GVAL (Gilbert Visual Art League)

06/07/2026

GVAL BOARD 2026-27 was announced at our June meeting! The board members are pictured here except for Curtis Jackson and Jane Bradley. We appreciate those who voted. Here is the GVAL Board for 2026-27.

Co-Presidents
John Priddy & Donna Finter

Co-Vice Presidents
Jean Smith & Sharon Hess

Secretary
Karen Kruder

Treasurer
Curtis Jackson

Art Show Coordinators
Peter Eobbi & Christina Rosepapa

Community Outreach Coordinator
Donna Finter

Fund Raising and Grants Coordinator
Lynne Fox

Hospitality and Social Coordinators
Suzanne Rios & Olivia Shelton

Meeting Coordinator
Rosalie Vaccaro

Membership Coordinator
Lisa Schwab

Newsletter Coordinator
Jane Bradley

Public Relations & Marketing Coordinator
Suzanne Rios

Special Events and Venues Coordinator
Linda Taylor

Website Coordinator
Christina Rosepapa

Our board is unpaid but we do our best for you year round. There will be no member meeting in July or August. However, Community Art Outreach Volunteers continue to serve at House of Refuge during the summer.

GVAL’s Facebook and Instagram will be active. The Instagram account is . Our May-June newsletter will be emailed in June. There will be a few GVAL email messages, especially near the end of August.

Make time this summer to explore our beautiful website GVAL.org. Contact us through our email at [email protected] to be a part of our online Member Gallery or to ask general GVAL questions. Enjoy the Summer Challenge. We will see you the first Thursday in September. Keep creating!

06/06/2026

Last night, we held our last meeting before our summer break. We do not meet in July or August. We wrapped up the 2025-2026 GVAL year by breaking bread with our fellow artists and their families.

We enjoyed a delicious, potluck dinner, which was provided by our members. There were so many delicious dishes to choose from. Great job, GVAL members!

We also held a silent auction. Members contributed new or gently used, art related items. We raised $377, which will benefit GVAL in the future.

Our 2026-2027 Board was announced (more on that in a separate post). Special thanks to the 2025-2026 board members, who did a remarkable job.

The Summer Art Challenge was presented by Sharon Hess. (more on that in a separate post).

Last but not least, the Artist of the Year was selected. Congratulations, Elvie Becker!

When we resume our meetings in September, we will be preparing for our month long Member’s Fine Art Show: October 3rd-November 3rd.
GVAL members, please renew your membership prior to the show by completing an online application. Check GVAL.org for the renewal application.

06/06/2026

Are you ready to take on the GVAL SUMMER ART CHALLENGE? Sharon Hess announced it at our June 4th meeting! The member participants will take their finished Summer Challenge pieces and an unaltered photo of their reference to the next member meeting on Thursday, September 3rd to be considered for the September Artist of the Month. The winner will receive a ribbon, publicity on GVAL’s website, social media and Art Vine newsletter, and will be considered for Artist of the Year!

Here are the directions: Find a photo or take a photo. Cut it in 3 or 4 pieces. Rearrange them out of order. Draw, paint or build your out of order artwork. If you create a drawing or painting, it must be in a frame and wired or on canvas at least 1 1/2 “ deep, wired, and have painted edges. This is great practice for an upcoming art show. Let’s see how creative we can be!

06/05/2026

Please join us in congratulating GVAL member Elvie Becker on being selected as the 2025-2026 Artist of the Year. 🌹

In January, Elvie’s peers voted her Artist of the Month for her 12x12 oil painting 'The Blankie', which qualified her to be considered for this prestigious recognition. Last night at the June meeting, her peers voted Elvie, as Artist of the Year. She received her ribbon, and a $50 gift certificate for art supplies.

Elvie's artistic focus is primarily on portraits, although she also creates landscapes. Discover more of her work by attending the month long 2026 GVAL Member’s Fine Art Show, which begins October 3rd, or by visiting her website: https://elvie-becker.pixels.com/

06/04/2026

Reminder: The June monthly meeting and potluck is tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. We are looking forward to a fun evening.

JUNE MEMBER’S MEETING
Thursday, June 4th, 6:00 P.M.
Neely Room, 10 S. Gilbert Road.
Parking located in the elementary school parking lot.

We’re looking forward to our next monthly meeting and commencing our summer break! Please note, GVAL does not meet during July and August.
At our June 4th meeting, we will:
*Announce the 2026–2027 GVAL Board Members
*Enjoy a potluck dinner
*Hold a silent auction
*Vote for Artist of the Year
*Announce the Summer Art Challenge

Board Member Announcement:
The 2026–2027 Board Members will be announced at the meeting. If you haven’t voted yet, please do so before June 4th. Check your email for the official GVAL invitation and voting information.

Artist of the Year:
We will also be voting for Artist of the Year. Members who received Artist of the Month honors throughout the year are finalists for this prestigious award, selected by their fellow artists. The winner will be announced at our June meeting.

Potluck Dinner:
Members are asked to bring a dish according to the first letter of their last name. Feel free to double dip into another category too! 😄
A–J: Main Dish
K–R: Side Dish
S–Z: Dessert

Silent Auction:
Now’s the perfect time to purge your art studios of new or gently used art supplies! We will have a QR code for payment.

Summer Art Challenge:
The Summer Art Challenge will be announced at the meeting. The winner will be selected as Artist of the Month (AOM) when we resume meetings in September.

05/31/2026

Congratulations to GVAL member, Suzanne Rios. Suzanne’s works of art: Mother of Millions and Entré Nosotras (between us), will be exhibited in
De La Vega Gallery’s art exhibition titled: Rise, From Adversity to Light.
A curated exhibition by Art Historian, Gwyn Robbins.
Opening Reception:
Saturday
June 6th, 5-7 P.M.
1918 E. Prince Rd, Tucson, AZ

05/29/2026

ADVENTURES IN ART WITH GVAL- June 6, 2026 | 10:00am – 12:00pm.

Join HD SOUTH and the Gilbert Visual Arts League for this fun and interactive , where you’ll discover new techniques and tap into your inner artist! Led by Pam Hendricks and Donna Finter, talented members of GVAL. You’ll have the freedom to choose your favorite sunflower blooms 🌻 to and take home. All supplies are provided, so all you need to bring is your enthusiasm! If you have a child over age 9 he/she is welcome to join in the class but registration is required, so secure your spot(s) today and get ready to bloom into your full creative potential! 🌞

Register at https://hdsouth.org/event/adventures-in-art-with-gval-13/
HeritageDistrict

05/29/2026

Congratulations to GVAL Member, Olivia Shelton. Her paintings: Lizard Girl Future and Lizard Girl Peace, were accepted into the Las Vegas Artist’s Guild: Realms of Wonder, online show. We wish you the best, Olivia! 🌹

If you’re a member and have an upcoming show, please send us a message and we will support and promote your exhibition.