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ISCA FAQ

A Q&A addressing frequently asked questions and concerns relating to the International Society Of Caricature Artists. 

Organization Specific 

What is ISCA?


The International Society of Caricature Artists is a 501C(6) non-profit trade organization dedicated to elevating the art and artists of caricature.

ISCA Mission

  • We celebrate caricature as an art form.

  • We promote caricature as a valuable commodity on a global and local scale. 

  • We strive to be the definitive professional resource for all those seeking knowledge about caricature. 

  • We cultivate a diverse, global community that connects, inspires and entertains through caricature. 

Core Values

  • We are committed to advocating for and advancing the art of caricature.

  • We are dedicated to maintaining integrity in professional practice.

  • We respect people, value diversity and are committed to the fair and equitable treatment of artists around the world. 

Decision making

How does ISCA make decisions on general rules, policies and membership, and just about everything?


The ISCA Board discusses and ultimately votes on any decision it has to make. These may be issues brought up by members or policies proposed by fellow board members. Majority always wins. If there are an even number of board members, the President’s vote is the tie-breaker. The outcome of the vote is not always unanimous, however, board members are encouraged to stand behind the outcome as a team. 

How is the ISCA Board selected?


Every August, board nominations open to Professional ISCA members.

How to nominate:

Members can submit their nominations in the official Facebook thread (or by emailing our Executive Director) during the open nomination window. Members can nominate themself or someone they think would meet the requirements. Nominees must be paid Professional Members in good standing for a minimum of one (1) year. Another member must second a nomination for the nominee to be considered. Nominees must accept their nomination. Current board members do NOT need to be re-nominated. If a current board member chooses to run again, their name will be on the official election ballot that will go live one month before ISCAcon.

Members nominate a person for a seat on the board of directors, not a specific role or position. These positions and duties are decided after the election and before the beginning of the term by the elected board. 

Example of how a nomination should go: Member A: “I would like to nominate Jane Doe, because her outstanding contributions to the caricature community has been helpful and her experience in public relations would be an asset to the board.” Member B, replying to that comment: “I second the nomination for Jane Doe” Jane Doe would then reply with “I accept this nomination!” Or “I’m sorry, I cannot accept the nomination at this time.”

Board Positions & Duties:

PRESIDENT: The chief executive officer of ISCA. They hold the responsibility of the general and active management of the affairs of the association, set the monthly meeting agenda and see that all orders and resolutions of the Board of Directors are carried into effect.

VICE PRESIDENT: Assists the President in the management of ISCA. The Vice President is also to ascend to the office of President in case the sitting President is unable to complete their term, and is assumed to be the incoming President once the former President steps down from the role.

SECRETARY: Attends all meetings of the Board of Directors and the members, records meeting minutes, updates the Board of Directors with monthly action item reminders.

TREASURER: Attends all meetings of the Board of Directors and the members, as well as sits as chairperson of any finance related committees which entails leading financial meetings and setting their agendas when needed.

BOARD MEMBER: This title applies to all officers of the Board of Directors, as well as Board Members who do not hold an officer title. Attends all meetings of the Board of Directors and the members.

All positions must understand and fulfill the responsibilities outlined in the Board Member Agreement

The Board of Directors shall comprise no fewer than four (4) and no more than seven (7) Directors. The Directors shall be elected each year at the Annual Member Meeting, by the affirmative vote of a majority of the Voting Members. Directors shall be at least 21 years of age but need not be residents of the United States (except for the office of Treasurer). Each Director must be a Voting Member of the Corporation. No person may serve as a Director if such person has been convicted of a felony in their country of citizenship unless otherwise approved by the Board of Directors. The Officers of the Corporation shall be chosen by the Board of Directors and shall consist of a President, a Vice President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. No two (2) or more offices may be held by the same person. Any existing member of the Corporation who has a membership in good standing for a minimum of one (1) year is eligible to serve as an Officer except for the office of President. The President must be an existing member of the Corporation with a membership in good standing for a minimum of two (2) years.

This election is open for one month leading up to the annual ISCAcon. The new term will begin at the awards banquet on the Friday of ISCAcon and last until the end of the next annual conference in November. Virtual ballots are delivered to members via email. Those who still wish to submit a physical ballot can request one by contacting ISCA Executive Director Kara Mundy by email (director@caricature.org). Members choose four (4) people to serve as the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors chooses who will serve the board as officers. The board will select themselves for each office. The top four (4) candidates receiving the most votes will be guaranteed the title of Board Member and all other candidates will be considered for inclusion on the Board of Directors.

How does ISCA make its decision about what content is moderated on?


ISCA bases content moderation on the policies of the ISCA Code of Conduct and the ISCA Anti-Harassment Policy

How does content get flagged for moderation?

Content may get flagged in one or more of 3 main ways

  • Board members spot content that may violate our content policies

  • Moderators (non-board members) spot content that may violate our content policies

  • Members may report or flag content that may violate our content policies

What happens when content is flagged or reported for content violation?

The ISCA Board discusses and ultimately votes on any decision it has to make. These may be issues brought up by members or fellow board members. Majority always wins. If there are an even number of board members, the President’s vote is the tie-breaker. The outcome of the vote is not always unanimous, however, board members are encouraged to stand behind the outcome as a team. 

How do I appeal a decision the ISCA Board has made?

You may file a formal complaint or give feedback by using this form. Your complaint or feedback will be reviewed by the Board within approximately 2 weeks. If you submit anonymously you will not be contacted, if you submit with your email you may be contacted. 

ISCACON

What is ISCAcon?


