BIG HORN COUNTY ARTS GUILD

Big Horn County Arts Guild CONSTITUTION

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ARTICLE I: The name of the organization shall be the Big Horn County Arts Guild, hereinafter called “BHCAG”. The Big Horn County Arts Guild will have a permanent home base location in Greybull, WY.

ARTICLE II: The aims of BHCAG shall be to broaden and deepen the creative art experience of the people of Big Horn County Wyoming and for educational purposes under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code.

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ARTICLE III: Any person in Wyoming 16 years of age and older who is in accord with the aims of this organization shall be eligible for Active Membership. Non-residents of any age, and Wyoming residents 15 and under may become Associate Members.

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ARTICLE IV: The Officers of this Guild shall be the President, Vice-President/Secretary, Treasurer and Member at Large. Every year at the Annual Business Meeting held during the Greybull Days of ’49 Celebration weekend, a Vice-President/Secretary for the coming year will be elected from a nominee or nominees selected by the Executive Committee. Nominations may also be called for from the floor.

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CLAUSE A: There will be a two year term for open board positions or until ready      to be voted on again.

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ARTICLE V: The Executive Committee shall consist of the Officers of the Big Horn County Arts Guild.

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ARTICLE VI: The President Elect shall announce the time and place of the next Annual Business Meeting at the current Business Meeting. The President and Executive Committee may call special meetings if deemed necessary. These meetings will be referred to as Officers’ Meetings. A quorum must be established. The annual meeting will be held on the Tuesday a week before Days of ’49. Dues will be due at the annual meeting.

 

ARTICLE VII: Proposed amendments to the Constitution must be presented to the membership via the letter or email or other means prior to a final vote at the Annual Business Meeting. They must be passed by a majority vote of the Active Members present. A quorum must be met to make the proceedings of that meeting official. The quorum must be made up of dues paying members. At least three officers must be present for the quorum to be formed.

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ARTICLE VIII: Upon the dissolution of this organization, assets shall be distributed equally amongst current and registered members in the year of dissolution, or distributed to a state art organization to be decided on by current guild members at time of dissolution.

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Big Horn County Arts Guild BY-LAWS

ARTICLE I - MEMBERSHIP

Section A: Membership shall be in effect the first full week of September to the following year’s first full week of September.

Section B: Classes of membership shall be as follows: Active members shall be members in good standing, residents of Wyoming 16 years of age and older. Active members may be officers (over age 21). Associate Members shall be non-residents of any age and Wyoming residents 15 years and under. They may not hold office, serve on committees, and vote at business meetings. They may exhibit in BHCAG events. They may join in all other activities. 

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ARTICLE II- DUES:

Section A: All dues shall be $25.00 a year and shall be payable on the first week of September each year for Wyoming residents. All dues shall be $35.00 a year and shall be payable on the first week of September each year for out of state members.

Section B: A $15.00 membership fee shall be charged to Associate Members under the age of 15 for Wyoming residents and non residents.

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ARTICLE III- EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:

Section A: The Executive Committee shall be the governing body of the BHCAG and shall determine all routine procedural matters. Policy decisions shall be subject to the approval of the Active Membership at the Annual Business Meeting.

Section B: An Executive Committee Meeting shall be called by the President as necessary, with a minimum of one meeting a year or as often as needed.

 Section C : The Executive Committee shall see that no more money is spent for the running of the BHCAG during their term than is reasonable and available and is to reserve money for use throughout the year for a minimum of two events. The two events being The Winter Arts Gala and The Days of '49 Arts Festival. The BHCAG wants to put as much focus on the two yearly events and perfect them. As the BHCAG grows, more events can be added to the yearly schedule.

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ARTICLE IV - OFFICERS:

Section A: The Officers of the BHCAG shall be President, Vice-President/Secretary, Treasurer, Member at Large, and Historian, or other positions as needed. Officers shall be active members 21 years or over and residents of Big Horn County Wyoming.

Section B: Every two years or upon necessity, during the annual business meeting, a vote for officer positions will be held.

Section C: The Executive Committee shall seek nominations for the new President, Vice-President/Secretary, Treasurer, and Member at Large, or other portions as needed, prior to the Annual Business Meeting and present this slate of nominations at the Annual Business Meeting. Nominations for these offices may also be made from the floor at the Annual Business Meeting. Each office may be elected by simple vote of Aye or Nay or by ballot if there is more than one nominee.

Section D: Should a vacancy occur in any office for whatever reason, it may be filled by appointment by the President for the remainder of the term. In this situation either the Executive Committee shall elect a slate of candidate(s) for the vacant office to be voted on by the Active Membership at the next Annual Business Meeting. Nominations may also be made from the floor.

