2020 AGM Minutes

Lake of the Woods Arts Community logo

LOWAC 2020 AGM

 7 pm, Tuesday, November 17, 2020

ZOOM Meeting

In Attendance: Ralph Rogers, Lil Anderson, Monica Baumgartner, Leanne Fournier, Marion McKay

Regrets: None

Absent: Donna Wiebe

The following members/guests were also in attendance: Elsie Neufeld, Kathy Valentini, Marielle Benson, Carolyne Lynch, Cecil Burns, Lori Nelson

Meeting started at 7:08 pm

LOWAC President, Leanne Fournier opened the meeting and present LOWAC Board members introduced themselves. They all welcomed members and guests.

Guests were invited to introduce themselves.

MINUTES:

2019 meeting minutes were reviewed. No changes required.

  • Motion by: Monica to accept the minutes of the 2019 AGM
  • 2nd Ralph
  • Carried

TREASURER’S REPORT:

Monica Baumgartner shared a report.

  • Financial results
    • Cash is good. Membership is up from the prior year. We have a deficit this year as well as grant revenue which has been deferred. Full statements are available upon request.
  • Motion by: Cecil to accept the report.
    • 2nd Elsie
    • Carried
  • Motion by: Monica to waive the audit
    • 2nd Marion
    • Carried
  • Motion by: Monica to amend By-Law 15.01
    • 2nd Marion
    • Carried

MEMBERSHIP REPORT:

Lil Anderson shared a report.

  • 8 members paid for new year as of today’s date
  • 44 renewed members and three lifetime members
  • Increase of 12 members over 2018-2019
  • Plan to hold a membership renewal drive over the next several weeks
  • Plan to follow on getting membership forms at the library, museum and art centre.
  • Lil’s last year as membership chair. Will stay on until Arts@Home is completed or someone else steps up, whichever is sooner.
  • Question: where to get forms in order to get some to the senior centre?
  • Answer: We are able to print them off and give to Donna or someone else who is headed to the Senior Centre.
  • Motion by: Cecil to accept the report.
    • 2nd Monica
    • Carried

COMMUNICATIONS REPORT:

Leanne Fournier shared a report.

  • Communications activities all centred on the priorities given to us by our members at the 2019 AGM:
    • LOWAC needs to become visible and viable in the community in ways that that underlines its purpose.
    • A functioning website is needed.
    • Continue with efforts to develop the centralized Arts Directory.
    • Build on what worked in the past, including events that bring artists together.
  • We have stepped up and listened.
    • Increase emails, Facebook, twitter, Instagram
    • New website
    • Deferred centralized directory due to coordinator (Dary Ura) resignation; will revisit when have more resources.
  • We have been active in communicating events, calls for artists, partnerships and consultations, funding opportunities
  • Included in the report were examples of the emails, social media posts.
  • We have been sharing our members events and successes on social media as well.
  • New website funded partially by Kenora and Lake of the Woods Regional Community Foundation. The old website was broken and the new one has allowed us to continue to communicate with the community and our members.
  • These increased communications allow us to better serve our members and communicate opportunities.
  • Leanne has been completing most of it and the plan is to train more directors in its use in the future.
  • Motion by: Ralph to accept the report.
    • 2nd Cecil
    • Carried

ANNUAL ACTIVITY REPORT

Leanne Fournier shared a report.

  • Pretty good year of re-invention even with COVID. We were able to move online to some extent. Thanks is thanks to our directors’ hard work.
  • Annual events continued
    • Miracle Marathon
      • Ralph and Donna putting together prize valued at $100
    • Scholarships
      • Two scholarships of $500 to students at the High School. They are using it towards education in arts.
    • Bursaries
      • $100 emerging artist award at Festival of the Arts. Sadly, this was canceled this year due to COVID-19.
    • Snow Sculpture contest
      • $375
    • Patterson Medical Arts Display was kept going thanks to Sue Straight. A broad spectrum of art is on display there. We insist this is members only.
    • Website Update
      • Was completed thanks to the Regional Community Foundation. Was created with the goals in mind:
        • Be easy to update and keep current
        • Unfortunately, we lost the artist profile in the transfer. We were able to recover some of them but we recommend members use it.
    • Open Air Market
      • Monica’s idea. Fun event to share info about LOWAC and Arts@Home.
    • Arts@Home
      • Funded via the Regional Community Foundation, originally the grant was going towards ArtsFest but when COVID hit, the Foundation allowed us to revise our application and Arts@Home was born.
      • We are able to pay our artists $200.
      • Super happy to do this
      • Call to artists got an amazing response. It was hard to pick and we worked to ensure it was a variety of disciplines to address the reputation of being visual artist only.
      • We have been able to take advantage of buy one get one free and non-profit rates for media buys on 89.5 FM and Miner & News.
      • Lots of great presentations coming up!
      • We tried to obtain funding to extend Arts@home but sadly we were not successful.
    • Challenges – many of the same ones we’ve been facing for the past while
      • Small board – fewer volunteers
      • Diminishing funds
      • Continuing costs
    • Question from the floor
      • Would like contact info from one of our Arts@Home presenters
      • We will get back to them
  • Motion: Marion to accept the annual activity report
  • 2nd Marielle
  • Carried

