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Home My WebLink AboutAM Agenda: 05/07/2025CITY OF ARCADIA Arcadia Museum Commission Regular Meeting Agenda Wednesday May 7, 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. f�#P ((Q��1�i)> >ilala#tiJiz�f�J Ab�A�iX��]fJ�f 2�Vf, ( F,TT: 626-574-5468) o TAB Q 48 4,R4A40 -1i ie, VJ,%�1_�, 1�4fTflf L� A R�#lr, AQJ1l10fIJ Q�i,'Z 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. V9PgM AILrTniT. Afq_1f1jV *TAX 626-574-5455) , ifi`*AfJAME-i-_j�2LRiT fflri, 4'1` 0 72/1,R4Affi ` 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 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 • Educational Kits • Summer Enrichment Program • Dino Day • Military Banner Program 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 March 5, 2025 Recommended Action: Approve ADJOURNMENT The Museum Commission will adjourn this meeting to Wednesday, July 2, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. in the Museum Education Center at 382 W. Huntington Drive, Arcadia. 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. March 2025 In -person Visitors: 415 Virtual Visitors: Facebook: 471 Instagram: 4,238 X: 259 Website: 426 The Gilb Museum of Arcadia Heritage Museum Curator's Report March —April 2025 April 2025 In -person Visitors April 1-22: 251 Virtual Visitors: Facebook: 1,136 Instagram: 2,808 X: 125 Website: 541 HIGHLIGHTS The Preservation Workshops on photographs and digitization were held on March 8 and April 12. The Museum launched its new weekly adult program, Preserving Memories, on Wednesdays. COLLECTIONS AND INTERNS Volunteer Ms. Deborah Cordano continues to work on digitizing items from the Museum's Collection. She has been working on photographs from the Arcadia City Council collection and the Camp Santa Anita collection. She is now beginning to work on digitizing the Arcadia Historical Society Collection. Intern Mr. Zackary Ostrowski continues to work on the Arcadia Woman's Club collection, including additional photographs and information to the Museum's database, Cataloglt. This internship has allowed hands-on experience for him to put the skills he is learning in graduate school. He will be participating in an internship at the Los Angeles County Arboretum Library this Summer. Intern Mr. Kenny Woo has continued to work on the Chamber of Commerce Collection, which recently acquired more items. He has also assisted Curator Ms. Stevy Acevedo with exhibits. He worked cleaning the Anoakia lamp that is now included in the permanent exhibit space. Volunteer Mr. Andrew Bermudez continues to work on the Museum's collections by digitizing and cataloging items on the Museum's database, Cataloglt. He is still working on the Floretta K. Lauber Collection. Volunteer Mr. Bob Levia continues to help staff at the front desk every Tuesday afternoon. He's been helping staff with educational kits for outreach programs. Volunteer Mr. Ibrahim Abdalrazaq continues to take inventory of donations, including the Arcadia Historical Society and Santa Anita Park collection. Museums Educational and Public Engagement Interns Ms. Wenjiao Jiang and Ms. Zana Maslesa continue to work with Museum Education Coordinator Ms. Lauren Porras with the Preschool Program on Fridays. They have concluded their internship on Friday, April 25. An inventory of all items donated during this time: ➢ The Chamber of Commerce donated three oversized canvas photographs and five framed photographs to the Museum, which is on Arcadia past and present. ➢ The Wandering Foot Quilt Guild donated a quilt with the image of a peacock to the Museum. This Arcadian group does many pieces that they donate to hospitals and veterans in the community. EXHIBITS Curator Acevedo and staff installed the temporary exhibit Highlights from the Archives, which included items from the museum's collection never seen by the public, including a wedding dress and peacock artwork. The exhibit opened on March 15 and the last day was April 19. The Museum collected submissions for the 15th Annual Photography Contest March 11 to April 15. 