ACGA BLOG

Present: Mari Emori, Chris Johnson, Julie Taber, Piper Christine, Sally Jackson (recorder), April Zilber, Jan Schachter, Lee Middleman, Ren Lee, Susie Rubenstein, Barbara Prodaniuk, Sean Alcala, Emil Yanos, Tamara Danoyan, Scott Jennings, Iver Hennig, Vicki Gunter, Cheryl Costantini (late)

The meeting began at 5:15 pm

Welcome (Mari)

Mari thanked Vicki Gunter for organizing and facilitating the “Arts of Fire” exhibition at NY2CA Gallery in Benicia. The show runs August 7 – September 21. Mari also noted her own solo exhibition at Blue Line Arts in Roseville, as well as the Contemporary Japanese Ceramics show at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco.

Exhibition Update: “Arts of Fire” Reception (Vicki)

The opening reception for “Arts of Fire” was very successful and attracted a large crowd to see the art, listen to live music, and enjoy refreshments.  Bruce Pizzichillo, Hannah Nicholson and Alana van Altena, Karen Urbanek, and Julie Kumar received awards for their glass creations.  Claudia Tarantino, Clayton Thiel, Vicki Gunter, and Amanda Klimek received awards for ceramic work.  Bruce Pizzichillo and Clayton Thiel also received awards from Pam Dixon in tribute to Robert Arneson and Manuel Neri.

Festival Jury Voting: Unfinished Business (Mari)

1. Jury Reapplication Fee: The Board discussed at length the pros and cons of reducing or waiving the jury fee for artists who reapply after having been rejected for festival eligibility. Ultimately the Board voted to keep the jury fee at full price for reapplication (13 yes, 4 no, 1 absent).
2. Juror Eligibility: The Board discussed what qualifications should be required for jurors selecting artists for festival eligibility. After much discussion, the Board voted that all jurors must be festival-eligible artists (13 yes, 4 no, 1 absent).

The new Jury Coordinator is Scott Jennings.  He will be assisted by Tamara Danoyan, and Chris Johnson will serve as an advisor.

Festival Report (April)

The 2025 Clay & Glass Festival accounting is still in progress, but overall the numbers look great.  Next year’s festival dates are July 11-12, 2026.

Festival Financial Update (Piper)

Piper reported that total sales this year were over $500,000, a first for this event.  ACGA’s net profit will be in the neighborhood of $30,000.  The Board voted to fully refund an artist who had to cancel on short notice for a medical issue (17 yes).

Post-Festival Volunteer Update (Sean)

Sean reported that 20 festival artists did not get volunteer slots at the festival and still need jobs.  Please let Sean know if you have ideas for how these artists might serve in other arenas.

Financial Report (Julie)

As of July 31, ACGA has $173,000 in the bank, and almost all festival expenses are paid.  We are $10,000 ahead of budget for the year.  Membership renewals in December will provide additional income.  Julie added that she and Festival Treasurer Piper Christine are discussing whether to consider changing banks.

Exhibition Updates: Sausalito (Jan & Emil)

Jan reported that ACGA might co-host an exhibition with Fiber Dimensions in Sausalito in February/March 2026. The details are still being worked out.  Emil reported that he’s been in contact with someone who wants to organize a festival like Clay & Glass in Sausalito, possibly as early as September 2026.

The meeting ended at 6:55 pm

Next Meeting: Monday, September 22, at 5:15 pm