a real sense of pleasure and joy that we reconnected with each other at our 90th Annual Exhibition. Unusually this was held in July and coincided with the Henley Arts Trail on one weekend. So our footfall was up as people enjoyed the fine weather and the art. Members came up trumps with superb works of art as well as volunteering to hang and steward the show. Even though masks were still the order of the day, our exhibitions have given us the opportunity to see one another and meet people in the outside world again!
Over the past two years we have missed our usual RGA gatherings. During the autumn of 2021, the council managed to secure a new venue for RGA Fridays. Many of you will have already enjoyed the ‘regathering’ and I hope many more members will support future workshops. And Earley Painters has also just begun again – in yet another new venue! I hope that some positive creativity has come out of the enforced isolation of the past year and that we can share what we have achieved with one another, perhaps at one of our workshops.
A great opportunity that we still have to look forward to is the “Sense of Space” Exhibition at South Hill Park Arts Centre in Bracknell during 2022. This exhibition will be quite a departure from many of our usual showing spaces. Many
of our members having responded well to the challenge it provides - to seek other ways of expression from the norm, in our artistic practises. On another note, I have to let you know that I am going to stand down from the role of Chair, at the AGM, due to family reasons. My brother had a stroke some years ago, but he has needed increasing support lately and I have to provide that for him, as I am his only surviving family member. I have enjoyed my time in the position of Chair, but feel it is time to make way for someone else. I will keep my hand in as part of the Exhibition team. I hope you understand my position on this. Thank you to everyone for your continued support and membership of the RGA. Here’s looking forward to a more positive 2022!
Reading Guild of Artists Annual Accounts 2021 Statement of receipts and payments
| Receipts | Payments | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| see | 21y | 20y | see | 21y | 20y | ||
| note | £ | £ | note | £ | £ | ||
| Membership | 1 | 2,050 | 3,530 | Member Services | 6 | 2,539 | 2,927 |
| Exhibitions | 2 | 5,990 | 1,895 | Exhibitions | 7 | 5,408 | 2,347 |
| Workshops | 3 | 202 | 330 | Workshops | 8 | 858 | 828 |
| Interest | 4 | 2 | 12 | Governance | 9 | 0 | 21 |
| Other receipts | 5 | - | 1,000 | Other payments | 10 | - | - |
| 8,243 | 6,767 | 8,804 | 6,122 | ||||
| Statement of assets | |||||||
| and liabilities | |||||||
| 21y | 20y | 21y | |||||
| £ | £ | £ | |||||
| Brought forward, 1 | |||||||
| Jan | 17,797 | 17,152 | CAFCash current | 1,432 | |||
| CAF Gold deposit | 15,620 | ||||||
| Surplus / (deficiency) | |||||||
| of | Cash | 210 | |||||
| receipts over payments | (561) | 645 | Debtors | - | |||
| Gross Assets | 17,261 | ||||||
| Liabilities (creditors) | (25) | ||||||
| Carried forward, 29 | |||||||
| Dec | 17,236 | 17,797 | Net assets | 17,236 |
General. The accounts are presented in the same format as previously. The receipts and payments made in 2021 are generally recorded as being in that year, even if the event they relate to belongs in another year. Examples are the subscriptions received and room hire, if any, paid in advance for the next year.
Membership.(note 1) Recorded subscription income at £2050 was less than in 2020 (£3,530), largely because more members had paid for 2020 in advance.
Member Services. (Note 2 ).Major costs as in 2020 were for website maintenance , insurance and publishing the annual review .In addition a zoom subscription allowed for online council meetings and also on line workshops/demonstrations to minimise contact during the ongoing covid pandemic.
Exhibitions. (Note 3) Two exhibitions were able to take place despite the covid restrictions. The 90[th] exhibition was held in Henley .RGA took part of the Henley Arts Trail as the timings happened to coincide. There was a venue charge for being part of the trail of £200 . This was approved by Council to support the Trail ,for the extra publicity and anticipated increase in footfall.
WorldPay’s commission of 2½% on sales (£99) was not charged to artists but included in costs against the 90[th] exhibition when the card machine was used. Overall the exhibition was successful and positive financially .( £1132) £582 if previous years payment of gallery hire taken into account.
Next years Gallery hire of £550 has been paid in advance.
The RBH corridor exhibition was also successful. No hanging fee was charged this year , a Council decision made in order to limit social contact and encourage participation . Sales were low but still raised £201 for the RBH Charity Fund from commission.
Workshops. Earley painters had been discontinued for the year . Zoom workshops/ demos/talks were offered earlier in the year at no charge to members ,whilst lock down was in place again. The Friday workshops restarted in September at a new location of St Peters Church Hall .
Cost were £132 for room hire and £690 for tutors including zoom workshops, receipts were received from participants via Eventbrite for the Friday workshops amounting to £202.
Interest /charges (note 4). CAF gold deposit account ,interest has gone down dramatically , £2 over the year, and the CAF current account charges have increased to £8 per month (£96)
Clare Buchta February 2022