Present: Mari Emori, Sally Jackson (recorder), April Zilber, Julie Taber, Piper Christine, Emil Yanos, Tamara Danoyan, Jan Schachter, Sean Free Alcala, Lee Middleman, Scott Jennings, Susie Rubenstein, Iver Hennig, Vicki Gunter, Barbara Prodaniuk, Chris Johnson (late) Absent: Cheryl Costantini, Ren Lee
The meeting began at 5:15 p.m.
Welcome (Mari)
Festival Update (April)
At present we have a full festival with 140 booths. April thanked Piper for all her contributions as our new Festival Treasurer. Because of sparse voting and sign-ups, we are not offering People’s Choice awards again this year, nor do we think it worthwhile to conduct a gift certificate drawing for people who sign up for our mailing list. April will bring this last decision point to the festival committee. We will however continue collecting emails to add to the mailing list, both with a QR code on signs, and through mailing list sign-ups in artists’ booths. We have 25 new artists this year. They will have bright-colored labels for their booths. We will have a paid CERF+ staff person. We are still seeking one person to staff Clay for All in the courtyard. This job will pay minimum wage.
Website Report (April)
We have a new Festival landing page on our website. It was designed by the Mega Jewell Agency and we can refresh it each year. The Board discussed how to best archive Festival landing pages from past years. One suggestion is to keep the most recent ones easily accessible with live links to the artists, and archive older ones as PDFs or screenshots.
Meyer Fund Proposal (Scott)
Scott and Vivien Hart have been exploring ways to use the funds donated to ACGA by James Meyers. They propose funding a robust selection of needs for ACGA members rather than restricting awards to a narrow category. Examples might include travel or tuition funds for conferences or workshops, jury and booth fees, organizing a workshop, and so on. Vivien and Scott would review the applications for amounts in the $250/$500 neighborhood, available to all ACGA members in good standing. The Board discussed when the application period might fall, and whether the awardees would be required to report on how they used the money. Other questions arose as to how to verify need, and whether we can enlarge the fund with contributions from other donors. The Board will discuss these questions further at a future meeting.
Exhibitions: Arts of Fire (Vicki)
The call for Arts of Fire received entries from 83 clay and glass artists, most submitting multiple pieces for consideration. Jurors Lisa Reinertson and Demetra Theofanus selected about 40 pieces by 34 artists. Income from entry fees and membership sign-ups was robust. Vicki acknowledged valuable help from James Aarons, Ren Lee, and others. The Board discussed how to feature the show on our website. Options include a page of thumbnail images or simply a written list of the artists with a link to the NY2CA Gallery page featuring the artwork. Vicki will look into the costs. The opening reception for Arts of Fire will be August 17, 6-7 p.m., at NY2CA Gallery in Benicia.
Financial Report (Julie)
We currently have $130,000 in the bank. $32,000 of that is in PayPal at the moment, reflecting payment of booth fees for the Clay & Glass Festival. Julie is moving it gradually into our bank account. Income in May was boosted by the Arts of Fire entry fees. Expenses were high as is usual at this time, when we are paying for many of the festival expenses. Paperwork for Piper to have access to our Bank of America account is finally complete and has been submitted to the bank.
Jury Process: Proposed Changes & Discussion (Mari)
Before the Board met, Mari wrote and shared a document listing proposed changes or refinements to the jurying process. Topics included jury frequency and structure, jury committee and role clarity, scoring and meeting format, and communications with applicants. Discussion of these important and complex subjects will continue in the coming weeks until the Board feels prepared to vote.
Date of Next Meeting: Monday, August 18, 2025, at 5:15 p.m. via Zoom
