Notice | 2023 Annual General Meeting & Social

You are invited to join us and other VMAA members for a return to in-person annual general meeting and social! 

As our virtual AGMs have proven more accessible in recent years, we will be also arranging for hybrid sign-on as well for those ringing in from far-flung locations.

In this Newsletter:

• Invitation to VMAA's 2023 Annual General Meeting & Social

• Call for board nominations

• Project Update: Vancouver Metal Arts Hub Feasibility Study

Photo: Art jewellery appreciation on display at Maker's Mark opening reception. Image courtesy of Ingrid Valou.

---

Event details​

Date: Saturday, April 22nd, 2023

Time: 11:00AM–1:00 PM (AGM agenda begins 11:30AM)

Location details:

Thanks to the kind consideration of Malaspina Printmaker Society, we will be having our AGM and annual social and mingler in their atrium at the Howe Street Studios location. This is the site of the Printermedia Artist Residency - Metal Arts stream that launched late last year, and it's undergone some transformation!

In Person: 1265 Howe Street (main atrium) Vancouver, B.C.

Online: Zoom online meeting (Zoom Meeting Link)

Agenda: 11:00 AM | Registration and Logging on 11:30 AM | AGM agenda begins 1:00 PM | Meeting ends / Social begins

Read Full Agenda (link here)

We will also prepare the AGM minutes from the last meeting for your review

Read 2022 AGM Minutes (link here)

While members of the community may attend the AGM, only members in good standing will be eligible to vote on issues or elect the board. If you haven't yet done so, please renew or purchase a membership beforehand. 

Renew Your Membership

---

Board recruitment: Seeking President, Secretary

Interested in getting experience in managing arts not-for-profits? Keen to make connections and grow your network? Don't be shy! We'd love to hear from you.

Members and non-members are eligible to run for board and committee positions.  If a nominee is not a current VMAA member, they will be required to become a member if elected.

New board members may serve as members at large, or volunteer for additional committees. Board members have a seat at the decision-making table when it comes to governing VMAA and shaping its future trajectory. Volunteers may have lighter responsibilities throughout the year, save for when events or exhibitions necessitate their attention.

We are actively seeking to fill the following positions for the 2023-2024 term:

• President. The President maintains a clear vision and mission for the association, oversees board initiatives, regulates communications with the membership, and chairs regular board meetings. Ideally, the president serves a three-year term: two years as President, and an additional year as Past President).

• Secretary. Takes minutes and tracks decisions at regular board meetings and the annual general meeting, and assists with filing the society's documents. Ideally, the Secretary serves for at least a two-year board term.

• Volunteers for the revived Education committee.

• We also encourage those interested in serving as Vice-President to reach out!

And rest assured: each incumbent will be learning directly from the outgoing board members, and receives support from other directors as needed.

Those interested in learning more about each position may do so here on our volunteer page. We encourage people of all levels of experience, all backgrounds, genders, and abilities to apply.

To make a nomination or expression of interest, please send a brief email with the name of the candidate and a resume to president@vancouvermetalarts.com and CC contact@vancouvermetalarts.com.

---

Project Update: Vancouver Metal Arts Hub Study

Please join us at the AGM to hear our takeaways and weigh in on the priorities for a community metal arts hub in Vancouver!

You may already be aware that VMAA has been undertaking a study on the feasibility of creating an inclusive, accessible metal arts hub in the Vancouver region. The study is a project in three phases:

Phase One: Community Engagement

Focus: Demand/needs analysis

Community engagement and analysis of the need for our planned facility, and an assessment of the current conditions and journey (when it comes to space) for metal and jewellery artists in the region.

Phase Two: Operational & Financial Feasibility

Focus: Options for an operational model of our proposed facility

It could be a non-profit artist-run centre, a co-op, a co-location hub or something else.

We have already received feedback from the community on some of the most desirable or hard-to-find aspects of such a hub. Now, we need to look at how

Phase Three: Site and Facility Planning

Focus: Site and space planning

Site identification, drawings, fundraising and preparation.

Thanks to generous support from the City of Vancouver's Cultural Services department, we were able to deliver the first phase of this research: a community needs assessment that sought to affirm VMAA's prior community outreach on issues related to space affordability and suitability.

Over the past few months, the project group has engaged some 30+ metal and jewellery artists of diverse backgrounds and specializations through individual interviews, general outreach and focus groups.

We are keen to report back on some high-level findings to our community, and to give you an exciting update on the future of this project.

With thanks to our project funder: