Bylaws of the Southern California Korean Artists Association

The Korean Artists Association of Southern California was originally launched in 1964 as the Los Angeles Korean Artists Association. During its early years in the 1960s, the association operated based ongeneral conventions rather than codified bylaws. In the 1970s, a provisional set of bylaws was drafted, and the organization was renamed the Korean Artists Association of Southern California. The current bylaws were finalized and passed after extensive revision and supplementation during the 14th General Assembly in 1978, and were subsequently published at the end of the association's exhibition catalog.

Since then, the bylaws have undergone partial amendments on November 20, 1987; during the 34th General Assembly in 1998; and during the 35th General Assembly on October 16, 1999, leading to the current version.

Chapter 1: Name

Article 1: The organization shall be named the Korean Artists Association of Southern California.

Chapter 2: Location

Article 2: The headquarters of the association shall be located in Los Angeles.

Chapter 3: Purpose and Activities

Article 3: The association aims to foster friendship among members, support artistic activities,              contribute to the cultural life of the Korean community, and promote art education.

Article 4: The association supports exhibitions of members' work, social gatherings, and     art-related activities involving members and the Korean community.

Chapter 4: Membership

Article 5: Membership consists of Korean artists residing in Southern California who have graduated from a regular university (or possess equivalent qualifications) and meet the requirements stipulated by the association.

Article 6: Regular members are those who have fulfilled their membership obligations for the preceding year; they possess the right to vote and the right to run for office in the General Assembly. 

Chapter 5: Officers

Article 7: The Association shall maintain an Executive Committee (President and Vice President), an Officer Group, and a Board of Directors for the operation of the Association. 

Article 8: The Executive Committee shall consist of one President and one Vice President. The President shall be elected at the General Meeting upon the recommendation of the Board of Directors, while the Vice President shall be appointed upon the recommendation of the President and the approval of the General Meeting. 

Article 9: The Officer Group shall consist of one General Secretary and one Treasurer, appointed upon the recommendation of the Executive Committee and the approval of the General Meeting. 

Article 10: When joining external organizations or participating in events in the capacity of the Association’s President, the President must obtain the consent of the Board of Directors; furthermore, the President shall refrain from joining organizations deemed incompatible with the Association's cultural values, even in a personal capacity. 

Article 11: Directors shall be elected at the General Meeting upon the recommendation of the current Executive Committee (including past presidents) and with the approval of the General Meeting. The current President and past presidents shall automatically serve as Directors; however, automatic Directors shall forfeit their status if they fail to submit works to the Association’s exhibition twice within a year. 

Article 12: Directors are required to attend Board of Directors meetings; failure to attend for one consecutive year shall result in the loss of Director status. 

Article 13: The Board of Directors shall be presided over by the President and serve an advisory role to the Executive Committee regarding matters such as artwork judging, awards and disciplinary actions, financial audits, and other important decisions. The Board must meet at least three times during the one-year term. 

Article 14: The Association’s Executive Board shall consist of the Executive Committee, the Officer Group, and the Directors. 

Article 15: The term of office for officers shall be two years; the term for the President shall be one year, with the possibility of serving one consecutive additional term.

Chapter 6: General Meeting

Article 16: The Regular General Meeting shall be held once a year, while Extraordinary General Meetings and Executive Board meetings shall be convened by the President as necessary. Article 17: The General Meeting shall be constituted by the attendance of a majority of the members.

Article 18: Resolutions of the General Meeting, including the election of officers, shall be decided by the approval of a majority of the members present.

Chapter 7: Miscellaneous

Article 19: The operating expenses of the Association shall be covered by membership dues and contributions from patrons.

Article 20: The Bylaws of the Association (comprising 7 chapters, 20 articles, and 3 supplementary provisions) may be amended as necessary with the approval of at least two-thirds of the members present at the General Meeting; however, any amendment must be submitted to the Board of Directors for discussion prior to the General Meeting.

Supplementary Provisions

1. Admission to the Association shall be determined following a review of ten submitted slides by the Executive Committee.

2. Members of the Association are required to fulfill their obligation to pay membership dues.

3. Works submitted for the Association’s exhibition must have been created within the past year and must not have been previously