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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAM Agenda: 01/07/2026 MUSEUM COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING AGENDA Wednesday, January 7, 2026 5:00 P.M. Location: Floretta K. Lauber Museum Education Center, 382 W. Huntington Drive 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 City Clerk at (626) 574-5455. 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) 574-5455）。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 ROLL CALL: Dale Carter, Chairperson Marilyn Daleo, Commissioner Ginny Blitz, Commissioner & Liaison to the Friends of the Museum Angela Ayala, Commissioner Vacant - Chairperson Pro Tempore SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FROM STAFF REGARDING AGENDA ITEMS PUBLIC COMMENTS (5-minute time limit per person) Any person wishing to speak before the Museum Commission is limited to five (5) minutes per person; any changes to the allotted time will be announced prior to the Public Comment period. 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 be referred to staff for appropriate response or action or may be placed on the agenda of a future meeting. ELECTION OF OFFICER a. Chairperson pro tempore REPORTS FROM MUSEUM COMMISSION MEMBERS / LIAISONS Announcements / Statements / Future Agenda Items DIRECTOR REPORTS a. Director’s Update b. Curator’s Report and Updates c. Museum Education Coordinator’s Update d. Grants e. Interns and Volunteers f. Programs g. Exhibits h. Collections i. Flyers  Gilb Museum Documentary Programs  Arcadia Lunar New Year Exhibit  Preservation Workshops  Gilb Museum Preschool Programs  Educational Kits 2026 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 Nov. 5, 2025 Recommended action: Approve ADJOURNMENT The Museum Commission will adjourn this meeting to Wednesday, March 4, 2026 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 2025 November 2025 December 2025 In-person Visitors: 220 In-person Visitors October 1-22: 1,145 Virtual Visitors: Virtual Visitors: Facebook: 1,010 Facebook: 1,046 Instagram: 5,237 Instagram: 3,553 HIGHLIGHTS The annual Military Banner Program was on display for the community during the month of November with 74 participants. The Gilb Museum's annual Make Your Own Snow Globe event had 1,064 visitors come and create 600 snow globes. COLLECTIONS AND INTERNS Volunteer Ms. Deborah Cordano continues to work on the Museum’s Collection, specifically doing an inventory of the Arcadia Historical Society Collection. Ms. Cordano also assisted Curator Ms. Stevy Acevedo with the list of new veterans added to this year's Military Banner Program. Intern Mr. Zackary Ostrowski continues to work on the Arcadia Woman’s Club collection, adding additional photographs and information to the Museum’s database, Catalog It. Volunteer Mr. Andrew Bermudez continues to work on the Museum's collections by digitizing and cataloging items on the Museum’s database, Catalog It. He is on holiday break and will return in January 2026. 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. Mr. Levia has also been actively helping prepare and worked at the Make Your Own Snow Globe event in the Museum Education Center. Volunteer Mr. Pat Matisuni is a new volunteer also helping with the Museum on Tuesday afternoons. Matisuni has been not only helping with educational kits, but also digitizing collections. Volunteer Ms. Wendy Xiang continues to help the Museum staff on the weekends with different projects. Ms. Xiang is responsible for helping the Museum transcribe its flyers to simplified Chinese to accommodate the Arcadia Community. She has been working on the Museums 2026 flyers. Intern Justin Mercado is supporting both the collections and education programs this fall. His work includes assisting with digitizing collections, along with providing hands-on support for the Preschool Program. Mr. Mercado is coming to the Museum from the Southern California Resource Services for Independent Living (SCRS-IL) organizations. City Intern Ms. Nicole Kreuzer has been working on several projects at the Museum with the Curator. She has been working on accessioning new artifacts that have been donated to the Museum. She has also worked on several projects, such as researching Route 66, digitizing collections, and leading the genealogy preservation workshop. 2 An inventory of all items donated during this time period:  Mr. Patrick Larkin donated items from Arcadia National League, including a yearbook from 1969, Tournament booklet from 1972, and 1972 District 17 All Star Little League Souvenir program.  