HomeMy WebLinkAboutAM Minutes: 11/04/2020.MUSEUM COMMISSION
REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
WEDNESDAY, November 4, 2020
As part of the City of Arcadia's COVID-1 9 transmission mitigation efforts, and in accordance with
California Executive Order N-25-20, suspending some terms of the Brown Act, this meeting was
conducted virtually via teleconference.
CALL TO ORDER Chair Jeanne Roy called the meeting to order at 5:04 p.m. in a
teleconference call.
ROLL CALL: Chair Jeanne Roy; Commissioners Dale Carter, Billie Tone, Virginia Blitz; City
Council Liaison April Verlato; Director of Library & Museum Services Darlene
Bradley; Library Services Manager Pat Smith; Curator Stevy Acevedo; Museum
Education Coordinator Brittani Alberto
Commissioner Tone moved to excuse the absence of Commissioner Carlos Reza Jr. Seconded
by Commissioner Carter and carried on a voice vote.
AYES: Chair Roy, Commissioners Carter, Tone, and Blitz
NOES: None
ABSENT Commissioner Reza Jr.
REPORTS FROM MUSEUM COMMISSION MEMBERS / LIAISONS
Councilmember Verlato reported that the City is currently working to pay down pension liability.
There are seven strategies to address this issue. There is currently $150 million in unfunded
pension liability. City buildings are still closed, and City Council is still meeting virtually, not in
person. Friends of the Museum liaison Ginny Blitz had nothing to report as the FAM did not meet
in October and their next meeting was scheduled for tomorrow.
REPORT FROM THE DIRECTOR
Director Bradley reported the County of Los Angeles is still in the purple tier. At the October City
Council Meeting, Council approved a memorial garden in memory of Carol Libby. It will be in the
courtyard between the Museum and the Museum Education Center.
REPORTF O EC T'
Curator Acevedo reported that she is updating the permanent exhibits in the Museum and adding
a section on the 1984 Olympics as well as a 'Women of Arcadia' exhibit. She also organized the
oversized artwork in the Museum collections section and has trained volunteers and interns in
some museum -related skills, including caring for leather. Ms. Acevedo also returned Charles
Gilb's hat to the Gilb family. In the past few months, the Gilb Museum has received many
donations. At the September City Council Meeting, Councilmember Verlato presented a $5,000
check from the Hakka Foundation for the Museum to use for programing. City Council approved
the donation. Curator Acevedo also updated and created a more comprehensive Museum
Emergency Preparedness Plan, based on the previous summer's Los Angeles County Disaster
Preparedness Workshops. She also mentioned that a new intern, Brenden Chen, is currently
working on the Pony Express Museum collection. Two television panels have been installed for
digital exhibits and the Museum staff is working on tackling the Museum 's humidity problem.
REPORT FROM THE MUSEUM EDUCATIONCORDINATOR
Education Coordinator Alberto updated the Commission on the work of the volunteers. Since the
start of the quarantine, volunteers have been asked to work remotely. Currently, volunteers have
completed over 625 hours remotely for the Museum, and over 1,400 since the start of 2020. Since
the Gilb Museum has 11 teen volunteers who are in the process of applying to college, the
Museum Education Coordinator has arranged for a College Panel, where Museum volunteers
and past interns, who are currently students or have recently graduated, can speak on their
college experiences. Also, since volunteers are not meeting in-person this year, the Museum
Education Coordinator has been having fun Volunteer Game Nights where volunteers can meet
each other and do some team building, virtually, of course. The Gilb Museum has also begun to
offer learning. In 2021, the Museum will provide topic specific kits every other month, focusing on
themes such as horses/Santa Anita Park and oral history. Ms. Alberto also held a virtual Animal
Mascot election to help children understand the importance of voting and elections. Community
members voted for Beeatrice as the Museum's representative. Ms. Alberto has also been working
on virtual "classes" offered through Google Classroom. The Gilb Museum has been very active
on social media, posting #Whatlslt Wednesday posts, #FeatureFriday, and #TriviaTuesday.
CONSENT CALENDAR
a. Approve the Regular MeetingMinutes of September 2 2020
Recommended action: Approve
Commission Member Tone moved to approve Consent Calendar Item "a", which was seconded
by Commission Member Carter, and carried on a voice vote.
AYES: Chair Roy; Commissioners Carter, Tone, and Blitz
NOES: None
ABSENT: Commissioner Reza Jr.
ADJOURNMENT
Chair Roy adjourned this meeting at 5:38 p.m. to January 6, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. by teleconference.
Go a
Darlene Bradley, Director of Librrrnd Museum Services
Prepared by Brittani Alberto, Museum Education Coordinator