ACGA BLOG

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

Absent: Sally Jackson, Scott Jennings

The meeting began at 5:15 p.m.

Welcome (Mari)

Exhibition: Arts of Fire (Vicki)

Applications for “Arts of Fire” in Benicia will open on February 21.  The fee for up to three entries will be $40, and all accepted work will be for sale. ACGA members whose work sells will receive 60% commission; non-members will receive 50%.  Vicki will help artists coordinate carpools for local delivery and pickup.  The Board voted unanimously to approve Vicki’s proposal to waive the exhibition application fee for non-members who join ACGA and pay the membership fee when they apply to Arts of Fire, as a way to encourage membership (16 yes).

Festival Report (April)

To date, 109 artists have reserved 116 booths (7 double booths) at this year’s Clay & Glass Festival.  We have space for 146 booths.  All extra-large and premium booths are spoken for.  April, Ren, and Mari met with our media consultants to discuss this year’s plan, which includes re-doing our festival landing page.  Our contract with the City of Palo Alto is waiting for signatures. Volunteer job assignments continue to be a topic of concern, since artists do not like to leave their booths during the festival.  April can’t change this year’s arrangements but the Board discussed the possibility of having a volunteer coordinator in the future. April will remind Laura at Messenger Events to prioritize artists with booth helpers when assigning volunteer jobs.  April reported that she will look into getting alcohol liability insurance for the festival when she has time.

The Board discussed whether to sell ACGA merchandise like water bottles and T-shirts at the festival. There was concern about the logistics of selling things at the information booths, and questions about whether the public would want the merchandise.  There were also questions about the purpose of these sales and the environmental impact.  Some Board members felt that giving ACGA water bottles away as gifts (to artists selling for the first time) or prizes (to throwdown winners) was more appropriate.  Cheryl will look into the pros and cons of ACGA branding through merchandise, and will report at the next Board meeting.

Software Platforms Report (April)

April presented a comprehensive overview of ACGA’s software platforms and member interactions. She highlighted the complexity of the organization’s digital infrastructure, including multiple platforms for member communication, event applications, and website management. Discussion revolved around the management of platforms and subscriptions, with a focus on reducing costs and streamlining. April expressed concern about the current system, where she is responsible for initiating subscriptions and managing payments, which can be problematic if there are issues with PayPal or credit card expirations. April would like to hand off some of these responsibilities. The Board discussed the possibility of assigning different platforms to different people or having one person, possibly paid, manage all tasks.

Fire Fundraiser Update (April)

Our Southern California Fire Fundraiser has raised over $3,700, which will be given to Julie Taber, who lost her home and studio in the Eaton Fire.  With concerns about the self-dealing clause and the tax implications of the fundraiser, April considered seeking legal advice. However, after discussion the Board decided to promote GoFundMe campaigns of others and encourage donations to organizations like CERF+ instead of setting up our own fundraisers in the future.

Financial Report (Julie)

Total assets as of January 31 are $164,000.  Our largest revenue stream is from festival booth sign-ups. Julie discussed the financial report and highlighted difficult issues with PayPal that she is trying to fix. Piper will replace April on our PayPal account.

Artist Presentation: Discussion on Hosting an Artist Talk/Presentation by

an International Guest Speaker in April and Similar Future Events (Mari)

Adil Writer, a ceramic artist from India who is well known in the international ceramics community, is coming to NCECA in March and will visit the Bay Area afterwards.  ACGA will host a presentation by him at the Palo Alto Art Center on Saturday, April 5, 2-4 p.m.  This free event will be held in the Meeting Room and possibly recorded for future posting.  Cheryl, Ren, and Mari will work on publicizing this event.

The meeting ended at 6:47 p.m.

