Minutes of Valley Art Association January 2012 Board Meeting
The VAA board meeting was held at 10 am on January 12, 2012 in the Chippewa Falls public library with Ruth Lundblad presiding. Others present were Sandi Churness, John Lauson, Ray Peterson, Kathy Prentice, and Jane Whiting.
Minutes – The December 2011 board meeting minutes were approved as published with the following corrections: Jane will be working on policies for preparing for the member art exhibit at Heyde and the annual holiday party – not the June picnic. Ray is working on the duties for the chair of the exhibit committee.
Program Committee – Sandi announced that Jean Guertin, who works in glass and metal, will present the Feb. program. March will be John Lauson and other photographers, April will be Eldbjorg Tobin re archival preservation, and May will be Ann Niedhold with fabric art.
Education – no report. Kris Parins watercolor workshop scheduled for June.
Solstice – Ray said letters have been sent out to 2011 participants. The poster design contest deadline is March 1st. Main St. group is not planning to have a shuttle bus this year, nor will there be any special downtown activities going on except for the annual Leinies Family Reunion. The Renaissance Festival will possibly also be going on. The Rutledge Mansion board has new management, Leslie Szulgit chairperson.
Exhibits – Carol Way is coordinating the exhibits at Lucy’s and artists scheduled so far are Jenny Licht in March/April, Ann Neidhold and Karen Bejin in May/June. and Ruth Lundblad and Jane Whiting in July/August. Ruth Lundblad is coordinating the exhibits at Economy Furniture and artists scheduled so far are Jenny Licht, Mary Smith, Nancy McCarthy, and Bonnie Fetzek in Jan/Feb, Pat Hamm, Ruth Lundblad, Sandi Churness, and Jane Whiting in March/April, and Candace Hennekins in May/June. We also discussed possibly putting a banner at Lucy’s and maybe a sign in the front window to call attention to the local art work. We are on the Heyde calendar for our member art show for next November. Sharon Weeks will be contacting the CF library re exhibiting member art work at that location.
Old business – John Lauson confirmed that the duties of the Vice-President will be to stand in for the President, attend general and board meetings, and be the chair of the membership committee. Ray is working on the description of duties for the exhibit committee chair. He has already done the membership committee chair job description.
We discussed contact departing members to solicit their reasons for leaving VAA. Sharon Bell, as VP, should be involved in this discussion so we’ll take it up later. Jane made policies for the holiday party and the annual Heyde member art show. We discussed several points in both policies and Jane will re-write and/or tweak some of the points and we’ll discuss that later also. We decided to solicit ideas from members during the fall as to what type of activity, if any, they would like to have at the holiday party.
Ruth presented a policy regarding advertising of members’ art work as well as the policy regarding presenters at meetings. The board approved the policy as presented.
New Business – Ray presented the format for the VAA ad scheduled to begin in Volume One. He also handed out copies of the publication schedule and dates by which changes need to be made, who needs to be notified, etc.
Jane reported on her recent meeting with the CF Main St. people. They are thinking of having a monthly community event (e.g. first Thursday type event). This is still in the planning stage, but they seem to be interested in having artist participation in the monthly events. We will mention this at meetings and in our newsletter and solicit members whether or not they would be interested in participating on a regular basis in this type of event in the community.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:20 am. The next general meeting is February 2nd at 6:30 pm and the next board meeting is February 9th at 10 am – both at the public library in Chippewa Falls.
Submitted by Kathy Prentice, Secretary
Minutes of Valley Art Association August 2011 Board Meeting
The VAA board meeting was held at 10 am on Thursday August 11 at the Chippewa Falls Public Library with Ruth Lundblad presiding. Others present were Alice Anderson, Sharon Bell, John Lauson, Ray Peterson, and Kathy Prentice.
Minutes – July meeting minutes will be sent out along with the August minutes.
Education – no report
Programs – no report
Exhibits – Ruth said some sales have occurred at Economy Furniture.
Solstice – Ray said nothing to report
Newsletter – will be late this month because editor is out of the country until late August.
Old Business – We discussed the terms of office of various board members. Sharon Bell and John Lauson’s terms will be up after this year. Also Ruth’s term after her presidency ends. We will need a president and vice president for next year and a nominating committee will be solicited at the September meeting.
