​Huddersfield Art Society (HAS) Ltd Handbook

The Co-operative Consortium Rule Book of Huddersfield Art Society Ltd (available on the website under Policies and Procedures) contains detailed rules for conducting the ‘business’ of the society, outlining definitions and our legal responsibilities and procedures as required by law.  

This handbook sits alongside the HAS Rule Book - it is a more ‘user-friendly’, operational guide for how Huddersfield Art Society Ltd is run on a day-to-day basis.

1. The objects of the Society are bringing Members together for the promotion and encouragement of art, cultivating the practice and theory of art in the form of demonstrations, workshops and specific art groups as well as organising art exhibitions for Members, with a strong emphasis on the social aspect of sharing a common interest in art. 
2. To fulfil the objects of the Society the core business of the Society will be the Saturday Meetings, and specialist groups such as Portrait Group, Life Drawing Group, Abstract Group and En Plein Air Painting Group.
3. Exhibiting our work is an important part of our life as artists and there are a number of ways that we may exhibit our work depending on available venues, different formats and time scales and availability of members to set up and run an exhibition. We will endeavour to have some form of in person or electronic exhibition at least once a year.
4. Other activities that members may wish to organise, such as social events, gallery visits, art related trips can be arranged as members volunteer to plan and run them (see point 10).
5. The Society business will be managed by the Board consisting of at least three elected Directors who will oversee the legal requirements of the HAS Rules.  These Directors will include the Membership Officer, Financial Secretary / Treasurer and at least one other. Any member of the society can be nominated to be elected a Director at the AGM.
6. The day-to-day organisation of the Society is run by the Management Committee which consists of the Board and other members of the society who have key roles, such as those members leading groups (ie Group Leaders of the Saturday Meetings, Portrait Group, Life Drawing Group, Abstract Group and En Plein Air Painting Group) or members managing various functions / events (such as those planning social events, trips or visits, outdoor painting days, portrait swap project, workshops and exhibitions), who have responsibilities delegated to them by the Board. 
7. The Board usually meets to discuss Society business on a quarterly basis. These meetings may just be the Board or extended to the full Management Committee where Members with other key roles outlined in point 6 may attend or submit reports about their group or project. The Group Leaders will be asked to submit a report at each Board or Management Committee meeting.  The Chair of the Board / Management Committee is a ‘floating’ role, and all decisions are made in consultation with the HAS Rule Book and HAS Handbook, by consensus of the Board and the Management Committee Members. 
8. If the Board requires the membership of the Society to vote on a decision, a Special General Meeting will be called with appropriate notice and information about the decision required.
9. The Saturday Meetings are usually held once a month between September and May.  These meetings consist of items of core interest to the whole membership such as art demonstrations and talks. Three people are given delegated responsibility to run and lead the Saturday Meetings – their remit includes:
   •  one person to co-ordinate contacting and assisting visiting artists / presenters, and arrange the collection of fees for the event
   •  one person to liaise with the venue owners, organise the venue for the meeting for example layout of chairs, organising refreshments and managing the door entry system;
   • one person providing technical support for video / power point presentation as required. 
10. The Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held each year before the end of March as one of the Saturday Meetings. At this meeting the Financial Accounts are presented, an Annual Business Report presented (which includes reports from each group / activity the Society engages in) and Any Other Business raised by Members such as questions, discussion points and plans for the following year. Official Officers will be elected as required in the Co-operative Rule Book.
11. Leaders of the core activities (Saturday Programme, Portrait Group, Life Drawing Group, Abstract Group and En Plein Air Painting Group, and other more social activities outlined in No 12) have responsibilities delegated to them by the Board. These responsibilities include liaising with the venue owner as required, managing the venue and refreshments during the meetings, submitting Member’s fees for the group to the Treasurer, providing adequate communication to the members of the group, and reporting back to the Board and Management Committee.
12. Members are invited to plan and lead various additional activities throughout the year, with responsibilities delegated by the Board. These activities may be group specific or planned on behalf of the whole Society. Members leading these activities must comply with the Society’s policies and procedures outlined in this document and the HAS Rules. The Leader / Organiser is responsible for reporting back to the Board. Such activities or events may include:
    1. Social events
    2. Gallery visits
    3. Workshops
    4. Collaborative Art Projects such as the Portrait Swap
    5. Exhibitions 
    6. Other ad-hoc painting events.

 
HAS Membership Summary

1. Anyone wishing to join the Society should contact the Membership Officer and return the Membership form and pay the subscription fee. Life Members, who are elected at an AGM, are exempt from subscription.
2. The Board has the right to refuse membership applications or discontinue the membership of an existing member if the conduct of such member is found to be derogatory to the Society.
3. Subscriptions are payable at the start of the year (with a reduced rate for full-time students). Anyone joining after 30th September is required to pay 25% of the appropriate fee.
4. All communication with and amongst Members and visitors, e.g. relevant Society business, planning meetings and organising events, must comply with the HAS General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and Safeguarding Policy, copies of which can be found on the website under the Policies and Procedure tab.
5. If any member of the Society has a grievance they should raise the issue, either verbally or in writing, to a member of the Board, following the Society’s Complaint Procedure (copy on the website).

Full HAS Membership details can be found in the Co-operative Consortium Rule Book of Huddersfield Art Society Ltd, which can be found on the website under Policies and Procedures.

Published December 2025                Reviewed annually.