STATUTES OF ASSOCIATION

SYRIA.ART – ASSOCIATION POUR LA PROMOTION DE L’ART CONTEMPORAIN SYRIEN 

ARTICLE 1 – NAME      

The Association pour la Promotion de l’Art Contemporain Syrien, governed by the law dated 1 July 1901 and the decree dated 16 August 1901 is established by the parties.

The Administrative Board has unanimously adopted “SYRIA.ART” as the public name of the association.

ARTICLE 2 – PURPOSE AND ACTION PLAN

The purpose of this association is to:

• Promote Contemporary Syrian Art, as well as Syrian culture, literature and music;
• Promote and create a network of artistic, cultural, literary and musical exchange in France and on the international stage in relation to Contemporary Syrian Art;
• To unite and promote the art activities of a co-operative of Syrian artists through individual or group exhibitions, art events and demonstrations, a co-operative website, a quarterly cultural review, catalogues specifically compiled for exhibitions, and various promotions;
• Organise artistic, cultural, literary and musical exhibitions, events and demonstrations, focusing on Syrian plastic and visual arts;
• Respond to calls for tender and art tenders;
• Participate in art events organised by third parties (fairs, exhibitions, festivals etc.) by promoting Contemporary Syrian Art;
• Create cultural mediation activities through introductory and artistic discovery workshops relating to Contemporary Syrian Art;
• Organise combined cultural excursions (to museums, art centres, and places dedicated to contemporary art, namely Contemporary Syrian Art, in all its forms);
• Encourage interaction between its members by organising real-life or virtual workshops.

To achieve this, the association commits to the following:

• Pooling the skills of the Syrian artists’ co-operative;
• Formulating, implementing and promoting artistic and cultural projects relating to Contemporary Syrian Art;
• Organising individual or group art exhibitions, events and demonstrations;
• Organising conferences, discussions and colloquia  on Syrian Art or Literature;
• Organising Syrian music concerts or music nights;
• Engaging in dialogue with other similar associations and co-operatives ; partnering or co-producing with social or private establishments;
• Providing information to interested, non-member audiences;
• Publishing a quarterly cultural review, and compiling catalogues for exhibitions;
• Creating a co-operative website (syriaartasso.com), which facilitates the formation of an international network, and enables exchanges between artists, collectors, social workers and intellectuals in arts, culture and the humanities. It helps encourage new interactions between partners from different disciplines, fields or professions – which can be used to support and develop their specific activities;
• Creating (in 2012) and managing the ‘Syria.Art’ project
  (Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/thesyrianart/);
• Creating (in 2015) and managing the ‘Creative Havens: Syrian Artists And Their Studios’ project (website: https://syriancreativehavens.com/);
• SYRIA.ART may be required to sign partnership or co-production agreements with national and international museums, universities, public and private institutions and other social partners to conduct joint actions in promoting Contemporary Art Syrian.

ARTICLE 3 – HEADQUARTERS

The association is headquartered at:

30 avenue Edouard Grinda 06200 Nice, France.

This may be moved by virtue of a simple administrative board decision.

ARTICLE 4 – DURATION

The association is formed for an indefinite duration.

ARTICLE 5 – FORMATION

The association consists of:

a) Founding members
b) Honorary members
c) Ordinary members
d) Benefactor members
e) Sponsor members

The co-operative’s founding members are French, Franco-Syrian and Syrian citizens, as well as Syrian artists. They pay their fee every year.

Honorary members support the association in any number of ways (monetarily, in kind or in skills). They are not obliged to join the association.

Anyone who pays an annual fee is an ordinary member. Anyone demonstrating a particular interest in Contemporary Syrian Art and wishing to be kept regularly informed of the co-operative’s activities may join. The members may benefit from some of the co-operative’s activities, such as cultural excursions.

The members pay an annual subscription, an amount fixed each year at the general assembly. Members who are young artists, students, jobseekers pay an annual fee reduced by 50% of the value of the annual fee.

Benefactor members pay a higher annual fee of € 100 or more.

Sponsor members pay a higher annual fee of € 1,000 or more.

ARTICLE 6 – ADMISSION

Joining the association requires approval by the administrative board, which decides on the submitted admission applications at each of its meetings.

ARTICLE 7 – MEMBERS – FEES

The co-operative’s initial founding members are French, Franco-Syrian and Syrian citizens and Syrian artists. They pay a fee of € 30 every year.

General members are those who have committed to paying an annual fee of € 30.

Young-artist, student and job-seeker members enjoy a reduced rate, paying an annual fee of € 15.

Honorary members are those who render services for the association; they are exempt from paying fees;

Benefactor members are those who pay an annual fee of € 100 or more.

Sponsor members are those who pay an annual fee of € 1,000 or more.

The amount may be reviewed each year by the general meeting.

