Photography Club
Sun City Texas
An Opportunity to Become a Chartered Photography Club
Burton Anes founded the Photography Club about five years ago. Because it did not have the required 50 members to become a recognized Sun City Chartered Club, it was “a bunch of photographers in an informal group.” It had difficulty finding places to meet and places for publicity to attract members. As a result, growth and activities were slow and limited. By 2004 it had out-grown the few public spaces outside Sun City in which it could meet. We couldn’t grow and we couldn’t become a Chartered Club. So the Visual Arts Club was very generous when they agreed to accept us to be a SIG of their club in the autumn of 2004. Since then we have grown from 20 to about 130 members, and our activities have expanded accordingly. We are not like many other SIGs that are sub-divisions of the parent Club because we once were an “informal club” and were absorbed into a Chartered Club.
An opportunity now presents itself that we believe is unlikely to occur again. As you know, The Del-Webb/Pulte organization will be expanding Sun City’s common facilities to accommodate the population increase resulting from the growth of housetops from 5,000 to 7,500. This expansion includes, among other things, space increases for the craft clubs. Barbara Wilder has written about this and how it will affect us. It is posted on our and the VAC website. You are aware that the Community Association and the Property & Grounds Committee have been involved in this effort for much of the past two years.
This expansion provides an opportunity for us, the photographers. A portion of the current Fabric and Fiber Club, about 700 square feet, has been designated by the Developer and CA Team to be shared between the Photography Club and the VAC. Additionally, the current CA Communications Office is to be expanded and that area will become the new Studio for the VAC.
At a meeting on March 7th, VAC President Barbara Wilder, the Vice-President of the VAC Buck Hiatt, and our Vice-President Larry Mart, presented proposed plans for how these spaces would be used. During the discussion the Photography SIG’s Larry Mart indicated that the Photography SIG intends to become a Chartered Club. They responded with congratulations.
So, in summary, Larry announced our intention to become a chartered club assuming member and Board concurrence is achieved. We've been assigned a 700 square foot space to use as a Studio with certain fixtures. It will be shared with only the VAC. Our future association with the VAC, and the sharing of assets like the projector, laptop, and matte cutter will be up to the two clubs. To this end, a committee of two VAC and two Photography members will study and recommend solutions to be approved by both boards before implementation. We anticipate a friendly working relationship with the VAC regarding joint activities such as Competitions.
Now we get to the present: What are the advantages to become a Chartered Club? Are there any disadvantages? If we proceed, what is involved, and how soon will this happen?
We are certainly large enough to be able to fledge the nest that the VAC has so graciously provided. We have three years’ experience operating almost as our own club with our own By-Laws, Officers, programs, website, newsletter, and three different Boards of Directors, as well as having photographers on the VAC Board. The new space will give us the opportunity to conduct more workshops and expanded education, photo lab set-ups such as table tops and still-lifes, display walls, portraiture and things like that. The Developer Team has said that we will share the facility with the VAC, but it is to be kept as a “clean room.” The Developer said at a recent meeting that there will not be any more community amenities built by them after this current round has been completed.
By becoming a charter club we will control our own destiny and be independent of a larger club. We will have control of our own operations and how our money is spent.
The Photography Studio will have exhibit space with track lighting. We would continue to have exhibiting space at The Oaks and in the Display Case adjacent to the Ballroom. Longer term there will be wall space in the new Activities Center which will be built in a couple years that could expand exhibit space. We have spoken with the CA about creating a new Exhibition Space for the Photography Club in the Activities Center hallway between the Bridge Club Room and the Restrooms on the way to Meeting Rooms 3 & 4, and have received approval.
We are all paid members of the VAC for 2008 and nothing we do to become a Chartered Club, nor the timing of that, will change that relationship and Exhibition activities in 2008. During the remainder of 2008, your status as members of the VAC will not change. We will continue to use Rooms 3&4 for our meetings and workshops. Unlike what will happen to the other clubs, we will be able to continue to meet in our usual place during construction. (Some clubs will have to shut down during the 4 to 6 months that Pulte will be doing construction and remodeling.) Pulte said in the recent meeting that the Crafts Area construction will be completed in the 1st or 2nd Quarter of 2009. Those photographers, whose artistic interests include both photography and painting may of course, become members of both clubs.
