Membership Meeting - 10/13/19
Minutes and Report
Location: 2019 Sugarloaf Show
Respectfully submitted by UCA Secretary Jean Benson
The annual business meeting occurred on October 13. The meeting was called to order at 0801 with 40 members present. Chair: Kathleen Perelka.
2019 UCA Show stats: There were 54 applicants, of which one was juried out and four canceled, leaving 49 booths with 48 artists, and one artist on the waiting list. The 5% total was $4112.67. eleven members donated more than 5% and 15 artists gave $100 or more. The raffle brought in $706 and Hashtag Leather donated their winnings to the raffle.
The mission statement was reviewed briefly and it was mentioned that annual and show fees go to support the mission of funding scholarships for art and fine craft students in inland, central, and western Maine, and to run the show. The fees have remained stable for a number of years, but due to increased costs, they may need to be raised in the near future. A fee increase may make possible the awarding of more or larger scholarships, as was discussed and approved by the membership at last year’s meeting.
The scholarships, of which two at $1500 each were awarded this year, are supported by fees and the 5% payback generated by show profits. The scholarships are paid during the school year after UCA has receipt of a Dean’s letter stating that the student is in good standing. Scholarships are most often given to new students each year but can be given to the same student, with reapplication, should ongoing merit and need exist. It is suggested that Shamira, one of last year’s recipients, may be in this category. She and her mother operated the UCA booth on Saturday at this year’s show and have stated their intent to do so on both show days next year.
Advertising the UCA Sugarloaf Show continues to be our major expense after scholarships. After exploring a number of advertising options in 2018, this year we limited advertising to only the most productive of those options. We advertised in the Sugarloaf Ski Club Homecoming Newsletter, Flagstaff Visitor’s Guide, Downeast Magazine, and distributed posters and rack cards widely. Derrick Keenan, Kathy Perelka, and Karen Campbell were instrumental in this endeavor and agree to continue next year. Members can approach any of them for rack cards and posters to distribute; disseminating them by hand is much preferred over using the mail.
Claudia Diller did our advertising design work. there was a discussion during the meeting of money-making ideas which would do double duty as an advertisement. T-shirts with the Show poster and/or shopping bags were discussed. The costs of these will need analysis. Small show posters are popular and may be a good source of income. The sharing of show posters on social media provides valuable free advertising. Kudos to Christy Whitmore for her management of our web page and the development of social media material.
More signage in the Sugarloaf lodge is necessary as multiple patrons could not find our show. This will need to be addressed for the 2020 show, as will acquiring a larger space for the children’s Arts and Crafts sessions. These were, again, well received.
Board elections were held. It is necessary to have no more than 8 board members so that a quorum of 4 is all that is needed to conduct a meeting. Historically it has been difficult to achieve a higher census at most meetings. All current UCA board members stated their willingness to continue for this coming year, but it will be necessary to recruit new members for 2021. Derrick Keenan, Carol Sullivan, and Leslie Poulin have expressed interest.
The treasurer’s report shows a small deficit for the year, of $400, which was replenished by the show proceeds.
Meeting adjourned: 0832.
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