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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01.14.2026 MINUTES Museum Arts & Culture Board Minutes of the January 14, 2026 Museum Arts and Culture Board Meeting Page 1 of 4 Minutes of the January 14, 2026, Museum, Arts and Culture Board Meeting (Approved at the February 11, 2026 Board Meeting) The January meeting of the Museum, Arts and Culture (MAC) Board was held at the Oshkosh Public Museum (OPM). Board Chair Vicky Redlin called the meeting to order at 4:30 p.m. and the Roll was taken. Present at Roll: Board Chair Vicky Redlin, Vice Chair Rebecca Doe Brown, Board Member Drew Mueske, Board Member/Council Member Joe Stephenson, Alternates Erron Hundt, Carrie Olson. Excused: Board Member Becky Matzke With Ms. Matzke out, Chair Redlin appointed Ms. Olson OPM Staff Present: Cultural and Enrichment Services Director/Museum Director Anna Cannizzo, Assistant Director/Chief Curator Emily Rock, and OPM Administrative Assistant Theresa Books recording the minutes. There were no citizen statements to the Board. Consent Agenda items included: Minutes of the November 8, 2025, Board Meeting (There were no Dec. Minutes as that meeting was cancelled due to lack of quorum.) MOTION: Approve Consent Agenda (Ms. Brown; second Ms. Olson) CARRIED: Yes (5) Brown, Mueske, Olson, Redlin, Stephenson Director Cannizzo then gave an update on the City’s reorganization plan, showing the Board the new Organizational Chart. She has been appointed Director of Cultural and Enrichment Services. In this role, she will still act as Museum Director in addition to overseeing Parks Services & Events, Senior Services, and Fund Development services and will collaborate with the Library. She will be working with City staff in the coming months to determine reporting structures, roles, and responsibilities. Museum staff will be impacted by the creation of the Communications and Engagement Department as well as Fund Development services. OPM’s graphic design and marketing needs and workflow have yet to be determined. Fund Development will be a new division and details have yet to be determined. Two OPM positions were eliminated as part of the reorganization: Curator of Education (Dr. Neal Matherne) and Curator of Exhibitions (vacant). Minutes of the January 14, 2026 Museum Arts and Culture Board Meeting Page 2 of 4 Vice Chair Brown asked where Director Cannizzo’s office will be. Her office will be at the Museum since she will still be acting as the Museum’s director. She’ll spend time at other areas for meetings. Board member Stevenson noted that he likes the change of Parks to have the creative side and then the maintenance side. Board member Mueske expressed that he likes the talk of collaboration. Assistant Director Rock noted, regarding collaboration, the fund Development will also add opportunity for collaboration with community organizations. Chair Redlin recommends the speakers bureau be reengaged, as a way to further inform and build relationships. Director Cannizzo will give updates to the Board as more details become available. Next on the agenda was discussion and vote regarding a designated donation to the Museum to purchase Tiffany sconces from Heritage Lighting for installation in the Historic Sawyer Home. Museum staff have been working on a restoration plan for numerous Tiffany interior elements in the Historic Sawyer Home. One item was to replace the current reproduction sconces on display in the Grand Hallway to original Tiffany pieces. Staff do not know what the original ones were when the home was constructed, however, they can see scars on the wood from previous sconces which had a round base attachment. Staff worked with Heritage Lighting to select what they believe would be a good aesthetic fit for the home. A private donor stepped forward with financial support for the purchase of these sconces. Per policy, staff would consider these an acquisition by means of purchase. The Collections Review Committee has voted in favor of the acquisition/purchase and because this exceeds the cost threshold outlined in OPM policy, it comes before the MAC Board. The designated donation of $27,000 would go into the Collections Fund and the purchase would come from this fund. Staff are recommending that the Board vote to receive the gift, in favor of the purchase, and amend the Collections Fund Budget to reflect the gift and purchase. The same anonymous donor gave a Tiffany lamp to OPM. Assistant Director Rock noted it is being determined where the lamp can best be displayed. When discussion was complete, Chair Redlin asked for a motion. Ms. Olson moved that the MAC Board Vote to receive the monetary gift, amend OPM Collections Fund Budget to reflect this gift and purchase, and for OPM staff to purchase the sconces. Second, Ms. Brown. CARRIED: Yes (5) Brown, Mueske, Olson, Redlin, Stephenson Chair Redlin then requested the Director’s Report Director Cannizzo began with facilities updates. The Elevator Modernization project will begin on January 