Section E: Duties of Officers:

PRESIDENT: The President shall attend to all the executive affairs of the BHCAG, plan the all details of the Annual Business Meeting held during his or her term of office either directly or by appointed committee(s),write up a minimum of two newsletters to the membership, call a minimum of one or any other necessary meetings of the Executive Committee, and appoint such further committees as deemed necessary for the efficient operation of the BHCAG. The President shall appoint a new officer for any office that becomes vacant for any reason during his or her term. In the case of any discrepancies in the books of the BHCAG, the President may acquire an auditor to audit the books of the BHCAG. The President may appoint a Historian if this office is deemed desirable. The President shall update the President’s File at the end of his or her term in office and present a complete set of records of his or her term to the President Elect. It shall be his or her responsibility to include copies of correspondence in the President’s File. Copies should also be provided to the Historian, when applicable.

TREASURER: The Treasurer shall collect dues, receive and have charge of all monies of the BHCAG, issue membership cards, and pay such bills as are approved by the Executive Committee or by the Annual Business Meeting. After annual dues are paid the Treasurer shall update the Member Roster to include Members in Good Standing and provide a timely copy of the Member Roster to the President. The Treasurer shall keep and provide to the Executive Committee a Financial Statement of the BHCAG finances, and a record of the statistics of quarterly events. The Treasurer shall present his or her own financial statement at the Annual Business Meeting.

VICE-PRESIDENT: The Vice President shall perform the duties of the President in case of his or her death, absence, resignation or incapacity. The Vice President shall stand ready to aid the President in any of his or her duties.

SECRETARY: The Secretary shall keep a record of the meetings of the BHCAG and of the Officer’s Meetings, and provide copies thereof to the other Officers in a timely manner. The Secretary shall be available to prepare any correspondence the President or Executive Committee may require.

MEMBER AT LARGE: The Member at Large will fill in for any position when needed or fill in for officers who cannot be present for any reason. The Member at Large shall maintain officer/member communication, communicating with the public and with the media.

HISTORIAN: A Historian may be appointed at the option of the President. The Historian shall preserve the records of the BHCAG in a complete and orderly manner.

 

ARTICLE V - MEETINGS:

Section A: At least one Officer’s Meeting shall be called annually. Meetings can be called quarterly, or as often as needed.

Section B: The President will preside at the Annual Business Meeting, and will establish the Order of Business.

BUSINESS MEETING: The Annual Business Meeting is held in September after the conclusion of the two annual events held by the BHCAG. 

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ARTICLE VI - EXHIBITS:

Section A: The BHCAG shall hold at least one Annual Exhibition of Artwork by its Active Members. All Active Members shall have an opportunity to exhibit. Additional shows and traveling shows may be planned by the membership at Annual Meetings or by the Executive Committee. 

Section B: The time and place of the Annual Exhibit are to be determined by the President, Vice President/Secretary, Treasurer, Member at Large and any other members of the executive committee with the general expectation that the exhibit will be held at the same time each year.

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ARTICLE VII - AWARDS:

The BHCAG itself may make monetary(cash) gifts, prizes, or awards. Ribbon awards for the art show(s) are permissible. The practice of awarding gifts, prizes, or any other awards or gift certificates and promotional donations from donors or supporters is permissible when the President, Vice President/Secretary, Treasurer and Member at Large deem the circumstances warrant them.

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ARTICLE VIII: A Quorum for Executive Committee Meetings shall be a majority of the members of the Committee.

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ARTICLE IX: Proposed amendments to the By-Laws shall be in writing and filed with the Executive Committee at or prior to the Annual Business Meeting, and notice of said proposed amendments shall be presented to the members either via newsletter, email or at the Annual Meeting. The proposed amendments may be adopted by a majority vote of the Active Membership present at the Annual Business Meeting. 

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ARTICLE X - ARTISTS CODE OF ETHICS AND BEST PRACTICES: Because of the broad range of artists’ approaches and practices, a universal code of ethical conduct for artists, while potentially useful, is problematic. While art may support or affirm conventional behaviors and community standards, artists highly value their ability to challenge, criticize, and transgress those standards. Key elements in the professional codes for many disciplines include honesty, integrity in business dealings, civility, obeying laws and regulations, disclosure of conflicts of interest, truth in labeling, individual accountability for professional acts (“do no harm”), and the articulation and communication of personal and professional judgments. While applicable in many contexts, these elements potentially limit legitimate artistic expression and therefore should not be enshrined in a universally applicable, CAA-sanctioned Artist Code of Ethics.

Nevertheless, the professional and academic communities expect artists to honor contracts into which they voluntarily enter, to be aware of the time-specific expectations and deadlines, and to understand the financial terms and other stated expectations. The work that artists produce for the marketplace should be the distinctive result of their own creative efforts, even though other collaborators may have contributed to the physical production of the work. Artists must be mindful of, and disclose to their viewers, any physical danger associated with a work. Artists must be ethically free to ignore limits established by legal authorities but should not expect immunity from sanctions resulting from their choices. Artists must be responsible and accountable for their actions as they pursue their efforts to create manifestations of their humanity. 

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END OF BY-LAWS