In short, ISCAcon is a week-long conference and competition that brings together around 250 caricature artists and enthusiasts from around the globe to learn, draw and celebrate the art of caricature together. For information, visit caricature.org. We will update our site with more information as we get closer to the con. 

Locations

How does ISCA select its hotels and locations for ISCAcon?


ISCA puts out a request for bids to hotels across the country based on our requirements: 

    • Ballroom space: 8,000sq ft min, but we need 10k+ to be comfortable

    • A room block with 80 rooms a night

    • Room rates under $200/night (and preferably closer to $100/night) to keep it affordable for you, our members!

    • 24 hour ballroom/staff availability 

    • Minimum flat wall space (around the perimeter) of 800ft

    • Ballroom walls must be available for taping/displaying artwork

    • Near an international airport, preferably in a walkable area, close to dining 

    • Concessions 

      • Free wifi

      • Free or discounted parking 

      • Water in the ballroom

      • Free airport shuttle

      • Waived Resort fee (resort fees are additional charges, averaging around $30/night, for a range of hotel amenities, such as pool use, gym access, towel services, Wi-Fi, newspapers, shuttle service, daily parking,etc.)

Because of our many requirements, only a handful of hotels are willing to negotiate a contract with ISCA. Here are some of the reasons why a hotel may pass on our request for a bid: 
    • Our room block is too small for the amount of ballroom space that we require. 

    • If we book too large of a room block - ISCA has to pay the difference on rooms that were not booked and may not receive any of the concessions. (Like free wifi and waived resort fees) 

    • Hotel doesn't allow taping on walls or use of walls for artwork display 

    • Doesn’t have enough usable wall space or doesn’t have a large enough ballroom

    • Is too far from airport

    • Room rates are $200 or higher/night

    • Hotel doesn’t offer 24 hour availability for use of ballroom 

Why does ISCA use hotels for ISCAcon (rather than a convention center or banquet hall rental)?


When booking with hotels, event services are bundled in house, but when booking through an independent rental space all the services would need to be booked separately. Services include things such as food catering, cash bars, furniture rental, wifi services, and it does not include discounted room rates for the members. These independent rental spaces remain an option, but we have yet to find a suitable location for ISCAcon. 

CON LOCATIONS

Has ISCA ever thought about hosting a future con in:

  • Your hometown

  • Your favorite city 

  • A different country 

  • The Kalahari in Sandusky OH 

  • Atlanta

  • The Midwest

  • The Pacific Northwest

  • The Northeast

  • Literally anywhere else

YES, we have! Those places either don’t meet our requirements OR we don’t meet the hotel's requirements. For instance The Kalahari in Ohio is currently booked in all of November! 

Has ISCA ever thought about hosting the con not in November?


YES, we have! Due to the busy fair season, the best time of year to have ISCAcon is November-April. One of the reasons we haven’t changed the dates is that we would have to skip a year to implement the new dates. If enough members expressed interest in having the con in a month other than November, the board would certainly consider it. However, we book hotels out 2 years in advance, and oftentimes, there is a new board in place by then.  

Sponsors


Has ISCA ever thought about having these companies as sponsors or vendors?

  • Crayola

  • Sharpie

  • Adobe

  • EZ Up

  • Procreate 

  • Prismacolor

  • Caran d'Ache (neocolors)

  • Paperlike

  • Almost every company you can think of 

YES, we have! We reach out to at least 20 different major companies for sponsorship every year, including all of the ones on the list above, and more! Companies like Crayola only offer sponsorship and donations to nonprofits whose mission is to foster creativity in children. Other major companies like Prismacolor initiate all giving opportunities and do not accept unsolicited requests for support.

Has ISCA ever thought about reaching out to local Art supply stores to have them sell art supplies at vendor tables or sponsor ISCAcon?


YES, we have! Each year, in the July before ISCAcon, we reach out to every art supply store within 10 miles of ISCAcon’s location. We let them know we’re coming to town with 200 artists, ask them if they’d like to set up a vendor table or provide in-store discounts/or coupons for our members as well as if they’d like to sponsor ISCAcon with in-kind product donations. We also write follow up emails to every store. Most we never hear from. Some, like Blick, might donate things like sketchbooks and pencil packs!

Has ISCA ever thought about televising the con?


YES, we have! Most years, we do a press release and send it out to local media such as newspapers, magazines and TV/news stations. Most of the time, we never hear back from anyone. Occasionally, we’ll get a write up in a local blog. At the current moment, we do not have it in the budget to hire a publicist, however, it is something we will consider in the future if we can afford it. 

How can I sponsor ISCAcon?

Great question! Head on over to https://caricature.org/Sponsor-ISCAcon to learn more!

Ticket Types

What is an ISCAcon Registrant?

  • An ISCAcon registrant is anyone who is registered for the con. Any registrant who is a Professional member may vote. Registration types include:

  • Competitors

  • Attendees

  • Guests

  • Child (ages 3-12, children 2 and under are free)

  • Special attendance types 

    • Day Passes

    • Showcase Wristbands

What is an ISCAcon Competitor?

An ISCAcon Competitor is an ISCA Professional member who has opted into competing at the con. Competing includes a competition number, a competition wall space, and ability to compete in all of the competitions, and attend the speakers and meals. 

What is an ISCAcon attendee?

An ISCAcon attendee is someone who wants to come to ISCAcon to experience the con, network, or is a caricature artist that is not competing. Attendees may attend speakers and meals. 

Who is considered an ISCAcon Guest? 

An ISCAcon guest is someone who wants to come to ISCAcon to support an artist, but is not a caricature artist themselves. Guests may attend meals, but may not attend seminars, panels or speakers. Guests include but are not limited to:
  • Spouse/partner

  • Friend

  • Child 13 or older 

  • Family member




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