What happened to the old IEAG
(International Egg Art Guild)?
Dear Readers,
Thank you for taking the time to ask about what happened to the former International Egg Art Guild (IEAG). We understand there has been some confusion regarding the IEAG Facebook page, and we would like to clarify that Egg Art International (EAI) has no affiliation with that group.
The International Egg Art Guild was once a valuable resource for egg artists around the world. Unfortunately, by 2022 it had become apparent that the organization was facing significant challenges. Membership had declined to only a small number of officers, its IRS tax-exempt nonprofit status had been revoked, publication of its magazine had ceased, its website was no longer active, and the organization reportedly owed substantial sums to members, its magazine publisher, and a former website developer.
Today, the IEAG no longer operates as an active organization. However, its Facebook group remains online and continues to describe itself as a "non-profit association of artists, artisans, and craftspeople who work with natural eggs." Because this description may cause confusion, we believe it is important to clarify that Egg Art International is an entirely separate organization with no association with that Facebook group.
In 2022, I made a sincere effort to help restore the International Egg Art Guild, but those efforts were ultimately unsuccessful. For those interested in the history and supporting documentation, additional information and links to relevant documents are provided below.
Egg Art International remains committed to promoting every form of egg art throughout the world. Our mission is to encourage artistic excellence, advance education, foster public appreciation through exhibitions and outreach, and provide a welcoming community for egg artists of all skill levels.
We are grateful to our thousands of members whose enthusiasm, creativity, and support have made Egg Art International a thriving and growing organization. Thank you for being part of our community.
Sincerely,
Leslie Lisdell M.D. and the Team at Egg Art International
2-6-2024
Synopsis and Timeline of the International Egg Art Guild (IEAG)
Through March 12, 2023
The following timeline summarizes events surrounding the decline and eventual dissolution of the International Egg Art Guild (IEAG). This information is based on correspondence, official IEAG documents, IRS records, Facebook posts, and other supporting documentation available at the time of writing. Readers are encouraged to review the linked source documents and draw their own conclusions.
1. January 2019
In the January 2019 issue of the IEAG members-only magazine, President Jennifer Stevens Klinger announced that, because there had been no nominations for president, she and the secretary would continue serving for another two-year term. Jennifer Stevens Klinger had originally been elected president in 2017.Click here to see the document.
Many members were unaware that a call for nominations had been issued, as no announcement regarding the nomination process had been communicated to the membership before the election period. The IEAG By-Laws required that a Nomination Committee be appointed during the second year of the current Board's term and that members be provided the opportunity to vote by written ballot.
The relevant provisions of the IEAG By-Laws are reproduced below.
IEAG By-Laws: # 6 ELECTIONS
The Nomination Committee shall be appointed by the Executive Board during the second (2nd) year of office of the current Board for the purpose of nominating the next President.
1. All voting for the office of President shall be by written ballot mailed to the officer designated by the President to receive them, in time to arrive in said officer’s hands at least thirty (30) days before the annual meeting. The members of the Executive Board shall be the tellers who count the ballots and determine the results according to the majority of ballots received.
2.The official ballot shall be included in the Newsletter that is mailed at least three (3) months before the date of the annual meeting.
Based on the available records, the procedures outlined in IEAG By-Law #6 do not appear to have been followed. As a result, Jennifer Stevens Klinger's continuation as president for the 2019–2021 term occurred without the nomination and election process prescribed by the IEAG By-Laws.
2. July 2019
In the July 2019 issue of the IEAG magazine, the IEAG officers announced the following proposed amendments to the By-Laws:
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Add 5Aiii: "person ineligible to hold office if publish or promote an egg art magazine."
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Delete By-Law #5Bii: "Officers may be elected or appointed to no more than 2 consecutive terms."
If adopted, these proposed amendments would have made individuals who published or promoted an egg art magazine ineligible to hold office while also eliminating the existing two-consecutive-term limit for officers, thereby permitting officers to serve indefinitely.
The proposed amendments appeared on page 3 of the July 2019 IEAG magazine (click here). No subsequent announcements or notifications advising members of a vote on these proposed changes have been located. Likewise, no evidence has been found that the proposed amendments were approved by the membership as required under the IEAG By-Laws.
See IEAG By-Law #5Bii below.
IEAG By-Laws: # 5 TERM OF OFFICE
5B. Term of office
1.Term of office for each officer shall be two (2) years, unless sooner terminated by death, incapacity, resignation, or removal.
2.Officers may be elected or appointed to no more than 2 consecutive terms. An officer who has served all or part of two (2 consecutive terms shall be ineligible for re-election for One (1) year.
Again, the procedures required under IEAG By-Law #14 regarding amendments to the By-Laws do not appear to have been followed. Based on the available records, members were not provided notice through subsequent newsletters, email communications, or magazine announcements, nor is there evidence that the proposed amendments were submitted to the entire membership for a vote as required by the By-Laws.