14 submissions were accepted. Mr. Douglas Hill participated as the judge for the contest once again. The exhibit opening took place on April 26 and the winners of this year's contest were announced. Staff had a lamp installed in the Anita Baldwin permanent exhibit with the help of Public Works. This lamp was from the Billiards room in Anita Baldwin's estate of Anoakia. The sound spotlight for Santa Anita Park was installed by Public Works. Substitute Ms. Lily Wu worked on digitizing the vinyl record of Mr. Joe Hernandez race announcements to include in the speaker. Guests can now experience the race announcements from the 1940s-1950s. Staff also installed three oversized canvas photographs in the Museum Education Center room and entrance for guests to enjoy. These items were recently donated by the Chamber of Commerce. ADMINISTRATION The Friends of the Arcadia Museum (FAM) met on March 6 and April 3. The Board discussed the See's Candies fundraiser and spoke about doing the Vons Credit Union fundraiser again this year during the summer. The next FAM meeting will take place on May 1. Curator Acevedo placed the order for the Veterans custom display case from Gaylord Archival that the Friends of the Museum were able to fundraise in 2024. This would allow for the military uniforms and artifacts to be safely on display. It will take several weeks for it to be delivered. Curator Acevedo worked with Senior Curator Mr. Kevin Jones from the Arizona State University Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) to transfer the Grace Verberg Lace Collection to their facility. Staff delivered the collection on March 27, which consisted of several banker boxes and oversized pieces. The Museum has been awarded the Getty Marrow Undergraduate Internship grant to fund two paid internships: Curatorial & Exhibitions along with Education & Public Engagement. Interns will work 40 hours a week for 10 consecutive weeks. Staff accepted applications until April 5 and finished interviewing potential candidates for the positions the week of April 16. The intern selections and work plan need to be submitted to the Getty for approval by May 1. Curator Acevedo and Educator Porras attended Getty Supervisor in -person training at the Getty on April 31 and online Supervisor Workshops on April 1. 2 The Museum is in the process of hiring a City Intern for the Museum. This position is part-time, 15 hours a week, throughout the year. The Museum reviewed 33 applications and interviews will be taking place on May 6. The Peacock Fountain basin in Arcadia County Park continues to be worked on by Silverlake Conservation. They were able to fix cracks found in the fountain and are currently restoring the multicolored tiles on the outside surface. Silverlake Conservation was also selected to do the art restoration for six items around the City. These items include the Arcadia Fire Department Headquarters plaque, Captain Jerry Bradwell plaque, Arcadia Police Department Uniformed Officers statue and plaque, Donald McKinnon Geddes plaque, Gerald O'Keefe Rose Garden plaque, and the Veterans Memorial at the Arcadia Community Center. This will improve their overall appearance and prevent deterioration of the pieces. They will begin work May 5. Curator Acevedo continues to work on Capital Improvement Projects in the facilities. Twelve round tables were replaced in the Museum Education Center as part of the ongoing replacement program for furniture. EDUCATION and PROGRAMMING Curator Acevedo did a presentation online for the Chamber of Commerce Community Connection meeting on March 6. She provided information on programs offered at the Museum, including exhibits and educational kits. Two Preservation Workshops were held this season. The first Preservation Workshop on photographs on March 8 was led by Curator Acevedo which had 10 participants. The second, focused on digitization on April 12, was led by Educator Substitute Ms. Rebecca Andersen with 5 participants. The Museum launched a new program called Preserving Memories which began on March 12 and will continue weekly through May 21. The program invites participants to help digitize and curate photographs in the Museum's collection, preserving them for future generations to enjoy. This hands-on experience provides an opportunity to learn valuable skills while contributing to the Museum's historical collection. No experience is necessary to participate. The Spring Preschool Program has been a great success. Running for 14 weeks through April 25, the program registered a total of 43 participants, with an average of about 12 children attending each week. Interns Zana and Wenjiao did an excellent job developing lesson plans and leading the sessions. A highlight of the program was the Easter-themed day on April 18. Children participated in a garden Easter egg hunt for prizes and created their own bunny masks. This special event received positive feedback from participants and parents. The Fall Preschool Program is scheduled to resume on September 12. Curator Acevedo led a tour for Southern California Resource Services for Independent Living on March 6 for 6 guests. She also led a tour for the Wandering Foot Quilt Guild on April 18, welcoming 14 guests. During their visit, the group generously donated a handmade quilt featuring a peacock design to the Museum's collection. 