We discussed the need for more people to participate as officers and/or committee chairs. We also discussed the fact that Solstice activities take up a lot of time and energy vs. time and energy expended on actual VAA meeting and activities. We should come to next meeting with ideas for our organization and solicit ideas from other members.
New Business – We discussed separating the Solstice Committee from the Exhibit Committee. John suggested we table the issue of separating Solstice and Exhibit Committees for now. Further discussion involved continuing to look for an exhibit committee chairperson, possibly asking the next vice president to handle exhibits, and possibly having the president be the membership chair due to the contacts they make in the position they hold. Some felt the president has enough to do without adding this duty.
At the September meeting we will be looking for volunteers to serve on the nominating committee.
A chairperson is needed for the November VAA show at the Heyde Center. There continues to be some contention that when we are displaying at Heyde the hours are limited. John said that ‘Painting Through the Lens’ will be at Heyde from Sept. 8th-30th. In Oct. the Beaver Creek Reserve photo club will be at Heyde and the VAA will have their exhibit in November. On the 5th of November the ‘Food of the North’ event will be at Heyde and we definitely want our exhibit to be open for view during that event.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:20 am. The next general meeting is on Sept. 1st at the library at 6:30 and the next board meeting is Sept. 8th at 10 am.
Submitted by Kathy Prentice, Secretary
Minutes of Valley Art Association July 2011 Board Meeting
The VAA board meeting was held at President Ruth Lundblad’s home at 9 am on July 14, 1911. Others present were Alice Anderson, Sharon Bell, Ray Peterson, Kathy Prentice, and Jane Whiting.
Minutes Approval – Minutes of the June board meeting were approved as published.
Committee Report – Programs. Mention was made regarding possible road trips: Franconia, MN, the ‘zipper lady’, and Al’s yard art and/or another metal worker.
Committee Report – Solstice. Ray mentioned the many positive artist responses. Most folks like the event the way it is. Next year the hours will be 9-4 rather than 9-5. We need to strive for more people active on the committee. Jane mentioned having some sort of recognition to businesses that participate in the purchase awards. Business (es) commit to buying artwork – provides recognition for the business and the artist.
Old Business – Purchase awards and raffle winner should be published in the minutes. Raffle winner (D’Mitriann Gray’s watercolor) was Pat Rowley. The purchase award winners were Jean Arneson, Allen Parkhurst, and David Haessig.
New Business – The board went over by-laws, policies, procedures, etc. It is recommended for the sake of continuity that the president will attempt to stagger the terms of the board members. When minutes are sent out to board members, they should update their notebooks to include the current minutes. It was suggested that we mention in the newsletter that members should notify the secretary regarding illness of members or other occasions that would warrant us sending cards (sympathy, get well, etc.) Each year there shall be an annual review of policies and procedures, bylaws, and our board manuals.
Next board meeting is August 11th at 10 am at the Chippewa Falls Public Library and the next general meeting is Thursday Sept. 1st at the library at 6:30 pm.
President Ruth Lundblad adjourned the meeting at 11:30 am.
Submitted by Kathy Prentice, Secretary
VALLEY ART ASSOCIATION
BOARD MEETING MINUTES FROM June 9, 2011
Present: Ruth Lundblad, Ray Peterson, Sharon Bell, Alice Anderson, member Thomas Jannusch, representing the education committee Noriko Slowinski, There was no quorum present so no official voting can proceed.
Minutes – minutes from the May 12, 2011 board meeting were approved as published.
Payables include remaining Solstice expenses and approximately $1,200 payable for the Kim Parins workshop/related expenses.
Committee Report – Programs The program schedule will resume in September and we have several months covered.
Committee Report – Education Kris Parins workshop is set for the week of June 20th. There is approximately $1,200 payable for the Kim Parins workshop and related expenses. Likely not enough interest in a formal bus trip to Birds in Art this fall. Those who want to attend should consider carpooling. Will also look into a bus trip to the St. Paul art crawl. Committee is also thinking about another workshop at the end of October.
Committee Report – Exhibits
Exhibiting continues at Lucy’s and Economy Furniture in Chippewa Falls. Connell’s Bakery Shop in Chippewa has unfortunately closed.
