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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02. Museum Board MinutesMinutes of the September 2, 2021 Museum Board Meeting Oshkosh Public Museum ■ 1331 Algoma Boulevard ■ Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901 Page 1 of 4 Minutes of the September 2, 2021 Board Meeting (Approved at the October 7, 2021 Board Meeting.) The September meeting of the Oshkosh Public Museum Board was held Thursday, September 2, 2021, via Zoom. President Loiacono called the meeting to order at 4:01 pm. The roll was taken by Administrative Assistant Theresa Books. PRESENT AT ROLL: President Gabe Loiacono, Vice President Becky Matzke, Secretary Connie Drexler, Board Members Carol Fenrich, Jim Hoffman, Rick Rego, Jean Thierman, Alternates Joseph Stephenson, Dana Stolley, and School Board President Bob Poeschl. Excused: Oshkosh Superintendent of Schools Bryan Davis ALSO PRESENT: Museum Assistant Director Anna Cannizzo, Human Resource Manager Michelle Behnke, City Attorney Lynn Lorenson, Auxiliary Secretary Sue Eichman, and Administrative Assistant Theresa Books recording the minutes. There were no citizen statements to the Board and none were received. Consent Agenda items included: A. Minutes of the August 5, 2021 Board Meeting B. September Bill List C. Receipt and Filing of 2nd Quarter Reports for Museum Funds held at the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation MOTION: Adopt Consent Agenda (Thierman; second Hoffman) CARRIED: Yes (8) Drexler, Fenrich, Hoffman, Loiacono, Matzke, Poechl, Rego, and Thierman Human Resource Manager Michelle Behnke gave an update to the Board regarding the Director search. She recapped the process and status. After discussion Ms. Behnke excused herself from the meeting. Assistant Director Anna Cannizzo then reviewed the budgets for the Museum’s various funds and trust accounts. She began by noting that the trusts and funds budgets are very similar to previous years with a few positive changes. The Membership Fund continues to gather strength as it serves as the primary means of funding many of the Museum’s activities. Staff propose continuation of funding for the Education LTE position and the Seasonal Grounds LTE position with slight increases to the hourly rate to align better with comparable positions, to make the positions more competitive in the job market. A part-time LTE Collections position is added, as staff anticipate a Minutes of the September 2, 2021 Museum Board Meeting Oshkosh Public Museum ■ 1331 Algoma Boulevard ■ Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901 Page 2 of 4 number of complex collections projects in the coming years leading up to the Museum’s centennial. The Museum will be experiencing a number of changes with collections staff and the additional position will allow for much needed support and assistance in ensuring these projects are successful. Ms. Cannizzo reported that the Assistant Curator position held by Katrina Achilli will again be supported by the Membership Fund. Once Curator Debra Daubert retires, Ms. Achilli will be the longest serving member of the collections staff. Her skills with digital technology/media interpretation have significantly grown and are utilized for almost every exhibition. This type of interpretation has come to be standard and expected in exhibitions and the need for her skills continues to grow each year. Ms. Cannizzo noted that while this position is allocated for, staff are requesting that the funding for this position be supported by tax-levy in the 2022 Operating Budget. The Membership Fund will also support an in-house exhibition centered on the 150th birthday of Helen Farnsworth Mears and the traveling exhibition from the National WWII Museum entitled Manufacturing Victory. This traveling exhibition follows the industrial journey that took the United States from a nation extremely unprepared for war to a global superpower that led the Allies to victory in World War II. Staff anticipate this exhibition will have strong educational appeal to school groups. Because the Museum continues to develop a longer range exhibition schedule, funds were allotted for a potential advance down payment for a traveling exhibit should something appealing be found. Ms. Cannizzo shared the good news that during a time of rising costs the Museum’s printing costs have gone down a bit. Also of note, funds are allocated for a membership event tied to the arrival of the incoming Director. Several digital management systems will continue to be supported, including Schedules Plus which is a powerful tool to manage the Museum membership database and volunteer scheduling, with Point-of-Sales opportunities for the future. Constant Contact provides a robust email marketing and communications tool. Additionally, Climate Notebook provides staff with