Best of Missouri Hands Board of Directors

I attended my first meeting yesterday as a director on the governing board of the Missouri Artisans Association d.b.a. The Best of Missouri Hands (BOMH). That's me in the center at the top of the picture. The Missouri Artisans Association d.b.a. The Best of Missouri Hands was founded in 1989 as a nonprofit corporation "dedicated to the development and recognition of Missouri's arts and artisans through education, interaction, and encouragement." A primary goal of MAA d.b.a. Best of Missouri Hands is to advance the arts in Missouri by:

· Educating the public about Missouri's arts and crafts
· Educating its members and the community at large through an annual conference, a newsletter, a web site, and other interactive communications
· Providing technical assistance and mentoring for artistic development
· Offering networking opportunities regionally and nationally
· Rewarding excellence through its jury process
· Preserving cultural heritage through public education, display and other projects

The BOMH membership consists of nearly 500 Missouri artists of all levels and mediums. I am humbled and honored to be a part of this terrific organization. We have a new Executive Director and I expect to see great things happen within BOMH this year.

We've got a contractor for the studio! Unfortunately, we also have about 4" of snow and more coming, so groundbreaking may take a while. We can't wait to get everything together under one roof. We have to take out one tree, though, and we sure hope that doesn't upset our summer oriole and hummingbird populations.

Hummingbird fact for today: North American hummingbirds are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. Prior to that, hummingbirds were killed to decorate parlors and fashions and captured for exportation to collectors in Europe.