Ruth Lundblad suggested purchasing a banner to initially be used at the front entry of Economy Furniture in Chippewa Falls on Hwy J. It would have the VAA name and announce local art opportunities to the community as they drive by. The banner could be used for other venues as well. The board thought this was a good idea.
2011 Summer Solstice Planning
Current headcount is 43
All print media ads have been placed.
Sponsorship brochures and postcards have been completed and look great.
We currently have 3 purchase award sponsors.
25+ lawn signs are up in the area advertising our event.
Plans are proceeding for our VAA/Solstice booth at the Eau Claire Open Aire Art Festival on June 11-12.
Confirmation letters have been sent to all our exhibitors
Evelyn and Ruth are working on the volunteer list which is an important part of the fair.
The committee will have a setup workparty at the Mansion 9 am Friday June 17th.
Committee Report – Newsletter/Website – Information for newsletter is due to Sharon by the 15th of each month.
Old Business –
The next board meeting will focus on reviewing policies and procedures – July 14th
New Business
None presented today
Next board meeting is July 14th 9:00 am at the Lundblad’s 2734 W. Princeton
Next general meeting is Thursday Sept 1st at the Chippewa Fall Public Library 6:30 pm
President Ruth Lundblad adjourned the meeting at 10:45 am.
Submitted by Ray Peterson, acting secretary.
Minutes of Valley Art Association May 2011 Board Meeting
The VAA board meeting was held at 10:00 a.m. on May 12, 2011 in the Chippewa Falls Public Library with Ruth Lundblad presiding. Other present were Alice Anderson, Sharon Bell, Sandi Churness, John Lauson, Kathy Prentice, Noriko Slowinski, and Jane Whiting.
Minutes Approval – Minutes of the April 14, 2011 board meeting were approved as published.
Treasurer’s Report – We have 44 paid up members.
Programs – Sandi reminded us of the picnic in June and there was some discussion of what board members needed to bring (in addition to the ‘dish to pass’).
Education – Noriko said the Kris Parins workshop is set. One participant dropped out so the next person on the waiting list will move up to take this spot. Noriko will request that attendees bring snacks for all in addition to their own lunches.
Exhibit Committee – Ruth discussed the three existing exhibit locations and the need for an exhibit coordinator to take over the duties she and Ray Peterson are currently handling.
Solstice – John Lauson showed layouts of the brochure pages and we discussed options for the brochure design and content.
Newsletter – Articles are due by the 15th of each month. Visit our website at http://www.valleyartassociation.org.
Old Business – Policy and procedure review will be July 14. Review all items in your folders to prepare for this session. Ruth suggested that copies of the newsletters and meeting minutes should also be kept in our folders.
New Business – Jane Whiting still has D’Mitriann Gray’s watercolor and we discussed offering it as a silent auction item at Solstice on Grand. Also discussed was a minimum bid ($25) and methods and places to direct patrons to this item at the faire. Sandi suggested that we begin taking photos (and use ones already taken, if available) from classes, events, meeting presentations, etc. and put the photos on a digital picture frame to be displayed at VAA booth when we have a presence at our own and other events.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:10 am. The next general meeting is our picnic at Irvine Park on June 2nd. Next board meeting is June 9th at the library.
Submitted by Kathy Prentice, Secretary
Minutes of Valley Art Association April 2011 Board Meeting
The VAA board meeting was held at 10 am on April 14, 2011 in the Chippewa Falls Public Library with Ruth Lundblad presiding. Others present were Alice Anderson, Sharon Bell, Sandi Churness, John Lauson, Ray Peterson, Kathy Prentice, and Jane Whiting.
Minutes Approval – minutes of the March 10, 2011 board meeting were approved as published.
We now have 40 paid-up members.
Program Committee – Sandi Churness reported that Linda Annett will be the May presenter (rescheduled from March), June will be our picnic, and presenter for October is Elizabeth Stingl. Ruth mentioned a woodcarver who may want to present and Jane mentioned a woodcut artist who also would give a program. Sally Rogers was also mentioned as another possible presenter.
Education Committee – The Kris Parins workshop is set for June 20-21. The workshop is full and a waiting list is started. A supply letter has been sent to participants.
Exhibit Committee – Ruth passed out copies of the VAA exhibit rotation for all three sites: Connell’s, Economy Furniture, and Lucy’s. We still need an exhibit coordinator.
