EVFAC Board meeting 1-15-2024 Live at center
EVFAC Board meeting 1-15-2024 Live at center
Attentees: Board members: Roy Kady, Dain Daller, Leigh Alexander (Treasurer), Mark Bond
(Vice President), Maria Jonsson (Secretary), Debbie Harris (Retail Manager), Kim Zitzow
(Director)
Maria moved to open the meeting at 1:24pm, Roy seconded.
Dain moved to approve last meeting minutes (9/23/2023, 1-2pm all members meeting live at
center), Roy seconded.
EVFAC currently has 192 members
Directors Report: Kim Zitzow
Director has been sending out newsletters, a good way to get responses from people. Plan to have a 2 week summer program for youth, have 4 possible teachers to teach fiber arts. Leticia Gonzales who used to work as a clerk with Debbie has changed roles and was hired as Youth Education Coordinator (10 hours a month). She is having medical issues but will resume her role when she can. In conjunction with the Horizons exhibit at MIAC, weavers Linda Pete (Navajo weaver), Kevin Aspaas (wedge weaving), Roy Kady (hortse cinch weaving), and Tyrell Taphaka (natural dyer) will be offering classes starting at the end of February. Been working with the co-curator at MIAC. Talks about weavings and classes at EVFAC. Roy mentioned a traveling exhibit where weavers talk about their work. Roy Kady coming the last week of April for the Horizon weaving exhibit. Kim talked about fiscal sponsorship about fiber shed.
Churro Week: board members
Sheep shearing at Los Luceros will be first weekend in April in 2024, 7 th of April on Sunday. Los Luceros wants to make this a spring event. Talked about fleece processing workshops, possibly teaching people how to wash fleeces at Los Luceros in conjunction with sheep shearing, and skirting activities. Churro week classes would be following week after the shearing. Inventory of fleeces in storage unit is mainly white fleeces which will be taken to Mora to make churro warp yarns. Classes at EVFAC for Churro week. Emily Trujillo will teach rio grand weaving at center, etc. Miguel is farm manager at Los Luceros.
McCune grant etc.: board members, director
Beginning of March is possibility of McCune Foundation grant of $15,000 for educational programming. Barbara Berger got a NRGHA grant but wants to use equipment from EVFAC, Los Luceros wants to have their own fiber art program (weaving etc.?). LANL grants still funding Vanessa’s classes. Are there more LANL grants we can apply for?
Dye Kitchen: board members
Members have been asking about how to use dye kitchen. Maybe EVFAC should have an open house in early May, have demonstrators working in dye kitchen, weaving, etc. An educational outreach opportunity. Members could purchases a t-shirt to dye/print at open house.
Retail Manager Report: Debbie Harris
Leticia no longer a clerk. Debbie has hired a new clerk Michelle Peixinho who will work part time at center to help out (7 1/2 hours a week) on Fridays. Michelle is a social worker and quilter and lives in Chimayo. She can maybe help out with the people doing community service at the center. Blending board project: Debbie had some free classes on how to use it, has sold one of them ($225). They are locally made with EVFAC logo. A few will kept at center for classes and people can rent them. January sales are slow, slower than last year. On-lines sales are better when brick and mortar sales are slow in the winter. We have 3000 people on EVFACs email list, and 2800 clicks on our website. We have a new volunteer Mitch on Fridays. Our volunteer Karen Rose volunteers on Thursday still. Talked about a book and yarn swap. Trying to get a knitting group going at the center once a month. Maria wants to help out with this, she may teach another beginning knitting class before mid April. The EVFAC windows got hit again with a bee bee gun, not too bad this time. Trash container problem is good, we have a system to make sure it doesn’t become a problem again.
Financial Report: Leigh A. and Kim Z.
At the end of 2023 EVFAC made a profit of $13,000. The balance at the end of 2023 was
$36,000. Melissa Barton is still our book keeper. Most of the expense of EVFAC goes to our
bookkeeper and our employees. EVFAC made $8000 in sales, most of our money comes from
classes.
Fundraising: board members
A friend of Leigh’s donated $10,000 to EVFAC. We talked about Give Butter a free fundraising platform for an educational campaign and equipment. We can use this as a fund raising campaign. Talked about asking people when they make purchases to round up to the next dollar (classes, retail) little amounts add up.
Talked about jot forms for classes, some peopl are having difficulty. Want to make sure it is working ok? Some people are not getting conformation emails. Talked about an online directory, should we do this in the future? Roy mentioned as state program for arts and education grants called Creative Industries NewMexico. Can be used in cities and localities, maybe we can use for Churro Week grants and other stuff. Expanding our education program will help with fund-raising.
Function of our Board-Future Plans: board members
Stressed the need to have more board meetings, maybe every 2 months? Can zoom. We are beyond survival mode now and thriving. EVFAC needs to get involved with school districts, we need people on the board who have a passion for youth education. EVFAC wants to work morewith IAIA. Want to have more presentations/lectures at the center, pay presenters $150. Maybe we could plan to have a presenter every month. Mark Winter, a Navajo who is affiliated with a trading post was mentioned. Roy mentioned the organization Capacity Builders Inc., the offer bus tours and artists studio visits. There are grants available from Native Project as well.
EVFAC still needs new board members, we need to have a new call out (email blast). Maria will type up a document and send Kim her experience as a board member and try to revitalize our outreach. We had a potential new board member but she ended up moving away from NM.
The board members had a vote to make Dain Daller our President. He has been our President for the sole purpose for grants. The board members had a vote at this meeting, Roy motioned that Dain should be appointed President of the EVFAC board, Maria seconded, all were unanimous. Dain is now our President.
Clean up Day needed: board members
There is a need for assembling looms. Maria and Dain will meet on Friday the 19 th of January to help assembling looms to be sold at the center. We need to do a dump run as well, lots of items in the back room that need to be gotten rid of. Need to coordinate with Debbie on this.
Maria mentioned that she could help out with the walk in and weave program if needed, just need to schedule this with her.
Meeting ended at 3:03pm
Maria motioned to end the meeting, Dain seconded
