- The name of the Association shall be Midwest Burners.
- The address of the Midwest Burners’ office is designated by the Board of the Association.
- Midwest Burners is an unincorporated Association organized exclusively for social and recreational purposes in accordance with section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code.
The specific purposes of the Midwest Burners Association is to gather to camp, socialize, experiment with the concept of community, and/or create art in all of its forms. We want to extend the creative and communal spirit of the Burning Man Festival, into the Midwestern United States. We hope to unite people, especially in the Midwestern United States, who are interested in Burner culture.
This Association values and strives to achieve the following:
Radical Inclusion
Anyone who desires to pursue this Association’s values and purposes is welcome to participate. A person does not have to know a member of this Association or be from the Midwestern United States in order to join this Association. We do not discriminate on the basis of gender, sexual preference, race, or religion.
Leave No Trace
We want to leave the environment, where we gather, in the same or better condition than when we arrived.
Radical Self-expression
We believe in the freedom of each individual to express him or herself as that person sees fit. Self-expression is the essence of art. Self-expression is a gift to the community and is a part of our gift culture. The giver should keep this social context in mind and respect the rights and liberties of the recipients.
Personal Responsibility and Self Sufficiency
Personal freedom and happiness starts with the individual. We are committed to a Do-It-Yourself mind-set. The individual is primarily responsible for creating and maintaining his or her own reality.
Participation
Individual and communal happiness are achieved through personal participation. Our community is only as great and enjoyable as each person makes it. Participation is the Do-It-Yourself mind-set applied to the social realm. Everyone is welcome to work and play.
Communal Effort
We constantly work to improve and enrich our interaction with each other. We build and maintain an environment of creative cooperation and collaboration.
Gift Culture
We reject any form of commerce during our events. We focus instead on gift giving, which does not require a gift in return.
Decommodification
We are participants rather than consumers. Thus, we bar commercial sponsorship’s, transactions, and advertising from our social gatherings.
Civic Responsibility
While we value individual freedom, we realize that it exists within the context of society. Each member is responsible for the impact of his or her actions on the Association and society in general. We strive to avoid harming each other and to operate our events in accordance with local, state and federal laws.
Immediacy
We seek immediate experience of ourselves, each other, society, and the cosmos. We attempt to remove barriers to this experience. The pursuit of immediate experience underlies all of our other values and objectives.
- This Association adheres to the same philosophy and spirit as the Burning Man Organization and the other formal Burner organizations around the world. In fact, our statement of values paraphrases the statement of principles on the Burning Man Organization’s website (http://www.burningman.com). However, this Association operates independently of the Burning Man Organization and the other Burner organizations.
- The Association is governed and the assets of the Association are overseen by a Board of Directors which has all corporate powers of governance of the Association. The sitting board members are Chris Brace, president; Zack Davidson, vice president; Tyler Garrett, treasurer; , accountant; Lisa Crum, secretary; DJ Jones, EC Liaison.
- Midwest Burners’ net income will be used to accomplish the Association’s purposes that are set out in Article Three. Midwest Burners will not use its net income to personally benefit any of its members, trustees, officers, or other private persons except to compensate them for services and to make payments that further this Association’s purposes. No substantial part of the Association’s activities will be propaganda efforts, attempts to influence legislation, or participation or intervention in any political campaign for public office (including the publishing or distribution of statements). This Association will not, except to an insubstantial degree, do anything that does not further this Association’s purposes.
- When this Association disbands, the assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code. The assets may also be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose. Any such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by a Court of Competent Jurisdiction of the county in which the principal office of the Association is then located, exclusively for such purposes or to such organization or organizations, as said Court shall determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.