IAWA Board of Advisors Working Meeting: October 6, 2002

IAWA

CAUS

IAWA Board of Advisors Working Meeting

IAWA Board of Advisors 17th Annual Meeting
October 6, 2002
Executive Board Room, Newman Library
Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia

CALL TO ORDER

Chair Marcia Feuerstein called the meeting to order at 9:27 AM. Chair Feuerstein noted that in the packets is an agenda for the annual meeting and the inaugural meeting. The annual meeting should go until 11:00. She welcomed the Board and requested a roll call introduction of the members present.

Present:    Marcia Feuerstein, Terry Clements, Donna Dunay, Eileen Hitchingham, Inge Horton, Brian Katen, Gail McMillan, Despina Stratigakos, Mitzi Vernon, Joan Wood.

Absent:    Solange d'Herbez de la Tour, Wenche Findal, Lucinda Kaukas, Paul Knox, Nobuko Nakahara, Gerrianne Schaad, Brinda Somaya, Frank Weiner.

Guests:    Milka Bliznakov, Kristen Caswell, Kay Edge, Rosario Piomelli.

The Chair inquired whether there was a quorum and the Secretary so confirmed that a quorum of voting advisors was present.

Inge Horton suggested a procedural change that that when we discuss actions that we note who is taking the action and when that action will be completed. Mrs. Horton made the motion and Donna Dunay seconded. The motion was approved unanimously.

Inge Horton made a motion to add "Others" to the end of the agenda. Joan Wood seconded the motion. #11 was added to the agenda as "Other Items". The motion was approved unanimously.

Secretary Vernon motioned that we add a committee report from Saturday's working meeting. Treasurer Clements seconded the motion. Inge Horton asked for verification on reporting versus discussion of the proposal at that meeting. The new item would be noted as #f under #8 on the agenda. The report was clarified as being a mention in this meeting and a discussion in the inaugural meeting. The motion was approved unanimously.

Treasurer Clements motioned to change the date of the '16^th 'to the '17^th' annual meeting of 2001-2002, Joan Wood seconded. The motion was approved unanimously.

Chair Marcia Feuerstein called for a motion to approve the amended agenda. Treasurer Clements moved and Joan Wood seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously.

Agenda Items:

Approval of Minutes:
Approval of the minutes of the 16th Annual Meeting.
Chair Feuerstein called for a motion to approve the Minutes of the 16^th Annual Meeting. Inge Horton made the motion, and Joan Wood seconded. The minutes were approved unanimously.

Approval of the minutes of 2001-2002 Executive Board Meetings.
It was noted that the meeting minutes were not included in this packet. However, all of these minutes had been sent out electronically. Inge Horton moved that we approve the minutes from the 2001-2002 Inaugural meeting and the Executive Committee Minutes, which we have received electronically. Despina Stratigakos seconded. The minutes were approved unanimously.

Chair Feuerstein asked if there was any new business that had arisen from the annual meeting minutes. There was no new business. Chair Feuerstein noted that we did have some discussion at the Saturday meeting.

Report from the Chair
The following are highlights from the Chair's Report. However, the full document is attached to these minutes. The Chair reported on the activities of the IAWA Chair and Executive Board. She began the report by thanking the students who have been involved over the year and noted their passion for the archive: Laura de Castro and Dawn Bushnaq. Bushnaq was introduced last night at the reception. Both students developed the exhibit in the Cowgill Lobby. There were no comments on the Chair's report.

Chair Feuerstein noted the new members coming onto the Board and those who are leaving the Board.
Chair Feuerstein: We will miss Joan Wood. We appreciate your presence and voice at the meetings.

Our new advisors: Terry Clements was elected in the middle of the year to take over Rodriguez-Camilloni's position, and she agreed to be Treasurer. Kay Edge, a new professor in Architecture, has been working on the Board during the year. She took on the task of co-editing the newsletter with CAUS Librarian Heather Ball. Professor Edge has been elected to join the Board. Brian Katen is leaving the Board. He joined us two years ago. Two others who have joined the Board are Lindsay Bremner from South Africa and Lari Yasmeen. Bremner is Chair of the Architecture Department at the University of Witwatersrand in Killarney. Yasmeen was the first female architect in Pakistan.

Secretary Vernon asked if the reason the other Board members did not attend was budgetary? Chair Feuerstein reported that two advisors (Lari and Somaya) were unable to come because of budgetary problems. Two others (Schaad and Kaukas) had last minute problems. Joan Wood asked how much money is involved in bringing the distant Advisors in. Wood noted how important it was to have Brinda Somaya here last year. Chair Feuerstein noted that last year the Department of Architecture and the College gave us money to bring Somaya here-around $1000, but it was part of matching funds through the the Women and Minorities award. Donna Dunay noted that some Boards ask their advisors to pay their own way. There was a discussion about policy of bringing distant Advisors in for the annual meeting. Chair Feuerstein said that she had discussed this with Dean Knox, and he suggested videoconferencing. Treasurer Clements noted that this could be possible in other countries. Dean Hitchingham noted that with enough time ahead that there are universities in countries who have the technology for videoconferencing. She noted that the Board would need to fundraise for this. Joan Wood asked about frequent flier miles. Kay Edge noted that US Airways fully paid for the flights of the September lecture series in CAUS. A sales representative at US Airways was contacted.

