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Home My WebLink AboutAM Agenda: 01/08/2025CITY OF ARCADIA Arcadia Museum Commission Special Meeting Agenda Wednesday January 8, 2025 5:00 p.m. Location: Museum Education Center, 382 W. Huntington Drive, Arcadia Pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, persons with a disability who require a disability related modification or accommodation in order to participate in a meeting, including auxiliary aids or services, may request such modification or accommodation from the Museum at (626) 574-5468. Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to assure accessibility to the meeting. 根据《美国残障人法案》，需要调整或提供便利设施才能参加会议的残障人士（包括辅助器材或服务）可与市书记官办公室联系（电话：626-574-5468）。请在会前 48 小时通知市书记官办公室，以便作出合理安排，确保顺利参加会议。 Pursuant to the City of Arcadia’s Language Access Services Policy, limited-English proficient speakers who require translation services in order to participate in a meeting may request the use of a volunteer or professional translator by contacting the City Clerk’s Office at (626) 574-5455 at least 72 hours prior to the meeting. 根据阿凯迪亚市的语言便利服务政策，英语能力有限并需要翻译服务才能参加会议的人可与市书记官办公室联系（电话： 626-574-5455），请求提供志愿或专业翻译服务，请至少在会前 72 小时提出请求。 CALL TO ORDER PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ROLL CALL OF MUSEUM COMMISSION MEMBERS: Angela Ayala, Chairperson Janalee Shimmin, Chairperson Pro Tempore Marilyn Daleo, Commissioner Ginny Blitz, Commissioner Dale Carter, Commissioner PUBLIC COMMENTS Any individual wishing to speak before the Museum Commission is limited to five (5) minutes per person, unless waived by the Museum Commission. Under the Brown Act, the Museum Commission is prohibited from discussing or taking action on any item not listed on the posted agenda. The matter may automatically be referred to staff for appropriate response or action or may be placed on the agenda of a future meeting. REPORTS FROM MUSEUM COMMISSION MEMBERS / LIAISONS Announcements / Statements / Future Agenda Items DIRECTOR REPORTS Announcements / Statements / Reports Any writings or documents provided to a majority of the Museum Commission regarding any item on this agenda will be made available for public inspection at the Gilb Museum of Arcadia Heritage located at 380 W. Huntington Drive, Arcadia, California, during normal business hours. a. Director’s Update b. Curator’s Report c. Museum Education Coordinator’s Update d. Interns and Volunteers e. Programs f. Exhibits g. Collections h. Flyers  Lunar New Year Exhibit  Preservation Workshop  Preschool Program  Educational Kits CONSENT CALENDAR All matters listed under the Consent Calendar are considered to be routine and can be acted on by one roll call vote. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a member of the Museum Commission, staff, or the public requests that a specific item be removed from the Consent Calendar for separate discussion and action. a. Approve the Regular Meeting Minutes of November 6, 2024 Recommended Action: Approve ADJOURNMENT The Museum Commission will adjourn this meeting to Wednesday, March 5, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. in the Museum Education Center at 382 W. Huntington Drive, Arcadia. 1 The Gilb Museum of Arcadia Heritage Museum Curator’s Report November – December 2024 November 2024 December 2024 In-person Visitors: 290 In-person Visitors at Museum 1-18: 842 In-person Visitors at MEC 12/7: 664 Virtual Visitors: Virtual Visitors: Facebook: 293 Facebook: 283 Instagram: 4,453 Instagram: 1,093 Twitter: 165 Twitter: 61 Website: 326 Website: 169 HIGHLIGHTS The Military Banner Project was installed and put on display from November 1 to December 13. The Make Your Own Snow Globe event on December 7 was a success with over 790 people in attendance. The Museum's last Preservation Workshop on genealogy took place on December 14 with 12 people in attendance. COLLECTIONS AND INTERNS Volunteer Ms. Deborah Cordano was a great contributor to the Museum’s Military Banner Program, contacting local veterans via phone and email, doing research and helping applicants complete paperwork. Ms. Cordano also called all applicants to invite them to the November 8 unveiling event at the Community Center. She is currently working on digitizing a collection of postcards highlighting Santa Anita Park. Intern Mr. Zackary Ostrowski