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Weavers' Guild of St. Louis By-Laws

Revised 03/09/05

BY-LAW I - NAME

This association shall be called "The Weavers' Guild of St. Louis, Missouri", hereafter referred to as "WGSL" or "the Guild".

BY-LAW II - PURPOSE

The purpose of this association shall be to stimulate interest and education in the fiber arts, particularly weaving and spinning, to encourage members to achieve the highest standard of excellence, to promote exhibitions, and to help and encourage all fiber artists.

BY-LAW III - MEMBERSHIP

Section 1.

Membership in this association shall be associate, active, and honorary.

Section 2.

Associate members shall be those who are interested in the art and craft of weaving and other fiber arts and who wish to promote the Guild. A person may become an associate member upon payment of dues. Dues must be paid by the close of the visitor's third meeting.

Secion 3.

Active membership can be achieved by and maintained by associate members who have had an acceptable piece of fiber art of their own making approved by the guild jury at its regular meeting or for the guild sale within the past three years. Any piece of handmade fiber art of good craftsmanship, design, color, and suitability to purpose in appropriate.

Section 4.

Honorary membership shall be considered by the Executive committee for anyone who has been a member of long standing and/or has given notable service to the Guild.

BY-LAW IV - OFFICERS

Section 1.

The elected officers of the association shall be President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer. They shall be active members. Term shall start at the close of May and shall be limited to two years. These officers shall constitute the Executive Committee of the WGSL.

Section 2.

The President shall preside at all meetings of the WGSL. The President shall be a member, ex-officio, of all committees, shall appoint the chairs of all committees, and shall maintain the non-profit status of the WGSL, as required by the State of Missouri. The immediate Past-President shall be chair of the nominating committee.

Section 3.

The Vice-President shall act for the President in case of absence or inability to serve and shall assist the President in conducting guild business.

Section 4.

The Secretary shall record the proceedings of all WGSL meetings, handle all correspondence, and provide printed copies of minutes of previous WGSL meetings, Board meetings, and Executive Committee meetings at each WGSL meeting.

Section 5.

The Guild Treasurer shall receive income, reimburse guild members as needed for guild expenses, and keep an account of all money received and expended. The treasurer will provide an annual report to the guild in December and will cooperate with the Sale Treasurer to comply with federal and state tax requirements.

Section 6.

Candidates for officers will be presented at the March meeting in alternate years by a member of the nominating committee. Election of officers will be held at the April meeting.

Section 7.

When an elected officer is unable to complete his or her term of office, a replacement officer will be appointed by the Executive Committee to serve the remainder of the term.

BY-LAW V - DUES

Section 1.

There shall be an annual membership fee (dues) for the period June 1 through May 31 of each year (fiscal year). Dues are payable by all associate and active members.

Section 2.

The membership fee is due at the April meeting of each year and shall become delinquent on June 30. The treasurer shall forward the name of any member whose dues are delinquent to the President and that member's name will not appear in the yearbook. In addition, any member whose dues are delinquent shall lose all other rights and privileges of membership, including participation in the guild sale, until dues are paid in full (not pro-rated). New members joining the Guild after January 1 shall pay one half of the annual dues.

Section 3.

Changes in the membership fee (dues) shall be determined by a majority vote of the members attending a guild meeting after publication in the guild newsletter and announcement at a previous guild meeting.

BY-LAW VI - MEETINGS

Section 1.

Meetings shall be held the fourth Tuesday of the month from August through May, or at the call of the President, with the following exceptions:
1) There will be no meeting in November if necessary to avoid conflict with the guild sale or holidays.
2) In December the meeting shall be the second or third Tuesday.
3) In May, the meeting date will be determined by the availability of a location for the guild picnic.

Section 2.

Announcements and reports by committee chairs will be published in the WGSL newsletter and presented at WGSL meetings as time permits.

BY-LAW VII - COMMITTEES

Section 1.

An Executive Committee composed of the elected officers shall attend to all business between the regular meetings of the WGSL, and the Board of Directors. The Secretary shall provide printed copies of the minutes of the Executive Committee meetings to the WGSL.

Section 2.

