ACGA Board Meeting Minutes – October 20, 2025

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

Absent: Vicki Gunter, Chris Johnson.   Guest: Barbara Savage.

The meeting began at 5:15pm.

Welcome (Mari)

Mari and Jan are working to update the ACGA Mission Statement on our website. They will share a revised statement for approval by the Board in the coming weeks. Mari asked the communications team to keep the homepage up-to-date at all times. Mari asked whether the registration form on the website could require physical addresses and digital marketing links such as Instagram or Facebook to help with regional mapping and grouping, since many addresses are missing from our proprietary membership database.  The Board discussed how publishing personal information such as address, email, or phone number could have implications for privacy and it was suggested that requiring only city and zip code might be sufficient for the artists’ profiles. Ren emphasized that we need all the data for where our members are located in our proprietary database and that there is no plan or suggestion that we should publish personal information. Emil will follow up with our website administrator to update requirements for the registration form and artist profile pages.

Mari let the board know that Piper is preparing the 2025 Festival Sales Report and will share it with the membership as soon as possible.

Nomination/Self-Nomination for the Board of Directors 2026 (Mari)

There will be four seats open on the Board at the end of the year. Nominations for new Board Members are open until November 23. The election will take place December 1-28 and results will be announced by December 31. Mari introduced guest Barbie Savage and announced that she would like to be on the ballot. Barbie is a ceramicist, retired from many years teaching high school ceramics, and now teaches at Clay Hands Studio in Fresno.  Several other ACGA members have also expressed willingness to be nominated.

Jury Update (Scott)

The Fall 2025 jury is underway. Of the 31 applicants, 30 work with clay and one works with glass. The five jurors will make their decisions in time for an announcement in our November newsletter. Scott noted that he’s been able to help several applicants with their presentations. He also expressed his appreciation for Tamara Danoyan’s help in getting things organized.

All-Member Meeting – January 2026 (Mari)

The Board discussed whether to have the All-Member Meeting as a hybrid meeting like our last one, or explore other models like in-person only and Zoom only.  The general consensus was to conduct a hybrid meeting from the Palo Alto Art Center as we did in January 2025.

Exhibitions: General

Mari proposed an honorarium for those who organize exhibitions since it’s such a huge amount of work. The exhibition committee will meet to discuss and propose a policy. Cheryl will contact Sebastopol Center for the Arts, following up on a proposed exhibition that Jan and Sally discussed with them earlier this year. Jan added that ACGA member Pierre Bounaud will be organizing an exhibition of Southern California member artists in the coming months at Studio Door, a gallery in San Diego.

Exhibitions: “Fiber & Fire” Update (Jan)

The show “Fiber and Fire” is coming together in collaboration with fiber/Dimensions, a Bay Area organization of fiber artists.  ACGA member Deb Sullivan is working on the logistics and all that goes with that.  The deadline to apply is mid-November and the show will be February-March 2026 at the Sausalito Center for the Arts.

Exhibitions: Santa Cruz Show (Iver)

Preparations continue for an exhibition of California ceramics at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, to be held September 2026-January 2027. The show will include 20 invited artists and about 40 juried artists.  California potters and sculptors are encouraged to apply between April 1-May 1, 2026.

Exhibitions: Arts of Fire (Mari)

“Arts of Fire”, organized by Board Member Vicki Gunter, earned $3290 in income. Expenses were $2391 and ACGA’s net income was $898.  Eight pieces sold during the exhibition, totaling $7305, an excellent outcome. The exhibition added 8 new ACGA members.

Financial Report, Moving Funds, 2026 Budget (Julie)

ACGA’s assets as of September 30 are $159,000.  Julie will send each committee a report of its income and expenses for the year-to-date so that they can generate their budgets for next year. Julie is looking into moving some of our assets into higher interest-earning accounts and will report more at the November board meeting.

The meeting adjourned at 6:45 pm

Next meeting: Monday, November 17, 2025 via Zoom

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

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

The meeting began at 5:15 p.m.

Welcome (Mari)

Festival Update (April)

At present we have a full festival with 140 booths. April thanked Piper for all her contributions as our new Festival Treasurer.  Because of sparse voting and sign-ups, we are not offering People’s Choice awards again this year, nor do we think it worthwhile to conduct a gift certificate drawing for people who sign up for our mailing list. April will bring this last decision point to the festival committee. We will however continue collecting emails to add to the mailing list, both with a QR code on signs, and through mailing list sign-ups in artists’ booths. We have 25 new artists this year. They will have bright-colored labels for their booths. We will have a paid CERF+ staff person.  We are still seeking one person to staff Clay for All in the courtyard.  This job will pay minimum wage.

Website Report (April)

We have a new Festival landing page on our website. It was designed by the Mega Jewell Agency and we can refresh it each year. The Board discussed how to best archive Festival landing pages from past years. One suggestion is to keep the most recent ones easily accessible with live links to the artists, and archive older ones as PDFs or screenshots.

