Organization > Chapters > Greater New York > Minutes/Reports
Notes from Visual Resources Association, Greater New York Chapter Spring Meeting 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
The Image Library, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York
Present: Jenni Rodda (Chair), Johanna Bauman, Donald Beetham, Robbie Blitz, Ching-Jung Chen (Vice Chair), Claire Dienes, Terrance D’Ambrosio, Barb Elan, Lisa Gavell, Andrew Gessner, Billy Kwan, Steven Kowalik, Carol Lakarew, Natalie Milbrodt (guest), Suzanne Ogden, Stephanie Post, Eileen Sullivan, Kerry Sullivan, Barbara Treitel (Treasurer/Secretary), Dustin Wees, Cheryl Westerfeld, Cindy Wolff, Julie Zeftel.
- Jenni Rodda called the meeting to order at 4:20pm. Jenni thanked Andy Gessner for hosting the meeting and Stephanie Post for coordinating our trip to the Photograph Studio.
- Barbara Treitel reported the Chapter balance as $1,559.14. Expenses since last meeting included $250.52 to the New York Public Library and $300 to the VRA 2010 national Conference in Atlanta in support of the Chapter’s session there (see item IV).
- Barbara reported 27 paid membership to the Chapter, including 7 new members for 2010. Barbara thanked our webmasters Kristine Heid-Santiago at ARTstor and Don Beetham at Rutgers, who creates our email links.
- Billy Kwan reported on our session at VRA/Atlanta. Billy also announced the dates of the joint VRA and ARLIS conference in Minneapolis (March 24-28, 2011) and commented briefly on the Chapter Bursary system.
- Jenni explained how we have been asked to assist with the VRA/CAA affiliated society session to be held at CAA in New York in 2011. Meghan Musolff and Mark Pompelia will take care of the paperwork; we have been asked to develop a topic and a panel of speakers. Susan Ogden suggested a session on teaching new technology to fine art professors. (After the meeting, Johanna Bauman graciously volunteered to organize our contribution to the VRA/CAA affiliated society session. Any questions that might arise should be referred to Johanna.)
- Jenni introduced the program for the fall meeting. Natalie Milbrodt will speak about her Queen’s College master’s thesis project which documents a rapidly-changing, small community in Flushing, Queens, with photos and oral histories. Don Beetham and Dustin Wees both volunteered to host the fall meeting. Jenni exhorted members to volunteer to serve as the Vice Chair, an election that will be held at the fall meeting. Steven Kowalik asked Jenni to explain the responsibility of the vice chair, which consists principally of taking meeting notes and succeeding the chair. Jenni asked anyone interested to contact her.
- Jenni reported, based on the Regional Chapter Chairs meeting in Atlanta, that there are no hard numbers to say that the bundled membership/bursary treasury system works or not. Some chapters reported that their membership numbers increased, others that they decreased. Some chapters found the bursary system efficient, others not so. Barbara indicated that managing the Chapter money locally is not difficult. Billy commented that the bursary system is quite flexible and there are multiple ways to collect money from local members and then issue it back. Jenni asked Billy to get hard numbers from Lise Hawkos (VRA’s current Membership Services Coordinator) about how well the bundled membership protocol works; we will discuss the possibility of initiating bundled membership renewals at the fall meeting. Jenni asked Barbara about our membership numbers; Barbara reported we have fewer members than last year. Jenni said that we should invite new national members to join our chapter. Jenni pointed at that in order to take part in the bundled membership/chapter bursary program, our Chapter by-laws must be revised so that our membership year and dues collection procedures are in line with VRA/national’s. This process will take us at least into 2011, should we as a chapter decide to participate.
- Jenni announced the symposium, “Photo Archives and the Photographic Memory of Art History, Part III,” March 25-26, 2011, at the Institute of Fine Arts, which Jenni is helping to organize.
- Susan Ogden volunteered to host the spring 2011 meeting at William Paterson University. Because discussion is already underway to hold the spring 2011 meeting in conjunction with the New England chapter, acceptance of Susan’s generous offer has been postponed to perhaps fall 2011.
- Jenni moved to adjourn the meeting at 4:55pm.
Submitted by Ching-Jung Chen