19th and continue for 5-6 weeks. Field trips will be paused during this time and are scheduled to start in the second half of March through May. The Museum will remain open to the public and the elevator closure has been publicized on the Museum’s website and social media for those planning their visit. Visitors will be told the elevator is down before they pay. Second floor exhibits will open the 2nd half of March. In the Sawyer Gallery: Crowned in Tradition: Quinceañeras in Wisconsin (March 21, 2026 – August 8, 2026) and in the Waldwic Gallery: Lewis Hine: The Man Behind the Camera (March 28, 2026-January 2027.) Prior to mid-March OPM will be between major exhibitions and expect lighter visitation during the first quarter of 2026. The trash enclosure in the staff lot is scheduled to be completed at the end of January 2026. And the main parking lot is still slated to begin reconstruction this spring. The timeline is still to be determined. Minutes of the January 14, 2026 Museum Arts and Culture Board Meeting Page 3 of 4 Museum Staffing Update and Plans were next on Director Cannizzo’s report. She noted that in December Graphic Designer Daniel Fiser submitted his intent to retire. His last day in office will be January 16th. Daniel has been with the Museum for nearly twelve years. He significantly contributed to the Museum’s visual identity and professional quality publications. Because the Graphic Designer position is under review as part of the City’s organizational re- structuring, the City will not be re-filling this position immediately. In the interim, staff will be contracting out OPM graphic design projects to vendors OPM has existing relationships with. This will include things such as The Muse, brochures, banners, exhibit labels, etc. Delaney Olsen, the PT LTE Education Coordinator, accepted a new position and submitted her resignation from the Museum on January 5th with a last day in office January 7th. Delaney was with the Museum in this role for a little over a year and a half and was an excellent member of the education staff. With the pause on field trips during the first quarter, Director Cannizzo has an opportunity to reconsider this position and restructure the educational area of operations. Organizational Staffing recommendations: Implemented: Director Cannizzo received the approval to re-classify the PT benefitted position of Visitor Services Assistant (occupied by Logan Lamers) to FT benefitted position of Visitor Engagement Coordinator which will take on partial duties from Curator of Education (volunteer program management, and programs/events development and implementation) alongside existing visitor services duties. Since this new position will be taking on some of the responsibilities from the eliminated Curator of Education position, we will use the funds earmarked for that position to support the financial difference of about $25,000. In process: With the recent vacancy of the Education Coordinator position, Director Cannizzo’s plan is to use the remaining funds from the eliminated Curator of Education position along with the funds for the vacant PT LTE Education Coordinator position to reclassify the position to a PT (30 hrs) benefitted position. Director Cannizzo is confident that there will be less staff turnover with this reclassification and it will allow the remaining gap of responsibilities from the elimination of the Curator of Education position to be handled with this position. This will likely be accomplished by the beginning of the 2026-27 school year. Under consideration: Move mission critical Registrar position off Durow funding to levy funding and support the renewal of Assistant Curator position that has been vacant since 2023 using Durow funds. Director Cannizzo opened for questions. Chair Redlin asked where are we with the building study? Director Cannizzo has been in contact with Engberg Anderson recently to get that in the works. Engberg Anderson will begin the work with OPM Staff in the next month or so. Vice Chair Brown asked about the Art in Public Spaces Policy. Director Cannizzo will get a second updated draft to the Board by the end of the first quarter of 2026. That ended the Director’s Report. Minutes of the January 14, 2026 Museum Arts and Culture Board Meeting Page 4 of 4 MAC Board Member Statements or Announcements included the following: Chair Redlin has been in contact with Steve Edwards of WOSH /WHBY who does promotion of the Fine Arts. He is willing to promote the Museum as well. Chair Redlin will introduce him to Anne Schaefer. She further noted that if anyone was trained for the Tiffany Volunteer program, a reminder to turn in the binders. Vice Chair Brown asked if OPM could have pictures of staff on the website. Director Cannizzo let her know that staff have that as a plan for some time when they can edit the website with that information. With no additional agenda items Chair Redlin asked for a motion to adjourn. MOTION: Adjourn Brown; second Mueske CARRIED: Voice Vote The meeting adjourned at 6:43 p.m.