ACGA Board Meeting Minutes – February 19, 2024
Present: Mari Emori, Chris Johnson, April Zilber, Julie Taber, Sally Jackson, Jan Schachter, Ren Lee, Lee Middleman, Barbara Prodaniuk, Trudy Chiddix, Emil Yanos, Iver Hennig, Susie Rubenstein, Cheryl Costantini, Scott Jennings, Tamara Danoyan Absent: Sonja Hinrichsen, Vicki Gunter
The meeting began at 5:15 pm
Welcome (Mari): Review of All-Member Meeting
Mari thanked everyone for attending the All-Member meeting on January 20 and asked for feedback. Suggestions for future all-member meetings include the following: 1) have an activity that engages attendees by asking them to do something creative or state their thoughts on topics at hand, 2) arrange break-out rooms on Zoom to discuss particular topics or goals, and 3) make the meeting more fun, participatory and entertaining, with committee reports sent out separately ahead of time.
Board of Directors Directory 2024 (Mari)
Mari has updated the Board of Directors Directory. Those Board members not assigned particular roles should let her know what area interests them. Mari would like to create the new position of Volunteer Coordinator to interact with members volunteering outside of the Clay and Glass Festival. Also, we need someone to take over as ACGA’s historian.
Festival Report (April)
ACGA’s contract with Messenger Events is signed. Our contract with the City of Palo Alto lacks only the Certificate of Insurance. April is talking to Kathy Maag about the scope of her publicity work. The application for festival booths went out in an email last week. The deadline to apply is March 15 and Board members will get priority for booth location if they apply by February 27. The map is being reconfigured to accommodate more booths. This year, images submitted by festival artists and other booth applicants will go to a shared GoogleDrive folder. Ren will have access to these images for social media posts and other promotions. Joe Battiato will once again coordinate demos at the festival; a sign-up is included in the festival application. Susie Rubenstein will revise our post-festival artists’ survey. Sandy Feder will recruit high school students who can help with set-up and take-down. The committee is considering buying 3-4 portable, folding kiosks to be staffed by volunteers who will welcome visitors at the festival and tell them what’s happening, when, and where. The Board did not decide whether to approve this unbudgeted expense. April would like to mentor a new Festival Liaison who will shadow her this year.
Combine Membership Renewal & Festival Application (Cheryl)
Cheryl proposes streamlining the process of membership renewal by combining it with festival registration, presumably in January each year. This could work well for festival artists but must be arranged in a way that doesn’t make non-festival artists and other members seem less important. Also, it would be important to accommodate people who want to apply for membership at other times of the year. Julie, Emil, April, and Cheryl will meet to discuss this idea and see if it’s a possibility for next year.
Membership (Emil)
Membership sign-ups spike predictably in January and February. Emil proposes getting rid of the late fee and suggests that we shift to join-date-anniversary for renewals. The Board needs more time to decide about this, especially given Cheryl’s proposal to combine renewal with festival application.
The website issues that plagued this year’s renewal process appear to be fixed. The Board discussed whether the auto-renew feature hinders or helps in terms of membership numbers. During this year’s problematic renewal process, Emil received unkind, occasionally abusive emails slamming him and the ACGA. He and Sally Jackson will work on a Code of Ethics that will be sent in response to such emails. We will also prepare a letter that expresses the Board’s disapproval of harassment and inappropriate language. In some cases, a phone conversation with the Board President is also called for.
The Board discussed festival artists who propose adding someone to their practice and registering as collaborative. One important question is whether the additional artist should be required to jury in. This topic will be addressed in more detail at our next meeting.
Emil emphasized that we need a plan for increasing sponsorship or donations. Donors should be aware that their donations are not tax-deductible.
Treasurer’s Report (Julie)
As of January 31, our total assets were $117,698. Julie is now an authorized user for our Bank of America account. Julie and Sally Jackson are now authorized users of our Fidelity account. Mari Emori will serve as a third party to look at the bank statements each month. Now that we have two treasurers, April (festival treasurer) and Julie (general treasurer) have written their job descriptions and will share the monthly stipend that formerly went entirely to April. 60% will go to Julie and 40% to April. Julie will send the two job descriptions, along with the stipend structure, to Mari for presentation and approval at the next board meeting.
Juror Recruitment (Chris)
The next application deadline is March 31. Chris is recruiting jurors for the next festival jurying. Board members will send him names of possible candidates, particularly clay jurors. Jurying entails two meetings about two weeks apart, discussions with other jurors, and written comments that are sent to the applicants along with results.
