ACGA Board Meeting Minutes

Monday, November 13, 2023, via Zoom

Present: Mari Emori, April Zilber, Sally Jackson (recorder), Jan Schachter, Lee Middleman, Ren Lee, Susie Rubenstein, Emil Yanos, Barbara Prodaniuk, Julie Taber, Joe Battiato, Cheryl Costantini, Chris Johnson, Iver Hennig   Absent: Trudy Chiddix, Vicki Gunter, Sonja Hinrichsen

The meeting commenced at 5:30 p.m.

Welcome (Mari)

Treasurer’s Report (April)

Total assets as of October 31 were $108,165.00. Final accounting for the 2023 Clay and Glass Festival shows net income of $25,135. Most income levels are higher than what we budgeted this year. Expenses are also a bit higher, but ACGA’s overall financial position is good. April presented two reports in addition to the usual three: an expanded Profit/Loss report for the year thus far, and the transaction detail report which lists each income and expense item for the month of October. The purpose was to provide more clarity and detail for those who want to see exactly where money is spent. April requested feedback from the Board as to which report is most useful. She also provided, per Lee’s request, a list of all income and expense categories with notes to help board members understand what is included in each line item. This list will be appended to every monthly report as an aid. April requested that feedback from Board members be sent by late November so she can make updates well before the December meeting.

Secretary’s certification of amended bylaws (April)

April is working on writing a valid certificate of amendment for a change in the bylaws. The amendments will reflect the new membership categories that ACGA instituted through a vote by the membership.

Communications (Cheryl)

The Communications Committee has been looking at analytics of ACGA’s newsletter to see who is receiving it and how many of those are reading it. The analytics show a strong response to the newsletter, with particular interest in stories about artists, organizations, experiences and clay and glass, and other entries with a narrative. The committee proposes that since the monthly newsletter is such an asset to ACGA, our

newsletter editor, Ren Lee, should receive more pay for her services. The committee will write a proposal stating what they feel the appropriate compensation should be.

ACGA-Sponsored Show in Santa Cruz, 2024 (Iver)

Iver is organizing an ACGA-sponsored show of clay and glass to be held next year at MK Contemporary Gallery in Santa Cruz. He has recruited a juror and will release a prospectus of the show in late December. All ACGA members are eligible as are clay and glass artists who live in Santa Cruz County. The call-for-entries will be publicized through the newsletter, flyers, emails, and social media. Iver will encourage Santa Cruz artists especially. The gallery usually only takes work that can be dropped off and picked up in person, but Iver will also designate a location to receive shipped work, store packaging, and return unsold work. The entry deadline will likely fall in mid-February. The show will run April 5 – June 1, 2024.

All-Member Meeting (Mari)

Mari asked for help exploring venues for the All-Member Meeting on January 27, 2024. She is particularly interested in finding out if we can hold a hybrid meeting with online and in-person participation. Some of us volunteered to look into this in our respective areas. We also recruited several Board Members to give short studio tours as part of the meeting.

Recruiting/Nominating New Board Members (Mari)

It is time to recruit nominees for ACGA’s Board of Directors. Those elected will serve a two-year term on the Board, participating in monthly meetings online. An announcement requesting nominations will appear in the December newsletter. The ballot will go out in early January and votes will be tallied by around January 18.

Jury Report (Chris)

The recent jurying wrapped up on November 12. Of 21 applicants, 8 were admitted for festival eligibility. Chris will send out letters as soon as he has all the jurors’ feedback.

Discuss Membership Extension for those joining in October (April and Emil)

The Board agreed that membership should be extended into the following year for those who join in October as part of the jurying. In other words, your membership fee paid late in 2023 will include all of 2024.

Date of Next Meeting: Monday, December 11, 2023 at 5:30 p.m.