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Oakland
Museum Of California Board Of Trustees Meeting Minutes
Regular
MAY 25, 2006
MUSEUM RESTAURANT
4:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.
ROLL CALL
Trustees
Dale Block, Susan Chamberlin, Christopher Curtis, Rich Edwards,
Lori Fogarty, Lance Gyorfi, Anthony Harris, Melvin Harrison,
Jacqueline Kane, Daryl Lillie, John McDonald, Judith McKee, Christopher
McLain, Missy Nelson, Deborah Roessler, Penelope Wong, and Sheryl
Wong
Trustees
Excused:
William Chiasson, Matthew Cox, Richard DeAtley, Virginia Furth,
Harold Jones, Phyllis Pfeiffer, Marianne Robison, Margaret Russell,
Katherine Shea, Timothy Silva, Brian Washington, and Sandra Wolfe
Staff
Present:
Dorothy Hood, Christiaan Klieger, Philip Linhares, Tom Steller,
and Elizabeth Whipple
Volunteers
Present:
Yvonne McCredie, Michael Coleman, Marilyn Couch, and Susan Schroeder
Guests
Present:
1.
CALL TO ORDER/INTRODUCTIONS – Lance Gyorfi
Chair Gyorfi called the meeting to order at 4:10 p.m.
2.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES – Lance Gyorfi
On a motion
duly made and seconded (Curtis/Wong), the following resolution
was unanimously adopted:
RESOLVED, that the minutes of the April 25, 2006 Board of
Trustees meeting are approved as corrected.
3.
CHAIR’S REPORT – Lance Gyorfi
Chair Gyorfi thanked Carey Caldwell, who retired after 18 years
of service at the Oakland Museum of California, and presented
her with a gift.
On a motion duly made and seconded (Edwards/Wong), the following
resolution was unanimously approved.
WHEREAS, the Oakland Museum of California is one of the state’s
renowned cultural institutions expressing the stories of California’s
history, artistic expression, and natural environment; and
WHEREAS, the Oakland Museum of California attracts visitors from
around the world to experience its diverse exhibition program and
presentation of its rich collections; and
WHEREAS, Carey Caldwell served for 18 years as a curator of history
at the Oakland Museum of California, contributing expertise,
scholarship and dedication to presenting the museum’s collections
and organizing exhibitions of the highest quality;
WHEREAS, Carey Caldwell developed such distinguished exhibitions
as “Strength and Diversity,” “I Dream a World,” “Gordon
Parks,” and “Memory and Imagination,” and curated
the museum’s ethnographic collections, including its unsurpassed
collection of Native California baskets,
WHEREAS, Ms. Caldwell is retiring from an official museum position,
but through her dedication and commitment will remain affiliated
through special projects,
NOW, THEREFORE, be is resolved the Trustees of the Oakland Museum
of California Foundation gratefully thanks Ms. Caldwell for her
18 years of service, commitment, and passion for the museum’s
collections and offer her best wishes for her continued pursuits.
Chair Gyorfi and trustee Katherine Shea met with the City Attorney
to discuss the MOU, which has been renamed the Management
Operating Agreement (MOA). Deputy City Administrator Niccolo
De Luca is scheduling a final meeting with the City Administrator,
after which the MOA has to be approved by the City Council.
The current draft of the MOA defines insurance requirements
and office space for trustees; also the City confirms its
intent to include the museum in its budget for the next 10
years. It is proposed in the draft that the city will transfer
the responsibility of both the museum restaurant and garage
to the foundation with the foundation keeping all profits;
and the foundation must come under the living wage standard
for all foundation employees.
4.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT – Lori Fogarty
Executive Director Lori Fogarty reported on the diversity panel discussion that
took place at the museum. It was facilitated by Roberto Vargas and included panelist
Julie Johnson of the Science Museum of Minnesota and Bonnie Pitman of the Dallas
Art Museum. All staff and some volunteers were in attendance with most filling
out evaluation forms. Staff indicated a strong level of commitment to diversity
and wants to see it work within the museum.
