ACGA Board Meeting Minutes
5:30 p.m., Monday, October 9, 2023 via Zoom
Present: Mari Emori, April Zilber, Sally Jackson (recorder), Jan Schachter, Vicki Gunter, Joe Battiato, Lee Middleman, Susie Rubenstein, Trudy Chiddix, Cheryl Costantini, Ren Lee, Sonja Hinrichsen, Chris Johnson, Barbara Prodaniuk, Iver Hennig, Emil Yanos, Julie Taber
Welcome (Mari)
Treasurer’s Report (April)
April and Julie Taber proposed that ACGA accommodate two treasurers, one for general finances and one for the festival. The general treasurer would be an officer elected to the Board and would receive reports from the festival treasurer. Board members expressed approval of this model.
Current total assets as of September 30 are $110,579. Festival accounting is almost complete. At this time total festival income stands at $97,653 and total expenses are $70,480. After a few final bills are paid, net profit will be around $25,000. Strong sales at the festival this year place ACGA on a solid financial footing.
Festival Report (April)
The festival committee met via Zoom on Wednesday, October 4. Based on the artist surveys that have been returned, those planning next year’s festival will address such issues as booth layout and spacing, volunteer booth-sitter assignments, more shade for visitors, and other concerns. They will also explore having a QR code that links to a festival map for visitors who don’t pick up a paper map. Conversations with the Palo Alto Art Center about glass artists selling cannabis paraphernalia at the festival yielded significant regulatory hurdles as well as pushback from some Board members. As a result this option will not be considered.
Communications: Festival Website Performance & Digital Advertising (Ren)
Ren is using data analytics to see when ACGA’s website traffic increases. She can link the “bumps” in visitor numbers to promotional posts on social media (especially videos) as well as digital and traditional advertising. She emphasized that it takes time to translate this interest into actual sales, but the key is to post frequently and regularly year-round. 17,500 people are following ACGA on Instagram and Facebook. Sustained, consistent messages on these platforms will increase sales in the long term. Starting in January, we need more compelling posts from our artists to build interest in the festival.
Visit to the DeYoung Open & Dinner (Trudy)
Trudy would like to host the Board in San Francisco in November to see the DeYoung Open exhibition and meet for dinner at her home. She will propose a date.
Exhibitions Update: Fresno (Ren)
In October 2024 there will be a juried exhibition of work by ACGA artists and members of the San Joaquin Clay and Glass Association. Details about submitting work will be posted in the ACGA newsletter.
Jury Report (Chris)
At this time the applicant pool for the next jury deadline (October 15) is sparse. The deadline will be extended by two weeks and Ren will boost the announcement on social media. Chris has jurors lined up.
Expanding Volunteer Opportunities (Mari)
Mari suggested creating a link on our website for volunteer opportunities, and assigning the role of Volunteer Coordinator to one of our members.
Recruiting New Board Members (Mari)
It’s time to reach out to our membership to offer spots in the Board election early next year. All Board members are encouraged to contact and nominate anyone who would like a chance to determine future activities and opportunities for ACGA. Board meetings are conducted via Zoom on the second Monday of each month, 5:30-7:00 pm.
All-Member Meeting (Mari)
We are seeking leads on locations for a hybrid All-Member Meeting early next year. Board members will enquire at local libraries and other venues about using conference rooms with Owl technology (or something similar) to combine live and online participation.
ACGA Membership (Mari)
Many of our members need to update their profile pages. Sandy Feder will help Emil with this effort. Mari suggested that an interactive map of our member artists would be a useful tool for people who want to know where they can go to see or buy work that they like.
Next meeting: Monday, November 13, 2023, at 5:30pm, via Zoom
All Members Welcome