3 Museum staff, along with Intern Wenjiao, hosted an outreach table at the Spring Fling event at the Los Angeles County Arboretum. During the event, they distributed 150 butterfly kits and engaged many patrons during this sold -out event. The event provided excellent exposure for the Museum and offered a valuable opportunity to connect with community members and inform them about free programs. The Gilb Museum was invited to participate in Baldwin Stocker's Culture Night, where Educator Wu hosted an educational table focused on the Tongva people. The display included animal pelts and replica artifacts for children to explore, offering a hands-on learning experience. Educator Wu also distributed approximately 50 craft kits for children to take home and create their own kiiy (traditional Tongva home) replicas. The event, which celebrated cultural diversity, featured various tables, each showcasing different cultures and providing engaging activities for attendees. The Museum participated in Arcadia Goes Green, in collaboration with the Arcadia Public Library, on April 19. Substitute staff member Wu was present to facilitate the Museum's activity station. In preparation for the event, the Museum developed an engaging hands-on activity where participants created their own floral and leaf designs using cyanotype paper. The event saw a strong turnout and received positive feedback from attendees. For those who were unable to complete their cyanotype prints on -site, take-home instructions were provided so they could finish the activity at home. The Art in Arcadia Educational Kit was released on March 8 and has quickly become one of our most popular kits to date, with nearly all units distributed ahead of the next kit's release on May 10 which will be Music in Arcadia. Educator Porras has also completed one school program at Baldwin Stocker Elementary School. Staff is now preparing for the next programs scheduled for May at Baldwin Stocker Elementary and for Holly Avenue's on -site field trip to the Museum. The Museum continues to offer engaging Scout programs to local troops. On March 15, Ms. Porras, along with the help of teen volunteers, conducted the Celebrating Communities program for 13 Girl Scouts. Additionally, on March 22, Ms. Porras developed and led a new program called Jurassic Scouts for a group of 13 Cub Scouts. The program introduced the Cubs to various types of dinosaurs and concluded with a hands-on excavation activity. VOLUNTEERS Curator Acevedo and Coordinator Porras attended the City of Arcadia Volunteer Appreciation Dinner on April 3 at the Le Meridien. Six individuals from the Museum were eligible to attend for completing over 100 volunteer hours. It was an exciting evening, with volunteers Mr. Andrew Bermudez, Mr. Kenny Woo, and Ms. Deborah Cordano in attendance alongside staff. Among them, Volunteer Bermudez was recognized as one of the top three volunteers with the highest number of hours contributed to the city, with over 250 hours. Ms. Porras reopened applications for teen and adult volunteers during the first week of March, and they will remain open through May. So far, there have been a total of 9 volunteer applications, and Ms. Porras has conducted 6 interviews. In addition, she has started scouting for new Teen Leads and has received seven applications. These candidates will undergo brief interviews and be asked to lead a section of the museum tour as part of their evaluation process. Ms. Porras is also working on restructuring the Volunteer Program to foster more leadership, collaboration, and enthusiasm within the team. C! Staff also interviewed a new intern, Ms. Tran Rong on April 22, who participates in the Southern California Resource Services for Independent Living. She will begin her internship at the Museum on May 1. Her duties will include working at the front desk and digitizing collections. Volunteers have remained busy, particularly with the production of kits. This includes the 2025 Educational Kits, as well as various outreach kits for events such as the Arboretum's Spring Fling, Baldwin Stocker's Culture Night, Arcadia Goes Green, and the upcoming Firefighters' Pancake Breakfast. The next Educational Kit, Music in Arcadia, will be available starting May 10. Additionally, volunteers have been actively involved in marketing efforts. They've contributed to creating reels for social media that promote new exhibits, the opening of volunteer applications, and the Museum's job openings. Their creativity and fresh approach have positively impacted the Museums' media engagement and overall statistics. Volunteers continue to express excitement and enthusiasm about taking on these new tasks. Volunteer hours: March 1-April 22: 462.69 hours Submitted by Curator Stevy Acevedo and Director of Library & Museum Services, Darlene Bradley 5 E� T AILI1 �2025� The Gilb Museum is offering free kits! Each kit comes with a short history lesson and materials necessary to complete some fun crafts! Applications for kits can be found on the Museum website. Until supplies last! v►.