PRESENT: Mari Emori, April Zilber, Chris Johnson, Sally Jackson, Jan Schachter, Lee Middleman, Trudy Chiddix, Emil Yanos, Tamara Danoyan, Susie Rubenstein, Barbara Prodaniuk, Cheryl Costantini, Scott Jennings, Iver Hennig, Julie Taber, Ren Lee

ABSENT: Sonja Hinrichsen, Vicki Gunter

GUEST: Piper Christine

The meeting began at 5:15 pm

Welcome (Mari)

Soon it will be time to nominate board members for the next two-year term, which starts in January 2025.  Current board members whose terms are ending should let Mari know if they plan to run for another term.  We should also be recruiting new board members from our membership for the December ballot.

The next jurying deadline in October will be publicized now on social media and through ACGA’s GoogleGroup.

Code of Conduct (Emil)  

Emil proposed an official ACGA Code of Conduct to be included on our website.  This code would serve as a guide for behavior and language in communications. It would also remind our members that we are a community that must work through problems in a civil and appropriate way.  The Board expressed support for this proposal and discussed ways in which our members could acknowledge that they’ve read and agree to the code once it is made available.

Festival Report (April)

April reported that Reconciliation is complete for the 2024 Clay and Glass Festival. There are still a few payments due from artists, and a few who will receive payments.  We have not received all festival bills yet, but overall this was a good year in terms of sales and revenue.  The next Festival Committee meeting will address the possibility of adding wine and beer sales in 2025.

Exhibitions Update: “Above Board” in Fresno (Ren)

Ren thanked everyone who sent work to “Above Board”, the show that she has helped organize in Fresno.  She especially thanked Mari, who drove all the Bay Area contributions to Fresno.  The show features nearly 100 ceramic and glass pieces arranged in 16 place settings.  We extend our sincere gratitude to Ren for all her work!

 

Financial Report (Julie)

As of the end of August, our total current assets equal $143,922.

Proposal: Remove Collaborative Membership & Redefine General Membership (Mari)

Mari proposed removing Collaborative Membership, thereby simplifying our membership into three categories: General, Student, and Sponsor. General Members would include a diverse array of individual artists (or their businesses), businesses, educators, collectors, art professionals, enthusiasts, etc.   Discussion focused on several implications for this change in terms of dues payments and festival jurying. Do businesses larger than an individual pay General Membership dues and jury in as a business entity, or do the artists associated with a business jury in separately?  What does festival eligibility look like for larger studios with employees? A committee of Board members, led by Jan, was appointed to work on the language that would specify the proposed changes and details.  The Board voted to put these changes on the ballot in December for approval (or not) by our membership (15 yes, 1 abstention).

 

Festival Eligibility after Lapsed Dues (Emil)

When asked, Emil has forgiven lapsed dues payments on a one-time basis.  There is however a policy to collect any past due membership dues if a lapsed member wants to apply for the festival.  Emil tries to make sure that everyone gets multiple reminders when their memberships are about to expire. He also helps anyone who is having trouble renewing through our website.

Proposed use of $1000 annual gift to ACGA (Julie)

Julie has written a proposal for the use of a generous, ongoing gift from one of our members.  She will send it to the Board via email and ask for comments.

 

The meeting adjourned at 7:07pm

 

Next Meeting: 5:15pm via Zoom on October 21, 2024