On the following day there was a panel discussion facilitated
by Kathy McLean on the reinstallation plans. In addition
to Julie Johnson and Bonnie Pitman,
the panelist included Dan Spock of the Minnesota Historical Society and Peter
Samis of San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Chief Curator of Art Phil Linhares
said there was a discussion on the interdisciplinary aspect, i.e., how each
of the disciplines of art, history, and natural sciences
could connect and share
materials. It was suggested that Art Gallery have an orientation area with
interdisciplinary exhibitions that would be changed every
four months. Also discussed was using
labels in multi-languages, such as, English, Chinese, and Spanish.
Senior Curator of History Christiaan Klieger said it has been
decided that the focus of the History Gallery is to tell
people’s personal stories. Every
effort must be made to make sure the lead stories are appropriate and diverse.
Multi-language labels will also be used in this gallery; if a story is about
the Chinese, the label will lead with the Chinese language followed by the English
translation. Chief Curator of Natural Sciences Tom Steller said the meetings
with the consultants have been very provocative. One consultant strongly questioned
whether the Natural Sciences Gallery should tell the story of California or should
it be about the environmental concerns of Californians. Basically, staff is rethinking
the presentation of the gallery and also rethinking the underlining assumptions
and see if they still hold after 30 years. Controversial issues such as logging
and water diversion will be addressed. A panelist suggested creating a visitor
experience map for all the galleries.
Executive Director Fogarty said the attendance for the Disney
exhibit is not what was hoped for but it is expected that
it will pick up. Exhibit audio
guides
are now available and are free with each ticket purchased. A discussion
was held as to why a trustee had to pay $6.00 to enter
the Disney exhibit. According
to
the contract, the museum has to pay ExhibiTour $7.00 for each admission
into the exhibit. There was further discussion on the need
for clarity as to the
admission policy for trustees and members of the Women’s Board. Ms. Fogarty said
staff is working on a list of talking points for the exhibition and it will be
sent to trustees when finalized. Also, staff is meeting to discuss how to market
the exhibition. Publicity and Marketing Manager Elizabeth Whipple said from the
beginning, all marketing literature was carefully worded to emphasize that the
exhibition was primarily designed for an adult market. Trustee Wong suggested
linking up with Disney fan sites and trustee Edwards suggested that trustees
help with the marketing efforts.
Chair Gyorfi said he and Ms. Fogarty had a discussion on how
often the board should meet and considered having one meeting
a quarter. Members
were asked
for opinions regarding this idea and made the following comments:
o for quarterly meetings there would be a need for a lot
of lead time because people travel and, with fewer
meetings, attendance would be more critical
o have board meetings every other month with the off months
for committee meetings
o executive director to give synopsis of what is happening
in museum in written reports
o a website could be established for trustees where trustees
could vote on resolutions, receive reports, and also could
be used to get board approval for various items
5.
WOMEN’S
BOARD REPORT – Deborah Roessler
Trustee Roessler said the Women’s Board elected five new members
and will hold an orientation on June 1, 2006. Deborah Wentworth will give them
a tour of the museum and point out those items donated by the Women’s Board.
Discussions continue on how to improve the White Elephant Sale and how to deal
with the recycling issues, such as getting rid of unsold electrical appliances.
The Women’s Board budget has been passed with $610,000 allocated for the
museum, $250,000 for the capital campaign, and $45,000 for acquisitions.
6.