ARTICLE 8 – DEREGISTRATION

Member status is lost as a result of:

a) Resignation;
b) Death;
c) Deregistration decreed by the administrative board for non-payment of membership fees or for just cause, after the party concerned has been invited by registered letter to provide explanations in person and/or in writing.
d) Non-payment of due fees.

ARTICLE 9 –  RESOURCES

The association’s resources consist of:

1°   The total amount received from listing fees and membership fees;
2° Subsidies received from the European Union, the French federal government, the départements and municipalities;
3°   The results of tenders, calls for tenders etc.;
4°   Revenue from events;
5°   Revenue from exhibitions and the sale of artworks;
6°   Partnerships – financial or in kind;
7°   The donations and gifts it receives;
8°   Remuneration for rendered services;
9°   Private or corporate sponsorship;
10° All the resources permitted by the current laws and regulations.

ARTICLE 10 – ORDINARY GENERAL MEETING

The Ordinary General Meeting includes all association members, regardless of their category.

It is held every November.

Due to the geographic distances separating its members, the association may organise this Ordinary General Meeting remotely, by Internet, on a discussion forum. A meeting place will be arranged at least fifteen days before the set date through an e-invitation by the secretary. This invitation will include the agenda.

The president, assisted by the board members, shall chair the meeting, and recount the association’s business outlook or activities.

The treasurer shall give an account of the association’s management, and shall submit the annual accounts (balance sheet, profit & loss account, and appendix) for the meeting’s approval.

The General Meeting shall set the amount of the annual membership fees and listing fee to be paid by the various member categories.

Only the points listed on the agenda may be addressed.

Decisions are made based on a majority vote by the present or represented members.

Once the entire agenda has been addressed, the departing board members are replaced.

All decisions are made by a show of hands or by a vote organised online.

General meeting decisions are compulsory for all members, including those absent or represented.

ARTICLE 11 – EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING

If necessary, or at the request of half plus one of the registered members, the president may call an Extraordinary General Meeting based on the procedure established in these articles of association, and solely to modify the articles of association or to dissolve the association.

The invitation procedure is the same as for the Ordinary General Meeting.

Decisions are made with a majority of present members.

ARTICLE 12 – ADMINISTRATIVE BOARD

The association is run by an Administrative Board comprising 3 founding members elected for 2 years by the general meeting. They may be re-elected. Half the board may be renewed every year.

In the event of holidays, the Administrative Board finds temporary replacements for its members. It definitively replaces them at the next general meeting. The powers of the elected members end upon expiry of the replacement members’ mandates.

No one can be part of the administrative board if not at age of majority.

ARTICLE 13 – THE COMMITTEE

The association is headed by a board of members elected for 2 years by the General Meeting. Members may be reappointed.

During the exercise of their mandate, the administrators have an obligation of means and not of result.

The Administrative Board elects by secret ballot a committee from among its members, comprising:

• A President 
• One or more Vice President (s)
• A General Secretary, and if applicable, a Deputy Secretary
• A Treasurer, and if applicable, an Assistant Treasurer 

Decisions are made by a majority vote; in the case of a tie, the president’s vote shall be definitive.

Any board member failing to attend three consecutive meetings without apology shall be deemed as having resigned.

Any board member who, without excuse, fails to attend three consecutive meetings may be considered to have resigned.

ARTICLE 15 – POWERS OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE BOARD

The Administrative Board is vested with all powers to take all decisions and all commitments, to authorize all acts that are not within the competence of the General Meeting, and this, in compliance with the statutes.

It authorizes notably purchases, transfers or leases, borrowings and loans necessary for the functioning of the association; it may grant any mortgage or lien on the property of the association. It authorizes any transaction, any discharge of mortgage with or without recording of payment.

It approves the annual accounts, draws up the annual management report and submits them to the Annual General Meeting.

It convenes the General Meeting of members, adopts the agenda.

ARTICLE 16 – REMUNERATION

All roles, including those of the committee and administrative board members, are unpaid and voluntary. Only the expenses incurred as a result of carrying out their mandate are reimbursed, upon presentation of receipts. The financial report, presented at the ordinary general meeting, shows the reimbursement of mandate expenses, travel expenses or representation expenses per recipient.

ARTICLE 17 – INTERNAL REGULATIONS

Internal regulations may be established by the Administrative Board, which then has these approved by the General Meeting. The regulations are designed to address various points not covered by these articles of association, namely those relating to internal administration of the association.

ARTICLE 18 – DISSOLUTION

In the event dissolution is declared as per the procedure established in article 11, one or more liquidators shall be appointed, and any assets allotted in accordance with the decisions made by the Extraordinary General Meeting, which rules on the dissolution.

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© Copyright 2016-2023 SYRIA.ART – Association pour la Promotion de l’Art Contemporain Syrien (Association governed by law 1901, established on July 6, 2016. Published in the French Official Journal on July 16, 2016, under announcement number : 55, and publication number: 20160029)