There is a group drawing exercise I’ve always found fun. One person draws a quick scribble on a piece of paper and then passes it to the next person, who adds to the scribble before passing it on.

By the time everyone in the group has had a turn what began as a scribble has transformed into something pretty cool, such as a weird-looking animal or a detailed abstract drawing. This is an example of synergy in action.

Jo’l Moore

Synergy is the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.

I tend to forget the power of working as a team but thankfully, the universe keeps reminding me that I am not alone.

Last month, I had the notion that I, single-handedly, needed to save the Belen Art League’s from the financial crunch brought about by the coronavirus. I took about 25 of my pieces down to the gallery and set up an art sale room.

Then the magic began to happen. One of our members, Nancy Diadoti-Miller, came and took pictures of my donated work. She set up an online auction, not only to sell these donations but to give our members a venue to show and sell their work. Over the three days of the auction, we sold enough art to pay all of our bills for the month of July and had some left over.

Heady with success, we decided to hold a second auction the first week of August. A number of the gallery’s artists stepped up and made donations of art. That auction brought in more than the first and now we’ve decided to do this on a monthly basis.

More and more of our members joined our Facebook group page so they could be a part of the online selling. Each artist has a personal album that contains their work along with comments, prices, sizes, etc.

Anyone can join our Facebook page. Just find the group My Art League Friends and put in a request to join. Only Belen Art League members can post their work for sale.

If you are an artist and would like to display and sell your work on this page please become a member of the BAL. Dues are only $30 a year, $45 for a family membership.

Once you are a member of our Facebook page, you can scroll through our artists’ albums and see the great variety of beautiful art they are selling. Offerings include stained glass, metal sculptures, fiber art and so much more.

Our next auction is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 3, until Sunday, Sept. 6. During this 72-hour window, you can bid on the items offered in the auction by submitting your bid in the comment box.

In addition, we will be holding a special denim jacket auction Sept. 17-20. These beautiful jackets have been created by artists from all over the state and will be modeled by local townsfolk.

My puny effort to make money for the BAL is akin to Chicken Little’s effort to hold up the sky. But when our group combined their energies the sky became the limit. Our team synergy created an outcome far greater than what I ever envisioned.

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Jo'l Moore, guest columnist

Jo’l Moore is the president of the Belen Art League Gallery and Gifts. Contact her at [email protected] or call 861-0217