Chair Feuerstein reported on the Bliznakov Prize and the initiation of the new Prize-the third. She reported on her applications for grants for the IAWA.

Chair Feuerstein: We have had a very busy and tight filled year. We have an incredible amount of energy in the archive including inspired students. We need to continue building the collection and making it available to the rest of the world and researchers who work in this area. Inge Horton noted that Chair Feuerstein had begun to teach using the Archive documents and that this was important. Mrs. Horton noted that this should be added to the Chair's report. Gail McMillan asked when the exhibit would be taken down. Chair Feuerstein noted today but that it is scheduled to be remounted in conjunction with the Gender & Technology Conference sponsored by Women's Studies in Cowgill in March 2003.

Treasurer's Report
The following are highlights from the Treasurer's Report. However, the revised report is also attached. Treasurer Clements explained that there are four accounts associated with the Archive. There is currently $919.24 in the Endowment Earnings Account and $8004.85 in the Unrestricted Foundation Account. The total amount of dollars associated with the IAWA is $36,362.44.

Not all money donated has been earmarked by the donors. Milka Bliznakov asked how we know if there is an earmark. Treasurer Clements noted that the money that came from the Vermont group was noted to go towards our expenses. Unless people write specifically in a letter, we do not know where the money is to go. We have not had a way to ask about where specific money goes. Rosario Piomelli noted that she wanted her donation made at the Saturday evening reception to go towards the Bliznakov Prize.

Dean Hitchingham: $25K is the low-ball price that you can establish a foundation account. It seems that when we ask for money, we ask for them to designate where it goes-unrestricted or the Bliznakov Prize. If the checks do not say where they go, you are free to do what you want with the funds. Treasurer Clements noted that we have been paying for some expenses. She pointed out that there was $290 in the account at the beginning of last year. This is the amount after having paid the $1000 prize last year.

Treasurer Clements noted other items to discuss in Other Business: We need to make a decision about how to disperse donations between the endowment account and the unrestricted account. There were expenses for the exhibit and the annual meeting. In order to avoid a non-positive review of expenses, the College took the funds (for the exhibit and the lunches) out of the operating budget. This goes against what was decided last year about how endowment money should be used. Chair Feuerstein noted that the operations account is a State account. The unrestricted is part of the Foundation account. This is why we could pay for food with it. We were advised by Denise Orden not to move all of the money into the endowment earnings account at that time because of the then (and current) bad investment earnings. There was a discussion of clarification of how the accounts operate.

Inge Horton asked about a list of donations in the Treasurer's Report. There should be a list of those who did donate in the Treasurer's Report. Treasurer Clements will make this list and send it out electronically to the Board.(attached to these minutes) Donna Dunay suggested that names only be listed in the Report. Professor Dunay moved to approve the Treasurer's Report with the addition of the donors' names for this past year. Brian Katen seconded. The motion was approved unanimously.

Archivist's Report
The following are highlights from the Archivist's Report. However, the full document can be found at: http://spec.lib.vt.edu/iawa/Archivist/2002ar.pdf. Gail McMillan, IAWA Archivist, began by thanking her staff and all those who have helped in the Archive. We now have 25 additional online inventories. This year we received our first electronic collections. One is an article from one of Inge Horton's recruiting trips and another is Claire Bonney's Bliznakov Prize report. The third collection of Anna Keichline is quite remarkable. On Friday I received another packet from Nancy Perkins (niece of Keichline). Nancy, like her aunt, is also an industrial designer.

The Beverly Willis collection is now100 cubic feet and was sent in 2000. She paid to have it all shipped to the library and hired an archivist to help her organize it. She is a model donor. And it still took us two years to get it online.

We have a well-trained experienced curator now-Jennifer Gunter, who will be assuming the role of IAWA Archivist.

There has been significant growth in the biographical database. You can go online and enter information about another architect or yourself. There are 391 women in the biographical database, representing 50 countries and including 17 of the Board Advisors.

We now have 750 images from the collections in the image database. We didn't add anything more except for Beverly Willis who also gave us digital material.

We did expand the past exhibits including those from Anna-Marshall Baker from Wallace Hall.

Despina Stratigakos asked if there is a record of those who use the Archive? There is a record of who comes into Special Collections, but not who actually uses the Archive…only what their topic is.