Ms. Karalee Wong Natasuka from First Avenue Middle School donated some memorabilia from the school, including panoramic photographs from class of 2010 and 2012.  Mr. Gary Kovacic, former Mayor and City Council member, donated photographs from Arcadia Little League.  Mr. David Samarzich donated three photographs from Arcadia High School from 1951-1952. These photographs included track, basketball, and football teams. EXHIBITS Staff continued to work with community members Mr. Steven Geweke and Mr. Tim Pawley, on temporary exhibitions around the City on Arcadia Little League. A new exhibit was installed at the Arcadia Public Library in November. Personal items from community members, such as past Mayor Mr. Gary Kovacic, Mr. Tony Alvazzi, Mr. Ted Tedford, Mr. Scott Summers, Mr. Jim Burhans, and Mr. John Kenan have loaned items to the Museum to be used in these exhibits, which also include items from the Girls Softball teams. Curator Acevedo was asked by Ms. Joann Steinmeier to display a small exhibit at their Arcadia Unified School District Retiree Reunion on November 15 at the Arcadia Community Center. This display included items from Arcadia Schools, such as scrapbooks and photographs, as well as some yearbooks. ADMINISTRATION The Friends of the Arcadia Museum (FAM) met on November 6 but cancelled their meeting in December. The Board discussed upcoming events at the Museum, including the Make Your Own Snow Globe event. The Museum had its volunteers create 500 custom snowmen that are then used by FAM as giveaways at the Snow Fest event. The FAM Board helped put the candy canes and snowmen in bags with flyers for the giveaway during their November meeting. FAM Board members Ms. Joyce Platt and Ms. Robin Graney were at Snow Fest on December 6 and passed these giveaways to the community. The next meeting will take place on January 8. Curator Acevedo attended the Arcadia Unified School District PTA meeting on November 4. At the meeting, she shared what the Museum has been doing with programs and promoted the Museum’s Educational Kits, Hidden Histories Documentary Series, and Make Your Own Snow Globe Event. Curator Acevedo and Director Ms. Darlene Bradley attended the Arcadia Woman’s Club and Arcadia Historical Society’s Murder Mystery Dinner on November 14. The Museum submitted their application for the 2026 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 next year. Staff will know if the grant was awarded to them in Spring 2026. 3 Staff submitted a proposal and it was accepted to present at the California Association of Museums annual conference in March of 2026. The conference will take place in Los Angeles at the Omni Hotel. The proposed session “The Little Museum that Could: Tiny Team, Mighty Mission” will discuss how the small but mighty Gilb Museum is reframing what’s possible by bringing big ideas to life on a budget, with passion, a clear mission, and strong community spirit. EDUCATION and PROGRAMMING In November, Coordinator Porras continued to conduct in-classroom visits to local classrooms, bringing the Museum's Tongva Dictionary program directly to students. Over the course of the month, nine classes at Longley Way and Camino Grove Elementary participated. There have been 36 class visits scheduled for the 2025-2026 school year thus far. Holly Avenue Elementary has also reached out to schedule their annual field trip to the Museum in the Spring. The Athletes in Arcadia educational kits were highly popular, with all 200 distributed to the community. 400 Movies in Arcadia kits were assembled with the help of volunteers and became available for pickup beginning December 6. Three-hundred of these kits were passed out during the Museum’s Make Your Own Snow Globe event. Production of kits for 2026 are now being construccted and assembled by volunteers. The first kit will highlight “Dinosaurs of Arcadia’s Past.” The Museum had a Hidden Histories Documentary Series on November 1, featuring the documentary "Artbound: Dia de los Muertos/Day of the Dead." Only one participant attended the event. The last Preservation Workshop this year on genealogy took place on December 13. The program was conducted by Intern Kreuzer and Curator Acevedo. There were five people in attendance. The Military Banner Program applications concluded for 2025 in September. The final number of military banners to be displayed along Huntington Drive and Baldwin Avenue is 74 with a total of 10 new applicants this year. Vendor AmGraph printed the new banners and installed them during the week of October 30. They were on display throughout the month of November in celebration of Veterans Day on November 11 until the first week of December. 