  • Open Discussion
    • Discussed plans for Artsfest 2021 to include livestreaming as a way to bring event to broader audience and as a backup for COVID restrictions
      • Educational workshops may be a better way to attract new members rather than ArtsFest
      • Discussed survey results
      • 1 day too much trouble for artists to set up; prefer 2 days
    • Community Art Project 2022 – little response/interest
    • Fundraising – online events (chase the ace)
      • We need to get creative due to COVID
    • Grant Applications – Leanne has been doing most of them but would love if someone else could help/take on
    • Membership involvement/drive
    • Discussion about MUSE’s proposal for partnership for a celebration of the arts via a Artsfest-like event but it may not be as broad in scope as LOWAC’s ArtsFest.
      • MUSE is thinking afternoon event to feature local and regional artists to an audience.
      • Event would be in the Art Centre and the park and be an event to celebrate the talent we have in Kenora.
      • Ralph shared that the Kenora Arts Association used to have an Arts Celebration back in the day in that park.
      • Two day event is preferred.
      • Kathy noted that the art is not covered under insurance if it is damaged or stolen
      • ArtsFest communities, anyone interested?
        • Cecil
        • Elsie – to talk and take part and help with the website
      • Too bad we can’t get the high schools involved currently due to COVID but will see what’s possible.
    • We need more active volunteers to help us though as the Board can only do so much.
    • Sioux Narrows is also having the same issues.
    • We may have to scale back our plans.
    • Is there a better way to ask for help? Specific asks? Ask for help with specific tasks when the project is underway?
    • Priorities?
      • Project for the future, maybe help the artists learn how to develop website/business development, have a member teach other members as a workshop, how to make a book of your art or record your music

ELECTIONS OF THE OFFICERS

  • Outline of our activities were covered. Our board meets on the 2nd Tuesday of every month, with the exception of July and August. After a 3 year term all Directors have to be re-elected to the board. We are looking for people to take on the membership chair and the secretary role.
  • Currently 6 directors. Directors are elected for 3 year term. 3 are half-way through. 3 are in the last year, next year they will need to be elected.
  • Lil, Leanne, and Ralph are starting their last of a three year term as directors, next AGM is the end of their terms.
  • Monica, Marion and Donna are starting their 2nd year term.
  • Best size of the board is 9 people so we need more people.
  • No nominations from the floor.
  • Board requested that if anyone knows of someone interested, please have them contact us. We can accept anyone as a director throughout the year. You don’t have to be elected at the AGM.

CLOSING REMARKS

  • Thanks to all the board members for all the work we do.
  • Thanks from Sioux Narrows’ Art Council for us prompting Sioux Narrows’ art events.
  • Comment on workshops for professional developments, if we do this, it is probably a good way to get new members, especially if you have to be a member to take part
  • Plug for Arts@Home and our website 😊

MOTION TO ADJOURN at 8:36pm

  • By: Marion
  • 2nd Marielle
  • Carried

Board Meeting with Directors only held after AGM

How can we reach members in other ways, some people don’t know zoom or don’t have access for it?

Would Facebook live-stream be easier?

What do we offer our membership? What’s appealing?

Book date for ArtsFest 2022 now rather than next year

Winter Carnival prizes

Motion to provide $375 in prize money for the 2021 winter snow sculpture – by Ralph

Marion 2nd

Carried

Motion to supply the high schools with $500/each for scholarships – by Ralph

Marion 2nd

Carried

Membership drive

  • Emails to go out about reminders – poster up in library? 7 gens?
  • Lil to draft the membership email and send to members/share with Leanne who will put a post on the Facebook page and website

December meeting to be skipped

January think of events we can do/fundraisers