Genesis — And God said, "Let There Be Light"

by Elizabeth Steinebach on June 29, 2007
Filed Under: AISG WEBSITE, SURVEY

As most of you know, Jason and I have been looking after the website for just over three months now. It had been languishing for well over a year, with an expired gallery, old links, no news articles for near three years and a message board that was overrun with trolls and junk advertisers. In a very short time, we have:

• Updated the platform on which the site was based
• Created an entirely new, fresh and professional look
• Added geographical listings to ease locating an artist
• Added Regular news items and articles
• Restored and unified the Gallery, with real time input from members, creating a potent advertising medium

Thanks to these efforts, our visitor statistics show a 25% increase in site visits compared to the nine months prior to the re-launch.

This brings us to our next objective. A mission statement. A mission statement that is more than just "promoting stained glass as a contemporary art form". AISG has had many mission statements over the years and it was one of the ongoing issues of the last executive to create a definitive statement. Unfortunately, this did not occur before they dissolved, so we are still without one. This is where I would like your participation. We have created a short survey for those of you interested in contributing your thoughts and feelings about the site. It is by no means a specific questionnaire directed solely for the creation of the mission statement, but a tool we will use to better focus efforts to what it is you want this website to become.

I know religion can be a contentious issue, but I will take a chance that this will be received with an open heart. This is very much a new beginning for Artists in Stained Glass. In Genesis, God creates light. The light that separates us from the darkness that was. There were also the lights of the heavens, referring to the sun and the moon, to be luminous orbs to guide us both day and night. God created us in his image, so that powerful creative force is in us. Stained glass is irrevocably bound with light. AISG is coming out of a darkness into a new light, perhaps spoken a bit dramatically, however, none-the-less true. The Internet is a powerful tool to share our creativity with each other and beyond. Please share your thoughts as we move into this next phase.