� �4C��7 �� LJPc��d��i � "L)� January 11 -March 1 pA kio � e� March 8 -May 3 y Ma 10 - June 28 \ OEM i c e in rc di O,S ctober 4 - November 22 �0@wb@z bm EVP(-'P�da) December 6 - December 30 The Gilb Museum of Arcadia Heritage 380 We -I st Huntington Drive Arcadia, California 91007 (626) 574-5440 Museum@arcadiaca.gov IAR'�"iA www.ArcadiaCA.gov/Museum MUSEUM OF ARCADIA HERITAGE .2�025 s&�1Iz AAfff741:4- �1f4�4! -pj I-k � M V9 m XX 1#:�t119Ttz v`I � LEh 9E]�Q�,� 11 El - 3 A1 El 5A10EI - 6A28E] -I 380 West Huntington Drive Arcadia, California 91007 �I (626) 574-5440 Museum@arcadiaca.gov I!, I !" I www.ArcadiaCA.gov/Museum "M,4 THE GILB MUSEUM OF ARCADIA HERITAGE t1feek AM� For more information visit our website! a Traveling Tech It Dino & Lyrical Artist Out D' ersity Lan uages 380 W. Huntington Drive Arcadia, CA 91007 Open Tuesday to Saturday 10am - 12pm & 1pm - 4pm 0 (626) 574-5440 museum@arcadiaca.gov AxcaDIAA www.arcadiaca.gov/museum r iM MUSEUM OF ARfCADIA HERITAGE i r- ** - - -"* % --& 3 *' I T � 1, A - ;Al m - • i=f WAS& RZ-VA 380 W. Huntington Drive Arcadia, CA 91007 �f{ Open Tuesday to Saturday 10am -12pm & 1pm - 4pm �� (626) 574-5440 museum@arcadiaca.gov &IV A www.arcadiaca.gov/museum The Gilb Museum of Arcadia Heritage Presents: Annuftdo'�',_ Dino Day, Join the Gilb Museum for a roaring good time at this years Dino Day! Dive into the prehistoric world with exciting activities and fun surprises for the entire family! Saturday, August 23 1:30pm - 3:300'90 Apo" Drop -in program. No registration Required. The Gilb Museum of Arcadia Heritage 380 West Huntington Drive Arcadia, CA 91007 (626)574-5440 www.arcadiaca.gov/museum 9=-TNAimtm"m 03 R REAM07-L 3E 'ter TV I--1 Rq� Y-1 Ppl f *,Kl AN TALA, ' b 01 't M f Q 9 Mr3 i. 8)�23Q -F!�F1:30 - 3:30 rb of o x , TE�;lfJi RmLt MA %*FFP-I"V 380 West Huntington Drive Arcadia, CA 91007 (626)574-5440 www.arcadiaca.gov/museum * * * CITY OF ARCADIA MILITARY BANNER PROGRAM The Military Banner Program was established by the City of Arcadia to honor and recognize Living military personnel from Arcadia. Street banners honoring those who have served in the United States Armed Forces will be proudly displayed along Huntington Drive and Baldwin Avenue in the month of November. Application will be available online or in person. This program is on a first come, first serve basis. APPLICATION NOW OPEN! The Military Banner Program is administered by the Gilb Museum ofArcadia Heritage. c�6 The Gilb Museum of Arcadia Heritage 380 West Huntington Drive Arcadia, CA 91007 www.ArcadiaCA.gov/Museum (626)574-5440 CITY OF MUSEUM OF ARCADIA ARCADIA HERITAGE MUSEUM COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES Wednesday, March 5, 2025 CALL TO ORDER — Chairperson Angela Ayala called the meeting to order at 4:57 p.m. in the Museum Education Center. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE — Chairperson Angela Ayala ROLL CALL — Chairperson Angela Ayala, Chairperson Pro Tempore Janalee Shimmin; Commissioner Virginia Blitz, Dale Carter, Marilyn Daleo; Library and Museum Services Manager Samantha Alba, Museum Curator Stevy Acevedo, and Museum Education Coordinator Lauren Porras PUBLIC COMMENTS: None REPORTS FROM MUSEUM COMMISSION MEMBERS/LIAISONS - Commissioner Carter was reading a book when he came across a reference to the Santa Anita Depot. He discovered that the round-trip fare from Los Angeles to the Santa Anita Depot was only 69 cents. This historical tidbit caught his attention as a fascinating detail. Commissioner Daleo followed by discussing the Museum's staff visit to the Arcadia Women's Club Luncheon where they were able to see the renovations to the clubhouse. REPORT FROM THE DIRECTOR Library and Museum Services Manager Samantha Alba informed the Commission Board about their preparations for the upcoming budget season. Administration is also in the process of transitioning to the new finance software Oracle, with ongoing training sessions for staff to ensure a smooth transition. The Library is nearly fully staffed, with only part-time vacancies remaining, along with the need for a temporary position to support the Children's section. REPORT FROM THE CURATOR Due to the cancellation of the previous meeting from the wildfires, updates date from November 2024 to February 2025. Curator Acevedo updated the Commission that the Military Banner Project was successfully installed by Amgraph on November 1, including 64 banners displayed along Huntington Drive before being removed the first week of December. The "Make Your Own Snow Globe" event