continues to work on the Arcadia Woman’s Club collection, adding additional photographs and information to the Museum’s database, CatalogIt. This collection ranges from the 1940s until the present. Volunteer Mr. Alick Diaz continued to assist with the digitization and cataloging of recent donations given to the Museum. Mr. Diaz has accepted a full-time position at Petersen Automobile Museum in Los Angeles as an Educator. His last day was December 10. Intern Mr. Andrew Bermudez continued his internship at the Gilb Museum and compensation through the Southern California Resource Services for Independent Living (SCRS-IL). Mr. Bermudez's contract ended in November after being at the Museum for one year. He cataloged 650 items on the Museum’s database, CatalogIt. Intern Ms. Hannah Chang is also doing an internship at the Gilb Museum with compensation through the SCRS-IL. She is continuing to scan and catalog items on CatalogIt. Staff are working with SCRS-IL to see if the contract with Ms. Chang can be extended for six more months. Intern Ms. Jaina Tarman assisted with the production and lesson planning of the weekly Preschool Program. She also assisted with Girl Scout Programs, School Program visits, and volunteers. Her last day was November 12. Volunteer Ms. Azariah Towns continued to assist in Friday’s Preschool Program until her last day on November 8. She helped develop curriculum for the 2025 Spring Preschool Program. Intern Ms. Mariana Brana worked on the Santa Anita Racetrack and the City of Arcadia banners in the Museum’s collection. She photographed and cataloged items on the Museums database. 2 She also worked on the inventory of a new collection at the Museum highlighting different events at Santa Anita Park, including races, Santa Anita Japanese Assembly Center and Camp Santa Anita Ordinance Training facility. Her last day at the Museum was December 12. Volunteer Mr. Bob Levia continues to help staff at the front desk every Tuesday afternoon. He also participated in this year's Make Your Own Snow Globe event. He is working on new coloring page designs. An inventory of all items donated during this time period:  Ms. Deborah Cordano donated the USS Capricornus ship bell to the Museum. This bell was on the ship that fought during three main wars: World War II, Vietnam and Korean War. Her father Dr. Richard Cordano was on this boat when he was in the Navy during World War II. Dr. Cordano was a past Principal at Arcadia High School.  Ms. Mary Buttice from the City Manager's Office donated some invitations from previous Mayor’s Breakfast events, including Mayor Mr. Mickey Segal, Mayor Ms. Gail Marshall, and Mayor Mr. Gary Kovacic. She also donated a photograph of Huntington Drive from 1987. EXHIBITS A temporary exhibit was installed at the Arcadia Public Library on November 14. The exhibit highlights the Tongva Native Americans, and the Educational Kits the Museum provides for the community. It will be on display from November to December. Staff are preparing for the Lunar New Year exhibit opening on January 18 in the Museum’s temporary exhibit space. Coloring cards highlighting the Year of the Snake were colored by community members and collected at the Make Your Own Snow Globe event that will be used in the exhibit. The Santa Anita Park 90th Anniversary exhibit will end on January 4, 2025. The exhibit in the Museum lobby is being updated by volunteer Mr. Kenny Woo to highlight Arcadia High School teacher Mr. Tom Payne. Museum staff are working on installing the new audio spotlight in the permanent exhibit highlighting Santa Anita Park. The goal is to have audio of Mr. Joe Hernandez, a race announcer, play when people approach the exhibit, transporting them back to the past. ADMINISTRATION The Friends of the Arcadia Museum (FAM) met on November 5, but did not meet in December. On December 6, FAM board members helped decorate the Museum and MEC for the holidays and to prepare for the Make Your Own Snow Globe event. The Friends of the Museum plan to present funds for the permanent veterans exhibit case at the Arcadia City Council in January 2025. Museum staff will then purchase the display case and coordinate with the Public Works Department to assemble and install the case. FAM had a booth at the Snow Fest event at the Community Center which helped