After paying your membership dues here via Square, you will be directed to complete a membership form with your contact info. New members may join at any time. Current members should renew by September each year in order to avoid $10 late fee.
Constitution and ByLaws for the Goose Creek Artists Guild
Constitution Article I: Name The name of this organization shall be the Goose Creek Artists Guild, hereinafter referred to as the Guild.
Article II: Purpose The purpose of the organization is to bring together a group of artists interested in self-improvement, public recognition, and the promotion of art in the community.
Article III: Objectives The objectives of the Goose Creek Artists Guild are to provide: 1. Ongoing instruction and demonstrations by guest artists 2. Exhibition opportunities 3. Possibilities for interaction between artists 4. Publicity for the guild and the members' artistic endeavors 5. Instruction and support to the community at large
Article IV: Membership A. Associate Members: Membership is open to age 18 years and up. Associate members shall be those interested in promoting the objectives and purposes of the Guild. A new member may aspire to become an exhibiting member.
B. Exhibiting Members: Exhibiting Members demonstrate their commitment to the Purpose and Objectives of the Guild and desire to present their work before the public. They must be approved by the Executive Board. Dues must be paid in full.
To become an exhibiting member, one must attend two (2) meetings prior to submitting three (3) original paintings completed within the previous two (2) years to the Executive Board for review. The applicant shall request a review by the Executive Board at a convenient time, after attending two (2) meetings. The results of the review will be mailed to the Guild member.
Exhibiting members with dues paid in full shall be required to attend at least two (2) meetings within one (1) year (12 calendar months) prior to the month of the juried show sponsored by the Guild, unless there are unforeseen extenuating circumstances that prevent the attendance criteria. A member can present, in writing, the reason for which an exception is requested; this request shall be reviewed and accepted by the board. Dues must be paid prior to the two (2) meetings.
C. Active members: Those who have paid their annual membership dues. D. Visitors: After attending two (2) Guild meetings, a visiting guest is encouraged to join the guild as an Associate Member on their third visit by paying member
Article V: Dues and Finance The fiscal year shall run from September 1 through August 31, with monthly meetings September through May.
Membership dues will be determined by majority vote of the Executive Board annually in August. There shall be a $10 late fee added to those dues paid after October 31. New members who join, at any time, will pay dues at the basic rate.
Any member who has not paid dues by the November meeting shall be dropped from the Guild roster without further notice.
Membership may be retained in the Guild after a change of residence from the area by continued remittance of yearly dues.
Article VI: Rules of Order A. Roberts' Rules of Order, latest edition, shall be the authority governing the meeting of the Guild, of the Executive Board, and of all committees (if necessary). B. The constitution and by-laws of the Guild may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of a quorum of the members in good standing present at any meeting, provided all members are notified thirty (30) days prior to the meeting. C. A quorum will consist of all active members present to conduct official business.
BY-LAWS Article I: Officers and their Duties Officers shall consist of a President, Vice-President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, and Treasurer. Those officers shall be elected or re-elected at the annual meeting in May and take office immediately. There is no term limit for all officers. A. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Guild and the Executive Board and shall be ex-officio member of all committees. B. The Vice President shall secure demonstration artists for each monthly meting, except for December and May. The Vice President shall preside at all meetings in absence of the President. C. The Recording Secretary shall keep the minutes of the meetings of the Guild and the Executive Board and shall perform such other duties as may be incident to the office, including maintaining monthly meeting sign-in sheets, a current membership roster, and assisting with emailed notices. The Recording Secretary shall preside at meetings in the absence of the President and Vice President. D. The Corresponding Secretary shall be responsible for Guild correspondence to acknowledge birthdays, thank you notes, sympathy, and assist with emailed notices on behalf of the Guild. The Corresponding Secretary shall preside in the absence of the President, Vice President, and the Recording Secretary. E. The Treasurer shall collect and receive monies due, present fiscal statements at the annual meeting, pay all accounts owed by the Guild, and record members in good standing upon payment of dues. The Treasurer shall preside in the absence of the President, Vice-President, Recording Secretary, and Corresponding Secretary.
Article II: Executive Board The Executive Board consists of the current officers, the retiring President (ex-officio), a Member-At-Large and up to three (3) committee chairpersons if such positions are filled. The Executive Board shall serve as Admissions Board, always with an odd number of members, and never fewer than three (3). It shall establish a yearly budget and program calendar and audit the books at end of the Treasurer's term. Vacancies during the year shall be filled by the Executive Board.
Article III: Election of Officers Each March, a nominating committee of three (3) members shall be selected. The committee shall nominate one (1) candidate for each office to be filled. The chairperson of the committee will present the nominations at the April meeting. Acceptance of all candidates must be obtained before presentation. Election of officers shall take place at the meeting in May. A majority vote of a quorum of members in good standing shall constitute an election. Article IV: Meetings The membership of the Guild shall meet monthly, September through May, at the designated time and location. Special meetings may be called by the President. Informal business meetings and workshops may be held during the summer months if a venue is available. At each monthly meeting a specified time shall be allowed for demonstrations or lectures. Article V: Committees The President may appoint members to head the following committees: Exhibition, Host, Member-At-Large, Parliamentarian, Publicity, Scholarship, and Workshop. A. Exhibition: shall secure venues, supervise, and complete the presentation of each exhibition or display sponsored by the Guild while adhering strictly to the Constitution and By-Laws. B. Host: shall oversee refreshments and supplies for meetings / receptions. C. Member-At-Large: shall be a person having the right to full participation in the Executive Board's proceedings, to make motions, speak in debate, and vote. D. Parliamentarian: shall referred on all points of order in the conduct of meetings. E. Publicity: shall be responsible for bringing the activities of the Guild to the attention of the public through the web, print, and social media as approved by the President. F. Scholarship: shall make arrangements to recognize exceptional Goose Creek High and Stratford High School art students / teachers with monetary awards based on funds allocated from the annually approved budget. G. Workshop: shall arrange for all fee-based workshops / classes proposed by instructors.
Article VI: Judged Exhibitions Works submitted for a Judged Exhibition must be entirely the original work of the artists, completed during the previous twenty-four (24) months, and not previously shown in any Goose Creek Artists Guild Judged Exhibition.
The Chairperson of the Exhibition Committee shall refer to the Executive Board any questions arising about the acceptability of a painting or other work of art to be shown. No work submitted by an exhibiting member can be eliminated from a show unless at least three-fourths (3/4) of the members of the Executive Board decide that the withdrawal is necessary for specific and valid reasons.
Submissions must be originally conceived with the artist's own references and painted/drawn only by the artist. Work may not be produced in a class or under any supervision. Copies or likenesses of another artist's work including published sources, magazines, newspapers, copyright-free photo references, even if given permission to the artist, are not allowed.
The six (6) categories of fine art mediums are: Watercolor, Oil, Acrylic, Pastel, Drawing, and Mixed/ Other Media which includes alcohol ink or a combination of two (2) or more fine art mediums.
Article VII: Dissolution Upon dissolution of the Guild the officers shall, after paying or making provision for the payment of liabilities, dispose of all assets exclusively for the purposes of the guild. Disposition of assets shall be made to organizations operated exclusively for charitable, educational, religious, or scientific purposes and who qualify as an exempt organization under Section 501-C (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue regulation). The distribution of assets shall be determined by the Executive Board. Any such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by the Court of Common Pleas of the county, in which the principal activities of the Guild are then taking place, and exclusively for such purposes or to such organizations as said court shall define.