July 2026 Newsletter
- Doug Steere
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
Our monthly meeting will be at Arrow Creative Reuse (ACR), the nonprofit art thrift store at 616 W. Tampa Street, at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, July 8, 2026. It will be a fun off-site meeting for us and don't be surprised if you find something you need to purchase. Remember, we will NOT be meeting at the church in July.
You can find out more about ACR at their website, Home | Arrow Creative Reuse. You can find all types of art supplies, learn about their classes and other events, and find out how to donate or volunteer. They recently hosted the Midwest Midbest Crankie Fest! You can follow ACR on Facebook here.
Logo Contest
The Southwest Missouri Visual Arts Collective is looking for a logo created by a local artist — and we’d love to see your ideas.
Using our mission statement as inspiration, artists are invited to submit an original logo design for the Southwest Missouri Visual Arts Collective. The winning design will become the official logo of the organization and help represent our growing creative community for years to come.
Mission Statement: The mission of the Southwest Missouri Visual Arts Collective is to inspire, support, and connect artists and communities through the advancement of the visual arts. We are dedicated to fostering creativity, artistic growth, cultural enrichment, and meaningful collaboration by providing opportunities for education, exhibition, networking, mentorship, volunteering, and community engagement.
This is a unique opportunity to help shape the visual identity of SWMOVAC while having your artwork recognized and featured on the organization’s website. Final logo selections will be voted on by members during the August 2026 member meeting.
There is no entry fee, and artists of all experience levels are encouraged to participate.
The selected artist will receive recognition on the SWMOVAC website for the duration of the logo’s use, along with a special artist gift.
The deadline for digital submissions is July 15, 2026. (Physical Submissions Jul 8, 2026)
For official guidelines and the entry form, click the link below:
Exhibition Opportunities
Juanita K. Hammons Center for the Performing Arts: Upcoming 2026 themed exhibits at JKH: September is “Moods of Autumn” and November is “Frosted.”
Nearly Famous Deli (changes out every 2 months, with each exhibition now featuring 3 artists). You can ask to be placed on a list of artists should there be openings this year.
Current and upcoming Nearly Famous Deli schedule:
June 6-August 1 (Tracy Bruton, Jenny Green, Bonnie Schooler)
August 1-October 3 (Ruth Penaherrera-Norton, Mindy Tillery, Jessica Phillips)
October 3-December 5 (Ann Kynion, Allison Powers, Agnes Teagan)
December 5-February 6 (Donna Lynn Clark, Andi Snethern, Carol Snyder)
Nature Center
Contact Ann Kynion for more information at akynion@yahoo.com.
Gailey’s Breakfast Cafe. There will be a children’s show there until July 7, and then another roster of 14 group members will hang their art. That July 7 roster and the remaining rosters throughout the year may have some vacancies, and if you are interested contact Ann Kynion at akynion@yahoo.com.
July-September, Botanical Center
Up to 30 artists can participate. Contact Ann Kynion at akynion@yahoo.com for more information.
Bambinos
There are two locations with opportunities — Bambinos on Delmar and Bambinos on Battlefield. Prior to each exhibit there will be a sign-up sheet at the monthly meetings for artists interested in showing at these locations, and you may show at both. You must sign up to be eligible to participate. The remaining install schedule for 2026 is as follows:
A "Summer"/Neutral exhibit is currently on display at both locations.
September 5th - Delmar, September 12th - Battlefield
Exhibit Theme is "Autumn" / Neutral
December 5th - Delmar, December 12th - Battlefield
Exhibit Theme is "Celebrating Love"
Artists receive 100% of the profit from their sales here. People who sign up for an upcoming exhibit will be contacted by Donna Lynn Clark and receive specific details for that event. Drop off dates are the beginning of the exhibit date and pick up dates are the date of the next exhibit, at 8:30 a.m.
MudLounge
The MudLounge is a venue that prefers larger dimension paintings — 2.5-4 feet, but we will welcome submissions of smaller size art also. There is space for 12-15 large paintings that will be on display for 4 months. Paid members of Studio 55 and/or VAAS may submit information about paintings to display. For more information about the next exhibit, contact Gary Tebbenkamp at garyt1949@gmail.com.