There shall be a committee known as the Board of Directors composed of the officers plus the chairs of standing committees. The Board of Directors will meet annually to discuss WGSL policies and procedures. The Secretary shall provide printed copies of the minutes of the Board meeting to the WGSL. Committee chairs will submit proposed budgets for each fiscal year for approval at the annual meeting of the Board of Directors.

Section 3.

There shall be a committee that serves as the Guild Jury. It shall be composed of at least five active members including the President. Two jurors shall be selected each year to serve two years. The jury shall meet at least twice each year, and as needed to jury proposed items for the annual guild sale. The textiles shall be judged on design and color, texture, technique and finish; other types of items will be judged by criteria appropriate to the medium. The jury chair shall appoint an active member to take the place of any juror who in unavoidably absent. Merit Certificates will be awarded for outstanding items. At least three jurors must approve all juried items. A member shall be limited to two pieces per jury meeting, except in the case of items submitted for sale approval.

Section 4.

There shall be an Exhibit Committee composed of at least two guild members. The Exhibit Committee shall promote and arrange for exhibitions by active members of the WGSL. All fiber art exhibited under the auspices of the guild must first be approved by the guild jury.

Section 5.

There shall be a Membership Committee composed of at least two guild members. The chair will collect the names, contact information and interests of members. At meetings the committee members will be responsible for introducing new and prospective members to those present. The chair shall be responsible for giving new members information concerning the WGSL. The Membership Committee chair will forward dues collected to the Treasurer and distribute member information to other committee chairs and officers as needed.

Section 6.

There shall be a permanent address chairman, whose home address shall serve at the Guild's mailng address.

Section 7.

There shall be a Guild Sale Committee composed of at least five guild members, including the committee chair. The guild sale committee will coordinate the planning and administration of the annual guild sale and management and distribution of the funds generated by the sale. In cooperation with the Guild Jury Committee, the guld sale committee will establish rules and quality guidelines for participation in the guild sale and publish and revise them as necessary. One member will be designated the Sale Treasurer, who will be in charge of managing the sale accounts, disbursing any net income to the Scholarship Committee to be used for scholarships and support of scholarly projects. The Sale Treasurer will provide an accounting to the guild at the end of each fiscal year and will cooperate with the Guild Treasurer to comply with federal and state tax requirements

Section 8.

There shall be a Scholarship Committee composed of at least five guild members, including the committee chair. Two committee members shall be selected each year to serve two years. The scholarship committee will provide financial support for education in the fiber arts, establish scholarship criteria and application procedures, review submitted applications, and award scholarships to the selected scholars. They will also ensure that the scholars who accept scholarships present the information they have gained in a program or workshop for the guild membership.

Section 9.

There shall be a Library Committee composed of at least three guild members, including the committee chair. The committee will maintain a library catalog, propose and purchase new acquisitions, keep track of borrowed library materials, and arrange housing for the library.

Section 10.

There shall be a Program and Workshop Committee composed of at least three guild members, including the committee chair. The committee will plan programs for guild meetings and arrange for at least two workshops per fiscal year.

Section 11.

There shall be a Nominating Committee composed of at least three guild members, including the past WGSL president who will chair the committee.

Section 12.

There shall be a Study Group Committee consisting of a coordinator and the contact people for each active WGSL study group. The coordinator will announce future meeting dates and times of study groups at each WGSL meeting. The committee will consider proposals for new study groups as needed.

Section 13.

There shall be a Demonstrations Committee composed of at least three guild members. The chair of the committee will present opportunities for guild members to demonstrate their crafts to the public at meeting of the guild and arrange for volunteers for such activities.

Section 14.

There shall be a Newsletter Committee composed of at least two guild members. The chair of the committee will be responsible for publishing the guild newsletter at regular intervals. The committee will support the chair by reporting news items of interest and providing other assistance as needed.

Section 15.

There shall be a Hospitality Committee composed of at least two guild members. The chair of the committee will be responsible for arranging for refreshments and supplies for guild meetings and the annual picnic.

Section 16.

The President shall appoint other committees and committee chairs as needed.

BY-LAW VIII - AMENDMENTS

These By-Laws may be amended at any regular or called meeting of the association by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members present, a notice having been sent to each member at least one (1) week before the meeting.