Solstice – Ray reported that we have 22 exhibitors so far. The brochure is being developed and 50 ads have been sold. Other print media options will be used for publicity this year: Volume One, Family Times, Senior Times, and Queen of the Castle. Postcards to distribute will be another publicity method. In May there will be a Solstice display case at the CF library. We will also have the ‘paint-a-van’ feature at this year’s event since it was so popular last year. A confirmation to participating artists has been sent out. Plans for the grounds, layout, etc. will be the next step. Around June 1st the new yard signs will be placed. We’ll put an ad in the newsletter to solicit spots where signs can be placed.
Newsletter – Articles are due by the 15th of each month. Also visit our website at http://www.vallyartassociation.org. We also discussed putting a calendar of all current exhibitors in each month’s newsletter. Jane will also request that notice of the grid walls available for rent will be put in newsletter (re upcoming Solstice use). We are still looking for a newsletter editor.
Old Business – The meeting to review our policies and procedures was set for Ruth’s home on July 14th.
New Business – We discussed putting signage at the three exhibit sites (Connell’s, Economy Furniture, and Lucy’s) that indicate that local art work of VAA member is for sale. Ruth offered to take care of this.
The meeting was adjourned about 11:50 am. The next general meeting is Thursday May 5th and the next board meeting is Thursday May 12th – both at the CF library.
Submitted by Kathy Prentice, Secretary
Minutes of Valley Art Association March Board Meeting
The VAA board meeting was held at 10 a.m. on March 10, 2011 in the Chippewa Falls Public Library with Ruth Lundblad presiding. Others present were Alice Anderson, Sharon Bell, Sandi Churness, John Lauson, Ray Peterson, Kathy Prentice, Sharon Weeks, Jane Whiting, and Joel Wiltrout.
Minutes Approval – minutes of the Feb. 13, 2011 were approved as published, with this addition: the fee for exhibiting at Economy Furniture is $10 for two months (in addition to the percentage of sales – 15%). Also the published minutes for February show a date of 2020 under minutes approval – should be 2011.
Treasurer’s Report show. Alice has received $1200.00 for the Kris Parins watercolor workshop and wondered about keeping it until the workshop. The board agreed that the money should be deposited now.
Program Committee – Sandi Churness reported that April’s program will be Judy Jacobs on needle felting. May’s program will be presented by fiber artist, Linda Franzel Annett (rescheduled from March due to Linda’s illness).
Education Committee – Noriko is ill today, but Ruth reported that the Kris Parins workshop is full (16 participants) and there is a waiting list.
Exhibit Committee – Ray announced that it has been one year now since members have been exhibiting at Lucy’s and Connell’s and he has submitted some publicity to local media outlets to call attention to this ‘first anniversary’ accomplishment. Since Ray is providing publicity re the first anniversary of exhibiting at Lucy’s and Connell’s it is hoped that someone will exhibit at Connell’s so that the public will have artwork to view there after reading about it. Joel is going to possibly plan to exhibit some of his photography there – two walls are available. Carol Way and Bonnie Fetzek are at Lucy’s until the end of April; Connell’s is open; Alice Anderson, Justin Dancing Hawk, Evelyn Jenson, Ruth Lundblad, and Joel Wiltrout are at Economy Furniture. New artists are needed for May and June at all three locations. Some slots at Lucy’s are already spoken for – Ray has the schedules. We are still looking for someone to take over these scheduling duties and be the exhibit coordinator.
Solstice Report – Ray has set up a brief meeting with the Cook-Rutledge Mansion board on March 14th. The Solstice committee will be meeting again on March 16th. Our Solstice on Grand Art Faire is shown on the tourism calendars for both the Chippewa Chamber and Chippewa Main St. We will also be part of an ‘art fair’ article in What’s Playing Magazine. A solstice poster design winner has been selected (Ray Peterson!) and John Lauson is working on the poster format. A copy of the poster was passed around the table at this board meeting. Permission was requested for a separate ‘solstice’ post office box number starting right after the June event. This will greatly benefit the administration of the event, particularly as the event draws closer. Box fees will be recorded as a solstice expense. Ray is working on alternative sources for solstice print media advertising, such as Queen, Family Times, Senior Times, and Volume One magazines/newspapers. There has been some discontent with the traditional newspaper publicity. Joel suggested that we put ads online with local newspapers and Ray will explore that idea. Progress is being made on a 12-page sponsorship brochure. John is working on a template which can be used for solicitations. Ray is preparing a list of potential business sponsors for both Chippewa and Eau Claire. We would also like to give our artists a chance to advertise as well. A 1/8th page ad will cost $30. Ruth suggested if our VAA members want to advertise their business they could do so in this brochure and Jane suggested that we let previous solstice exhibitors know about this opportunity.
