News from the Founding Meeting

Dear Artists,


Last Thursday we held the founding meeting of our association. The board was elected, the association’s rules approved and the membership fee agreed on. We also decided next year’s group exhibition’s theme. In addition we discussed next year’s action plan and decided to hold a designing competition to find a logo and look for the HIAA.


The Competition

HIAA needs a logo and look that will express our nature as an international artists’ association. Now you all have a chance to put your creative brains to work and make a design that will speak for itself!

We’re looking for a logo and a total visual image, including colours, fonts, styles etc. to be used in our website and printed materials. The competition is open to all and the winner will be selected by general vote. More information about the competition will be sent to you soon.

The Board

The first board of HIAA includes the following members:
Susan Wilander, chairperson
Canal Jägerroos, deputy chairperson
Sini Anttila-Rodriguez, secretary
Tea Jarma-Vartiainen, treasurer/membership secretary
Hong Liu, webmaster/IT secretary
Elise Gegauff, deputy member of the board

The Membership Fee

The membership fee for the year 2008 is 25 euros. This will be due after we’ll get the association registered and can open a bank account. I’ll inform you all later on about this.

2008 Activities

Next year’s action plan has three main points:
-HIAA website including e.g. member’s gallery
-HIAA group exhibition - theme ”HOME” (working title)
-recruiting new members to make possible even more interesting activities for us all

Naturally the meetings will continue every six weeks or so and other informal activities are also welcome. As it is up to us all to make this association a lively one, don't hesitate to suggest any activity you would like to have or would like to organise yourself.

If, for example, you're arranging workshops in some technique, send an e-mail to the mailing list. If you find an artwise interesting place to visit or have good/bad experiences about exhibiting somewhere, let us know. One thing I'm sure all of us would be interested to know is to find the best value-for-money art supply store in the capital region. And, as usual, let us know about your coming exhibitions!

Then the approved rules of HIAA:

Rules of the Association

Association’s name and domicile
Association’s name is Helsinki International Artists’ Association ry. and its domicile is Helsinki. The languages of the association are English and Finnish.

Association’s purpose and nature of its activities
The purpose of the association is to promote contacts and cooperation between visual artists of different nationalities; to facilitate immigrant artists’ integration into the Finnish society and art world; to promote its members as artists; and to create opportunities for artistic activities and exhibiting members’ work in Finland and abroad.

In order to fulfil its purpose, the association will organise activities based on its members wishes, with the voluntary help of the members. Activities can include meetings, art exhibitions, seminars, training courses, excursions and day trips, and it can publish publications related to its field of activities.

To support its activities the association collects membership fees, and can e.g. accept donations, testaments and financial support, collect participation fees for its activities and apply for grants. In addition the association can organise lotteries, raffles and fund-raising campaigns, and own property and other assets necessary for its activities. The association does not aim to make financial profit.

Members
Anyone who accepts the purpose and rules of the association can join to the association. The board of the association accepts new members by application.

Resignation and dismissal of a member
A member can resign from the association by giving notice to the board or to the chairperson or by informing the association at its general meeting so that the resignation can be noted in the meeting minutes.

The board can dismiss a member if she/he has not paid the membership fee, or if she/he in some other way has not fulfilled her/his obligations to which she/he has committed by joining the association, or if she/he has by her/his actions harmed considerably the association, or does not anymore fulfil the conditions of a membership stated in the law or in the rules of the association.

Entrance and membership fee
The annual general meeting decides on the entrance and membership fees.

The Board
The board manages association’s activities. The board consists of a chairperson and at least two other board members and two deputy board members and at maximum nine board members.

The term of the board is the period between two annual general meetings.

The board will select among its members a deputy chairperson, and will appoint a secretary, a treasurer and other necessary managers, who may or may not be board members.

The board meets when convened by the chairperson, or if she/he is unable to summon the meeting, by the deputy chairperson, whenever they consider a board meeting necessary or when at least half of the board members request a meeting.

The board meeting has a quorum when at least half of its members, including the chairperson or deputy chairperson is present. A simple majority wins when voting is necessary. In case of a tie, the chairperson’s vote will decide, however, in elections lots will be drawn.

Signing the name of the association
The name of the association is signed by the chairperson, deputy chairperson, secretary or treasurer, always two of them together.

Accounting period and audit
The association’s accounting period is a calendar year.

The closing of the books with the related documents and the annual report by the board has to be given to the auditors at least three weeks prior to the annual general meeting. Auditors have to give their written report to the board at least two weeks prior to the annual general meeting.

Association’s meetings
The annual general meeting of the association convenes annually between January and May, on a date decided by the board.

An extraordinary annual meeting is convened when association’s annual general meeting so decides, when the board finds it necessary, or when at least 1/10 of the members with a right to vote request it from the board in writing and for a specific reason. The meeting must be held within 30 days of presenting the request to the board.

Every member has one vote at meetings.

When voted, the suggestion supported by over half of the attending members of the meeting will win, unless otherwise stated in the rules of the association. In case of a tie, the chairperson’s vote will be decisive, in elections lots will be drawn.

Convening a meeting
The board must summon the association’s meeting at least seven days prior to the meeting, by e-mail.

The annual general meeting

The following items will be on the agenda of the annual general meeting:
-Opening the meeting
-Electing the chairperson and secretary for the meeting, two members to review the meeting minutes, and when necessary, two members to count votes
-Verifiying of the legality and quorum of the meeting
-Approving the agenda of the meeting
-Presenting the financial statements, the annual report and the auditors’ report
-Approving the financial statements and discharging the board and other managers from liability
-Approving the operating plan the budget and the entrance and membership fees
-Electing the chairperson and other members of the board
-Electing one or two auditors and their deputies
-Other items on the agenda

In case a member requests an item on the agenda, she/he has to inform the board in time to include it in the invitation.

Changing the rules or resolving the association
The decision to change the rules or to resolve the association must have at least ¾ of the votes of the meeting. Invitation to the meeting must mention the intent to change the rules or to resolve the association.

When the association is resolved, its assets will be used to benefit the purpose of the association in a way decided by the meeting that decides to resolve the association. If the association is discontinued, its assets will be used for the same purpose.

So, this was the founding meeting in a nutshell. Have sunny September days and see you soon!

Best regards,
Susan