CAMPAIGN CABINET REPORT – Sheryl Wong
Trustee Wong said the committee is also considering
holding fewer meetings. There are three categories for
potential Capital Campaign donors – individual,
foundation, and corporate. For individuals, a matrix
of events has been created especially for individuals
who will be invited to these events. Trustees Edwards
and McKee were very instrumental in moving this project
along. The foundation category includes identifying the
trustees, curators, and volunteers who can serve as the
ambassadors who will tell the story of the museum, although
most work will be staff driven. Ms. Wong will eventually
inform this group as to how they can help. The first
meeting of the Corporate Cabinet will take place at Clorox
on June 5, 2006 and trustees Kane and McDonald were thanked
for leadership in establishing this committee. The Corporate
Cabinet plans to have three meetings in the next few
months and will determine who the top corporate prospects
are and also how to differentiate the museum’s
campaign from other campaigns.
7. DEVELOPMENT
COMMITTEE REPORT – Virginia Furth
In the absence of trustee Furth, Executive Director
Lori Fogarty reported that the Development Department has reached
94% of projected budget. Anticipating that 100% of trustees will
participate and with a few key corporate gifts pending, the projected
budget goal will be surpassed. Diane Disney Miller contributed $50,000
and the receipt of gifts from individuals and corporations is doing
very well.
8. GALA REPORT – Dale Block,
Missy Nelson, Sheryl Wong
Trustee Block thanked trustees Nelson and Wong for the
work they did in organizing the Gala. Diane Disney Miller
purchased two tables and along with an additional contribution
gave a total of $70,000; she was also very pleased with
the exhibit. Pixar Animation Studio also contributed
$25,000 to the event.
The event was sold out and the goal of grossing $370,157.00
was surpassed with a net income of $150,000. Also,
evaluations were done to document the event. Ms. Block
thanked all
trustees and Chair Gyorfi thanked trustees Block, Nelson,
and Wong for putting on a first class event and fundraiser.
9. RENOVATION OVERSIGHT REPORT – Lance
Gyorfi
Mr. Gyorfi reported that, so far, $7.5 million has been spent overall
on the museum renovation with approximately $4.8 million for the
renovation of the CCRC. The building’s exterior needs a somastic
waterproofing coating and trustee Chris Curtis is working on getting
the job completed. The City of Oakland has started the process
to purchase the 450 Lancaster Street building and trustee Curtis
was very instrumental in getting this done. After purchasing the
building, the city will pay $40,000 less each year than they would
have if they had leased the building.
10. NOMINATING
COMMITTEE REPORT – Daryl Lillie
Trustee Lillie presented the names of two candidates to become members of the
board of trustees: Mr. Steven Douglas is a native of Oakland who oversees all
of the Douglas Parking operations in the Bay Area. Mr. Douglas enjoys fundraising
and serves on several boards.
On a motion duly made and seconded (Wong/Harris), the following
resolution was unanimously adopted:
RESOLVED, that Steven Douglas is elected to the Oakland Museum
of California Foundation Board of Trustees for a term ending as
of the Annual Meeting October 2009.
Mr. Darren Oliver is the Senior Vice President, Service Enhancement for Kaiser Permanente Foundation Health Plan. Mr. Oliver has an extensive background in the entertainment industry and was hired by Kaiser to enhance the “visitor” experience.
On a motion duly made and seconded (Chamberlin/McKee), the following resolution was unanimously adopted:
RESOLVED, that Darren Oliver is elected to the Oakland Museum
of California Foundation Board of Trustees for a term ending as
of the Annual Meeting October 2009.
11. FINANCE COMMITTEE REPORT – Rich Edwards
Trustee Edwards reported that as of the end of March there
was a surplus of over $100,000 which is the highest
surplus recorded for the past four years. The Dodge
and Cox endowment fund is doing well and it is now
at $7.6 million and the foundation’s total invested
endowment funds are $8.4 million. So far the Capital
Campaign has been given $1.226 million in cash, $55,000
in stock, and pledged $2.74 million for an estimated
total of $4.0 million. The final proposed budget for
200/07will be distributed at the next Board of Trustees
meeting.
12.
ADJOURNEMENT – Lance
Gyorfi
There
being no
further business
Chair Gyorfi
adjourned
the
meeting
at 6:00
p.m.
Christopher
McLain
Secretary |
