And, we're off!

Our first meeting of the year was a resounding success!

Outgoing President Laurel gave a brief recap of the 4-year history of CMMAG, from its 'humble beginnings,' through various group activities, including a number of play days, exhibits, challenges, shows and swaps, to the present-day dynamic organization we've become.

And, we've elected our new slate of officers: President: Penny, Vice President: Michelle, Treasurer: Jeanne, Secretary: Nanette and Members at Large: (or "Thing 1" and "Thing 2" as they dubbed themselves) Debbie and Roberta. Past president Laurel remains on the Board, and we look forward to two years of great leadership from everyone.

We also welcomed several guests and five new members: Janet, Courtney, Maggi, Cathie and Sabrina, who are all excited about joining our dynamic group of creative souls.

The meeting room at Jerry's Artarama was an outstanding location; we were able to stretch out, see everyone at the same time, and have space enough to display our 'show and tell' pieces. Thanks to Sharon and everyone at Jerry's--we love our new meeting "home".

Another highlight of our first meeting was the launch of our latest challenge, the "Mixed Media Madness Mission Art-Possible" (Code Name: M-4). A kit composed of 33 disparate objects was assembled by Penny and Jean, of Artist Alley, with contributions from Nanette and Jeanne. Twenty-one CMMAG members have accepted the challenge of creating a work of art from at least 31 of these items which include: bullet casings, lace, empty glass fragrance bottle, sewing pattern pieces, book pages, cigar box label, Scrabble tiles, map, and embroidery floss; no small feat, to say the least. Completed works will be displayed at Artist Alley in March, and possibly published in a Stampington and Company magazine. We wish all our kit challenge members luck and creative inspiration as they make their way through the task...we can't wait to see the finished products!

So, we're off to a roaring start! Stay tuned to see what else is in store...we've got great plans for this new year.