We, your Board of Directors, see this move as an opportunity for the club. Certainly, there will be more work, but with over 100 members, we are confident people will step up to the task. We are aware that there may be other concerns and will post responses to questions on our web site. Writing a new set of By-Laws will give us the opportunity to create a new Organization Chart that will better fit our expanded size and scope of our activities
The Time/Task Line will include discussions with the members, a vote by the members (50 or more people need to sign up as Founding Members,) a vote by the Board, and the formation of a Transition Team. Then, after all the work items have been defined, a target date to actually submit the Charter Application will be established.
Before proceeding, we would like to hear your comments and questions. If you will send them to us we will answer them and put both the question and answer on the website. Send them to Mark Holly at hollyms@gvtc.com We will also have a meeting time set aside to hear your comments and questions. We are not under a tight time line, but there is work that needs to be done. The CA Guidelines document clearly spells that out.
We are excited and feel very positive about the future of the Photography Club in Sun City, and we want all the members to share in this.
Board of Directors
Photography SIG
March 2008
FAQs about Creating a Photography Chartered Club
1. When could this happen?
It is best if it happens in 2008, and sufficiently early so that the new Board, and the members can adequately prepare for 2009. Therefore, it could happen as soon as May, but as late as September. The timing, however, is not critical since we will continue as a SIG of the VAC through 2008. The key attribute is adequate planning.
2. Can we still participate in VAC activities?
Yes. We are all dues paid members of the VAC for calendar 2008. If you want to continue as a VAC member after this year, you may do so whether you are a member of the Photography Club or not.
3. Will we have our meetings in the new Studio? – It seems to be too small.
No. We will continue to schedule our meetings and Workshops in the Meeting Rooms, e.g., Rooms 3&4, most likely right where we have been meeting. The CA wants the Crafts Rooms (ie Photography Studio) not to be used for regular meetings. We intend to request use of the Atrium for 2009 to accommodate member growth.
4. What about Dues?
Dues will be determined by the new Board of Directors, or by whatever means is defined in the new By-Laws which you’ll vote on. Just guessing, we think they will be in the same ballpark as we’ve been paying. This is also a function of how much of the common VAC equipment we will be able to share, as well as what additional items we will need to purchase. We think we can rely on donations for some of the photographic materials we’ll want. At this time, we haven’t started to develop a Studio equipment list. Any suggestions on usage and equipment are welcome.
5. Why was the announcement made at this time?
The Board first learned of the Developer Team’s meeting of March 7th one week before that. They told us what they wanted us to present, and how many people and how much time we would have. It took us a while to recognize both the opportunity to become a Chartered Club at this time, as well as to discuss the ramifications of an announcement and its timing. Our approach was to emphasize our willingness to share the facility and be grateful to Pulte for the “Amenity expansion.” We didn’t finally decide on our course of action until the evening of March 6th. As it turns out, the Developer Team told us at the meeting that whether we were a SIG or a Chartered Club, it would have no bearing on whatever they are going to do in regards to the Studio facility.
6. Regarding the Transition Committee that will negotiate joint club issues and make recommendations to the two Boards: Who will be on that Committee?
Marlene Sloan and Jim Bilbro will represent the photographers. Dan Innes and Betty Lemley will represent the artists.
7. When will all of this happen?
We plan to submit our Application for a Charter to the CA’s Chartered Clubs Committee for action at their August 7th Meeting. After approval, the usual Nominations/Elections process will take place with elections of the Officers of the Charter Photography Club to be held at the Photo SIG meeting on September 18th. Only those who will have signed the List to join the Chartered Club will be eligible to vote. (Signing the list may take place at any time by sending an email to Buddy Lerch at archgrafix@gmail.com The new Board/Officers will then take whatever time is necessary to prepare the Charter Club’s activities which will commence January 1, 2009. They will essentially take office at that date. Until December 31, 2008, we will continue to function as the Photography SIG of the Visual Arts Club with the Officers, plans, programs, and meetings, as previously established and shown on our web-site. The move-in date to the new Photo Studio is as of now not defined.