Roswell Museum Board of Trustees

Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes Monday, April 21, 2014 @ 4:01 pm Bassett Auditorium Members Present: Joyce Tucker, Tom Tutor, Melinda Gonzalez, Rey Berrones, Jamie Barnes, Joyce Tucker, Miranda Howe, Bill Siders, DeAngela Velasquez, Sashua Patton, Members Absent: Peggy Krantz, Lorie Mitteer Others Present: Michel Hall, Stephen Vollmer, Sara Woodbury, Deborah Melancon, Ivan Hall Call to Order: 4:01 pm Approval of Agenda: Following review, Melinda Gonzalez moved to accept the agenda, Tom Tutor seconded: all were in favor and the motion carried without dissent. Approval of Minutes: Upon review of the Board of Trustees minutes of 3/17/14, under the section regarding the report of the Nominating Committee, Miranda Howe asked for a correction of the dates reflecting the appointment of Melinda Gonzalez, found in paragraph 2, which should have stated: “ … Melinda Gonzalez to be reappointed for three (3) years beginning 4/1/14 through 3/31/17; … .” She also noted that paragraph 5, needed correction and should read, “ … Bill Siders to fill out the vacancy of Ivan Hall with a recommended appointment for one (1) year, 4/1/14 through 3/31/15.” Following which, Miranda Howe moved to accept the minutes with the corrected changes, Sashua Patton seconded: all were in favor and the motion carried without dissent. Next, the Board reviewed the minutes of the Nominating Committee’s meeting of 3/17/14, noting that the record needed to be amended to reflect the following corrections: paragraph 3, “ … Melinda Gonzalez to be reappointed for three (3) years beginning 4/1/14 through 3/31/17; … .” And, that paragraph 6, needed correction, and should read, “ … Bill Siders to fill out the vacancy of Ivan Hall with a recommended appointment for one (1) year, 4/1/14 through 3/31/15.” Following which, Melinda Gonzalez moved to accept the minutes with the corrected changes, Miranda Howe seconded: all were in favor and the motion carried without dissent. President’s Remarks: Joyce Tucker: Opened with welcoming remarks for the newly appointed members and reviewed the re-alignment of terms to be served by Board of Trustees in that future appointments would not coincide with city-wide elections held on even years.  Financial Report: Deborah Melancon, RMAC bookkeeper, provided the report of financials/expenses to date. Membership Report: Provided by Michael Hall: he remarked that as a result of the reorganization of the membership lists and the mailing of letters to lapsed members over the past six weeks, the response has brought in over $18,500 Director’s Report: Provided by Michael Hall, in which he reported on the hiring of a very qualified person to fill the position of Membership Coordinator, who, unfortunately decided after her second day, that she had to resign her position because of the cost for child care, which could not be sustained under the salary the position pays. The position is currently listed through the City’s HR Department and he expects for applications to be made available for review in the very near future. He has met with RISD Superintendent Burris and is confident that the District is committed to the re-opening with a regular schedule for the Planetarium as soon as is possible. He also stated that he and Mr. Burris have discussed ideas of consulting with one another on grants and coordinating projects and programs where possible. Mr. Hall also recognized Jim Waldrip for the tremendous work he has provided as a volunteer by providing several programs for the public as well as the scheduled classes for students. The curatorial staff continues to work on the re-establishment of an exhibition schedule that reflects a minimum 3 year planning range, which will allow the Museum to engage in greater grant participation and solicitations. Such timetables are critical if the Museum wishes to, as it must, to participate with other institutions and museums whose planning and granting cycles adhere to the standards as set forth by the Best Standards and Practices found in the guidelines of the AAM. Mr. Hall also provided updates on the upcoming exhibits and programs as published in the Spring Newsletter. And he also thanked Rey Berrones for the opportunity for the staff of the RMAC to submit articles to the Roswell Daily Record and Visions Magazine, which serves to keep the public informed on aspects of museum operations. To date, articles on Robert H. Goddard, , The Museum as a community Treasure, the curatorial process and the Museum Store have gone to press. Acquisitions Committee: N/A Education Committee: N/A Membership Committee: N/A Nominating Committee: N/A Old Business: Sara Woodbury reviewed recent correspondence regarding The RMAC’s participation in the exhibition Eloquent Objects. The exhibition’s organizer has informed  the RMAC that Barbara Latham’s Lichen will not be in the exhibit because the curator had to pare down his selection of works due to the limitations of exhibition space at the prescribed venues: the Indianapolis Museum of Art; the Art Museum of Tacoma, Washington; and the Museum of South Texas (Corpus Christi). The works which are to be exhibited include: Barbara Latham’s Milkweed; Thomas Duncan’s Benrimo’s Mask; Raymond Jonson’s Santo; and Henriette Wyeth’s Copa de Oro. New Business: Ms. Woodbury provided information on a new loan request from Mark White, Curator of the Museum of Art at the University of Oklahoma. On behalf of the University, he has asked that the RMAC consider lending a work by Clay Spohns that is in the RMAC’s collection. The painting entitled Blue Abstract, would be included in an exhibit on Abstraction Expressionism in the Southwest. She has reviewed the prospectus and shared it with the curatorial team and reported that the University’s facility and proposal meets all the criteria for qualifying participation and loans. She has further reviewed the painting and it appears to be in stable condition and in that there are no immediate plans to exhibit the work, she would like for the Board to consider the approval of lending the work at their next meeting in May. Tom Tutor moved that the proposal to lend Blue Abstract, be placed on the agenda of the May meeting of the Board. The motion was seconded by Rey Berrones: all were in favor with none opposed. Michael Hall followed with his thanks to the Board and mentioned that with Ivan Hall’s departure from the Board, the position of the Secretary/Treasurer on the Executive Committee is currently vacant and need to be filled. Joyce Tucker also reiterated that several of the Boards committees need to be filled and chairs of those committees to be named. She asked that those interested in serving on the committees please contact her in order that they be actively engaged. It was also brought up that these committees also function to reach out into the community to locate or recruit volunteers for the various programs of the Museum. Melinda Gonzalez also emphasized the importance of thanking the volunteers which has traditionally been done in April with a breakfast hosted by the RMAC in the Bassett Auditorium. Michael Hall, said that due to the flux surrounding the Membership desk, that there is the desire to host a reception for the volunteers in the Fall when the operations of that desk have been stabilized. Motion to Adjourn: Tom Tutor moved to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded by Rey Berrones: all were in favor with none opposed. The meeting adjourned @ 4:58 pm. 4/21/2014 Respectfully submitted, Stephen Vollmer