Meyer Fund Proposal (Scott)

Scott and Vivien Hart have been exploring ways to use the funds donated to ACGA by James Meyers.  They propose funding a robust selection of needs for ACGA members rather than restricting awards to a narrow category.  Examples might include travel or tuition funds for conferences or workshops, jury and booth fees, organizing a workshop, and so on. Vivien and Scott would review the applications for amounts in the $250/$500 neighborhood, available to all ACGA members in good standing.  The Board discussed when the application period might fall, and whether the awardees would be required to report on how they used the money. Other questions arose as to how to verify need, and whether we can enlarge the fund with contributions from other donors.  The Board will discuss these questions further at a future meeting.

Exhibitions: Arts of Fire (Vicki)

The call for Arts of Fire received entries from 83 clay and glass artists, most submitting multiple pieces for consideration. Jurors Lisa Reinertson and Demetra Theofanus selected about 40 pieces by 34 artists. Income from entry fees and membership sign-ups was robust. Vicki acknowledged valuable help from James Aarons, Ren Lee, and others. The Board discussed how to feature the show on our website. Options include a page of thumbnail images or simply a written list of the artists with a link to the NY2CA Gallery page featuring the artwork. Vicki will look into the costs.  The opening reception for Arts of Fire will be August 17, 6-7 p.m., at NY2CA Gallery in Benicia.

Financial Report (Julie)

We currently have $130,000 in the bank. $32,000 of that is in PayPal at the moment, reflecting payment of booth fees for the Clay & Glass Festival. Julie is moving it gradually into our bank account. Income in May was boosted by the Arts of Fire entry fees. Expenses were high as is usual at this time, when we are paying for many of the festival expenses. Paperwork for Piper to have access to our Bank of America account is finally complete and has been submitted to the bank.

Jury Process: Proposed Changes & Discussion (Mari)

Before the Board met, Mari wrote and shared a document listing proposed changes or refinements to the jurying process. Topics included jury frequency and structure, jury committee and role clarity, scoring and meeting format, and communications with applicants. Discussion of these important and complex subjects will continue in the coming weeks until the Board feels prepared to vote.

Date of Next Meeting: Monday, August 18, 2025, at 5:15 p.m. via Zoom

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

The meeting began at 5:15 p.m.

 Welcome (Mari)

Arts of Fire Exhibition (Vicki)

The deadline to submit entries to Arts of Fire is May 21.  To date there are 36 complete entries and several more pending. Most of the entries are clay rather than glass.  When the jurors have made their selections, Vicki will coordinate carpooling for delivery to the NY2CA Gallery in Benicia. The gallery might need to borrow some of ACGA’s pedestals for the show.  Jan commented on the excellent publicity for this call.

Santa Cruz Exhibition (Iver)

Iver and fellow artist Carlos Dye have written a successful proposal for an exhibition of clay and glass at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History.  Museum curator Marla Novo has blocked September 26, 2026 – February 27, 2027 for this show, which will accommodate around 20 invited artists and 40 juried artists. It will also include a pop-up sale of work by accepted artists in the museum’s gift shop.  It may be necessary to use some of ACGA’s pedestals stored in Santa Clara. ACGA will assist in organizing the exhibition, but all artists in California will be eligible to apply to the Call for Entries.

Financial Report (Julie)

Our total current assets are $163,863, higher than this time last year. Year-to-date income is $20,000 more than we budgeted, and expenses are slightly over.  The large pool of applicants for the last jury and the high number of booth applications for the festival have boosted our bank balances.

Zoom Orientation for Festival-Eligible Artists (Cheryl)

Around 20 artists attended the virtual orientation that Cheryl and Susie presented on Zoom on May 4^th.  The hour-long event went well, with good discussions and sharing of information.  Participants appreciated the document that Cheryl and Susie had put together.  Cheryl thinks that this orientation should be held annually.  ACGA artist Diana Greenleaf, who had originally suggested the gathering, reported that it was very useful.  Suggestions made by artists during the presentation have been passed on to April.

Jury Discussion (Mari)

The next window to apply for festival eligibility will be September 1-30, 2025.  The jurors’ decisions will be announced in October.  The Board discussed pros and cons of having two juries per year (fall and spring) as opposed to only one (fall).  One jurying in the fall is simpler and gives all artists equal chance to sign up for the festival when booth applications open in January.   The Board also discussed whether to limit the number of applicants for juries, since the last cohort was unusually large (44 applicants). Additionally, the protocol for sharing jurors’ comments with applicants needs improvement, especially when the comments are negative.  These topics will be discussed further at our next Board Meeting.

Festival Report (April)

The Clay & Glass Festival is fully booked.  Waitlisted artists have all been admitted. Cancellations are still possible, but even so it will be a robust show.  April is still working on matching artists with volunteer jobs.  Some jobs formerly assigned to volunteers will be done by paid staff.  April is still looking to fill the paid slot for staffing the CERF+ booth.

The meeting adjourned at 6:30 p.m.

Next Meeting: 5:15 p.m., June 16, 2025 via Zoom