4 VOLUNTEERS Volunteers played a key role in preparing for the Make Your Own Snow Globe event, managing everything from set-up to day-of operations. They decorated the Museum, created custom Snow Day shirts, and participated in a mock run-through to learn the process and expectations for the event. Their leadership and teamwork made the event a huge success, with 600 snow globes and 600 decorated snowmen prepared and distributed. To thank them for their efforts, the Museum will host a Holiday Volunteer Party on December 20, featuring hot cocoa and games. Volunteer hours: September 1 – October 22: 313.75 hours Submitted by Curator Stevy Acevedo and Director of Library & Museum Services, Darlene Bradley J o i n u s o n s e l e c t W e d n e s d a y s a n d S a t u r d a y s t o u n c o v e r t h e h i d d e n a n d f o r g o t t e n s t o r i e s o f S o u t h e r n C a l i f o r n i a ’s h i s t o r y . S t a y a f t e r f o r a h a n d s o n c r a f t s e s s i o n . HIDD ENHISTORIES ReelReel ReflectionsReflections T h e G i l b M u s e u m o f A r c a d i a H e r i t a g e P r e s e n t s D O C U M E N T A R Y P R O G R A M S SATURDAY 2pm WEDNESDAYS 10am F e b r u a r y 1 1 M a r c h 1 1 F e b r u a r y 2 1 OPEN TO ALL AGES. 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 Gilb Museum of Arcadia Heritage Presents: The Gilb Museum of Arcadia Heritage 380 W. Huntington Drive Arcadia, CA 91007 (626) 574-5440 Museum@ArcadiaCA.gov www.arcadiaca.gov/Museum Join the Gilb Museum at this years Lunar New Year Exhibit. See artwork decorated by members of the community. Opening February 7 PRESERVATION WORKSHOP PRESERVATION WORKSHOP T H E G I L B M U S E U M O F A R C A D I A H E R I T A G E P R E S E N T S : Series Join Museum staff in a series of workshops and demonstrations on how you can preserve your personal and family history. Learn preservation methods used by museum professionals and see examples from the Museum collections. All workshops begin at 10am. BeginnerBeginner PHOTOGRAPHS AUDIOVISUAL MEDIA DIGITIZATION & STORAGE COLLECTABLES & MEMORABILIA ADVANCED PHOTOGRAPHS & DIGITIZATION The Gilb Museum of Arcadia Heritage 380 West Huntington Drive Arcadia, California 91007 (626)574-5440 Museum@arcadiaca.gov www.ArcadiaCA.gov/Museum A D V A N C E DADVANCED GENEALOGY ADVANCED GENEALOGY DISASTER PREVENTION 101 BOOK & PAPER MARCH 28 MAY 9 FEBRUARY 28 MAY 23 OCTOBER 17 NOVEMBER 14 APRIL 18 DECEMBER 12 SEPTEMBER 19 All participants in Museum programs, events, and classes may be photographed or or videotaped for Museum promotional purposes. Notify Museum staff if you prefer not to be photographed or videotaped. 保存⼯作坊保存⼯作坊 亚 凯 迪 亚 吉 尔 布 博 物 馆 呈 现 ： 系列 与博物馆⼯作⼈员⼀起参加⼀系列研讨会和演⽰，学习如何保存您个⼈和家族的历史。 学习博物馆专业⼈员使⽤的保存⽅法，并观看博物馆藏品的案例。 所有研讨会均于上午 10 点开始。 初级初级 照⽚ 视听媒体 数字化和储存 收藏品和 纪念品 ⾼级 摄影和 数字化 The Gilb Museum of Arcadia Heritage Presents: 380 West Huntington Drive Arcadia, California 91007 (626)574-5440 Museum@arcadiaca.gov www.ArcadiaCA.gov/Museum ⾼ 级⾼ 级 家谱 ⾼级 家谱 灾难 预防初级 书籍和纸张 3⽉28号 5⽉9号 2⽉28号 5⽉23号 10⽉17号 11⽉14⽇ 4⽉18号 12⽉12号 SEPTEMBER 19 所有参与博物馆项⽬、活动和课程的⼈员均可能被拍照或录像，⽤于博物馆宣传⽤途。如果您不希望被拍照 或录像，请告知博物馆⼯作⼈员。 Every Friday 10 - 11am February 13 until April 24 Gilb Museum of Arcadia Heritage Presents Preschool Program Ages 2-5 Come discover, explore, & learn new things with the Gilb Museum! The Gilb Museum of Arcadia Heritage 380 W. Huntington Drive Arcadia, CA 91007 (626) 574-5440 Museum@ArcadiaCA.gov www.arcadiaca.gov/Museum The Gilb Museum of Arcadia Heritage Educational Kits January 13- March 3Dinosaurs of Arcadia's Past Lucky Baldwin &the Wild West 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 s 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 . Arcadias First Settlers March 10- May 5 May 12- June 30 The Gilb Museum of Arcadia Heritage 380 W. Huntington Drive Arcadia, CA 91007 (626) 574-5440 Museum@ArcadiaCA.gov www.arcadiaca.gov/Museum MUSEUM COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES Wednesday, November 5, 2025 ____________________________________________________________________________ CALL TO ORDER – Chairperson Dale Carter called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. in the Museum Education Center. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – Chairperson Dale Carter ROLL CALL – Chairperson Dale Carter , Chairperson Pro Tempore Janalee Shimmin; Commissioner, Angela Ayala, Virginia Blitz; Library Director Darlene Bradley, Museum Curator Stevy Acevedo, and Museum Education Coordinator Lauren Porras. Commissioner Blitz motioned to excuse Commissioner Marilyn Daleo from the meeting due to travel. Chairperson Carter seconded the motion. The motion carried. PUBLIC COMMENTS: None REPORTS FROM MUSEUM COMMISSION MEMBERS/LIAISONS: Commissioner Blitz updated the board on the Friends of the Museum’s preparations for Snow Fest as they prepare to hand out candy canes as part of the outreach. Chairperson Pro Tempore Shimmin reported that the Arcadia Women's Club partnered with the Arcadia Historical Society to put together a Murder Mystery Dinner Party to fundraise for the organizations. Shimmin also mentioned that Ed Anderson conducted a talk on the Adams Pack Station which took place at the library and it was well received. REPORT FROM THE DIRECTOR Director Bradley reported that the Military Banners have been put up along Huntington Drive and Baldwin Avenue. Staff are preparing for a mid year budget review, while also preparing for the Holiday events as they approach the month of December. REPORT FROM THE CURATOR Curator Acevedo stated that Museum volunteers and interns continued to play a vital role in collections management, digitization, and public engagement efforts. Volunteers supported inventory work, cataloging, front desk operations, translations, and event preparations, while interns contributed to collections research, education programs, and accessioning new artifacts. Several historically significant donations were received during this period, including photographs from former Mayor Gary Kovacic and First Avenue Middle School teacher Karalee Wong Natasuka. Staff continued collaborating with community members on the Arcadia Little League exhibit, which features personal artifacts loaned by residents and remains on view at City Hall and the Museum, with an extension planned at the Arcadia Public Library. Administratively, the Friends of the Arcadia Museum met regularly and supported preparations for Snow Fest through volunteer-created giveaways. Curator Acevedo advanced partnerships with East Los Angeles College to host interns in Spring 2026 and began the application process for the 2026 Getty Marrow Undergraduate Internship grant. The Museum’s proposal was accepted for presentation at the 2026 California Association of Museums conference, and its volunteer program was highlighted nationally during the American Alliance of Museums Museum Summit as a case study in inclusive and community-centered volunteer engagement. REPORT FROM MUSEUM EDUCATION COORDINATOR This fall, the Museum’s Education and Public Engagement Intern, Jasmine Luo, played a key role in launching and leading the Fall 2025 Preschool Program, supported by Intern Justin Mercado. Sessions followed a three- part format of free play, story time, and themed crafts, covering topics from Arcadia’s history to seasonal celebrations. The program saw strong weekly participation and positive community feedback. Museum staff also continued in-classroom visits to third-grade classrooms, delivering the Tongva-English Dictionary program to 13 classes across three local schools, with 36 visits scheduled for the school year. Several public programs took place during this period. These included the Arcadia Little League History Event, which welcomed about 55 guests, participation in the Moon Festival and Halloween Haunting events, and the annual City Staff Pie Day. The new “Hidden Histories Documentary Series” launched with back-to-back film screenings and themed activities. Education kits such as “Architecture in Arcadia” and “Athletes in Arcadia” were fully distributed, and production began on “Movies in Arcadia,” scheduled for release in December. Staff also led two Preservation Workshops and are preparing a genealogy-focused session for December. Planning is underway for the Museum’s first-ever Teacher Resource Fair, and the 2025 Military Banner Program will feature 74 banners on display throughout November. Volunteer recruitment reopened for the fall, bringing in eight new applicants so far. Volunteers have contributed 345 hours from September 1 to October 22, supporting educational kit production, outreach prep, and the upcoming Snow Globe event, with over 500 snow globes and 600 hand-decorated snowmen in progress. Additionally, the Museum hosted a College Application and Scholarship Workshop for teen volunteers to provide academic support and mentorship. CONSENT CALENDAR: a. Approve the Regular Meeting Minutes of September 5, 2025, at 5:00PM in the Museum Education Center at 382 West Huntington Drive, Arcadia. Recommended action: Approve Commissioner Shimmin moved to approve Consent Calendar Item “a” which was seconded by Commissioner Ayala. The motion carried. Ayes: Chairperson Carter, Chairperson Pro Tempore Shimmin, and Commissioners Ayala, and Blitz Noes: None ADJOURNMENT: Chairperson Dale Carter adjourned the meeting at 5:38 p.m. to Wednesday, January 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