promote the Museum’s Make Your Own Snow Globe event on December 7. They also passed 3 out all 400 candy cane snowmen which the Museum’s teen volunteers uniquely designed for the event. The next FAM meeting will take place in January 2025. Museum staff once again applied to the Getty Marrow Undergraduate Internship Grant for the summer of 2025. The deadline to apply was November 14. If granted, the Museum will receive funds for two paid internships: Curatorial and Exhibitions internship and Education and Public Engagement internship. Interns will work at the Museum 40 hours a week for 10 consecutive weeks. Curator Acevedo will be notified if the Museum has been awarded the grant in early 2025. Curator Acevedo has been providing information to the Monrovia Historical Museum who is interested in creating kiosks for their exhibits at their museum like the ones at the Gilb, including the Santa Anita Japanese Assembly Center kiosk and the Arcadia Veterans Registry kiosk. Educator Porras completed training for Basics to Genealogy Research, which was necessary to conduct the last Preservation Workshop on genealogy on December 14. Staff posted the Museums’ Educational and Public Engagement Internship for Winter 2025 on Handshake. Museum Education Coordinator Porras has received five applications so far. Interviews will be scheduled at the beginning of the year. Staff took part in fire extinguisher training on December 5 at the Arcadia Public Library. The Peacock Fountain basin in Arcadia County Park is currently being worked on by Silverlake Conservation. They are fixing any cracks found in the exterior of the fountain and restoring the multicolored tiles on the outside surface. EDUCATION and PROGRAMMING Museum Education Coordinator Porras and Intern Ms. Jaina Tarman completed the Fall 2024 Preschool Program on Friday, November 8. The Preschool Program will begin once again in Spring on Friday February 7, 2025. The Gilb Museum had seven school programs scheduled at Camino Grove Elementary School and Highland Oaks Elementary School in Arcadia Unified School District for the months of November and December, for a total of 331 students. The programs offered included Tongva Story Telling and Tongva English Dictionary. The programs conducted at Camino Grove Elementary School were done in the auditorium with 104 students at each session. This has been the largest group so far that Ms. Porras has conducted at once. Intern Tarman and Substitute Ms. Lily Wu assisted Ms. Porras with the program. At the end of each visit, Ms. Porras handed out a small goodie bag for the students which consisted of a Gilb Museum sticker, pencil, flyer, and Museum tour ticket voucher. The feedback from teachers and students were all positive. Staff are now preparing for the next programs scheduled for January at Highland Oaks Elementary and Baldwin Stocker Elementary. The City’s Military Banner Program, which was administered by the Gilb Museum staff, concluded with 64 Veteran participants. The flags were installed by Amgraph on November 1. These flags could be seen along Huntington Drive. An unveiling event was held at the Community Center on November 8 at 11am. A special flag was also given to past City Clerk and Vietnam Veteran Mr. Gene Glasco. The flags were removed from the street on December 13. They will be stored at Amgraph and used once again next year if participants still qualify. Thank you letters were sent to all participants. 4 Tours of the Museum's exhibits have become more frequent. One tour was done on November 22 to the Excellence in Education Homeschooling Academy. Another tour was redeemed by a student from a local elementary school on November 30. The Indigenous Heritage Educational Kits were very popular and all 200 were distributed before the end of November. Indigenous Heritage kits were assembled with the help of volunteers and have been available for pick up for the community beginning October 1 through November 23. Production of the last kit of 2024 has begun with the help of volunteers as well. The Museum's International Holidays Educational Kit began to be distributed to the community on November 26. Ms. Porras has worked on the 2025 topics for educational kits which will be focused on Careers in Arcadia. Staff prepared for this year's Make Your Own Snow Globe event