RESULTS OF MEMBER SURVEY –MARCH 2009

RESULTS OF MEMBER SURVEY –MARCH 2009
Please note that totals do not necessarily equate from question to question since not all respondents completed all categories and often responses could not be tallied because directions were not followed.

Who responded:
Locker holder 31
Space holder 18
Other 10 (employee, drop-in, student)
How long at Ruby’s
Less than 1 year 4
1-3 years 12
4-9 years 20
10+ years 19
How often at Ruby’s (often with multiples responses)
Weekdays 43 Often weekly 45
Weekends 30 Occasionally 9
Daytimes 40 Seldom 1
Evenings 25
Involvement in Ruby’s
On a committee 24 Attend monthly meetings 18
Interest in future surveys by e-mail
Yes 27 No 18


1A What is your opinion about the size of Ruby’s present space
Excellent 2
Adequate 23
Too Small 27
Other 2
1B How important is it for Ruby’s to have more space for working in Clay
Urgent 2
Very Important 19
Moderately Imp. 23
Not Important 11
No Opinion 1
1C How important is it to have larger lockers and/or private spaces
Top priority 3
Very Important 17
Moderately Imp. 24
Not Important 11
No Opinion 2
1D How important is it to increase the number of lockers in order to add more members
Top Priority 2
Very Important 9
Moderately Imp. 11
Not Important 30
No Opinion 4

1E How important is it to------ 1F
Increase the number of classes Expand the variety of classes
Top Priority 1 Top Priority 2
Very Important 5 Very Important 13
Moderately Imp 19 Moderately Imp 23
Not Important 28 Not Important 13
No Opinion 5 No Opinion 3
1 G If Ruby’s were to Expand, should the studio
Open and “Annex 17
Mover to a larger location 17
Expand in same location 26
If Ruby’s adds an “annex”, will the impact be—
Positive 10
Negative 23
No Change 15

THE FOLLOWING ARE WEIGHTED RANKINGS OF RESPONSES
(Individuals were asked to rank their responses to these questions. These rankings were given a weight (ie lst rank =5, 2nd rank= 4, etc); these ranks were then totaled for each response and the result is a weighted ranking which can then be compared)
What would you like to see if more space is available?
More space for storage 110
Larger hand building area 82
C lasses for experienced members 75
More private spaces 64
Spray booth 63
Expanded glazing area 60
More lockers 41
Separate glaze mixing area 40
Broader range of classes 39
Meeting room/lounge 37
Area for photography 30
Sculpture area 30
Larger exhibit area 24
Separate area for cone 5 23
Additional kilns 20
Separate area for grinding 12
More sections of classes 5

If Ruby’s decides to purchase a building or rent additional space…….which approaches would be most successful in raising money
Special fund raising events 98
Deposit late fees in fund 55
Deposit small % of annual income 49
Establish gift-giving program 49
Earmark % of income from studio
Events 29
Earmark % of gallery sales 21
Require one-time fee 14
Raise monthly fees 9

Which changes are most important to you?
Improve facilities 143
Create a fund for purchase 131
Purchase present building 115
Increase workshops 69
Improve equipment 65
Rent additional annex 50
Increase manager hours 35
Increase class offerings 31
Buy more equipment 30
Increase space for ceramics 29
Invest in publicity 25
Create web-based network 20
Increase cleaning crew 18
Increase managerial space 9
NOTE: While the tallies of all responses were coded by locker holders, space holders and others, responses were quite evenly spread between all types of respondents; therefore, there seemed no reason to show results by category of respondent.

Nancy Selvin Demonstration at Ruby’s

Nancy Selvin Demonstration at Ruby’s

Color, Surface, Text with Nancy Selvin: an exploration of Underglaze Color and Printing on Ceramic form

Sunday May 3rd, 2009
10:00am – 1:00pm

$30 for Ruby’s members
$35 for non-members
Registration begins April 3rd, 2009.

Dissolving the boundaries between surface and form Nancy Selvin will demonstrate techniques for layering color, image and text onto ceramic surfaces using an easy screen printing process and underglaze applications.A slide presentation will illustrate Ms. Selvin's personal history and the influences that have shaped her approach to clay.

