WATERVILLE AREA ART SOCIETY CONSTITUTION
The name of this organization shall be the Waterville Area Art Society.
The goals of the Waterville Area Art Society shall be:
a. to stimulate and promote the appreciation and creation of art through exhibitions, art-related programs, workshops, and a newsletter.
b. to act as a non-profit corporation with none of the net income benefiting individual members.
c. to help new artists who wish to enter the art world by providing guidance, information, and encouragement.
Section 1: Regular Membership
Anyone who is interested in art may become a regular member upon the payment of annual dues. The amount will be set by the Society and be due January 1.
Section 2: Student Membership
Participating artists, eighteen years of age or less, may become student members upon the payment of annual dues set for student membership. These will be due January 1.
Section 3: Honorary Membership
Honorary members may be proposed by any member, but must be approved by the board. They may be elected by the affirmative vote of three-fourths (3/4) of the members present at any regular meeting of the Society, provided that the name of said person has been proposed at a previous meeting. Honorary members shall be exempt from dues. They shall receive the newsletter but will not have voting rights.
Section 1: Officers
The officers of the Waterville Area Art Society shall consist of a President, Program Director and Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. These shall be elected at the annual meeting for a term of one year, beginning at the close of the annual meeting in December.
Section 2: Committees
The President shall appoint the following committees:
a. Maine Open Juried Art Show Committee (4 members)
Two members shall be appointed each year to a term of two years to serve with the two remaining from the previous year to provide continuity. The President shall appoint as chairperson, one of the two who served the previous year.
b. Nominating Committee (3 members)
These shall be appointed at least one month prior to the annual meeting in December for the purpose of submitting a slate of officers and directors for the ensuing year.
c. Scholarship Fund Committee (3 members)
These shall be appointed by the President to administer the scholarship program. They shall be appointed to terms of one, two, and three years. The person presently handling the scholarship fund shall be the chairperson. Each year thereafter, the President shall appoint a person to fill the space vacated when a term runs out. Future chairpersons will be the one on the committee who has served the longest, to provide continuity to the program.
d. Newsletter Committee (2 members)
These shall be appointed by the President for a staggered term of two years, with one person acting as chairperson.
Section 3: Board of Directors & Finance Committee
These boards are one and the same. They shall consist of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, the immediate Past President and two members at large, who shall be elected at the annual meeting for a term of one year. The President shall serve as chairperson.
Section 1
The Waterville Area Art Society shall hold one regular meeting per month from September through June.
Section 2
Special meetings may be called by the President or the Board of Directors at any time, or a special meeting may be called by a petition of 20 members of the Society.
Section 3
A quorum shall consist of fifteen members and is required at any meeting for a vote to be legal.
Section 4
The annual meeting shall be the December meeting.
This Constitution may be amended at any meeting by two-thirds (2/3) vote of those present and voting, provided that the proposed amendment has been presented to the members in writing or at a regular or special meeting of the Society at least one month in advance of the meeting at which the vote is taken.
Section 1: President
I. The duties of the President shall be
a. To preside at all meetings of the Society and Board of Directors.
b. To appoint the Nominating Committee, Maine Open Juried Art Show Committee, Scholarship Fund Committee, Newsletter Committee and, in consultation with the Board, appoint any other committees as needed.
c. To call special meetings of the Society or the Board as the need arises.
d. to be responsible to see that the newsletter is published each month.
e. to maintain an accurate and up-to-date list of the entire membership and their addresses as provided by the Treasurer.
II. The President shall have the right to serve on all committees in an advisory capacity.
III. A person must have been an active member of WAAS for at least two years before being elected President.
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Section 2: Vice President and Program Chairperson
In the absence of the President or upon his/her resignation or death, the Vice President shall perform all duties of the President with the same authority. In the absence of the Vice President, the Board of Directors shall a appoint a temporary chairperson who shall perform the duties of the President until the term expires.
The Vice President shall also be responsible for arranging all programs for the benefit of the Society. He/she may engage the services of desirable critics, teachers, lecturers or able instructors to discuss all schools of thought about art, give demonstrations in all media, and in general, make the meetings highly interesting, beneficial, and instructive. An amount to be spent for programs for the entire year shall be set by the Society, but the Program Director may spend this amount at his/her discretion as long as the budgeted amount is not exceeded. No additional money shall be expended without consent of the Society membership.