on December 7. There were over 790 people that visited the Museum for the event. Guests needed to go to the Museum to get tickets for the snow globes. While at the Museum, they could complete a scavenger hunt for a prize and pick up the International Holidays Educational Kit. Two-hundred-and-fifty educational kits were given to guests. In the Carol Libby Garden and in front of the Museum Education Center, the Museum had tables for guests to color a Year of the Snake card, for a total of 170 completed. These will be used in next year's Lunar New Year exhibit opening on January 18, 2025. At the Museum Education Center, 665 people visited and 470 snow globes were made. The Museum had purchased 504 snow globes, and some were used for volunteers to learn how to make snow globes for the event. This year, the Museum had seven stations for snow globes to be made, which allowed for more snow globes to be made by the teen volunteers. A photobooth was also made for guests to take photos with their snow globes outside of the Museum Education Center. The Museum continues to provide Scout programs to local troops. Ms. Porras conducted the Inside Government program on November 16 to eight scouts. The Museum hosted its last Preservation Workshop of 2024 highlighting genealogy. This program was done by Museum Education Coordinator Porras and Ms. Andersen. There were 12 people in attendance. A new list of dates has been scheduled by staff for the Preservation Workshop Series in 2025. VOLUNTEERS Ms. Porras concluded Fall recruitment for volunteers and closed applications on November 15. The Museum has welcomed 14 new teen volunteers to the team and one adult volunteer this season. Applications for volunteers will reopen again in the Spring of 2025. Volunteers have continued to be very busy with the production of kits. This includes all the Preservation Workshop kits, school visit goodie bags that are given to participants who attend the 5 programs, and Educational Kits for 2025. Ms. Porras has also had volunteers create an additional 100 International Holidays Educational kits in preparation for the Make Your Own Snow Globe event, bringing the total number to 300 kits. Volunteers continue to help with the production of kits that will be shared with the community beginning in 2025. They are currently prepping supplies for the educational kit in January highlighting STEM in Arcadia. Volunteer hours: November 1 – December 17: 3,601.13 hours Submitted by Curator Stevy Acevedo and Director of Library & Museum Services, Darlene Bradley. Gilb Museum of Arcadia Heritage Presents: Opening January 18, 2025 The Gilb Museum of Arcadia Heritage 380 W. Huntington Drive Arcadia, CA 91007 (626) 574-5440 Museum@ArcadiaCA.gov www.arcadiaca.gov/Museum ARcadia Lunar New Year Exhibit Join the Gilb Museum at this years Lunar New Year Exhibit. See artwork decorated by members of the community. DIGITIZATION WORKSHOP April 12 ART WORKSHOP February 8 PreservationWorkshop Series Join Museum staff in a series of workshops and demonstrations on how you canpreserve your personal and family history in 2025. Learn preservation methodsused by museum professionals and see examples from the Museum collections. All workshops will begin at 10am. The Gilb Museum of Arcadia Heritage 380 West Huntington Drive Arcadia, California 91007 (626)574-5440 Museum@arcadiaca.gov www.ArcadiaCA.gov/Museum L IM I T E D S P A C E . RS V P R E Q U I R E D. GENEALOGY WORKSHOP PHOTOGRAPH WORKSHOP March 8 PAPER WORKSHOP September 13 December 13 TEXTILE WORKSHOP October 11 Come discover, explore, & learn new things with the Gilb Museum! Every Friday starting February 7 - April 18 10:00 am - 11:00 am PRESCHOOLPROGRAM THE GILB MUSEUM OF ARCADIA HERITAGE Gilb Museum of Arcadia Heritage 380 West Huntington Drive Arcadia, CA 91007 (626) 574-5440 ArcadiaCA.gov/Museum A g e s 2 -5 E D U C A T I O N A L K I T SEDUCATIONAL K I T S A r t i n A r c a d i aArt i n A r c a d i a October 4 - November 22 M o v i e s i n A r c a d i aMovies i n A r c a d i a S T E M i n A r c a d i aSTEM i n A r c a d i a January 11 - March 1 M u s i c i n A r c a d i aMusic i n A r c a d i a March 8 - May 3 May 10 - June 28 A r c h i t e c t u r e i n A r c a d i aArchitecture i n A r c a d i a August 9 - September 27 A t h l e t e s i n A r c a d i aAthletes i n A r c a d i a December 6 - December 30 The Gilb Museum of Arcadia Heritage 380 West Huntington Drive Arcadia, California 91007 (626) 574-5440 Museum@arcadiaca.gov www.ArcadiaCA.gov/Museum T h e G i l b M u s e u m i s o f f e r i n g f r e e k i t s ! E a c h k i t c o m e s w i t h a s h o r t h i s t o r y l e s s o n a n d m a t e r i a l s n e c e s s a r y t o c o m p l e t e s o m e f u n c r a f t s ! A p p l i c a t i o n s f o r k i t s c a n b e f o u n d o n t h e M u s e u m w e b s i t e . U n t i l s u p p l i e s l a s t ! 