Next meeting: Monday, March 17, 2025 at 5:15 p.m. via Zoom

ACGA All-Member Meeting Minutes – January 25, 2025, In-Person and via Zoom

Board Members Present in Person: Mari Emori, Chris Johnson, Sally Jackson (recorder), Cheryl Costantini, Jan Schachter, Sean Free Alcala, Iver Hennig, April Zilber, Tamara Danoyan, Lee Middleman

Board Members present on Zoom: Ren Lee, Vicki Gunter, Barbara Prodaniuk, Piper Christine, Emil Yanos, Susie Rubenstein, Scott Jennings

Board Members Absent: Julie Taber

Members Present in Person: Britt Jensen (Timekeeper & IT), Jennifer Hennig, Caroline Masters, Ruth Ehrenkrantz, Barbara Sebastian, Jim Iacoponi, Miki Shim-Rutter

Members Present on Zoom: Randie Silverstein, Rebecca Love, Joe Battiato, Gail Splaver, Sarah Lin, Sylvia Chesson, Karen Winograde, Janet Wolf, Jody Lee, Deb Sullivan, Kathy White, Tom Knight, Harald Nordvald, Ann Wagenhals, Trudy Chiddix, Diana Greenleaf, C. Reese, Peggy

Total Attendees: 42 (17 Board Members, 25 non-Board Members)

The meeting began at 10:00 a.m.

Welcome (Mari Emori)

Mari summarized the agenda and introduced Britt Jensen, who ran the meeting.  Members gathered in person at the Palo Alto Art Center and online via Zoom.  Britt explained the meeting guidelines.

SoCal Fire Fundraiser Update (April Zilber)

Our GoFundMe fundraiser for ACGA members affected by the fires in Los Angeles has raised $3300 so far.  Thank you to all who have contributed. April is exploring the best way to distribute the money.

Newly Elected Board of Directors (April Zilber)

Officers elected for 2025 are Mari Emori (president), Chris Johnson (vice-president), Sally Jackson (secretary), and Julie Taber (treasurer).  Board members elected for another two-year term are Mari Emori, Vicki Gunter, Iver Hennig, Barbara Prodaniuk, and Emil Yanos.  We welcome two new board members, who introduced themselves:  Sean Free Alcala is a kiln glass artist based in Modesto, and Piper Christine is a ceramicist working out of the Berkeley Potter’s Guild.  She will be our new Festival Treasurer.

Membership Report (Emil Yanos)

Emil thanked all who have renewed their memberships. Emil continues to work out problems with the payment process. See the membership page on our website, or email Emil if you need help.  At present we have 313 members, 57 of whom are new this year.  We have 12 collaborative members, 3 student members, 2 gold sponsors, and 1 platinum sponsor.  There are 59 members who have not renewed. The Board discussed contacting them to find out why they’ve chosen not to renew, either via a survey or through personal emails from members who know them.

Financial Report (April Zilber, for Julie Taber)

Our year-end assets for 2024 were $130,069.  Revenue for 2024 was $132,071; the Clay & Glass Festival contributed $106,088.  Our expenses for 2024 were $119,052.  The festival accounted for $83,000 of that.  We ended the year with a net income of $13,000.

Studio Visits with ACGA Artists

Three artists gave virtual tours of their studios and art practice:

1. Scott Jennings, ceramic artist, San Francisco
2. Hannah Nicholson and Alana van Altena of Nicholson van Altena Glass, Auburn
3. Cheryl Costantini (with Mikio Matsumoto) of Nichibei Potters, Sebastopol

Exhibition News (Jan Schachter & Vicki Gunter)

Jan summarized our 2024 exhibition in Fresno, and emphasized the need for more venues to host ACGA-organized exhibitions.  She encouraged all members to look for spaces in their areas and to talk in person to gallery owners, program directors of museums and art centers, and so on about hosting.  We have board members who know how to organize exhibitions and would like to hear from anyone with a lead.

Vicki summarized the upcoming exhibition “Arts of Fire” at NY2CA Gallery in Benicia, August 7 – September 21, 2025.  Submissions will be accepted February 21-May 21 on EntryThingy.  The jurors are Lisa Reinertson (clay) and Demetra Theofanous (glass).  Curators are Suzanne Long and Vicky Marchand. Awards will be given.  Vicki has been working to publicize the call for entries via magazines, websites, and other means.  She welcomes further suggestions.

2024 Festival Highlights (Mari Emori)

There were two new programs of note at the 2024 Clay and Glass Festival.  First, the Pottery Throwdown competitions attracted big crowds and great contestants, many of whom were not ACGA members.  Mari emphasized that this activity was not only entertaining but was also a good way to reach more people in the clay community.  The second new program was to invite the resident artists and director of Cobb Mountain Arts and Ecology Project (Loch Lomond, CA) to have a sales booth at the festival. The booth was well-received and we’d like to include up to three of these types of groups in the future.