on December 7 drew over 790 attendees, with volunteers helping to make 470 snow globes. The last Preservation Workshop of the year on Genealogy took place on December 14 with 12 participants. Volunteers and interns made significant contributions to various projects, including assisting with the Military Banner Program, cataloging items from Santa Anita Park, and adding to the Arcadia Woman's Club collection. A temporary exhibit on the Tongva Native Americans was displayed at the Arcadia Public Library from November to December. The Friends of the Museum supported events at the Museum and presented funds to the City Council in January 2025 for a new display case in the Veterans exhibit. Additionally, staff applied for the Getty Marrow Undergraduate Internship Grant and were awarded. Curator Acevedo then provided updates on the most recent report. The Museum opened its new Lunar New Year exhibit on January 18, 2025, featuring a 3D snake activity and coloring cards to make a community art mural in the exhibit. The Spring session of the Preschool Program began on February 7. Volunteers and interns, including Ms. Deborah Cordano and Mr. Zackary Ostrowski, are actively working on digitizing collections and adding new items to the Museum's database, Cataloglt. The Arcadia Historical Society donated several boxes of archives, and Mr. Brett Anderson donated copies of Arcadia High School Pow Wow newspapers. A new exhibit on the Workers Program Act (WPA) was installed on January 31 in Upper City Hall, highlighting the Hugo Ried and Family statue located in front of the Museum. Additionally, several items from the Arcadia Historical Society, including a photograph of Anita Baldwin and artifacts from Lucky Baldwin, were added to the Museum's permanent exhibits. The Friends of the Arcadia Museum met on February 6 and presented funds to the Arcadia City Council for the new display case for the Veterans permanent exhibit, with the next meeting scheduled for March 6. REPORT FROM MUSEUM EDUCATION COORDINATOR Coordinator Porras updated the Commission beginning with the November Report. The Museum's Preschool Program concluded its Fall 2024 session on November 8 and will resume in Spring 2025. In November and December, seven school programs were conducted across Camino Grove and Highland Oaks Elementary Schools, reaching 331 students. These programs, which included Tongva Storytelling and the Tongva English Dictionary, received positive feedback. The Museum also distributed 200 Indigenous Heritage Educational Kits by the end of November. The Museum hosted various tours, including one for Excellence in Education Homeschooling Academy. The Museum's Scout programs continued with an "Inside Government" session for 8 scouts in November. Volunteers have been busy preparing kits for upcoming programs and events in 2025. For the next report, Coordinator Porras started with program updates and highlights. The first Preservation Workshop of the year was held on February 8, focusing on art preservation, with six participants asking about preserving personal collections like funko pops and comic books. The Preschool Program began on February 7 with only three participants due to weather, and will continue weekly until April 25, with interns Ms. Wenjiao Jiang and Ms. Zana Maslesa assisting in lesson development. The Museum will participate in Arcadia Goes Green event at the Arcadia Public Library on April 19, offering a community activity where participants can create designs on cyanotype paper. The Museum continues to distribute educational kits, with the STEM in Arcadia kit currently available and the Art in Arcadia kit to be released on March 8. Five school programs were completed in January and February, and the Museum is preparing for upcoming programs at Baldwin Stocker Elementary in May. Scout programs, including the Inside Government session in January, also remain ongoing. Volunteers are actively involved in producing educational kits, digitizing photographs, and assisting with marketing tasks like creating a promo video for the Lunar New Year exhibit. Applications for new volunteers will reopen in March, with a search for new Teen Leads to begin soon. CONSENT CALENDAR: a. Approve the Regular Meeting Minutes of November 6, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. in the Museum Education Center at 382 West Huntington Drive, Arcadia. Recommended action: Approve Commissioner Carter moved to approve Consent Calendar Item "a" which was seconded by Commissioner Shimmin. The motion carried. Ayes: Chairperson Ayala, Commissioners Daleo, Blitz, Shimmin Noes: None ADJOURNMENT: Chairperson Ayala adjourned the meeting at 5:34 p.m. to Wednesday, May 7, 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