2 0 2 52025 MUSEUM COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES Wednesday, November 6, 2024 CALL TO ORDER – Chairperson Angela Ayala called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. in the Museum Education Center. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – Chairperson Angela Ayala ROLL CALL –Chairperson Pro Tempore Janalee Shimmin; Commissioners Virginia Blitz, Dale Carter, Marilyn Daleo; Director of Library and Museum Services Darlene Bradley, Library Services Manager Samantha Alba, Acting Curator Rebecca Andersen, and Museum Education Coordinator Lauren Porras. PUBLIC COMMENTS: None REPORTS FROM MUSEUM COMMISSION MEMBERS/LIAISONS – Commissioner Daleo motioned to move next Commission Meeting from Wednesday, January 1 to Wednesday, January 8, 2025, due to National Holiday. Commissioner Dale Carter seconded the motion. Commissioner Carter informed the Commission of his research investigating the original location of the Santa Anita Depot. Commissioner Carter has found some inconsistencies in documentation and Director Bradley suggested visiting the History Room at the Library. Commissioner Daleo also informed the Commission of the restoration efforts that are taking place at the Arcadia Women’s Club. They are working on fundraising $90,000 for this remodel. REPORT FROM THE DIRECTOR Director Bradley reported that they are currently in the efforts to recruit Library Aides and are in the interview stages of several candidates. Director Bradley also reported that there is another building that is in the process of becoming a Historic Building in Arcadia. It is a Neutra House located on Oak Wood Dr. This will be Arcadia’s second Historic Building following the Women’s Club. Lastly, Director Bradley informed the Commission that Sharon Kwan is the new City Council Liaison for the Museum Commission. REPORT FROM THE CURATOR Standing Curator Andersen shared the highlights of the Museum, which included the seasonal Preschool Program which began on September 6 until November 8. The Military Banner Project for 2024 has concluded, with 64 banners to be displayed along Huntington Drive. AmGraph printed the banners, and installation began on November 1- 2. A ceremony to unveil the banners, featuring Mayor Dr. Michael Cao and retired City Clerk Mr. Gene Glasco, is scheduled for November 8. Lastly, our Curator Stevy Acevedo has returned from leave and has been transitioning back into her position. Andersen also shared that Volunteer Deborah Cordano has been essential to the Museum's Military Banner Program, assisting veterans and coordinating the November 8 unveiling event. Interns Zackary Ostrowski and Andrew Bermudez are contributing to the Museum's database by adding photographs and researching family collections, while Ms. Ostrowski is also pursuing graduate studies. Volunteers like Alick Diaz and Azariah Towns assist with digitizing donations or supporting the Preschool Program. Recent donations include a Santa Anita Depot painting, a brick from Lucky Baldwin’s 1890 brick yard, family photographs from the Joyce Best Saunders collection, and historical deeds signed by Anita Baldwin from the Arcadia Historical Society. Curator Andersen and Education Coordinator Porras are collaborating on a temporary exhibit about local history and cultures, set to be displayed at the Arcadia Public Library from November to December, which will also highlight Educational Kits and Museum Programs. Current exhibits at City Hall, Council Chambers, and the Museum's temporary space continue to be on display, including Vintage Hollywood at Santa Anita and the 90th Anniversary of Santa Anita Racetrack. In administration, Education Coordinator Porras introduced herself at the Arcadia PTA meeting in September and shared ongoing