Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Changes to Urban Sketchers Tacoma

Frances Buckmaster has decided to retire from her leadership role with USk Tacoma as of last Saturday, April 29.  Frances attended the very first Urban Sketchers outing in Seattle in July 2009.  In 2013, she founded USk Tacoma. She has worked tirelessly to build the group to what it is today. Most of this is behind the scenes but the fruits are visible in the growth and function of the group.  She has innovated ways to share the work of managing this group and has grown the number of monthly outings.  We owe her a huge dept of gratitude!   
Frances setting up for "Parking Day" to promote USk Tacoma

She's not gone but taking a step out of the leadership. The leadership group (admins, outings hosts, blog correspondents) had a meeting with Frances on that Saturday to work out roles for the immediate future. 

Kate Buike (that's me) has assumed the roll of overall coordinator and continues as "technology manager".  I can be contacted at mkbuike at comcast dot net  (making the change into a real email address).  Still in place are the hosts for outings:  First Saturday host continues to be Tom Bradley; second Thursdays is Pam Jenkens;  Third Wednesdays is Darcie Beck.   All also have backups. 

Behind the scenes are three administrators, as required by the Urban Sketchers Board.  These are Kate Buike, Darcie Beck and Mark Ryan.  Mark also is backup for the management of the technology supporting USk Tacoma. Karen Wilsey will help as backup for Facebook group admin.


Frances will no longer be sending reminders and other emails from her private email group.  One option being considered is a Google Group so the members of USk Tacoma can communicate  with each other via email.  Our only other vehicle for that is Facebook but we do not want that to be the only option as there are some people who, understandably, will not join Facebook. 

posted by Kate Buike

11 comments:

  1. Francis, thank you for your inspiring leadership and all the hard work you've put in! And, Kate, thenk you for assuming that role. USK Tacoma is lucky to have such a wonderful leadership team!

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  2. Unknown is me and it should be thank.

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    2. Jane--thank you for your kind comments. We're so fortunate Kate is assuming interim coordination. USk-T is in great hands...Kate, the hosts, the back-up hosts, the blog correspondents, all who post their sketches on Facebook and Flickr, all who lead special things like coordinating and hanging our shows, help with tech support, reach out to other artists in the wider community, nurture new-comers..and more! I hope many who don't know about USk-T learn we exist, and join this jolly group of great people!! Oh yes, and sketch to their heart's content!!

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  3. Congratulations to Queen Frances for getting this puppy trained and now off to new adventures with Tireless Kate. Can we sketch now? Please? Please? Pretty Please? (Hangs tongue and goes Pavlovian...)

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    1. Good sketcher. Good sketcher. Now you be nice to your new Queen! She will lead you to places you have not yet been! ;-) (Thanks, Roy!)

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  4. Thank you, Frances, for all you've done for USk and the West Coast Sketchcrawl, too! I don't join Tacoma as often as I'd like, but I feel your positive energy whenever I do.

    - Tina

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    1. I love when you visit us, Tina! You were mentioned (and copied) in a recent workshop I did. The group saw a slide of your Union Station Easter Egg, which you (innocently) 'threw down' with all the 'other' sketchbooks for sketch-sharing time. One of the folks in the group found a hard-boiled egg and did a 'local' sketch on her egg, in honor of the group's appreciative chuckle at seeing yours. It's nice to have a sprite in a group. We need those chuckles!!!

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  5. Thanks so much Frances for all you done creating and building up these awesome group. Thanks Kate for taking over the coordination. Hugs to both.

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    1. Thanks, Daisy. I love how you found us...and then jumped right in, in the middle of working full-time(!!!), even with lots of over-time, in your 'other life' and helped make so many good things happen for our group. Hugs back!!

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