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Minutes of the June 6, 2019 Board Meeting
(Approved at the July 11,2019 Board Meeting.)
The June meeting of the Oshkosh Public Museum Board was held Thursday, June 6, 2019, in the
Lecture Room of the Oshkosh Public Museum. President Thierman called the meeting to order at
4:00 pm.
The roll was taken by Ms. Books.
PRESENT AT ROLL: Board Members Connie Drexler, Carol Fenrich, Jim Hoffman, Gabe
Loiacono, Becky Matzke, Rick Rego, Joe Stephenson, Jean Thierman, School Board President Barb
Herzog, and Superintendent of Schools Vickie Cartwright.
EXCUSED: Board Member Randy Domer and Auxiliary President Kathy Wuest.
With Mr. Domer absent,Ms. Thierman appointed Ms. Drexler.
ALSO PRESENT: Museum Director Brad Larson, Auxiliary Member Diane Vogel, and
Administrative Assistant Theresa Books recording the minutes.
There were no citizen statements to the Board.
Consent Agenda items included:
A. Minutes of the May Board Meeting
B. June Bill List
MOTION: Adopt Consent Agenda(Rego; second Fenrich)
CARRIED: Yes (9) Cartwright, Drexler, Fenrich,Herzog, Hoffman, Loiacono, Matzke, Rego,
Thierman.
Mr. Larson introduced Architects Alexandra Ramsey and Jeff Hanewell who then presented the
building design and budget. They went over details for each floor and noted any changes made
since the previous design. Questions were addressed and Mr. Larson encouraged the Board to
express any concerns or questions at this time with the understanding that if there are no concerns,
this is the design that will be accepted and planning for all details of interior fit out is the next step
of this process. No concerns were expressed and the Board endorsed the design.
Next on the agenda was discussion and thoughts about Board alternates.Is the Board satisfied with
the alternate format? Mr. Larson briefly explained that City Council is considering requiring City
Boards to have alternates and they requested input from departments with Boards or
Commissions. Mr. Rego noted that because alternates attend all board meetings and contribute to
Minutes of the June 2019 Museum Board Meeting
Oshkosh Public Museum■1331 Algoma Boulevard■Oshkosh,Wisconsin 54901
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discussions, they are well aware of all concerns and have the knowledge to step into decisions as
needed. It was noted that most of the current Board members were at one time alternates. The
members of the Museum Board concurred that it is good to have alternates on a Board.
Ms. Thierman requested Mr. Larson present the Director's report.
Mr. Larson began by noting he will present the annual review of the Strategic Plan in autumn. He
will wait on the review until he can discuss the probable schedule for key projects that are part of
the plan.Because these projects are linked to the City's annual capital improvement program(CIP),
he wants to be able to speak with accuracy on what the Museum might expect to accomplish in
2020.
Regarding the Marketing position, Mr. Larson reported the City/Museum is currently recruiting
and the application period ends June 9. There has been a good response and we might reasonably
anticipate the new person on staff in early August.
It was Mr. Larson s pleasure to introduce Education Intern Sid Lehman. He started work on May
20, and had prepared well for his responsibilities by looking at how other museums carry out
education. Sid has made tremendous progress and was invited to join a group of Oshkosh teachers
in July to develop school district plans for implementing aspects of the newly adopted social
studies curriculum.Mr.Lehman then described to the Board that he has been working on materials
for pre-field trip,field trip, and post trip lessons and objectives. He is focusing on knowledge and
critical thinking questions. Mr. Lehman is consulting with teachers and with his peers. He is using
multiple intelligences,for all learning levels,with fun and quiz assessments. The goal is success for
teachers and the students.
Next, Mr. Larson reported that Cemetery Tales: The Exhibition opens July 21 and runs through
October 31. There will be special evening hours and events in October, in addition to the weekend
programs. He invited Board members to help distribute brochures and posters for this exhibition.
To describe the exhibition, he noted there are three broad areas of Cemetery Tales. One theme is
devoted to 19th century customs related to death and mourning, which were quite different than
today. The central gallery is focused around the stories of selected individuals. Curator of
Exhibitions Debra Daubert has researched diverse people from the past. Some stories are
humorous, some tragic, and a few people became famous. Every account is revealing in some way
and illustrates a wide range of people from the community. Touch screen technology is
incorporated to provide a rich variety of images.The final area focuses on the subject of the afterlife,
presented in a way that focuses on the historic background of the Spiritualist Movement, which
was particularly strong in this region. The belief in the afterlife is brought up to the present by the
current efforts of today's "ghost hunters." That concluded the Director's report.
Minutes of the June 2019 Museum Board Meeting
Oshkosh Public Museum■1331 Algoma Boulevard■Oshkosh,Wisconsin 54901
Page 2 of 3
President Thierman did not have anything to report.
Ms. Thierman then requested the Auxiliary Report.
Auxiliary member Diane Vogel gave the report in Ms.Wuest's absence. The first Gala meeting will
be June 19th at 10 am. The tentative Gala date is Thursday, November 21. Pie on the Lawn is set
for July 14,2019. That concluded the Auxiliary Report.
With no other agenda items,Ms.Thierman asked for a motion to adjourn. (Herzog;second Matzke)
The vote was unanimous in favor and the motion was passed.
The meeting adjourned at 5:00 p.m.
Minutes of the June 2019 Museum Board Meeting
Oshkosh Public Museum■1331 Algoma Boulevard■Oshkosh,Wisconsin 54901
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