Newsletter – Articles are due by the 15th of the month. Visit the VAA website at http://www.valleyartassociation.org. We are also still looking for someone to take over the newsletter editor position. If we know of VAA members exhibiting anywhere, we should let Sharon know for the ‘who’s hanging’ section of the newsletter. Ruth said she has some of her work at Heatherwood and Noriko, Bonnie, Alice (and possibly others?) are in the Arts West exhibit at the L.E. Phillips Public Library in Eau Claire.
Old Business – Ruth brought some inserts to be put in our respective board member manuals. It was decided that we will meet in July (in addition to regular board meeting) to discuss policies and procedures and the need, if any, for changes. Board members should read their manuals ahead of time and be prepared to discuss/provide input regarding the current policies.
New Business – We discussed the need for a privacy policy with regard to contact information for our members. This is something to be ironed out at our extra July meeting. It was generally agreed that names and communities would be acceptable but e-mail and home addresses and phone numbers should not be shared or published for general access. We discussed the problems encountered with giving memberships to presenters, given our February date for new memberships and renewals. John Lauson proposed that presenters in the first half of the year (before June) will receive a membership for the rest of the calendar year until the February renewal date and presenters from September through January will be considered members for the balance of that year and the following year. A motion was made, seconded, and approved to adopt this method of handling the ‘presenter’ membership.
The meeting was adjourned at 11 a.m. The next general meeting is Thursday April 7th and the next board meeting is Thursday April 14th – both at the CF public library.
Submitted by Kathy Prentice, Secretary
Minutes of Valley Art Association February 2011 Board Meeting
The VAA board meeting was held at 10 am on Feb. 10, 2011 in the Chippewa Falls Public Library with Ruth Lundblad presiding. Others present were Joel Wiltrout, Sandi Churness, Jane Whiting, Ray Peterson, Alice Anderson, and Kathy Prentice.
Minutes Approval – minutes of the Jan. 13, 2020 board meeting were approved as published.
Treasurer’s Report shows twenty-two memberships have been paid for 2011 and seven entries for Solstice on Grand have been received to date.
Program Committee – Sandi Churness reported that programs are scheduled through May. Our March presenter is Linda Annette, a fiber artist.
Education Committee – The date for the Kris Parins watercolor workshop has been set for June 20-21 and the fee will be about $120. A location has yet to be determined. Already 10-12 persons are interested.
Exhibit Committee – A letter went out on Feb. 9th to renew the exhibit agreements with Lucy’s and Connell’s. The board approved a motion to enter into a new exhibit agreement with Economy Furniture. Ray Peterson agreed to handle the scheduling of artists for the Economy Furniture venue, but we still need a chairman for the Exhibit Committee. The fees for a two-month exposure are $10 at Connells, $20 at Lucy’s, and a sales fee at Economy Furniture (15%). It was mentioned that the Foster cheese house has an exhibit area and currently Noriko Slowinski and David Caradori are showing their work at that site.
Solstice Report – The lawn/direction signs are here and Ray brought a sample to show. The Solstice Committee is continuing to work on a sponsorship brochure of 8-12 pages. Hopefully we can sell small ads (1/8th page) for $30. The committee met with the Chippewa Main Street staff on Feb. 1st. They have reserved a shuttle bus for Solstice Day at a cost of $180 – our group would share in this expense. The bus will run between Leinie’s Lodge/downtown area and the Cook Rutledge Mansion. We have been invited to participate in other events including Pure Water Days extravaganza on August 13th and community TV ads which they have negotiated. We have been approached by What’s Playing magazine to be part of a ‘local art fair feature’ in their next issue. They also may say something about the other Chippewa events that day. Ray is working with Sharon Weeks to update the solstice website listings. Ray would like to contact the Mansion to set up a brief meeting with them. The committee is getting close to publishing a general ‘call for artists’ where they would complete a juried application form. The poster contest is still open with a deadline of March 1st.
