VARLEY- MCKAY ART FOUNDATION OF MARKHAM TOWN OF MARKHAM VARLEY ART GALLERY Tuesday, January 10, :00 P.M. 6:00 P.M. MINUTES

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1 VARLEY- MCKAY ART FOUNDATION OF MARKHAM TOWN OF MARKHAM VARLEY ART GALLERY Tuesday, 4:00 P.M. 6:00 P.M. Attendance: Board of Directors Present: Councillor Don Hamilton Mahesh Chokshi Susan Gray Sid Karsh Paul Keeling Beverley Kelly Patty Loveland Sammy Lee Terrence Pochmurski, Chair Ernestine Tahedl David Tsubouchi Edie Yeomans MINUTES Absent:, Karen Chadwick Rosemary Donegan Drew Gerrard Edward Mariani Staff: Francesca Dauphinais, Development Officer Francine Périnet, Director, Varley Art Gallery John Ryerson, Director of Culture Laura Gold, Council/Committee Coordinator The Varley-McKay Art Foundation of Markham convened at 4:35 p.m. with Terrence Pochmurski presiding as the Chair. Prior to the meeting the Board of Directors toured the new Gallery Space. 1. DISCLOSURE OF PECUNIARY INTEREST There was no disclosure of pecuniary interest declared. 2. OPENING REMARKS There were no opening remarks.

2 P a g e 2 3. CHANGES OR ADDITIONS TO THE GALLERY There were no changes or additions to the agenda. 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES The following sentence on page five (5) of the December 13, 2011 minutes was deleted: A motion was requested, as the 2012 Business Plan was yet to be completed. Moved by Sammy Lee Seconded by Councillor Don Hamilton That the Minutes of the December 13, 2011 Varley-McKay Art Foundation of Markham be adopted as amended. 5. BUSINESS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES a. Update on Kathleen McKay Lane CARRIED. Councillor Don Hamilton reported that the Board s request to change the name of the laneway behind the Kathleen McKay House to Kathleen McKay Lane had been initiated. It was noted that there could be objection from businesses located on the laneway. 6. DIRECTOR S REPORT Ms. Francine Périnet, Director, Varley Art Gallery, provided her Director s Report. A copy of the report was circulated to the Board. The report included an update on the Gallery s team; an overview of the upcoming programs and exhibitions; information on the approval of the Town s capital and operating budgets; an update on the Gallery s programs; and an overview of the Varley s priorities. 7. SUB-COMMITTEE REPORTS a. Building & Long Range Planning Committee Mr. Bill Pickering, Past Board Member, provided the Building and Long Range Committee report. It was reported that the project was almost complete and that the contractor was working

3 P a g e 3 toward completing the last step of laying the new gallery floor. It was estimated that the building would be complete in approximately two weeks. A Building and Long Range Committee meeting will be held at this time. The Commissioning of the building will start immediately after the completion of the building. There was an inquiry whether the clock located on the outside of the Gallery had been repaired. It was reported that the clock had been repaired and that the time on the clock is correct. The clock was repaired a few years ago due to a Councillor request. A Board of Director questioned if the current construction project was linked to the upcoming construction of the program space. It was reported that this is a separate project with a different contractor. A suggestion was made to incorporate the kitchen renovation into this project, noting that the Board would have to make a financial contribution to this project in order for it to occur. There was a question regarding the type of amenities the new programming space would have. It was confirmed that the new programming area will have all the amenities required to hold art classes. It was believed that a sewer connection to the room already exists. b. Art Acquisition Committee There was no report provided. c. Homes for the Holidays There was no report provided. d. Art Auction Mr. Paul Keeling advised that the volunteers for the Art Auction have been selected and that the team was hard at work undertaking the planning and execution of the event. Currently, the Committee s priority is to secure more significant pieces of art and to obtain more corporate and food sponsors. The Committee s target sponsorship is $15,000 - $20,000, noting that $5,000 has already been obtained from IBM. There was a brief discussion on how the food sponsorship should be obtained. There was some hesitation with respect to asking the same local restaurants to donate food as in previous years. It was recommended that the Committee try to obtain food sponsorship from a larger local grocer. It was noted that the Board would have to go through a tender process if it was to purchase the food from a local vendor. Mr. Keeling reported that an Art Auction Committee meeting is scheduled on Thursday to discuss the Committee s priorities in more detail. Mr. David Tsubouchi advised that he would try to obtain sponsorship through his contacts. It was noted that there will be a sponsorship

