Present: Mari Emori, April Zilber, Julie Taber, Piper Christine, Jan Schachter (recorder), Chris Johnson, Lee Middleman, Cheryl Costantini, Sean Alcala, Susie Rubenstein, Barbara Prodaniuk, Iver Hennig, Vicki Gunter, Tamara Danoyan, Ren Lee, Emil Yanos,

Absent: Sally Jackson, Scott Jennings

The meeting began at 5:15 p.m.

Welcome (Mari)

 

Exhibition: Arts of Fire (Vicki)

Applications for “Arts of Fire” in Benicia will open on February 21.  The fee for up to three entries will be $40, and all accepted work will be for sale. ACGA members whose work sells will receive 60% commission; non-members will receive 50%.  Vicki will help artists coordinate carpools for local delivery and pickup.  The Board voted unanimously to approve Vicki’s proposal to waive the exhibition application fee for non-members who join ACGA and pay the membership fee when they apply to Arts of Fire, as a way to encourage membership (16 yes).

Festival Report (April)

To date, 109 artists have reserved 116 booths (7 double booths) at this year’s Clay & Glass Festival.  We have space for 146 booths.  All extra-large and premium booths are spoken for.  April, Ren, and Mari met with our media consultants to discuss this year’s plan, which includes re-doing our festival landing page.  Our contract with the City of Palo Alto is waiting for signatures. Volunteer job assignments continue to be a topic of concern, since artists do not like to leave their booths during the festival.  April can’t change this year’s arrangements but the Board discussed the possibility of having a volunteer coordinator in the future. April will remind Laura at Messenger Events to prioritize artists with booth helpers when assigning volunteer jobs.  April reported that she will look into getting alcohol liability insurance for the festival when she has time.

The Board discussed whether to sell ACGA merchandise like water bottles and T-shirts at the festival. There was concern about the logistics of selling things at the information booths, and questions about whether the public would want the merchandise.  There were also questions about the purpose of these sales and the environmental impact.  Some Board members felt that giving ACGA water bottles away as gifts (to artists selling for the first time) or prizes (to throwdown winners) was more appropriate.  Cheryl will look into the pros and cons of ACGA branding through merchandise, and will report at the next Board meeting.

Software Platforms Report (April)

April presented a comprehensive overview of ACGA’s software platforms and member interactions. She highlighted the complexity of the organization’s digital infrastructure, including multiple platforms for member communication, event applications, and website management. Discussion revolved around the management of platforms and subscriptions, with a focus on reducing costs and streamlining. April expressed concern about the current system, where she is responsible for initiating subscriptions and managing payments, which can be problematic if there are issues with PayPal or credit card expirations. April would like to hand off some of these responsibilities. The Board discussed the possibility of assigning different platforms to different people or having one person, possibly paid, manage all tasks.

Fire Fundraiser Update (April)

Our Southern California Fire Fundraiser has raised over $3,700, which will be given to Julie Taber, who lost her home and studio in the Eaton Fire.  With concerns about the self-dealing clause and the tax implications of the fundraiser, April considered seeking legal advice. However, after discussion the Board decided to promote GoFundMe campaigns of others and encourage donations to organizations like CERF+ instead of setting up our own fundraisers in the future.

Financial Report (Julie)

Total assets as of January 31 are $164,000.  Our largest revenue stream is from festival booth sign-ups. Julie discussed the financial report and highlighted difficult issues with PayPal that she is trying to fix. Piper will replace April on our PayPal account.

 

Artist Presentation: Discussion on Hosting an Artist Talk/Presentation by

an International Guest Speaker in April and Similar Future Events (Mari)

Adil Writer, a ceramic artist from India who is well known in the international ceramics community, is coming to NCECA in March and will visit the Bay Area afterwards.  ACGA will host a presentation by him at the Palo Alto Art Center on Saturday, April 5, 2-4 p.m.  This free event will be held in the Meeting Room and possibly recorded for future posting.  Cheryl, Ren, and Mari will work on publicizing this event.

The meeting ended at 6:47 p.m.

 

Next meeting: Monday, March 17, 2025 at 5:15 p.m. via Zoom