ACGA BLOG

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

Absent: Cheryl Costantini, Sonja Hinrichsen

The meeting began at 5:30 p.m.

Welcome (Mari)

Treasurer’s Report (April)

Total assets as of August 31 were $113,640.76. Our income from the Clay and Glass Festival was $96,989 and expenses as of August 31 were $67,317.26. Net income stands at about $29,000 pending a few more adjustments expected in September. These numbers put the organization in a good place financially and cover losses incurred when we had to cancel the festival in 2020.

Festival Report (April)

The Clay and Glass Festival in July included 110 artists, with total sales reaching an impressive $478,166. The top seller made $26,600. Eleven artists made over $10,000 and the average for all artists was $4347. The Board discussed various ways to report sales with distinctions among types of artists.

Payment for Festival Publicity on Social Media (Mari)

Mari had suggested that we pay Ren for the extensive social media work she did before the festival. In response, Ren clarified that she had undertaken this work voluntarily and had not anticipated any compensation. Ren also pointed out that it was premature to address this until all financial reports were finalized. Additionally, she emphasized the importance of acquiring analytical data for marketing purposes and suggested allocating available funds for these purposes, such as MailChimp posts and plugin upgrades. April and Pam will transfer the Google Analytics account to Ren to see if that gets what the Monster Analytics upgrade would do.

Benicia Arts Exhibit Update (Vicki)

The NY2CA Gallery in Benicia would like to host an ACGA show in 2024. Vicki will talk to two other galleries nearby about hosting concurrent shows, which will increase Arts Benicia’s interest in a citywide ACGA event.

Exhibit at Santa Cruz’s MK Contemporary Gallery, Spring 2024 (Iver)

Iver has taken over from Jan the planning of an ACGA show at MK Contemporary in Santa Cruz next spring. At this early stage we need to choose a title and a juror, and we need to work out the logistics of an entry platform. The call-for-entry will be open to ACGA members and artists who reside in Santa Cruz County.

Soliciting New Board Members (Mari)

Soon the Board will begin recruiting new board members for two-year terms. Nominations are welcome.

All-Member Meeting (Mari)

The Board discussed aspects of the All-Member Meeting that will take place in January or February. We will prepare for having a hybrid meeting with both in-person and online attendance. We are considering a venue such as a public library, where technology suitable for this type of meeting, such as Owl, is available. Each board member living in the Bay Area will research available locations and the cost of renting a conference room in their respective towns. They will report their findings at the next meeting.

The meeting ended at 6:45 p.m.

Next Meeting: 5:30 p.m., Monday, October 9, via Zoom

All Members Welcome