The Constitution
Note: ‘Eden Project’ means ‘Eden Trust’ and ‘Eden Trust’ means ‘Eden Project’.
1. The Eden Project Florilegium Society has been set up to study and record the plants of the Eden Project by botanical illustration as an enduring archive for the Project.
2. The Eden Project will provide a list of suggested subjects required for their archives.
3. These illustrations will be an invaluable record, to be used in any way that the Trustees think fit, and giving access as required for further botanical and horticultural study
4.a Each Member must be prepared to offer at least ONE painting/illustration per annum for selection by the Eden Project for their collection.
4.b If accepted by the Eden Trust or their successors in title, the Member will grant a non- exclusive licence to use the artwork in perpetuity without charge.
4.c The copyright of the artwork remains with the artist in accordance with the artist’s legal right, regardless of any change of law within the next 80 years.
4.d The Member retains the moral right to be identified as the artist whenever the work is used for commercial purposes.
4.e The Member retains the right of integrity protecting the work from derogatory treatment.
5. Reproduction rights are granted to the Eden Trust only and may not be assigned, nor may any work be loaned or transferred to third parties save for the purpose of the reproduction rights of the Eden Trust.
6.a Eden reserves the absolute right to use selected illustrations for promotional purposes with no reimbursement to the artist.
6.b In the event of the Eden Trust ceasing to exist. Members’ artwork should be returned to the Florilegium Society which will arrange for it to be transferred to an affiliated archive.
7. No work may be loaned out for exhibition without the consent of the artist.
8. No work may be loaned out for any other purpose without the express consent of the artist which would not be unreasonably witheld if it were for the benefit of the Eden Trust and any ensuing reproduction fee must be used for the benefit of the Eden Trust.
9. The aims of the Society are:
a. To use the traditional methods of observing and recording plants (in watercolour, pen & ink and /or pencil) not only for their flowers but also for their leaves, roots, bulbs, perfections and imperfections. Botanical illustration is the tried and tested means of recording the structure of plants and ‘explaining’ variations within the same species which cannot be so effectively recorded by photographic means.
b. To record and date through the seasons some of the wealth of plant material housed at the Eden Project, including taking pressed specimens of the plant recorded.
c. To provide an ongoing structured organisation of artists who have reached a standard of excellence in this field.
d. To link with other Florilegium groups and important gardens in the United Kingdom and abroad, especially the Chelsea Physic Garden Florilegium Society to which the Eden Project Florilegium Society is affiliated.
e. To hold regular exhibitions of the Society’s work to promote interest in the Society and in the plants of the Eden Project.
f. Eden will provide the storage of archive material in suitable conditions.
MEMBERSHIP
10. The Society is affiliated to Eden Friends, but operates independently of the Eden Project.
11. The Society to be run by a Committee whose officers will be elected or re-elected annually at the Annual General Meeting for a maximum of three consecutive years. The Members may approve the election or re-election of any officer of the Society as defined by clause 11 of the Constitution for a period in excess of the maximum of three years referred to.
The maximum number of Committee Members shall be twelve.
These officers are: Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and Events Secretary. The chairman shall be elected from the existing committee members.
At least ONE committee member will attend each ordinary meeting.
12. The Society consists of:
Members – When accepted for membership of the Society each member is termed ‘Member’.
Fellows – A Member will be termed ‘Fellow’ as soon as three works have been accepted by the Eden Project.
Honorary Members – Honorary Members are by invitation only; they do not pay the annual subscription although a donation to Society funds would be gratefully accepted and will be acknowledged. Honorary Members must have something to offer, e.g. knowledge, experience, tuition, etc.
Painting Members – Painting Members are limited to a maximum of fifty, at the discretion of the Committee. They are expected to offer one painting per year to Eden for selection.
If over a period of three years a Painting Member fails to have a painting accepted by the Assessment Panel for donation to Eden, or is unable to submit a painting at two consecutive Assessment Days, then that member will be offered Associate Memberhip at the discretion of the Committee.
Associate Members – Non-painting members at reduced rates may have voting rights and are able to attend talks, workshops, demonstrations and any other such event organised by the Society, at the discretion of the Committee.
Retired painting members, who are Fellows, will be entitled to keep the letters ‘FEPFS’ after their name but to add the word“(Retired)”. This is dependent upon payment of the Associate Membership fee.
13. Members and Fellows have voting rights within the Society.
14. Honorary Members do not have voting rights – with the exception of the Honorary President, Honorary Vice-Chairman and Honorary Committee Members (i.e. Curators/ Head Gardeners).
15. Each applicant for painting Membership must submit in person five previous works to be assessed by a panel of horticulturalists and botanical artists.
16. All Members are required to become members of Eden Friends to give them the necessary access to the biomes and Watering Lane Nursery.
Only active painting members shall be entitled to free entry to the Eden Project to enable them to have access to plant material.
FINANCE
17. As well as the mandatory Friends membership there is an annual Society subscription which may be increased from time to time in line with inflation.
18. The Society is self-financing, the use of any “surpluses” being determined by the Committee.
19. The Treasurer will submit a set of accounts to the Annual General Meeting.
MEETINGS
20. The Eden Project agrees to provide a venue for:
a. The annual Appraisal Day.
b. The AGM and other General Meetings.
c. Informal meetings when Members may gather for further study and tuition.
21. The Society to meet four times a year: early January, March, June and at the end of September or as and when the Committee at the time see fit.
22. There will be a General Meeting on each of these days. The Annual General Meeting to be held after the General Meeting in January.
22a. At the AGM in Jan 2015, it was agreed unanimously to hold the AGM in March each year from 2016.
MANAGEMENT AND TERMINATION
23. Should the Committee cease for any reason to manage the affairs of the Society, then the affairs of the Society will revert back to the President for resolution. The President also has the power to override any bad management of the Society.
24. In the event of the Society having to be closed down the Committee is empowered to determine the disposing of any funds that might remain in the Society’s bank account at that time. If numbers fall below a certain level and if a quorum cannot be found to make a committee decision, then the President is enabled, at his/her discretion, to take whatever action is necessary.
25. If no President is in office at that time the Vice-President will take control. If there is no President or Vice-President in power at that time, the remaining members of the Society are empowered to elect a President.
11 November 2002
Amendments: 4.b,c,d,e and 6.b (27 March 2003)
Amendments: 11, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22 and renumbering (13th September 2007)
11 (3 October 2007)
Amendments: 12 (Associate Members) (9th January 2012)
Amendments: 22.a. AGM (12 January 2015)
Amendments: 12 (Painting Members) (18 March 2016)
Amendments: 16 (18 March 2016)
Amendment (18 March 2017) – 16 Deletion of “All members are required to become members of Eden Friends to give them the necessary access to the biomes and Watering Lane Nursery.” And 21 Meeting to be more flexible