Festival Report (April Zilber)

April shared comparisons of 2023 and 2024 festival numbers. In 2023, 109 artists reported $478,000 in total sales. In 2024, 124 artists reported $427,000. April suspects that the high number in 2023 was partly a result of people returning to the festival after the pandemic.

Our proposed budget for 2025 is $101,500 in income and $87,750 in expenses, for a net profit of $13,750.  Messenger Events has made a new booth map with options for smaller and larger booths as well as premium corner booths.  Response to these options from festival registrants has been very good.  Some artists have had trouble paying for their booth online; April recommends that you save your application before you proceed to payment.  She is still exploring the option of having beer and wine sales at the festival. There is some cost involved, but it might be worthwhile to try once.

Festival Volunteer Discussion (Cheryl Costantini)

Participating artists have always been required to volunteer for 2 hours before or during the festival.  Volunteering helps build community and saves money, but many artists don’t like to leave their booths (and likely miss some sales) for two hours while customers are present. Cheryl suggested raising the booth fee and using the additional income to pay more people to do jobs formerly done by volunteers.  She added that anyone who wants to volunteer would pay less (for example, $350 for a booth if you don’t volunteer, and $300 if you do).  We’ll discuss this further and work out the details, but overall response seemed positive.

Jury Report (Chris Johnson)

Applications for festival eligibility are now being accepted for the Spring jurying in March.  The deadline to apply is February 28 and accepted artists will be eligible for booths at the 2025 festival in July.  Guidelines for applicants are on ACGA’s website. Chris is also available to find mentors for applicants who would like guidance.  Let him know if you would like to be a mentor or a juror.  He’s looking for ceramicists for the Spring jury.  The jurying process involves at least two group meetings approximately one week apart in March.

The meeting ended at 11:30 a.m.  Those who gathered in person enjoyed a potluck lunch after the meeting.  The ACGA sincerely appreciates the Palo Alto Art Center staff for generously hosting us and assisting with technology to run a hybrid meeting!

ACGA BOARD MEETING Minutes — JANUARY 20, 2025 via Zoom

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

The meeting began at 5:15 pm.

Welcome (Mari)

The first order of business was to elect officers for 2025.  Those present voted unanimously (Yes:16) to accept the following slate:

President: Mari Emori

Vice-president: Chris Johnson

Secretary: Sally Jackson

Julie Taber was elected Treasurer (Yes:16, Abstain:1)

Piper Christine was approved as the new Festival Treasurer (Yes:16)

Guest member Jacob Miller introduced himself. He is a Bay Area ceramicist working at Higher Fire, Foothill College, and CSMA.

Membership Report (Emil)

Emil is working on hiccups with the renewal process, mostly related to payment using credit cards.  313 members have renewed so far, 57 of which are new members. Non-renewing members total 59.  The board briefly discussed other membership platforms.

All-Member Meeting (Mari)

The All-Member Meeting on January 25 will be a hybrid meeting using Zoom for those who cannot come in person to the Palo Alto Art Center.  ACGA member Britt Jensen will run the meeting.  Mari will organize the agenda.  Sally and Tamara will cover hospitality with coffee, etc.  Three ACGA artists will give virtual studio tours.  Mari has prepared a member survey asking for feedback about the organization, and hopes to report the results.

Festival Update (April)

Currently there are 78 artists registered for the 2025 Clay & Glass Festival, more than we usually have by this date.  The booth map has been redrawn to accommodate some smaller and larger booth sizes as well as highlighting premium corner booths.  A glitch with PayPal which prevented some registrants from paying has been fixed.  The possibility of selling beer and wine at the festival is still being investigated. The cost to ACGA will likely be around $2000.  If sales are robust, we’ll recoup some of that from the vendors.  Julie and Susie are examining the festival’s volunteer jobs.  The Board discussed possible options for artists who do not want to leave their booths to volunteer during the festival.

Residency Program Participation in the ACGA Clay & Glass Festival (Mari)

Mari presented the Festival Committee’s recently drafted proposal for Residency Programs (like Cobb Mountain Arts and Ecology Project) to participate in the festival. Discussion focused on how restrictive or inclusive our policy should be.  After a few edits, the board voted unanimously in favor of the proposal (Yes:17).

