PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Hello Fellow Artists!
My five years serving as FAA president is nearing an end, and I would like to thank each and every one of my board members and committee chairpersons. There is no way I could have carried on in this position without their help and expertise. They were always there to listen to me and answer questions, solve problems, think policies through, make phone calls, etc. So, here’s a big HUG to you – Julie, Roger, April, Sheryl, Billie, Warren, Jerry, Shirlee, Carol, Debbie, Paula, Frank, Jim, and Evvie – I love you all!!!
Our meeting on Tuesday, May 5, at 7:00 pm will feature Steve Rogers as our guest artist. I’m sure his demo will be very entertaining and informational. Steve is also our May workshop instructor and the judge for our Members’ Fine Art Show. This is always an exciting evening, so I look forward to seeing you there!
Next month is our Social on Tuesday, June 2, and we will begin at 6:30 pm sharp. FAA will provide hotdogs, buns, condiments, drinks, paper products, plasticware, and members are asked to bring side dishes or desserts. We will have our yearly People’s Choice awards, as well as our Sweet Corn King and Queen introductions, the three scholarship winners, and induction of our officers, so please don’t be late so we can vote and tally the awards results in a timely manner.
I’d like to thank Paula Whittington for filling our gallery with her lovely, colorful, versatile show in April. I’ve heard many wonderful comments and I believe she sold a few pieces. If you are interested in hanging your work, just contact Gallery Coordinator Carol Collett.
Keep creating! I am looking forward to seeing what you enter in our show … such a talented group!
Linda Brandenburg, President
MAY’S GUEST ARTIST – STEVE ROGERS
The Fairborn Art Association is pleased to welcome Steve Rogers as our guest artist for this month. Steve will serve as the judge for the Members’ Fine Art Show, as the instructor for the May 4–6 workshop, and as the demo artist for our meeting on May 5.
Steve Rogers is a nationally-known watercolor instructor conducting workshops all over the United States as well as in Europe. He is known for his breathtaking landscapes and marine paintings. Steve’s purpose, as a REPRESENTATIONAL ARTIST is to portray the beauty of light and color in God’s world as he experiences it within his heart. He has done a series of watercolors from his first trip to the Mediterranean to subsequent trips. He has been able to paint this beautiful land not as one who sees it every day, but as a “visitor”, who is awestruck by something fresh and new and at the same time very ancient.
The “Boats and Reflections in Watercolors” May 4–6 workshop with Steve Rogers has a few openings available so, if you want to take advantage of this great opportunity, registrations are still being accepted! The registration form is available in the gallery, on our website, and in the link below.
May 2026 Workshop Registration Form
2026 MEMBERS’ FINE ART SHOW IN MAY
2025 Best of Show – Tom Kinarney “Frog in Puddle”
The 2026 Members’ Fine Art Show will be open to the public on the following Sundays – May 3, May 10, and May 17, from 1:00–4:00 pm at the Fairborn Art Association, 221 North Central Avenue, Fairborn, OH 45324. Bring your family and friends and enjoy this wonderful show!
FAA MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL FOR 2026-2027
Annual membership dues need to be paid by June 1 (or the meeting in June) in order for the member to be included in the 2026–2027 FAA Membership Directory. Membership forms are available in the Gallery, on the FAA website Home page under Forms and in the links below (as a printable form or as an online entry form). A completed Membership Form is required, along with your dues payment. Please contact our Membership Chair, Debbie Cosenza, if you have any questions.
2026-2027 Membership Form (print version)
Online Membership Form and Dues Payment
ELECTION OF OFFICERS FOR 2026-2027
We will be voting for Officers of the Fairborn Art Association at our May 5, 2026, meeting. The slate presented by our Nominating Committee is as follows:
President – David Schneberger
Vice President – Audrey McGowin
Recording Secretary – Sheryl Scott
Corresponding Secretary – April Coppess
Treasurer – Roger Browning
If anyone wishes to run for one of the above offices or if you wish to nominate someone else for one of the offices, please contact Carol Collett prior to our May 5, 2026, meeting so a ballot with that name can be prepared. If no one else chooses to run, the election will be held by voice vote.
MEMBER NEWS
Congratulations to the following FAA members who were accepted into Watercolor Ohio 2026, the Annual Juried Exhibition of the Ohio Watercolor Society which runs September 26 – October 23 at the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts in Findlay, Ohio:
Billie Dickson “Stephensplatz Vienna”
Connie Gifford “Wheels and Spokes”
Yuki Hall “Ponte Sant Angelo”
Tessa Kalman “Art Reception at Tohono Chul”
Rose Schultz “Only a Whisper of Wind”
LANDSCAPES JURIED ART GUIDED HIKE AND EXHIBITION
As a reminder, this month’s guided hike for Landscapes2026 has been scheduled at the Estel Wenrick Wetlands Nature Preserve, 2855 Union Road in Medway, Ohio on Thursday, May 7, starting at 10:00 am, and the Landscapes2026 juried art competition entries will be received at the Fairborn Art Association Gallery, 221 North Central Avenue, Fairborn, Ohio, on Saturday, June 27, and Sunday, June 28, from 1:00–3:00 pm. The art will be on display at the Gallery and open to the public on July 12 (Opening Reception) and 19 from 1:00–3:00 pm, and July 26 from 1:00–2:00 pm with art pickup from 2:00–3:00 pm. For more information, visit their website at bwgreenway.org or contact Heidi at [email protected] .
VOLUNTEER AT FAA’S SUMMER FESTIVALS
The FAA will participate in two festivals this summer. A meaningful way to help is to join us at Fairborn Community Park to greet visitors, share information about the FAA, and support our largest fundraiser.
- July 3–4 | Fairborn Community Independence Days
Help staff our information tent and share details about the Sweet Corn Festival and the Fairborn Art Association.
- August 15–16 | Fairborn Sweet Corn Festival (help needed August 13–16)
Co-sponsored by the FAA and the Lions. This is our largest fundraiser of the year, and volunteer help is essential.- Set-up & Tear-down Team: Assist with booths, supplies, and signage before and after the festival.
- Vendor Gate: Welcome vendors and help with check-in as they arrive.
- Watermelon Booth: Help staff our watermelon fundraiser.
- Information Tent: Share information about the FAA, assist visitors with festival maps, and help with fundraising sales. Enjoy FAA’s Fairborn Heritage Collection (prints from the 2025 Fairborn 75th Anniversary Virtual Show).
- New this year: Patriotic art by Fairborn Intermediate School 4th–5th graders will be displayed in the Corn Eating Contest Tent.
Volunteer details: We will hold a brief August orientation. Volunteers may also help assemble approximately 200 information packets distributed to vendors (food trucks, crafts, and more).
How to volunteer: Add your name at the May meeting or use the online sign-up link when it is sent by email.
Thank you for supporting the Fairborn Art Association!
Questions?
- Festival Volunteers: Paula Whittington 937-554-9489 [email protected]
- Watermelon Booth: Susan Fosnot 937-414-3378 [email protected], Leigh Andrews 937-825-7962 [email protected]
SUBMISSION DEADLINE FOR NEXT NEWSLETTER
The deadline for submitting articles to be included in the June 2026 newsletter is Monday, May 18, 2026. Please call or email the article to the Corresponding Secretary, April Coppess, by the deadline.