Gail McMillan: It would be good for us to have a collection policy. I have included the Collection Development Statement for the library (in the packets). (find at http://spec.lib.vt.edu/iawa/CollectionDevelopment.pdf). She asked that we have a look at this and offer our thoughts. Treasurer Clements suggested that we have an "operations manual" that is not necessarily part of the Bylaws.

Cost to Preserve the Archive: Jane Hall Johnson's 8 cubic feet cost $1000 in preservation material. $660 was spent to mail the newsletter plus 17.5 hours of staff time. The Annual Board Meeting cost $325 for lodging. We spent $395 on digital images. Wages for students totaled $3,865.

Incoming Collections: Ann Cline, Mimi Lobell, Lilia Skala, and Diana Balmori

Gail McMillan: My department will be working on grants and one of those will be for the IAWA. We (Inge Horton and Donna Dunay) will be meeting Monday to work on that.

Treasurer Clements moved that we accept the Archivist's Report with the addition of Page 6 that was missing. Joan Wood seconded. The motion was approved unanimously.

Nominations Committee Report
Secretary Vernon noted that Chair Feuerstein had reported on the results of the elections. Vernon reported that we would need to re-elect Kay Edge next year to begin a new 3-year term. Secretary Vernon noted that we would discuss the current Bylaws regarding honorary advisors.

Tony Wrenn was elected as Emeritus Advisor.

Treasurer Clements moved to accept the nominations report. Donna Dunay seconded. The motion was approved unanimously.

Fund Raising Committee Report

Chair Marcia Feuerstein discussed the committee report. Gerri Schaad and Brinda Somaya are on that committee. They did not attend and did not send any materials.

Newsletter Report

Chair Feuerstein briefed the Board on the success of this year's newsletter.

Kay Edge noted that she encourages observations and criticisms on the newsletter.

Despina Stratigakos made a suggestion for the newsletter. She noted that the Iowa Women's Archive included in their newsletter, recent research in the archive. She recommended that we add this to the IAWA newsletter. Gail McMillan mentioned that she could funnel that kind of information to the newsletter committee.

Inge Horton noted all of the diligent work that Kay Edge and Heather Ball did on the project. She formally thanked them both.

Gail McMillan was concerned that the newsletter indicates that certain collections had been donated to the IAWA, but some of these had not actually arrived to special collections in the library. Advisors need to be aware that this may mislead researchers and should be more careful about reporting about these collections in the newsletter.

The Milka Bliznakov Prize

Donna Dunay: We worked on the text and web announcement. We received nine diverse and interesting entries. We began the judging of the first stage, and last night we looked at the second stage. However, we have not made decisions about the second stage. We did decide to invite five entries to continue to the final stage. One submission proposes make a history of an innovative practice in Seattle. Another proposes writing a book on security in architecture. A third is a proposal to research the work of Helene Koller-Buchwieser. A fourth is from a Turkish architect who has conducted research on Turkish women architects from 1908 through 1960. She asked if we would be interested in collaborating with her on this work. She noted that the work needed to be translated. While it was not a formal proposal, it was accepted as such with the translation. We also discussed corresponding with both finalists and those who were rejected. We will make a general statement that would apply all for the rejection letters.

Claire Bonney, the first Milka Prize winner, sent her final product documentation to the Archive. She wrote a really strong piece on what was involved in her research in Paris. It would be a good piece for the newsletter.

Gail McMillan noted that all the entries must to come to the Archive once the judging has been completed. They must have all of the original Bliznakov Prize documents and materials.

Inge Horton noted that we need to make a deadline for a decision on the final award of the 2^nd Bliznakov Prize. Despina Stratigakos suggested October 20, 2002.

Treasurer Clements moved to accept the report. Brian Katen seconded. The motion was approved unanimously.

Advisor Reports

Chair Feuerstein passed out a letter from Solange d'Herbez de la Tour. She noted that the next congress of UIFA is in Hong-Kong in 2004.

Donna Dunay noted that she had donated the Blacksburg Competition to the Archive.

Gail McMillan asked about the date of the Blacksburg competition. Professor Dunay reported that it occurred in 1992.

Inge Horton distributed a printed report with information on a dozen new contacts that she has made (see attached to these minutes). Mrs. Horton noted that Gail McMillan reported that material has come into the Archive from Jane Duncan with whom she has been corresponding for five years.

Mrs. Horton further reported that Topher Delaney, landscape architect, would be donating one project to the Archive from Marin County in addition to a copy of her book, Ten Landscapes.

Joan Wood reported that she has been spending this year talking to people about joining the Board. She is beginning to compose her archive for the IAWA. She will take the first ten or twenty years first, compiling 40 years in pieces to submit to the Archive. That will be her post-Board work including getting resumes from people for the Board. She noted the importance of having full-time working architects on the Board.