Email passed on by Clark

Artists of all the world are invited to participate in the Convocation for Tiles of Artists III in Argentina.
As Tiles of Artists is identified with the city Paso de los Libres, where the first monument was placed, and due to the success of this event (www.placasdeartistas.com.ar) our intention is to create in this city an itinerary trip tour through ceramics visiting the different spaces where Tiles of Artists will be placed.
We are sending with this message conditions to participate. Please spread to others this invitation.
Thank you and we are exoecting your Artist Tile.


Cristina del Castilloartista plástica
www.cristinadelcastillo.com.ar
www.placasdeartistas.com.ar

Glaze room purge 4/27

Glaze Room Purge: 4/27
Please remove personal items, orphaned projects, and personal glazes from the glaze room shelves and from above the glaze sink by 4/27.

Thank you for helping to keep Ruby's a clean, safe and friendly environment.

Ruby's Clay Studio - 552A Noe Street, SF Ca., 94114 Located between 18th and 19th Streets in the Castro District.
Manager's Phone: 415.558.9819
Manager's Hrs: Mon-Fri 9-1pm, Wed. Eve 5.30-9pm, Sat. 12.30-4.30pm More information at our website: www.rubysclaystudio.org

Ballot correction

Dear members,
Ballots for all first quarter proposals went out to all eligible voters.
Ballots were placed in your mailbox (in the kitchen area) or in your locker if you don't have a mailbox. If you think you are eligible and would like to have your ballot sent to you, please contact a manager during manager's hours. All ballots are due no later than Tues. April 28th 2009.

There was a typo (of course) on one of the proposals. That was in the argument section of proposal 2.09.1 - Amend the Two-Thirds Rule.
Halfway through the argument, after #1 of "the issues", the line reading "It's appropriate to assume that a vote in support....." should read, "It's inappropriate to assume that a vote in support..."
Thanks for noting this correction.

-Andrew

Len's Return

Len is no longer moving to New York -- so he's back!

Open Studios announcement

Gary from Ruby's forwarded the following letter from the head of ArtSpan for the blog:

Subject: Chairman’s Letter: Early Bird Rate Deadline moved to April 30, 2009

March 30, 2009
>
> Dear Fellow Artist,
>
> Recently, we held the Annual ArtSpan Auction at SoMarts Gallery and
> had one of the largest turnouts ever. All the live auction pieces
> sold and 104 other works were purchased at the silent auction. Our
> take- prices were lower and buyers are seeking discounts; however,
> art works are moving! What does this mean for Open Studios, 2009?
> Like the movie industry which has seen a huge jump in audiences, we
> expect larger crowds to visit artist studios so be prepared.
>
> With the deadline for Open Studios Registration approaching, I
> encourage all of you to approach your participation with a business
> plan:
>
> 1. Consider reducing some price points, adding affordably priced art.
> 2. Take out an ad in the Guide. If you cannot afford a full-page ad,
> consider creating a group ad with some of your fellow artists.
> 3. Publish a website or join Facebook and use it to promote your
> participation.
> 4. If you are relatively new to Open Studios, consider joining a
> group site
> 5. Plan on attending our marketing workshop and really focus your 5
> minute presentation to visitors.
>
> Concerned about sales – consider this? You will have the opportunity
> to spend an entire weekend discussing your work with total
> strangers. THIS IS A PRICELESS EXPERIENCE! Even if your art sales
> don’t measure up, think of this year as an investment. When the
> economy improves, those viewers will be buyers!
>
> So what is ArtSpan doing to help? We agree that the $185 registration
> fee is a particularly significant expense in these perilous times so
> we have extended the early bird rate of $170 to April 30th. We wish
> we could lower our fees still further but unless more artists sign up
> we will struggle to keep it even at this level. We have reduced staff
> and are doing all that we can to keep our expenses in check. We have
> increased the number of pages in the guide available for artists’ ads
> and strongly encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity. ,
> I would like to thank all the artists who are so active to
> encouraging other artists to register.
>
> Come October many future buyers will be canvassing the studios,
> looking for their next favorite artist. But first, they need to know
> where to find you. So get your registration fee in ASAP and
> certainly before April 30th. See you all at Open Studios.
>
> Sincerely
>
> John F. Melvin
> Chairman
> ArtSpan