programs like the Preschool Program and school visits. The Friends of the Arcadia Museum raised over $14,000 for a new display case for the Veterans History Room and will present the funds to the City Council on a future date. Additionally, staff completed training in genealogy research and workplace professionalism. Lastly, Public Works repaired the Peacock Fountain basin in the Arcadia County Park, allowing Silverlake Conservation to continue tile restoration this winter. REPORT FROM MUSEUM EDUCATION COORDINATOR Coordinator Porras shared that the Museum has appointed Ms. Jaina Tarman as the Fall Education and Public Engagement Intern, where she has taken on a leadership role in the Preschool Program, guiding sessions and assisting with other educational activities including Girl Scout Programs and school visits. The Fall 2024 Preschool Program, which began on September 6, includes a variety of lessons and activities for preschoolers, with an average of 15 attendees each week. Acting Curator Rebecca Andersen and Education Coordinator Porras also participated in community events, such as the Moon Festival, where they distributed 50 educational kits, and continued to provide popular Heritage Educational Kits, including 200 Hispanic Heritage Kits distributed in September. The Museum's Preservation Workshop Series, which included topics like paper preservation, photographs, and digitization, engaged community members, with the next workshop on genealogy scheduled for December. Porras also shared that the Museum has 19 school programs scheduled for the 2024-2025 school year, including the Tongva Storytelling and Then vs. Now programs, with three programs completed at Hugo Reid Elementary School. Scout programs are ongoing, with three programs already conducted, reaching 32 troops. On October 24, the Museum hosted Pie Day for City employees, attracting 65 attendees. On October 25, staff and volunteers participated in the Downtown Arcadia Halloween Haunting event, offering educational kits and promotional materials. The Museum is actively promoting its events, exhibits, and educational kits across all social media platforms, with Education Coordinator Porras overseeing a social media schedule and focusing on Instagram Reels to raise awareness of free programs. The Museum's MailChimp newsletter has become increasingly popular, with weekly sign-ups to keep the community informed about upcoming events, programs, and collection highlights. Volunteer engagement remains strong, with five new teen volunteers added to the team in September, and applications for new volunteers accepted until November 15. Volunteers have been busy producing kits for upcoming programs, including Preservation Workshop kits and goodie bags for school visits, as well as preparing supplies for the International Holidays Educational Kit, that will be available starting November 26. Lastly, Coordinator Porras shared that the Museum has applied for the Presidential Volunteer Service Award, recognizing five teen volunteers who dedicated over 100 hours of service this year, earning certificates and crewneck sweaters. Volunteers are also preparing for the December "Make Your Own Snow Globe" event, with over 450 snow globes being created for the community. Additionally, volunteers have completed 400 unique snowman giveaways, each decorated by hand, funded by the Friends of the Arcadia Museum. These efforts highlight the Museum's strong volunteer program and its ongoing commitment to engaging the community through hands-on educational activities. CONSENT CALENDAR: a. Approval of the Regular Meeting Minutes of September 4, 2024. Recommended action: Approve b. Approval of the minutes of July 3, 2024, will commence at the next Commission meeting of 2025. c. Approval to move the Regular Meeting of January 1, 2025 to be held on January 8, 2025 due to national holiday on January 1, 2025. Recommended action: Approve ADJOURNMENT: Chairperson Angela Ayala adjourned the meeting at 5:35 p.m. to Wednesday, January 8, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. in the Museum Education Center at 382 West Huntington Drive, Arcadia. Approved: ________________________________________________ Darlene Bradley, Director of Library and Museum Services Prepared by: Lauren Porras, Museum Education Coordinator