ERCPA Art Gallery (Elliott, Robinson & Company, LLP)
“BIG & small,” May-August 2026.
National Avenue Christian Church
Generally, two exhibits a year. The exhibit currently on display is "Peace, Love, and Understanding." Art does not need to be religious in nature but merely reflect the theme. Contact Doug Steere at studio55guild@gmail.com to express interest in the winter exhibit or see him at a meeting.
Urban Sketchers of Springfield
Ann Kynion shares that Urban Sketchers of Springfield will be exhibiting at Park Central Library from August 1-31 with a Route 66 themed show. Urban Sketchers from Oklahoma City, Tulsa, St. Louis, Chicago and possibly other locations will also be participating. Sign up at the meeting or send your information to Ann Kynion (akynion@yahoo.com) by July 15.
Unscripted
This month on "Unscripted," Dean Ertel will be making his appearance on July 16th. Tune in on KOLR10 at 8:30 a.m. to show support and celebrate Dean's work!
Lynnsey Fletcher is seeking individuals to sign up for the waiting list to go on "Unscripted" and share their work. She will call upon these individuals if one of the scheduled persons can no longer fill their spot. Please fill out this form (CLICK HERE), email her at artbylynnseyfletcher@gmail.com, or give her a call at 479-250-5619.
Cider Days
This year, the Downtown Springfield Association is partnering with the Springfield Regional Arts Council to present Cider Days. As we step into this new chapter, we're working to build on the festival's long-standing tradition while strengthening the artist experience and expanding the quality and diversity of work represented throughout the event.
Held along Historic Walnut Street in Springfield, Missouri, Cider Days attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year. The festival combines fine art, traditional craft, live demonstrations, music, food, and community in a setting that feels distinctly Ozark.
Cider Days 2026 will take place on Saturday and Sunday, September 19–20, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day. The application deadline is July 7, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.
Applications are now open and can be found at this link.
Best of Missouri Hands
Two of our members were recently notified that they are now juried members of Best of Missouri Hands. Jane Ballard (for Photography) and Ann Kynion (for Painting) -- Congratulations!
The Best of Missouri Hands will have an exhibit at the Creamery Arts Center. The opening reception for "On the Road: The World We Create" will be on July 10 from 5-7 p.m. and will remain on display through July.29. Deby Gilley is among the artists participating, and she has three pieces in the exhibit.
Jane Ballard
Jane Ballard was recently informed that her collage print, "Sunny Side Up," was accepted in the Spiva Center for the Arts exhibition, "Press Play: Collage in Print." Jane says that she carved a linocut block based on one of her photographs, cut colored pieces of scrapbook paper shaped like the image, "quilted" those pieces onto a background piece, and then block printed the linocut on top of that. Here are the progress photos.
Recently Installed Exhibits
We recently posted photos on Facebook of some of the recent exhibits that were installed. You can check them out at these four Facebook links: NACC, Bambinos Delmar, Nearly Famous Deli, and MudLounge.
In the past six months, we have installed more than 350 pieces of art around town, representing the works of nearly 100 artists across 11 venues.
Fundraiser - National Avenue Christian Church
The venue for most of our monthly meetings, National Avenue Christian Church, is having a fundraiser on August 2 to support the church's programs and also to support the group "Theatre North of 60." The fundraiser will feature a performance of many songs by Theatre North of 60, which is a community organization of adults aged 55+ (and a group of dedicated support friends) who endorse the arts. Last year, they performed "Annie" at the Church along with other events throughout the past 12 months. The fundraiser will also feature refreshments, raffles, and a silent auction.
If you are interested in donating a piece of art for the silent auction, contact Doug Steere at studio55guild@gmail.com and he will give you more information on how to participate.
You can learn more about Theatre North of 60 by visiting the group's page on Facebook: TN60. You can learn more about attending the event at this Facebook event page: "It's Bananas!"
Our June Meeting
Thank you to Sony Hocklander for your presentation about your photography and some highlights about your life! So many interesting stories about your photography.
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