Society for Renaissance Art History: By-Laws
approved 5 March 2011 at the Business Meeting of the Society
ARTICLE I: NAME
The Organization is known as: Society for Renaissance Art History (SRAH).
ARTICLE II: AFFILIATION
The Society was founded in 2005 as the society for art historians affiliated with the South-Central Renaissance Conference. The founders are Dr. Liana de Girolami Cheney and Dr. Norman Land, who served as the first officers of the Society at the annual meeting of the South-Central Renaissance Conference, 3-5 March 2005, at Pepperdine University.
ARTICLE III. PURPOSE
The principal purpose of the Society is to promote the study of Renaissance art, especially through the organization of panels of scholarly presentations on art historical and historical issues and selection of plenary speakers for the annual meeting of the South-Central Renaissance Conference (S-CRC or SCRC).
ARTICLE IV. MEMBERSHIP
Membership is open to any affiliated or independent scholar interested in Renaissance art and culture, including (but not limited to) specialists in the fields of: art history (includes theory, criticism, conservation), history, musicology, literature and philosophy.
There are no dues to join the Society. However, those who attend the annual meeting of the SCRC must pay both the membership and registration fees that SCRC requires.
ARTICLE V. MEETINGS
The annual meeting of the Society is held annually in conjunction with the SCRC annual meeting. The principal aims of the annual meeting is to:
- summarize the participation of the Society at the present SCRC meeting;
- elect the Vice-President / Program Chair of the Society;
- discuss potential activities to increase participation in the Society;
- nominate speakers to deliver plenary lectures sponsored by SRAH at future SCRC meetings, which may include one or more of the following:
- the William B. Hunter lecture when the SCRC Program Chair is a SRAH member;
- the Louis L Martz lecture every third year, named by the SRAH president or another SRAH member at the invitation of the SCRC Program Chair “in accordance with rotation among the affiliates established by the SCRC executive committee.” (SCRC By-Laws, Article 6.2) SRAH first sponsored this lecture in 2008;
- the keynote lecturer at the closing luncheon when the chair of the local arrangements for the SCRC conference is an SRAH member.
ARTICLE VI. OFFICERS
Section A. Number, Designation
The officers of SRAH are a President, a Vice-President and a Representative to the Executive Committee of the SCRC.
The SCRC website director maintains the names and contact information of the current officers and the founders on the SRAH webpage linked to the SCRC website.
Section B. Election and Term of Office
The officers of the Society are nominated and elected by a simple majority of members attending the
SRAH annual meeting. The President and Vice-President are elected for one-year terms.
The Vice-President shall automatically succeed to the position of President.
The Representative to the SCRC Executive Committee serves a three-year term beginning in 2011, following an inaugural one-year term.
Section C. President
The President is the chief executive officer of the Society.
The President presides at the annual meeting,
- seeks nominees willing to serve as Vice-President,
- names the Representative to the SCRC Executive Committee,
- chooses the Martz lecturer for the upcoming conference according to suggestions by SRAH members and in accordance with the rotation among the SCRC affiliate societies, invites and secures agreement of the lecturer, or entrusts this choice to another SRAH member,
- communicates with the designated Martz lecturer and the local arrangement representative about the lecturer’s travel arrangements, including complimentary hotel accommodations if they are available,
- informs the SCRC webmaster of the current officers’ names and contact information,
- communicates as needed with Society members during the period between annual meetings, and is responsible for expanding the mission of the Society.
Section D. Vice-President
The Vice-President performs the duties of the President in his/her absence, serves as Program Chair for papers and panels sponsored by the Society at the SCRC meeting, and performs those tasks assigned by the President.
As SRAH Program Chair, the Vice-President
- assists the SCRC Program Chair to organize the participation of art and architectural historians at the next SCRC annual meeting,
- invites participation at the next SCRC conference, including devising the Call for Papers that the SCRC webmaster posts on the SCRC website,
- communicates with potential presenters,
- receives, reviews and may communicate acceptance or rejection of panel proposals and paper abstracts submitted to the SCRC website using the abstract submission form
- organizes individual papers into panels,
- seeks chairs for panels,
- respects the SCRC deadline for abstract submission and prohibition of papers read by someone other than the author, and
- submits panels to the SCRC Program Chair.
Section E. Representative to the SCRC Executive Committee
The Representative to the SCRC Executive Committee is “designated as the official representative” of the Society and its interests to the Executive Committee as the main deliberative body of the SCRC, “even if other members of the executive committee are officers or members of the affiliates.” (SCRC By-Laws, Article 5)
The name of the nominee for Society Representative “will be confirmed by the [SCRC] nominating committee.” (Ibid.)
The Representative may wish to report any deliberations or decisions made by the Executive Committee relevant to SRAH at the SRAH annual meeting.
ARTICLE VII. AMENDMENTS
These By-Laws may be amended by a majority vote of those members present at any annual business meeting of the Society at the SCRC meeting.