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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAM Minutes: 07/01/2026MUSEUM COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES Wednesday, July 1, 2026 CALL TO ORDER — Chairperson Dale Carter called the meeting to order at 5:01 p.m. in the Museum Education Center. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE — Chairperson Dale Carter ROLL CALL — Chairperson Dale Carter; Commissioner Angela Ayala, Ethel Laczko; Interim Library Director Samantha Alba, Museum Curator Stevy Acevedo, and Museum Education Coordinator Lauren Porras. PUBLIC COMMENTS: on Chairperson Pro Tempore Angela Ayala nominated Dale Carter to serve as Chairperson. The nomination was seconded by Commissioner Ethel Laczko. Commissioner Carter was elected Chairperson. Chairperson Pro Tempore: Chairperson Carter nominated Angela Ayala to serve as Chairperson Pro Tempore. The nomination was seconded by Commissioner Ethel Laczko. Commissioner Ayala was elected Chairperson Pro Tempore. Friends of the Museum Liaison: Chairperson Carter nominated Marilyn Daleo to serve as the Commission liaison to the Friends of the Arcadia Museum. The nomination was seconded by Chairperson Pro Tempore Ayala. Commissioner Marilyn Daleo was appointed as liaison to the Friends of the Arcadia Museum. REPORTS FROM MUSEUM COMMISSION MEM BERS/LIAI SONS: Commissioner Laczko shared information about upcoming summer events in Arcadia, including the Fourth of July celebration and Concerts in the Park, as well as a recent community pet contest. She shared that she enjoyed seeing the community come together and expressed her excitement to serve on the Museum Commission. Commissioner Laczko 21so noted her longtime interest in museums and looks forward to becoming more involved with the Gilb Museum. REPORT FROM THE DIRECTOR Interim Director Samantha Alba provided several City updates following the retirement of former Director Darlene Bradley. She also shared that the Arcadia Police Chief will be retiring. Director Alba reported that the City Council adopted the City budget and appointed John Han to fill the vacant District 3 City Council seat. She also shared information about the City's upcoming Fourth of July celebration at Santa Anita Park, a free community event featuring a 400-drone show. Director Alba concluded by noting that the City's annual Health Fair is scheduled for September 12. REPORT FROM THE CURATOR Museum volunteers and interns continued collections work through inventory, digitization, cataloging, and research, with Deborah Cordano progressing through the Arcadia Historical Society Collection and Andrew Bermudez reaching 852 cataloged artifacts. Intern Justin Mercado transitioned into collections work and cataloged 355 artifacts from the American Legion Post 247 Collection within his first month. New donations included historic equipment from the Arcadia Fire Department and photographs and trophies belonging to longtime Arcadia High School swim coach Ray Patterson. The Museum continued its partnership with Baldwin Stocker Elementary School through the City of Arcadia diorama project and is collaborating with First Avenue Middle School on a catalog documenting the successful Created Equal student exhibit. Curator Acevedo also installed a display honoring longtime Arcadia resident, Veteran, and former City Clerk Gene Glasco, while the Daughters of the American Revolution installed an America 250 display in the Museum lobby. I Staff remained active in community engagement and professional development, including presenting at the Museum Educators of Southern California Annual Institute, attending the Arcadia Unified School District PTA Awards Luncheon, and participating in professional exchanges with other local museums and institutions. The Museum concluded its spring partnership with East Los Angeles College, with interns Karen Perez and CJ Polkinghorne presenting on their experiences, and will continue the partnership by hosting interns again in Spring 2027. The Museum also welcomed its two 2026 Getty Marrow Undergraduate Interns on June 16, while the Friends of the Arcadia Museum received generous donations of $6,400 from the Lions Club Foundation and $1,000 from the Arcadia Chinese Association. REPORT FROM MUSEUM EDUCATION COORDINATOR Education and public programming remained active throughout May and June, with staff participating in community outreach events and conducting ten school programs at Baldwin Stocker and Hugo Reid Elementary Schools. At the Firefighters Pancake Breakfast, the Museum distributed nearly 200 Build Your Own Firefighter educational kits, and the Lucky Baldwin & the Wild West kit was released on May 12. The Museum also partnered with AUSD student Sabrina Yip for a second year, distributing 100 good luck knot kits in recognition of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Two Preservation Workshops were offered, focusing on photographs and audiovisual media preservation. A presentation on Clara Baldwin Stocker welcomed 30 attendees and was recorded and shared online to extend access to the program. Following an evaluation of attendance, the Reel Reflections and Hidden Histories documentary programs concluded, with staff exploring new programming concepts to better serve community interests. Volunteers supported outreach, educational kit production, and preparations for summer programming, while several new teen and adult volunteers joined the Museum. Volunteers contributed 376.5 hours from May 1 through June 21, with preparations underway for the Summer Enrichment Program, Dino Day, and expanded summer volunteer activities. CONSENT CALENDAR -- a. Approve the Regular Meeting Minutes of May 6, 2026, AT 5:00 PM in the Museum Education Center at 382 West Huntington Drive, Arcadia. Recommended action: Approve Chairperson Carter moved to approve Consent Calendar It "a" is was seconded by Commissioner Ayala. The motion carried. Ayes: Chairperson Carter and Commissioners Ayala, Laczko and Daleo Noes:None ADJOURNMENT-. Chairperson Carter adjourned the meeting at 5:45 p.m. to Wednesday, September 2, 2026, at 5.*00 p.m. in the Museum Education Center at 382 West Huntington Drive, Arcadia. W20LLAA LIA V Sam anh it star o Library a s Services Prepared : Lauren orrEducation Coordinator