By-Laws of the Photo Venture Camera Club
As amended, Jan. 12, 2012
1. NAME
The name of the organization is the Photo Venture Camera Club. This club is affiliated with the Indianapolis Art Center (IAC) located at 820 E. 67th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46220
2. MISSION STATEMENT
To welcome and support all that have an interest in photography, whether an avocation or vocation.
To stimulate interest and recognize that good subjects and photography are everywhere.
To offer technical assistance, either personally or by forum.
To allow members an opportunity to display their works in competitions or programs.
To schedule programs by club members and others that will improve the photographic skills of members of Photo Venture.
We value the dignity and worth of each individual - acknowledging that artistic expression is an extension of that individual - unique and intensely personal. Photo Venture Camera Club seeks to foster special insights by nurturing our collective sharing and striving while honoring our private journeys in learning to express 'the world as we see it' photographically.
PVCC supports artistic freedom and expression. However, the club will not be a forum for, and will not accept, in meetings, competitions or the club's online gallery, images that are pornographic, obscene (as defined by the US Supreme Court's three prong obscenity test), or include explicit depictions of human genitalia. Depictions of the human body have a long history in artistic and photographic endeavors, and as such nudity per se is not prohibited in club competitions or in the club online gallery.
Education and artistic endeavor thrive in an atmosphere of collegiality, support and acceptance, therefore members of the club are asked to be considerate of the views of other club members when submitting images for review, competitions and the web gallery, and also are asked to be tolerant when considering the images submitted by other club members for those purposes.
3. MEMBERSHIP
Membership is open to individuals that have an interest in photography.
Membership dues, amount, shall be voted upon by the club members in June. All dues shall be effective on July 1 of each year.
All members must pay dues to defray expenses incurred by Photo Venture. All dues are payable on July 1 of each year.
All individuals who regularly attend and participate in meetings must be members of the Photo Venture Camera Club.
All individuals entering any club competition must be members of the Photo Venture Camera Club.
New members shall pay dues for the first full year, upon joining Photo Venture. Their dues for the second year will be payable on July 1, but will be pro-rated, based on the month they joined Photo Venture.
All persons expressing an interest in joining the Photo Venture Camera Club will be provided a copy of these bylaws.
We recognize some spouses and friends of members are interested in photography only by association. Membership is not required of these people.
4. OFFICERS
Terms of the officers for Photo Venture will be one year, beginning with the first meeting in July.
President - Responsible for chairing all meetings, assigning committees, communicating with the IAC as its affiliated organization.
Vice-President - Assist the President with their duties as prescribed above, or as directed by the President. To succeed to the Presidency.
Secretary - Responsible for outgoing communications, which includes "Thanks" to our speakers, maintains a record of the club achievements and history. Will aid the President in notification to members of meeting changes.
Treasurer - Shall keep a record of all expenses and income. Shall work with the President and an ADHOC committee in May of each year to form a budget for the fiscal year. Shall present a treasurers report every even month, with an annual report in June. Maintain a membership roster.
5. COMMITTEES
Permanent committees are: Art Fairs, Competitions, Programs and Membership. Temporary committees shall be established at the discretion of the President.
6. ELECTIONS
A nominating committee shall be established by the President at the last meeting in April. Nominations shall be presented to the club at the first meeting in June. Nominations may be accepted from the floor, with the prior concurrence of the nominee. The election shall be the third meeting in June.
7. MEETINGS
Meetings will be held weekly on Thursday at 7:30 pm, throughout the year, with the following exceptions:
There will be meetings only the first three Thursdays in December, and will not resume until the first Thursday after January 1.
There will be no meeting on a day which is a national holiday.
The IAC must be informed of any changes to the schedule above.
Additional meetings may be scheduled elsewhere, when the IAC is closed.
8. AMENDMENTS
Amendments may be made to these by-laws at any regular or special meeting of the club, by the majority vote of those attending, provided that the proposed changes have been read at the previous meeting.
Dated June 30, 1994: All references to the Indianapolis Art League (IAL) have been changed to the Indianapolis Art Center (IAC).
9. COMPETITIONS
The Photo Venture Camera Club may conduct periodic competitions open to its members, governed by rules set by the officers of the club. The competition committee will oversee competition activities, such as selection of judges, transportation of entries and other necessary tasks.
In the event that a majority of the members of the competition committee conclude that an image submitted for the competition does not meet the competition rules, or is inappropriate based on the guidelines in Section 2 of these bylaws, the image will be returned to the photographer privately, with an explanation of why the entry was rejected from the competition.
10. WEB GALLERY
The Photo Venture Camera Club may host an online photo gallery for members. The sole purpose of the web gallery will be to display the works of club members.
Visitors to the online web gallery will be presented with a statement advising them that because the club promotes artistic freedom and expression, it is possible that they may encounter images that they find objectionable.
Club members may voice concerns to the club web site administrator about web gallery images they believe do not conform to the standards set forth in Section 2 of these bylaws.
The competition committee will be responsible for reviewing image(s) that have been brought to the attention of the club web site administrator by a club member or members who believe the images are inappropriate. The committee may decide to remove the image(s) from the club web gallery, after consulting with the photographer and if a majority of the committee members conclude that the image(s) violate the standards in Section 2 of these bylaws. The decisions of the committee are final.