Board Timeline 2024 (Mari)
Mari has prepared a detailed timeline of Board duties, and asked what needs to be added. She emphasized the importance of adhering to the timeline, especially in terms of our election process and budget approval in December and our festival application distribution in January.
The meeting ended at 6:50 p.m.
Next meeting: 5:15 pm, Monday, March 18, 2024
Meet your Board Member: Iver Hennig
Clay and pottery making go all the way back to my very first memories. As the son of ceramic artists Laurie and Dan Hennig, clay has been an integral part of my entire life. Although I did not take ceramics seriously until my college years, I found out that the techniques and process had passively entered my brain as a child giving me a solid foundation to work with once I started taking the art form seriously.
The pottery that my parents were producing early on was predominantly functional work such as mugs and jugs which they sold at the Renaissance Fair here in California. This was 1971 and the craft fair movement was just getting started. They built a studio called Camp Climax Pottery in Boulder Creek California where I grew up. I have fond memories of those early years hanging out in the studio and going to the fairs on the weekends.
As a college student at Humboldt State University in the early 1990’s, I studied under Keith Schneider and Louis Marak. I was quickly influenced by the narrative nature and rich underglaze surfaces that Keith and Lou were experimenting with at that time. Looking back now, I see that those early years had a lasting effect on my style and the content of my current work.
After college was done in 1994, I immediately put together a ramshackle studio with my future wife, Jennifer, which we called Live Clay Pottery. We began collaborating on a body of work as well as developing as individual artists. I was also working as an apprentice for my parents on the side to pay the bills. By this point, Laurie and Dan’s work had evolved into a sculptural realm where animals became the dominant theme. They taught us the family techniques of sculpting onto thrown forms and furthered our knowledge in the ceramic process. Jennifer and I began selling our wares on the festival circuit and honing our voice in the clay. The four of us also began to do gallery shows and art festivals together as Hennig Studios.
In 1998 my mother Laurie was accepted into the ACGA as a festival eligible member. A couple years before, all four of us had participated in an international ceramics festival in southern Holland and were inspired to see how strong the clay community was in Europe. Upon visiting the Clay and Glass Festival in Palo Alto, I came to realize that the ACGA offered that same community we met in Europe of ceramic and glass artists as well as a place to build connections to the clay community on an international level.
In 2003 I was given the opportunity to teach ceramics at Santa Cruz High School. This position offered some stability and benefits for the family while still keeping the focus on clay. I continued thinking about joining the ACGA and how it could provide professional opportunities and connections to the clay community. I saw this as a benefit for that student that was interested in a career with the clay and glass arts.
I finally applied for the jury process in 2012 when I felt that the body of work I had created would pass the bar for acceptance into the association. I was accepted into the ACGA as a festival eligible member that year and have been participating in the Clay and Glass Festival almost every year since. The connections and friendships that I have created from the experience have been extremely valuable in my professional career as an artist and educator. I encourage anyone I meet with an interest in clay or glass to become a member of this valuable organization.
In January of 2023 I joined the board of directors after having served on a number of jury committees in the years prior. It has been an honor to participate on the board with so many talented and hard working clay and glass artists.The knowledge gained from them has been of huge value in my career. I currently help out on the Exhibition committee and want to thank Jan Schachter for helping me understand this complex process. It’s very encouraging to know the board of directors are so unified in the promotion of these ancient art forms.
I have had the privilege to experiment with so many aspects of the ceramics process. Whether it’s sculpting animals on thrown forms, creating large conceptual pieces or just making some functional pottery for the salt kiln we have at the high school, each experience has broadened my understanding of this medium. It seems like every door I open leads me to another room with dozens of additional doors. Although my entire life has been surrounded by the ceramic arts, I still feel like a babe in the woods at times. There is just so much to learn that it would probably take many lifetimes to master all aspects.
Currently, I am teaching full time and creating as much ceramic work as possible. Outside the Live Clay collaborative pieces and functional pottery, I am also working on a series of sculptures that incorporate mechanical and animal hybrid elements. I have always had a deep fascination with nature and all the strange creatures that have existed on earth throughout history. Prehistoric animals hold a special place in my imagination. But on the flip side of the coin, I am a product of the science fiction generation that blossomed over the last hundred plus years. From steampunk to the concept of “the used future”, these influences have fascinated me since childhood. Throw into that mix my love of the Funk art movement with its humor and political satire and you get an idea of what motivates me creatively. I believe artists are like valves from which ideas flow. We process what we experience and regurgitate it. Current events, social issues, the environment, history, art, love, sex, tenderness, color, texture, form, mood and everything we know and witness in life is chewed up and spit out in the form of art. At times I have no clue where the meaning lies. Other times the ideas have deep personal value.
