Florida Chapter Meeting Minutes

Saturday, May 2, 2009 — Phoenix, AZ

Sandra Sue Dent of Bok Tower Gardens called the meeting to order at 3 p.m. Kathryn Rush, Harn Museum of Art, was recognized as a new MSA Member; all other returning members introduced themselves.

PRESENT

Fourteen members were in attendance: Diane Bilodeau, Raymond Bowers, Sandra Sue Dent, Meta Devine, Ellen Holte, Ava Maxwell, Kathryn Rush, Crystal Schultz, Mary Short, Lawrence Singer, Jamieson Thomas, Joy Wallace, Kellie Woodward and Willaim Wort.

OLD BUSINESS

Members were directed to the the MSA Web site to review the minutes from the previous meeting; a review of the MSA Antitrust Policy followed.

Lawrence Singer reported the chapter bank balance is maintaining at $288.

Ava Maxwell reported that after a successful search, nomination and election process, Terry Aulisio, Polk Museum of Art, will be our next Chapter Secretary. Additionally Ava volunteered to start a Scholarship and Educational Fund Committee that would help establish a way of assisting Florida Chapter Members attend chapter meetings and support special education sessions at these regional meetings. Discussion of possible fundraisers followed. The project was tabled until the fall meeting when Ava will return with more specifics and a committee can be established.

Sandra Sue Dent said that Kellie Woodward, Vizcaya Museum, will be our next President and Lawrence Singer, The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, will be our next Vice President following tomorrow’s MSA Membership Meeting.

The playing card project is complete and a sample was passed around. There was some interest in a second deck, but it was not deemed an immediate priority. Re-orders can be accommodated by the original vendor.

NEW BUSINESS

Plans for the fall Chapter Meeting, to be held on the east coast (Delray) and hosted by Diane Bilodeau, Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, and Sallie Chisholm, The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, are well under way. Other participating museums include the Norton Museum of Art, Boca Raton Museum of Art and the Henry M. Flagler Museum. A discussion of the dates ensued. Kellie motioned for the 2 – 4 of October and Jamieson seconded. This may even lend itself to a turtle hatchling release experience. Jamieson volunteered to set up the Chapter Meeting as a Webinar on Skype. Lawrence pointed out the changes to funding a Chapter meeting; registration fees must be collected to cover the entire cost, as they are designed to include education-based programming.

Ava Maxwell, Charles H. Morse Museum of American Art, strongly urges MSA headquarters to consider allowing Expo day passes specifically for those member museums who may be in the region of the annual Conference. Many emotional testimonials were given by members of how important Conference attendance is, especially with recent trends showing drastic declines. There should be more alternatives to members for attending. Vendors and members benefit from having buyers on the Expo floor.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The sixth MSA cultural and heritage tourism white paper is available on the MSA Web site and future white papers will be sent electronically.

Meta Devine, Minnesota Historical Society, promoted the benefits of advertising in The Cultural Traveler, a guidebook published by the U.S. Cultural & Heritage Tourism Marketing Council in partnership with MSA and Shop America Alliance. Jamieson Thomas, Orlando Museum of Art, asked about what measures for return on marketing dollars Meta was experiencing with the guidebook. The program is too new to determine, but the distribution is worldwide and directed to tour operators. Look for more information online at www.museum-store.travel.

The 54th MSA Retail Conference & Expo features programming specifically developed using MSA's Knowledge Standards. Pick up a copy of the Knowledge Standards booklet at registration if you don’t have one.

ADJOURNED

The meeting was adjourned at 4:30 p.m.