Newsletter – Articles are due by the 15th of each month. Also visit our website at http://valleyartassociation.org. We’re still looking for a replacement newsletter editor. Ray’s summary of our organization from founding to recent accomplishments will be sent to Sharon for inclusion in our March newsletter.
Old Business – Ruth brought tabbed folders and copies of all the pertinent documents of our organization to be organized and assembled so that each officer has a copy. Jane brought up the painting that D’Mitriann Gray donated to our group and we discussed some options for finding a home for it. Perhaps we would give our members a chance to bid on it first and, if this isn’t successful, perhaps a bidding at Solstice. Arrangements will be made to photograph the painting and present the photo and short article in the newsletter.
New Business – We had a short discussion re meeting times and places and decided to leave the general and board meetings as they stand for now. Also discussed was the need for meetings to take a look at job descriptions and policies and see if changes are needed. After the meeting Ruth, Alice, and Kathy went to Northwestern Bank and put our important documents in our new safe deposit box and signed papers to allow access to the box. The members present assembled the officer/board member folders Ruth brought.
Next general meeting will be Thursday March 3rd and next board meeting will be Thursday March 10th.
Submitted by Kathy Prentice, Secretary
Minutes of Valley Art Association January 2011 Board Meeting
The VAA board meeting was held at 10:00 a.m. on Jan. 13, 2011 in the Chippewa Falls Public Library with Ruth Lundblad presiding. Others present were Ray Peterson, John Lauson, Jane Whiting, Bernard Herzog, Sharon Weeks, Sharon Bell, Alice Anderson, Evelyn Jenson, and Kathy Prentice.
Minutes Approval – minutes of the December 9, 2010 board meeting were approved as published.
Treasurer’s Report shows income during the month was $44.00 and expenses were $13.25. No outstanding accounts payable or receivable. Six members have paid dues for the upcoming year.
Secretary’s Report – none – new secretary will start as of today.
Program Committee – Sandi Churness was not in attendance but Ruth passed out the schedule of presenters for the coming year.
Education Committee – Noriko Slowinski was not in attendance but the education committee will be meeting this month to work on plans for the Kris Parins watercolor workshop.
Exhibit Committee – Teri Hering has resigned from this committee (per Ruth Lundblad). There was some discussion re the arrangement of payments for exhibiting at both Lucy’s and Connell’s. Also board members discussed the off and on opportunities at Heyde Center, since the exhibit rooms are not manned on a regular basis during Heyde events. A motion was made, seconded, and approved to change the fee for renting VAA exhibit wall panels from $4 to $2 per day. This exhibit wall fee policy and other policies will be reviewed by the board in coming months (starting in February) and changes, if any, will be approved and new policies written by April 2011. John Lauson also suggested that we should provide for special occasions when our present policies create unanticipated problems as they currently stand. Ray Peterson said the Solstice committee is currently working on lawn and directional signage as well as brochure design.
Newsletter – Articles are due by the 15th of each month. Also visit our new website at http://www.valleyartassociation.org. Sharon Weeks would like to step down from her position as editor of the newsletter so we need to find a replacement for her as soon as possible.
Old Business – Ray Peterson has prepared a policy folder with all pertinent VAA by-laws, policies, membership lists, etc. Ruth Lundblad will make copies and obtain binders so that each board member can have a copy of this information.
New Business – Sharon Weeks will check with Melanie Berg at the Rutledge Mansion before giving out her number for members to call re the grid wall rentals. Ray Peterson recommended that we rent a lock box at a local bank so that our important documents (e.g. articles of incorporation, charitable organization tax except status documents, etc.) can be stored in a secure facility. Ruth will check into this.
Meeting was adjourned at 11:10 am.
Our next board meeting is set for Thursday February 10, 2011 at 10 am at the Chippewa Falls library. All members are welcome.
General meeting will be February 3rd at which time membership dues need to be paid. Our presentation will be given by Sandi Watson
Submitted by Secretary Kathy Prentice