Financial Report (Julie)

At the end of December, 2024, our assets totalled $130,069.  More will be coming in soon for booth registrations.  We budgeted a total net income for 2024 at $1700, but in fact ended the year ahead by $13,000.

SoCal Fire Fundraiser (April)

We have collected money through a GoFundMe fundraiser for ACGA members who have lost homes and/or studios in the Los Angeles fires.  April will consult with a nonprofit lawyer to find out how to give the money through the proper channels.

The meeting adjourned at 6:45 pm.

Next meeting: 5:15 pm, Monday, February 17

Present: Mari Emori, Julie Taber, Cheryl Costantini, Lee Middleman, Susie Rubenstein, April Zilber, Jan Schachter, Vicki Gunter, Barbara Prodaniuk, Ren Lee, Tamara Danoyan, Sonja Hinrichsen, Iver Hennig, Chris Johnson, Emil Yanos, Sally Jackson (recorder), Scott Jennings, Trudy Chiddix  Absent: none

Guests: Piper Christine, Sean Alcala, Haley Tessler, Diana Adams

Welcome New Guests and Bid Farewells (Mari)

Mari welcomed members who rejoined our meeting as guests and introduced a new member guest, Haley Tessler.  She also offered the Board’s gratitude to Trudy Chiddix and Sonja Hinrichsen, both of whom will step down from the Board at the end of the year.  Trudy will move to Santa Barbara and resume her work with clay and glass, while Sonja will return to Europe to look for studio and living space.

Review the Board Timeline 2025 (Mari)

Mari has prepared a draft of the Board Timeline to guide the Board’s activities through the next calendar year.  She will work with Ren, Vicki, April, Chris, and Emil to finalize the Timeline in the next weeks.

Festival Planning Updates (April)

April and Piper (who will serve as ACGA’s new Festival Treasurer) met recently with Messenger Events to discuss the 2025 Clay & Glass Festival.  April reported that volunteer job descriptions will be reviewed by Susie and Julie. She is open to suggestions for how to assign more volunteer hours before and after the festival, since artists often find it difficult to serve during the festival.  The Board concurred with April that volunteering is a good way to build and strengthen the ACGA community.  Nevertheless, some artists ask to pay not to volunteer, which could provide hourly pay for hired help at the CERF+ table, for example.  April will consider how these options might appear on the festival application.  Ren suggested that ACGA find other ways to build community, especially online.  Mari proposed ordering more water bottles and Cheryl offered to explore options.

Financial Report (Julie)

As of the end of November, our assets totalled $125,000.  Income for the month was $1500 and expenses were $1200.  Our net profit for the year thus far is $8500.  We expect much of our membership income to come in during the month of December.  Emil and Julie are working on issues with renewal on our website.

2025 Budget (Julie)

Julie presented a budget for 2025.  She used information from last year’s finances as well as input from various committees.  April is still working out festival plans and finances but  recommended raising the ad design expense from $600 to $1000.  The Board voted unanimously to accept the current 2025 Budget with that change, and with the understanding that other adjustments will be made as needed (18 yes, 0 no).

ACGA/NY2CA Gallery Show: Arts of Fire (Vicki)

Vicki Gunter is organizing the exhibition “Arts of Fire” with Vickie Marchand at NY2CA Gallery in Benicia.  A call for entries will go out on February 21, 2025.  She proposed opening the call to non-members for a slightly higher fee that could include a discount on first-time ACGA membership dues.  This would boost income from the call, and more importantly it would bring in some new members. The Board agreed with Vicki that ACGA should have more exhibitions in addition to planning the festival each year.  Vicki proposed paying those who organize exhibitions because of the amount of work. The Board discussed the role of exhibitions for our diverse mix of members.

All-Member Meeting Jan. 25, 2025 (Mari) 

The All-Member Meeting will take place in two ways: in-person at the Palo Alto Art Center, and online via Zoom on January 25, 2025, 10 –11:30 a.m.  Those meeting at the Art Center will then have a potluck lunch. The agenda will include introducing the new Board members, gathering feedback from members as to what they would like from ACGA, watching some virtual studio tours, and summarizing our accomplishments in 2024.  Mari suggested conducting a member survey prior to the All-Member Meeting, and using the collected data as a foundation for discussion. The officers will work on developing the meeting agenda and will seek input from the Board in the coming weeks. Jan proposed making multiple announcements to members leading up to the meeting to increase awareness and attendance.

