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

The meeting began at 5:15 p.m.

Welcome (Mari)

Financial Report (Julie)

Total assets as of August 31 are $161,635.  Income for this year is $139,000, which is $7000 over budget.  We expect additional income in December from membership dues.  Income for the Clay and Glass Festival was $120,000. Expenses for the festival were less than expected this year.  Julie will look into moving some money into higher-earning investment accounts, and will share some options with the Board at our next meeting.

Exhibitions (Jan, Deb Sullivan, Iver)

Jan was recently invited to the New Museum Los Gatos (NUMU) by ACGA member Janet Wolfe. They discussed the possibility of having an ACGA exhibition there, and Jan will report more as the opportunity moves forward.

Member Deb Sullivan reported that the Sausalito Center for the Arts will host an ACGA exhibition in collaboration with fiber/Dimensions, a Bay Area fiber arts organization, around February 14-March 12.  Deb is negotiating with a potential juror associated with the American Craft Council. Applications will open in mid-October with notification in November. Deb hopes to arrange various local drop-offs around the Bay Area for delivery to the gallery.

Iver continues to plan an exhibition at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History. This will be a ceramics show, scheduled for September 2026-January 2027.  It will include 20 invited artists and 40 artists juried in by juror Stan Welsh. The application deadline will be in May 2026.

Festival Report (April)

April and the Palo Alto Art Center have established dates for future Clay & Glass Festivals:

July 11-12, 2026

July 10-11, 2027

July 15-16, 2028

July 14-15, 2029

July 13-14, 2030

Festival Financial Report (Piper)

Total sales for 137 artists in the 2025 Clay and Glass Festival were $511,606, topping last year’s total of $427,000 for 124 artists.  Average sales were $3734, and the top seller took in $19,450. Both numbers are higher than last year.  The Art Center site can possibly accommodate 140-143 artists, but that would be the upper limit. The Board discussed strategies to address the variation in sales during the two days, Saturday generally being more profitable. Piper added that she would like to calculate previous years’ sales in today’s dollars, just for comparison.

Jury Report (Scott)

Scott thanked all who have helped publicize ACGA’s next jury call for festival eligibility.  He would like to add one more glass artist to his group of jurors. He has had requests for mentorship during the application process.  He is also working to address frustration among rejected applicants who received unedited comments after the last jury. The next jury will announce results in November.  Ren will boost the announcement again on social media.

Festival Eligibility Revisited (carryover from the last meeting) (Cheryl)

The Board considered a suggestion that lifetime festival eligibility be withheld until a new artist has participated in the festival once and jurors have been able to actually see their work.  After a brief discussion, this idea was deemed too complicated and frustrating for new artists and jurors alike. The ACGA seeks to have only the best quality of work accepted in its digital juryings; that said, one of the main appeals of the festival is the range of work and the range of customers who come to shop.

Next President & Board of Directors Nominations (Mari)

The Board discussed nomination possibilities for our next ballot in December.

The meeting ended at 6:50 p.m.

Date of Next Meeting: October 20, 2025, 5:15 p.m. via Zoom

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