Members present:
Laura Travis, Robert O. Jones, Steve Durkee, Alan Addison, David Newton, Erminio Pinque, Manny Vales, A. J. Crenca, Norma Anderson

Members absent:
Lucie Searle, Sean Daly, Gerry Heroux, John Kelly, Bob Arellano, Keith Munslow, Jim Pfeiffer, Jay Coogan, Eric Suggs

Staff present:
Bert Crenca, Shawn Wallace, Sheri van Antwerp

(1) Call to Order

(2) Secretary's Business

(3) Financial Committee

(4) Artistic Director and Staff Report

Bert reported that AS220, Trinity Rep, and Cornish Associates are investigating a arrangement whereby Trinity would acquire the bank building at 87 Empire Street for Trinity Conservatory and AS220 would receive the adjoining parking lot, behind our building, for expansion. He also reported that Cornish has approached him about AS220 acting as co-developer of the What Cheer Laundry (Loutttit) Building on Cranston Street as an artists' work/demonstration space similar to the Torpedo Factory model.

(B) Lila Wallace/Reader's Digest

Sheri has distributed a questionnaire to AS220 programming and curatorial staff as part of the process of preparing the grant application, and foundation staff have met with AS220 staff as part of an assessment of needs, programming, and administration. Foundation staff have expressed their strongly favorable impression of the professionalism and committment of the AS220 staff their focus on the mission and status of the organization rather than personal issues. As reported earlier the grant application is due May 15.

(C) Fools Ball

As reported above, the Fools Ball has brought in $21-22,000 with some payments outstanding. About 180 attended the banquet at Big Nazo studios, and 350 the bash at 95-121 Empire Street.

(D) AS220 Ventures

Our first recording stars, the Smoking Jackets, are performing at a festival in New Orleans.

(E) CDBG

At a hearing on our grant request for CDBG funds, three council members who had attended our February reception spoke very favorably about AS220 and supported our proposal.

(F) Controls

Despite considerable improvements in tracking Cafe operations and finances, Bert spoke to the need for a more regularized system.

(G) Board Retreat

Laura reported that at a meeting on April 10 of staff and board members Travis, Kelly, and Jones, later joined by Manny Vales, it was decided to postpone the board retreat scheduled for April 18 until September. Steve Durkee expressed the opinion that that was too far in the future and questioned the reason for the delay. Laura responded that, in addition to the fact that some people could not attend on April 18, the committee had determined that the board was not sufficiently prepared and that the expense of the retreat was unwarranted without a clear sense of goals and purposes for the retreat. Bert noted that while the staff could present some orientation sessions (as it were) as preparation for the retreat, board members also had to take more responsibility and initiative in their roles as board members. Several members stated that there would always be some reason(s) why it was inopportune to have the retreat, and we should simply schedule a date and DO IT. After discussion it was agreed to schedule the board retreat for September 19, to allow time for "retreat orientation" at intervening board meetings and for everyone to plan their schedules so there would be no excuses for not attending. Several members requested that "questions" be presented before each meeting to serve as topics for the "orientation" sessions. It was proposed that we start with:

What is the mission of AS220?
How does that figure in the direction and future growth of the organization?

(5) Adjournment

VOTED to adjourn the meeting.

Recorded and submitted by

Robert Owen Jones
Secretary

AS220 board of Directors Meeting 1998/04/14 page 3