Board Members Present: Mari Emori, April Zilber, Sally Jackson (recorder), Jan Schachter, Lee Middleman, Vicki Gunter, Sonja Hinrichsen, Chris Johnson, Cheryl Costantini, Ren Lee, Susie Rubenstein, Barbara Prodaniuk, Iver Hennig, Julie Taber, Tamara Danoyan, Scott Jennings, Emil Yanos, Trudy Chiddix
The meeting began at 10:00 a.m.
Welcome (Mari Emori)
We welcomed three new ACGA board members: Scott Jennings, Tamara Danoyan, and Julie Taber, who is now our general treasurer. Board members re-elected for another two-year term were Lee Middleman, Chris Johnson, Ren Lee, Susie Rubenstein, Jan Schachter, April Zilber, Trudy Chiddix, Cheryl Costantini, and Sally Jackson.
This meeting will be recorded. Any questions that we don’t have time for during the meeting should be entered into the chat. They will be answered by email after the meeting.
Election of Officers (Lee Middleman)
The following board members were elected as officers:
President: Mari Emori
Vice-President: Chris Johnson
Treasurer: Julie Taber
Secretary: Sally Jackson
Resolutions related to ACGA’s Financial Accounts (April Zilber)
April led voting on two resolutions, both of which passed.
- The Board voted to remove Forrest Lesch-Middelton and approve Julie Taber to have full access to our Bank of America accounts (passed).
- The Board voted to approve Julie Taber and Sally Jackson as authorized users with full access to our Fidelity account (passed).
All-Member Meeting Welcome (Mari Emori)
Mari, starting her second year as ACGA President, extended her thanks to the Board for all its work and accomplishments. She looks forward to leading the organization to become more inclusive, more robust, and more relevant to artists and others involved in clay and glass throughout California. She also announced the election results and thanked April Zilber for 20 years of service as ACGA’s treasurer. Julie Taber is now our general treasurer, and April will continue as the festival treasurer reporting to Julie.
Artist Studio Tours
Iver Hennig (Santa Cruz), Chris Johnson (Davenport), and Barbara Prodaniuk (Truckee) each gave a 5-minute video tour of their studios.
Membership Updates (Emil Yanos)
The membership renewal process this year has been plagued with glitches related to our website. Emil, April, and our website manager Pam Carpenter have been working tirelessly to try to fix the problems. At this time last year, we had 345 members. This year we have 277 members who have renewed. Emil will continue working to get the remaining artists on board if they choose to renew.
Festival Jury Update (Chris Johnson)
Last fall we juried in nine new artists. The next jurying will be announced in February and those accepted will be notified in time to apply for festival booths. Chris has worked hard to make sure that jurors write constructive, anonymous comments to our applicants, especially to those who are rejected. Chris noted that we would like to get more applications from glass artists; Lee suggested contacting glass studios. He is currently seeking jurors for the next jurying. Contact him if you are a festival-eligible artist and are interested in being a juror.
Newsletter Overview & Social Media Strategies (Ren Lee)
The Communications Committee (Ren, Cheryl Costantini, and Susie Rubenstein) have been working to reach more people through our newsletter and social media posts. Our newsletter is delivered online through MailChimp to 5500 addresses. We also have a calendar where members can post information about upcoming shows, exhibitions, and other events. Newsletter content has improved greatly with articles about our members, their work, and interesting topics in clay and glass. About half of the recipients open the newsletter. Data analytics show that the “Events” button on our website gets more clicks than any other link, so Ren encouraged all members to post their events and engage with our digital audience. We have 15,000 followers on Instagram and Ren is researching ways to increase the number of people who see our posts. Short videos (1-1.5 minutes long) are an excellent way to catch people’s attention. Tag your IG posts and videos with “@theacga” and Ren will repost as much content as she can on our IG feed.
Treasurer’s Report (April Zilber)
April introduced Julie Taber as the new General Treasurer for ACGA. Julie is a clay artist with an excellent background in accounting for nonprofits. April will continue as the Festival Treasurer and will report to Julie.
As of December 31, 2023, our assets were $116,086. Our net income last year was almost nine times what we expected and budgeted for. The total net income was $25,000, a high number for us. Total sales for the Clay and Glass Festival in July were an impressive $478,000 for 110 artists. Five artists sold in excess of $12,000; six made less than $1000.
Festival Update (April Zilber)
The Board approved an increased booth fee of $295 for 2024. Expenses continue to rise. The Board decided not to have the Artists Showcase this year; it is expensive and involves a lot of time and volunteers. This frees up money to help pay for things like Clay for All, and it frees up the auditorium to use as a cooling station for visitors.
April is ready to train someone else to be the Festival Liaison. Ideally this person would shadow her this year. Email April at zilberglass@gmail.com if you are interested. Starting in 2024, the liaison will be paid $1000 for this work. The next festival meeting is February 2nd.
Exhibitions (Jan Schachter)
Jan emphasized that our exhibitions happen because of participation from our artists. Any of our members can suggest or inquire about a gallery or other space. We need this participation in order to make initial contacts and open doors. Once the conversation starts, then we can generate a roadmap for an exhibition. There are currently three exhibitions in the works:
Benicia: Vicki Gunter is organizing a juried exhibition at the NY2CA Gallery in Benicia. Prospective dates are September 4-October 5, 2025, and the show will be part of a commemoration of Robert Arneson and his legacy in the Funk Art movement. The call will include functional and sculptural clay and glass. Submitted work does not have to be Funk-inspired. Festivities will include an Arneson Award given by Pam Dixon, a well-known Benicia Funk artist and friend of Arneson’s widow.
Santa Cruz: Iver Hennig is working with Melissa Kreisa, owner of M.K. Contemporary Gallery in Santa Cruz, to organize a juried ACGA Exhibition there. Possible dates are late in 2024 or Spring 2025.
Fresno: Ren Lee, in partnership with the San Joaquin Clay and Glass Association (SJCGA), is working with Clay Hand Studio in Fresno to organize a juried exhibition in their gallery on October 3-31, 2024. The show will be called “Above Board” and will feature all the things found on a table set for a meal, including dishes, decorations, candleholders, etc. Entry will be open to members of the ACGA, the SJCGA, and Clay Hand Studio. Prizes will be awarded to three entries.
The meeting adjourned at 12:10p.m.