Section 3: Secretary
The Secretary shall have custody of all records and papers relating to the business of the Society, except the Treasurer’s books and the President’s file box. He/she shall record the proceedings and votes of all regular and special meetings of the Society and of any meeting of the Board of Directors. He/she shall be responsible for all out-going letters for the Society. He/she shall be responsible for collecting and filing all news items for the Society.
Section 4: Treasurer
The Treasurer shall take charge of general funds of the Society, collect all dues, and make all disbursements authorized by the President and/or the Board. The Treasurer, with the President, shall sign all contracts on behalf of the Society. He/she shall render a statement of income and expenses at each meeting and a complete financial statement for the year at the end of the fiscal year. He/she shall keep accounts in books belonging to the Society, which are to be open at all times to the inspection of any member of the Board of Directors. He/she shall close the books after the December meeting, and not make any transactions until the books have been audited by the Finance Committee or by an auditor chosen by them. The Treasurer shall maintain an accurate and up-to-date list of the entire membership and their addresses and give to the President names of new members as they join. In case it is determined by vote of the Board of Directors that the Treasurer is for any reason unable to discharge or fails to perform his duties, a member of the Board of Directors shall be appointed, by vote of the Board, to act as Assistant Treasurer during the term of the Treasurer’s incapacity.
Section 5: Board of Directors
The Board of Directors shall serve as the Finance Committee for the Society. In this capacity, the Board shall consider ways and means for raising funds for the Society when needed. They shall authorize the Treasurer to pay bills incurred by the Society. They shall audit the accounts of the Treasurer at the end of the fiscal year or appoint a competent auditor to act in their place. The duties of this Board shall be to actively promote the organization, its welfare and success, by all possible means. It will be the responsibility of this Board to see that the duties of all of its officers are properly performed, to make recommendations to the President, to decide upon all major financial matters, to inspect and approve the books of the Treasurer and the Secretary, to decide upon the social and business policies and procedures of the Society and, in general, to direct its management. Four (4) members of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum and a quorum is required at any meeting for a vote to be legal. The Board shall meet when necessary at the discretion of the President or the members of the Board, but any four (4) officers may jointly call a special meeting of the Board as necessity may require.
Section 1: Maine Open Juried Art Show Committee
This committee has all responsibility for anything pertaining to running the show. They shall have the authority to set up any sub-committees they deem necessary and to involve other members to help with the work. They shall maintain an account separate from the general fund account maintained by the Treasurer. Profits from the show shall be expended according to the vote of the entire Society with 20% to go to the scholarship fund and the balance to be left in the Juried Show account for the next year’s show expenses.
Section 2: Scholarship Fund Committee
This committee has all responsibility for anything pertaining to the scholarship program. They shall have the authority to set up any sub-committees they deem necessary and to involve other members in carrying out this program. They shall maintain an account separate from the general fund account maintained by the Treasurer. This committee shall set up criteria for awarding scholarships, which must first be approved by the entire Society before being put into practice.
Section 3: Newsletter Committee
This committee will be responsible for publishing and mailing the monthly newsletter. It will be the responsibility of each officer of the Society and each committee chairperson to provide all pertinent information to the newsletter chairperson in a timely manner. The newsletter shall be mailed at least 8 to 10 days before the next monthly meeting of the Society. Expenses for publishing the newsletter shall be submitted to the Treasurer.
Section 1
There shall be members-only exhibitions held each year.
Section 2
There shall be an exhibition chairperson appointed by the President for each exhibit as needed. It shall be the duty of this person to choose necessary committees to plan the exhibit, hang the show, and see that the art is taken down and collected at the end of the exhibition. This chairperson shall arrange for judges and prizes if so voted by the Society as a whole.
The fiscal year for the Waterville Area Art Society shall be from January 1 to December 31. The Treasurer shall close the books after the December meeting and have the books audited in accordance with the Finance Committee’s direction, and prepare a financial report for the entire fiscal year. This annual financial report shall be presented to the membership in the January newsletter. No transactions should be entered into the books or no checks written until January 1, when the new fiscal year begins.
These By-laws may be amended by a majority vote of those present andvoting at any regular meeting of the Society, provided that the proposed amendment has been presented at a previous meeting or by written announcement sent to each member at least one month in advance. The articles and regulations adopted in the Constitution and in these By-laws shall be construed as setting aside and making null and void all previous acts, rules and regulations governing the Waterville Area Art Society.
Adopted on ________________________________
President ________________________________
Vice President ________________________________
Secretary ________________________________
Treasurer ________________________________