By-Laws
ARTICLE I NAME AND LOCATION
The name of this organization shall be Terra Madre (TM) located in Knoxville, TN.
ARTICLE II OBJECTIVES
The Mission of Terra Madre (TM) is two-fold:
1. To encourage excellence in clay artistry & craftsmanship through mentoring and educational activities.
2. To perpetuate and promote the ceramic arts through exhibitions, shows and participation in community events.
ARTICLE III MEMBERSHIP
SECTION 1. Membership in this organization shall be as follows:
a. Full TM Membership:
1. Membership in TM is limited to individual female ceramic artists/potters who live in the following counties: Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Grainger, Knox, Loudon, Morgan, Roane, Union, or Sevier counties. Exception: Any member who was in good standing on August 1, 2019 and living in an East Tennessee county not listed above will be “grandmothered” in.
2. Work by a TM must be made and fired by the artist herself. Exception: Any member who was in good standing on August 1, 2012 will be "grandmothered" in as a Terra Madre regardless of whether her work is fired by others in a classroom or group setting.
3. Work shall be handmade by throwing or hand building. No commercial production processes such as ram-pressing, jiggering or slip-casting from commercial molds will be allowed at any Terra Madre event.
4. Members shall subscribe to the mission of TM and abide by TM’s by-laws.
5. Membership requirements: a) pay annual dues; b) participate on one Standing Committee.
6. Membership privileges include: a) the right to vote; b) the right to have a booth at Terra Madre Craft Shows; c) the right to participate in gallery exhibits or other TM events.
7. Membership is limited to 45 TM members.
SECTION 2. Membership Application Process--a two-part process.
1. Part 1. Digital image and application form (no application fee): Potential new Terra Madres shall submit the following to the Standards Committee by January 15 for review:
1. Digital photos of four pieces of work.
2. Terra Madre application form.
2. Part 2. Object jurying: If selected for object jurying the applicant must submit to the Standards Committee:
1. Four pieces of her ceramic work.
2. A jury fee (equal to the annual membership dues), to be applied toward dues if the applicant is accepted for membership.
SECTION 3. Termination of membership:
1. Members who have moved outside of the region as defined in the TM Membership.
2. Membership may be terminated by flagrant violation of TM By-Laws or standards of clay work.
3. Membership may be terminated by conduct which discredits TM.
4. Membership may be reinstated by vote of the TM Board.
SECTION 4. Dues
1. The amount of dues shall be set by the TM Board.
2. Dues shall be paid each year no later than January 31.
ARTICLE IV TM Board
The TM Board will be made up of President, President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer and Chairs of Standing Committees.
ARTICLE V Officers
The TM Officers are President, President-Elect, Treasurer, and Secretary. Officers will serve a minimum term of one year.
Duties:
President -- Presides over meetings. Speaks as representative of TM to any media (TV, print, etc.). Ensures that by-laws are carried out. Acts as liaison among various committees as necessary and ensures good communications among members.
President-Elect-- Serves on Standards Committee. Stands in when the president is unavailable.
Treasurer--Handles the accounts. Writes checks, accepts checks from members, endorses checks and manages account. Designates a member as backup to act as signatory on checks when the treasurer is unavailable. Provides a printed (or written) budget report at each meeting. Presents any expenses over $100 to TM members, which must be voted on by membership.
Secretary -- Records meeting minutes and e-mails them to all TM members. Maintains the TM membership directory and e-mail lists. Handles internal communications as needed.
ARTICLE VI Voting
Voting occurs at full membership meetings and is done by a simple majority, except when voting on bylaws changes (see ARTICLE X, Amendments, below).
ARTICLE VII Membership Meetings
Meetings are scheduled for the 3rd Sunday afternoons in January, March, May, August, October and November. Meeting dates/times can be changed or others added as needed.
Article VIII Elections
Elections are held each year at the January meeting by floor nomination. Committee assignments for the upcoming year will also be determined at this time.
Article IX Standing Committees
There is no time limit for serving on committees, but we would ask that we do have some new members each year on each committee. Each Committee Chair will determine numbers needed for her committee for the upcoming year prior to the January meeting. In addition to standing committees, ad hoc committees may be created as necessary.
1. Standards Committee -- the primary function of the Standards Committee is to jury the work of the applicants and make the final selection for TM membership. The Standards Committee will look for creativity, craftsmanship, design and originality in the work, and will ensure that the work has been made according to the processes and criteria in the application. The secondary function of the standards committee is to ensure that TM members are meeting their membership responsibilities as outlined in Article III, Section 1.
2. Marketing Committee -- develops annual marketing plan includes overall marketing (website or Facebook), as well as marketing for special events, in coordination with the Events Committee and Education Committee. This committee includes electronic/social media, website development and maintenance, advertising, graphic design, public relations, and other printed materials.
3. Education Committee -- develops the schedule of educational opportunities for the following year. Solicits input from members on topics. Seeks out mentoring opportunities.
4. Mailing Committee – includes: maintaining the customer mailing address and e-mail lists; labeling, printing and postage; and distributing postcards etc.to members for additional circulation.
5. Events Committee -- show/event set-up, take down, process for sales (inventory sheets), food, location/venue, music, signage, etc.
ARTICLE X AMENDMENTS
These by-laws may be amended by an affirmative vote of not less than 2/3 of the voting membership present at any meeting of the membership plus any written or emailed proxies.
A written notice of the proposed changes must be sent to each member by email or USPS 14 days before the meeting
.