an excellent method for storing and interpreting environmental data and the program works better with the new Bluetooth data loggers the Museum has converted to. In conclusion Ms. Cannizzo reported that the Durow Trust will continue to support the Durow Curator position. And in the Collections Fund budget, money is allocated to continue support of the conservation of objects for long-term exhibitions with a slight increase should an appealing acquisition opportunity arise. That concluded the presentation. Ms. Cannizzo opened for questions and discussion. Ms. Matzke commented she is glad to hear about the LTE part time Collections position. She asked if the Museum will likely have people interested in that position. Ms. Cannizzo replied that she is confident qualified people will be Minutes of the September 2, 2021 Museum Board Meeting Oshkosh Public Museum ■ 1331 Algoma Boulevard ■ Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901 Page 3 of 4 interested. Wisconsin is fortunate to have a couple good Museum Studies programs and it is likely students from these programs will be interested. With no further questions or comments that concluded the discussion. President Loiacono asked for a motion. MOTION: To adopt the budgets as presented. (Drexler; second Thierman). CARRIED: Yes (8) Drexler, Fenrich, Hoffman, Loiacono, Matzke, Poechl, Rego, and Thierman. President Loiacono then requested Ms. Cannizzo present the Assistant Director’s report. Ms. Cannizzo began by reporting that the Museum’s proposed 2022 operating budget was submitted and Administrative Assistant Theresa Books did another great job on preparations and submittals. Ms. Cannizzo stated she was fortunate to be able to work with both Director Brad Larson and Ms. Books on this process again and is grateful for the extra efforts they both went to in order to prepare her for the upcoming meetings and workshops. Ms. Cannizzo is scheduled to meet with City Manager Rohloff regarding the Museum’s budgets on September 16th. Ms. Cannizzo then gave updates on Titanic: the Wisconsin Connection. She noted the Museum continues to have steady attendance for this exhibition. At the time of this report the Museum had 3,264 visitors. There continues to be quite a few walk-ins but staff created some methods for it to be manageable when busy. Merchandise sales continue to be good with $19,335 to date and items sell out quickly. Ms. Cannizzo further noted that because the Museum is bound by contract to only purchase Titanic related items from the exhibit company, Marketing Coordinator Tammy Malewski has worked diligently to resolve difficulties with supply chain. The Museum received a very large shipment this week and the store has been restocked with popular merchandise, with enough to have reserves stored to be able to quickly restock. Regarding Sports and Recreation, Ms. Cannizzo was pleased to report that all of the items planned for display that require outside conservation treatment have been approved and the work is moving forward. The sub-flooring was completed on Wednesday, September 1st. Following this critical step, a significant amount of work will be done in the next few months to repair and reinforce the windows prior to the installation of the walls. In conclusion, Ms. Cannizzo reported regarding Deep Roots/Growing City, noting the Exhibit Team met with Split Rock Studios for the presentation of Schematic Design 3. As a reminder, she noted the last time staff worked on this exhibition was in the Schematic Design 2 phase which was over three years ago. Because there had been so many changes during that time period, the decision was made to do an additional Schematic Design phase to revisit, refine, and refresh the exhibition. It Minutes of the September 2, 2021 Museum Board Meeting Oshkosh Public Museum ■ 1331 Algoma Boulevard ■ Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901 Page 4 of 4 really paid off because the team was presented with an exceptional design and accompanying narrative. Staff feel well prepared and confident for the Design phases next year, pending funding approval. Feedback will be submitted to Split Rock Studios on September 10th, and is on track to present the design to City Manager Rohloff, and to the Board for review and approval at the October 7th meeting. That concluded the Assistant Director’s report. President Lioacono then requested the Auxiliary report. Auxiliary Secretary Sue Eichman reported that proofing of the Auxiliary booklet was completed and it was taken to the printer on August. 30th. She noted the next Auxiliary Board meeting will be held September 17th. That concluded the Auxiliary Report. With no other agenda items, President Loiacono asked for a motion to adjourn. (Matzke; second Drexler) The vote was unanimous in favor and the motion was passed. The meeting adjourned at 4:45 p.m.