ACGA Newsletter February 2024
Meet Your Board Member
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ACGA Board of Directors Meeting Minutes: December 11, 2023
Present: Mari Emori, April Zilber, Emil Yanos, Iver Henning, Chris Johnson, Jan Schachter, Cheryl Costantini, Lee Middleman, Ren Lee, Trudy Chiddix, Julie Taber, Vicky Gunter, Susie Rubenstein, Barbara Prodaniuk, Joe Battiato, Sonja Hinrichsen (recorder) Absent: Sally Jackson
Welcome (Mari)
Mari reported that on December 5th, ACGA hosted a lively evening presentation at the Palo Alto Art Center featuring officials from the 13th International Ceramics Festival in Mino, Japan (www.icfmino.com/english/). This triennial festival includes a juried exhibition of ceramics from all over the world. Application is free and the deadline is January 31, 2024. Exhibition dates are October 18-November 17, 2024.
Treasurer’s Report (April)
As of the end of November, our net profit for the year is $11,413.32. Less than half of the budget estimate for membership dues has come in so far; April expects more income from renewals in December. We spent $75 using social media to promote the spring and fall juries.
Exhibitions Report (Iver, Jan)
Iver has been in conversation with MK Contemporary Gallery in Santa Cruz about the possibility of a two-month clay and glass show. The gallery has recently requested a substantial financial contribution from ACGA. The Board discussed the pros and cons of spending this money, and whether part or all of it might be recovered. Some on the Board felt that losing money is imprudent, and that we need more information to decide if this show would benefit our members. Others felt that we should pursue this exhibition as an opportunity to promote ACGA. All agreed that we need more information about who covers the costs of show-related things like publicity, promotion, etc. Changing from a two-month show to one month would save money. Iver will continue his conversation with the gallery with these points in mind.
Preliminary Budget and Communications Proposal (April)
The Board discussed a proposal to pay a higher monthly stipend to our newsletter editor, and an occasional honorarium for those authoring newsletter articles. We also discussed budgeting a stipend for whomever is posting on social media. Ren pointed out that these added costs would use most or all of our yearly profit, so that other expenses would have to pay for themselves some other way. Due to several undecided expense items (mostly related to Exhibitions and Communications), the Board decided to postpone voting on the budget until our next Board meeting in January.
ACGA Board Nominations Update
As of this meeting there are two nominees for election to ACGA’s Board of Directors: Tamara Danoyan (clay) and Julie Taber (clay). Those eligible for re-election are Trudy Chiddix (clay), Cheryl Costantini (clay), Sally Jackson (clay), Chris Johnson (glass), Ren Lee (clay), Susie Rubenstein (clay), Jan Schachter (clay), April Zilber (glass), and Lee Middleman (clay). The ballot will be sent out in early January.
Longtime Board Member Joe Battiato is stepping down as his term ends. We extend our deep appreciation for Joe’s many contributions over the years, and wish him the best. Thank you, Joe, we’ll see you at the festival!
Membership (Emil)
Our membership year begins on January 1 and ends on December 31. The Board discussed how to handle membership fees paid as part of the March and October juries, or those paid at some other point during the year. The Board agreed that those paying in October should receive membership status through the following year. The Board also settled on a $20 refund to those joining in June or later.
A glitch in our website has made General Membership renewal unavailable on some browsers. Our website manager Pam Carpenter has tried unsuccessfully to fix this. Emil is thinking about asking members to send checks in the mail.
Date of Next Meeting: Monday, January 8, 2024, 5:30 p.m. via Zoom
Connected
Gallery Route One presents
Connected
How we connect with our outer and inner worlds
Juror: TaVee Lee, Gallery Manager, Transmission Gallery; Exhibitions Director, Gearbox Gallery, Oakland, California
Exhibition Dates: Saturday, January 13 – Sunday, February 11, 2024
Reception and Awards: Saturday, January 13, 3-5 PM
Gallery Route One
11101 Highway One, Ste. 1101
Point Reyes Station, CA 94956
Including works by ACGA Artists Melissa Woodburn and Emil Yanos
Image:
Emil Yanos’ Super Storm
Ceramic Wall Sculpture
17″ x 17″ x 3″
