Hi All,
Let’s use this TALK post to announce your candidacy for our May vote for chair of Ceramics. We should also feel free to ask questions of our candidates and create discussion about the needs of our area when DMS is back open and we are ready to “make” again.
Thanks, Monika
Hi All, I’m bringing this one back up to the top so we can get some conversation around our chair vote.
Thank you, Monika
I will be throwing my hat in the ring for Chair again.
Thanks Beth,
Do you have ideas on how the Ceramics group can assist DMS with increasing membership when we are back open?
Also, do you have any plans to change things in Ceramics and if so what would those changes be?
I feel that we can best help increase membership by having a wide slate of classes. I will do my best to identify people with something to teach and encourage that. This will also help keep Ceramics “balanced”. We should be able to move to our new home once the “shelter in place” has ended, and we’ll get an idea of how much our new resources will support. One flaw in some of other “pushes” for additional membership is that we over-taxed our resources somewhat.
That said, we will have more space, so we should be able to support more potters and more classes. Plus, we have probably lost some members with the temporary shut-down, and we’ll want to rebuild that level. A strong presence during tours; reaching out via the social media platforms; possibly listing more classes on Meetup – these things could bring people into Ceramics.
One issue that I hope to fix is making the Kiln Team a bit more accessible, and increasing the knowledge base of the people who are on the kiln team. I have heard a few rumblings, and I’ve noticed some skill gaps myself.
Hopefully the Electricians will have completed all the electric outlets in your new area once everybody gets back into the building. One exception will be the ventilation system for the kilns as the Expansion Group can not get any building permits for the roof top fan installation, the City offices are closed. May have to keep your 3 kilns in their current location for awhile longer, but the rest of the equipment could be moved.
Thank you Beth for your responses.
@Anette_Henningson you mentioned that you would consider running for chair at our meeting on 4/6. Is this still the case? and if so, would you please answer the above questions as well.
@richmeyer appreciate your updates on the progress of our area. We will need the kilns to be operational before we can move the majority of the department. However, I do think we can work on some of the move while the venting is getting accomplished as soon as DMS is open.
Maybe, my priorities are shifting.
I would like to put my name in the running for Chair of Ceramics. Being at the makerspace, I have learned a lot, specifically in this department, and it has become my favorite area to make art.
(vote for me and there will be fresh homemade scones at every meeting 
)
Thank you April for throwing your hat in the ring 
. Do you have answers to the questions I posed above?
All, given the lack of response to any of the ceramic posts in these crazy times, I believe we should postpone our chair vote until we are back to some “new normal” and we have more of our members participating. Thoughts?
This advise was posted in Discord in response to another chair’s query about whether they should schedule elections via virtual committee meeting:
Since…
• DMS facilities are closed,
• Our facilities are the organization’s raison d’être ,
• Board elections have been postponed,
• There is no April Board meeting scheduled,
• And the intent was for the subsequent Board to approve Chairs …
I would suggest delaying Committee Chair elections until DMS has reopened
Note this is a suggestion…
Delaying sounds fine to me. You might double check with the Board.
Thank you for the information
Thank you for adding me to this post.
Yes please! To getting me added to Team Ceramics! I don’t know how to do it :((
What is ‘Discord’?
The unofficial chat interface at chat.dallasmakerspace.org Runs on Discord, which is sort of like Slack, if that helps…
Ahhh. So it’s another software app thing for community and communication :))
Is it reserved for a certain group of DMS, the Chairs for example? Or open to all members?
This one.