Festival Jury Summary (Chris)

The recent festival jury had 16 applicants, 5 of whom were accepted.  Some of those who were rejected requested and received notes explaining the jurors’ decisions.  Chris would like to set up a pool of mentors for those who apply in the future.  He would also like to improve our description of what jurors need to see in the images submitted, and he would like more applications from glass artists.  He will be organizing his list of potential jurors in order to smooth recruitment for the next round. Mari suggested having two spring and fall jury coordinators, forming a team, or doing one jury per year, but most seemed to agree that two juries, in March and October, served our purposes better. Tamara expressed interest in assisting Chris with the jury process.

The meeting adjourned at 7:00pm.

Next Meeting: January 20, 2025, 5:15pm via Zoom

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

Guests: Sean Alcala, Deb Sullivan, Diana Adams, Britt Jensen, Piper Christine

The meeting began at 5:15pm.

Welcome (Mari)

Mari introduced our guests, who spoke briefly about their work: Piper Christine (clay, Berkeley), Sean Alcala (glass, Salida), Deb Sullivan (clay, Alameda), Diana Adams (clay, Long Beach), and Britt Jensen (clay, San Jose).

Treasurer’s Report (Julie)

Total assets in our accounts were $125,200 as of October 31.  Total October expenses were $10,656.10 and total income was $2,376.18. Our gross profits to date ($122,000) are slightly above budget, and our expenses to date ($114,309.84) are almost exactly on budget.  Membership income will bump up in December when many members renew.

Exhibitions: “Above Board” Final Report (Ren)

Ren reported that “Above Board”, the exhibition that ACGA organized with Clay Hand Studio in Fresno, received 44 entries.  Revenue received from entries totalled $1540.  ACGA broke even after paying expenses.  Clay Hand Studio netted $79 after paying artist commissions for work that sold.

Festival Report (April)

April reported that the last checks due from festival artists have been received.  The Board discussed how to share final sale numbers with our membership, since this would not interest everyone.  April will send out an announcement with a link to the artists’ sales summary report.  She is still working on a budget for the 2025 festival.  The Festival Committee will meet on November 24.  April will be working closely with Messenger Events to remap the festival grounds.

Membership Proposal (Mari)

The Membership Committee presented a proposal to eliminate Collaborative Membership, effective February 1, 2025. Since this will involve a change in our bylaws, it needs to be voted on by our members.  This proposed change will be announced in early December and will be included on the January ballot along with our board member election.  A “Frequently Asked Questions” section will be added to our website, and updated as needed.  The Board voted unanimously (17 yes, 0 no) to approve the proposal (with slight edits requested) so that it can be submitted for consideration by our membership.

Handwork 2026

Craft in America has announced Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026, “a national semiquincentennial collaboration showcasing the importance of the handmade and celebrating the diversity of craft that defines America”. This initiative will generate craft-focused exhibitions, documentaries, digital resources, education programs, and more. Its organizers are seeking partnerships and participants for a wide-ranging, nationally advertised series of events in 2026. The Board agreed to explore ACGA’s best options for joining this initiative.

Code of Conduct (Emil)

Emil presented a concise Code of Conduct for ACGA members. It will be sent out through our GoogleGroup and will also be added to our website.  When members join or renew, they will be asked to acknowledge that they have read and understood the Code.  After discussion and slight edits, the Board voted unanimously (18 yes, 0 no) to accept the Code of Conduct.

Jury Report (Chris)

Our recent jury call received 15 applications.  The jury will meet later this week, and again the following week before announcing the results. The next application deadline will be March 15, 2025.

All-Member Meeting (Sally)

ACGA has reserved the Meeting Room at the Palo Alto Art Center for its All-Member Meeting on January 25, 2025.  In-person attendees will gather there.  The Board discussed how to make the meeting run smoothly if many are attending virtually.  We will work out the details in the coming weeks.

The meeting adjourned at 6:55pm

Next Meeting: December 16, 2024, via Zoom