Joan Wood: I would like to thank the Board…it has been a privilege to be on the Board and an education.

Dean Hitchingham showed a slide of a campaign for an expansion for the collection, a café and a using/studying/researching area. The entry will occur on the second floor from the new library entrance (from the mall). A new storage facility will be located next to the library. This plan expands our capability to deal with resources. There is no money yet, but it is part of our capital campaign for the library and University. Milka Bliznakov asked why the regional architects were not asked to donate their services? Dean Hitchingham said that this is still conceptual. There was an architectural discussion about the potential problems of not having an entrance from the "street". Dean Hitchingham emphasized that budget was the primary concern about having three entrances. Donna Dunay and Marcia Feuerstein suggested that the design remain flexible to allow a number of entries in the future.

Brian Katen reported on how he has looked again at how we might increase the landscape architecture representation. He noted that he has correspondence ready to send out to the women graduates in landscape architecture.

Brian Katen: I want to thank everyone for the opportunity to be on the Board.

Despina Stratigakos discussed an article that she has written called, The Lost Exiles of Jewish Women Architects in America. It is appearing in Aufbau, a weekly newspaper in New York, ON Oct 29^th. She noted a need to expand our publicity beyond the listserve and professional societies.

Despina Stratigakos: I talked with Karen Mason at the Iowa Women's Archive. She had suggestions that I think we should pursue. I also attended an NEH grant workshop. I contacted Susan Fisher Sterling, Curator of the Women's Museum of Art, and we will be pursuing that dialogue in the interest of the upcoming 20^th Anniversary Celebration.

She brought the Lilia Sofer Skala portfolio (1915-1920). These materials were submitted for an architecture diploma. Skala went to Vienna in 1920 to work. She had a difficult time of it noted in an interview from the 1970s. Skala had the opportunity to become involved in theater. This became her second career. She became a well-known stage actress in Vienna. She was half Jewish, and her husband was Jewish. They fled to the US during the war. The portfolio was in England. She was able to continue her acting career in the U.S. She was nominated as best supporting actress for Lilies in the Field in 1961. Lilia! is the name of the one act play created by her granddaughter, Libby Skala, which portrays both herself and her grandmother. The play has done very well in the French Festivals and is now in New York. Dr. Stratigakos will tell us more about the play in December after she has seen the play, noting that this play might become part of the program for the 20^th year celebration.

Secretary Vernon passed out the 20^th Anniversary Celebration outline from the Saturday Working Meeting (find this included in the Inaugural Minutes).

Elections

Inge Horton moved to accept the year's election results for the Board. Despina Stratigakos seconded. The motion was approved unanimously.

Emeritus: Donna Dunay nominated past advisor Tony Wrenn forward for emeritus advisor. She noted that he was a founding Advisor in the IAWA and brought to the organization his personal experience on what the Archive could be. He also made many book donations to the Archive. Professor Dunay moved that Tony Wrenn be elected IAWA advisor emeritus and Joan Wood seconded. In the discussion, Gail McMillan noted that he should be made to understand that he is welcome to continue participating in the Board. Professor Dunay further noted that he gave us a nice perspective about collecting. The motion was approved unanimously.

Joan Wood moved that the Emeritus and past Advisors be on the electronic and paper mailing list for the annual minutes from our meetings. Brian Katen seconded the motion. Secretary Vernon mentioned that she would include a note in the email with these minutes about the motion. The motion was approved unanimously.

Honorary Advisors: The Executive committee decided to bestow Honorary Advisor to Heather Ball, CAUS Librarian. Her material was sent out with the election ballot announcing the Committee's decision. Then Inge Horton noted that the entire IAWA Board should make this decision even though such instructions are not clear in the Bylaws.

Chair Feuerstein called for a motion to make Heather Ball an honorary advisor. Secretary Vernon moved. Donna Dunay seconded. Inge Horton asked why we should not make her a regular advisor?

Treasurer Clements: What is the definition of an honorary advisor?
Chair Feuerstein: What does an Emeritus Advisor do?
There was a discussion about establishing better definitions of these various advisory roles. The resulting vote included three in favor of Ball's appointment and four opposed. There was one abstention. The motion was not approved

Milka Bliznakov noted that having numerous honorary members could only help us. She suggested Anna Sokolina as Honorary Advisor.
Professor Bliznakov: We have very little from the Soviet Union and this will give her status to assist in collections.

Chair Feuerstein called for a motion. Secretary Vernon moved to make Anna Sokolina an honorary advisor to collect work in the soviet union and Joan Wood seconded. The resulting vote included six in favor and one abstention. The motion was approved.

Chair Feuerstein called for a motion to adjourn. Joan Wood moved and Brian Katen seconded. The Annual Meeting was adjourned at 1:25 P.M.