4 P a g e 4 package that could be provided to organizations, noting that the packages are typically hand delivered. There was a discussion on the Art Auction tickets. It was noted that the tickets will cost $75 for one (1) and $100 for two (2). The Committee was hoping to attract a broader audience than in previous years. It was noted that all Board of Directors are responsible for selling tickets to the Art Auction. There was an inquiry regarding how many tickets are typically given away. It was noted that approximately a hundred (100) tickets are given away to donating galleries and sponsors. The Committee wanted to ensure that people who are attending the event are purchasing artwork. There was a suggestion to target interior designers, realtors, and developers, as they are often looking for art pieces to set a room. The Committee Clerk was requested to distribute the Board of Directors contact information to the Board. Moved by Councillor Don Hamilton Seconded by Susan Gray That the Board approve the circulation of the Board s contact information to the Board of Directors and applicable staff. CARRIED. e) Development Committee Ms. Susan Gray provided the Development Committee report. It was noted that some of the responsibilities of the Committee will include: increasing the Gallery s membership; undertaking the planning and execution of the Gallery opening; and fundraising. The Chair noted it is important for the Board of the Directors to support the Development Committee as much as possible. The following Board of Directors volunteered to support the Development Committee: Mahesh Chokshi Patty Loveland Sammy Lee David Tsubouchi It was reported that a meeting will be scheduled for the Development Committee. The roles and responsibilities of the Committee will be discussed at its first meeting. It was recommended that a meeting be held with Susan Gray, Francine Périnet and Francesca Dauphinais to discuss the strategic direction of the Committee prior to the Committee s first meeting.

5 P a g e 5 There was an inquiry whether the renovations to the Art Gallery will be complete prior to the gala. Please note that the Gallery would be free of charge to the public for one month in June sponsored by IBM on the occasion of its 100 anniversary and to mark the opening of the new gallery space. It was noted that there are several opportunities to hold an opening for the new Gallery. It was suggested that there be a soft opening, a Town opening and a formal public opening. f) Development Officer Ms. Francesca Dauphinais provided her Development Report. It was reported that the Gallery had clocked eight thousand (8000) volunteer hours in This was slightly higher than in 2010 due to a new event and additional summer camp programs. It was reported that there was an article in the Markham Economist & Sun regarding the Gallery s summer camps. It was noted that the article has been posted on the Gallery s website. g) Sphere Ms. Beverly Kelly provided the Sphere Report. It was noted that a series of art related talks are being planned leading up to the Art Auction. The talks will be held on the following dates: April 18, 25 and May 2, The Committee also plans to hold a membership drive. A target has been set to increase the membership by 30 members by September. The target audience are persons who would like to be more involved with the Gallery. As part of the membership drive, an outdoor dinner party with music is being planned. It was noted that the Board needs to be clear that the membership is for the Sphere Club rather than for the Board of Directors. Therefore, the name should clearly state what the membership is for in order to avoid any confusion (e.g. Sphere Friends of the Foundation). The official launch of Sphere will be held on Saturday, September 15, This event will target a younger audience. The Committee was investigating the possibility of having Ryerson fashion design students design a fashion show in response to the Varley s collection. A Board member suggested that the Sphere Committee consider working with Seneca College on this project. A request was made for an operating budget for the Committee. It was thought that $2,000 would be a sufficient amount of funds. The funds would be used towards the launch of Sphere and for an outdoor dinner party. The Committee aimed to raise these funds and more through its fundraising events. This item was deferred until the 2012 budget has been finalized. Mr. Paul Keeling advised he could provide the Committee with any graphic art it requires. There was a question regarding whether the Gallery s membership provides admission at other art galleries in Ontario. It was confirmed that the Gallery s membership provides entrance to

6 P a g e 6 most other galleries in Ontario, noting that this excludes the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Royal Ontario Museum.. A Board of Director suggested that Sphere consider hosting an Art at the Park or an Art on the Street event. 8. FINANCIAL REPORT Mr. Sid Karsh, Treasurer, presented the Varley-McKay Art Foundation of Markham Financial Statements as of September 30, A copy of the financial statements was circulated to the Board. The Board questioned if a thank you letter was ever sent to the Roman family for its donation. Staff advised that they were waiting for confirmation from the Mayor s Office. 9. NEW BUSINESS a. Chinese New Years Ms. Patty Loveland reported that she was working on having a seniors Chinese symphony perform at the Gallery on the Chinese New Year. It was noted that this group would like to be connected with the Gallery. b. Strategic Plan Mr. Sammy Lee requested that a meeting be held on the strategic direction for the Gallery, noting this would help the Board plan its events. There was discussion on putting together a proposal for a community art centre. The centre would be used for cultural events, space for artist, and for theatrical performances. 10. DATES OF FUTURE MEETINGS The Board requested that the next meeting be moved up a week due to Valentines Day. It was recommended that the meeting be held on February 6 or 8, The dates of future meetings include: March 13, 2012 April 10, 2012 May 8, 2012 June 12, ADJOURNMENT Adjourned at 6:15 p.m.