IEAG By-Laws: # 14 AMENDMENTS TO THE BY-LAWS
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Amendments to the By-Laws – The By-Laws can only be amended by a vote of the entire membership. Changes must be printed in the Newsletter twice, the second printing to contain a voting ballot to be mailed to the Board. Majority of all votes received will determine the Amendment.
Based on the documented sequence of events described above, the nomination procedures, election requirements, officer term limits, and By-Law amendment procedures set forth in the IEAG By-Laws do not appear to have been followed. The cumulative effect of these actions was Jennifer Stevens Klinger's continuation as president beyond her elected term without the nomination, election, and By-Law amendment procedures prescribed by the organization's governing documents.
3. February 1, 2021
On February 1, 2021, Jennifer Stevens Klinger sent an email to all IEAG members announcing the suspension of the IEAG magazine while stating that the Joan Huff Egg Educational Fund* would continue.
No membership dues were refunded, and no announcement was made that all memberships would be suspended. In subsequent written correspondence, Jennifer Stevens Klinger repeatedly stated that the IEAG no longer had members other than herself, Debbie Peters Botts, and the past presidents. (Click here to view documentation.)
As of August 2024, no funds generated from Joan Huff's donated patterns had been used to establish the educational fund announced in 2021, nor had the patterns been returned to Joan Huff's family.
4. July–October 2022
On July 6, 2022, and again on October 25, 2022, Dr. Leslie Lisdell (Dr. L) contacted Jennifer Stevens Klinger through Facebook Messenger to inquire whether the IEAG Masters Program was still active, as she had two eggs ready for judging. During these communications, Dr. L also offered to assist in updating the organization's outdated website.
No response was received to either inquiry.
5. Late October 2022
In late October 2022, Dr. L discovered that the official IEAG website (internationaleggartguild.com) was no longer online. During the same period, she also learned that the IEAG's nonprofit tax-exempt status (EIN 52-1356542) had been revoked by the Internal Revenue Service after the required federal filings had not been submitted since 2018. See document here.
Dr. L notified Linda Ruth (Past President and Masters Program Director) and Debbie Peters Botts (Secretary) of both the website closure and the loss of the organization's nonprofit status.
6. November 7, 2022
On November 7, 2022, Dr. L spoke with Jennifer Stevens Klinger and offered to rebuild the IEAG website.
Over the course of the project, Dr. L devoted more than 177 hours to rebuilding the website and personally spent approximately $300 on domain registration, monthly maintenance, photographs, and other related expenses.
7. November 18, 2022
On November 18, 2022, Jennifer Stevens Klinger contacted Dr. L through Facebook Messenger asking whether she "would be interested in being the president." (Click here to view the Facebook message.)
Dr. L responded that she would consider accepting the position only as an interim president until elections could be conducted in accordance with the IEAG By-Laws.
Jennifer Stevens Klinger replied that "an interim position would not be possible since the only IEAG members are myself, Debbie Peters Botts (VP/Secretary), and the past presidents." She further stated that "the ones voting now on the presidency would be the same ones in the Spring and it would be for a two-year term."
These statements indicated that the presidency would be determined by a limited group rather than through a vote of the organization's former membership.
During subsequent emails and Facebook Messenger communications, Jennifer Stevens Klinger also stated that she did not want former IEAG members to continue being recognized as members (See Facebook message here). Dr. L believed that this position would effectively exclude former members from participating in future organizational governance and leadership decisions.
8. November 19, 2022 – January 23, 2023
Between November 19, 2022, and January 23, 2023, Jennifer Stevens Klinger and Dr. L exchanged numerous emails and Facebook Messenger communications regarding additions to the website and questions concerning the presidency.
Jennifer Stevens Klinger advised that she intended to announce on January 25, 2023, both Dr. L's role within the IEAG and the updated website.
At that time, the website had been made temporarily public solely for the purpose of testing email functions, coupons, and other website features. The URL had not yet been publicly announced because the site remained under final development and still required additions requested by Jennifer Stevens Klinger.
9. January 25, 2023
On January 25, 2023, Dr. L received a cease-and-desist email from Jennifer Stevens Klinger directing her to discontinue work on the website and to turn over member information. Dr. L states that no membership database existed.
Jennifer Stevens Klinger discovered the website through a Google search but did not contact Dr. L to determine whether it was still undergoing final functionality testing before issuing the cease-and-desist demand.
Following receipt of the email, Linda Ruth—who had previously expressed support for Dr. L serving as president—telephoned Dr. L. During that conversation, Dr. L explained that the website remained under final testing. Linda Ruth nevertheless requested that the website be removed and that Dr. L apologize to Jennifer Stevens Klinger.
After considering the cease-and-desist demand together with ongoing governance concerns, By-Law issues, financial matters, the loss of the organization's nonprofit status, and other ongoing disputes, Dr. L concluded that continuing to work with the existing leadership was no longer consistent with her professional and ethical standards.
Dr. L consulted legal counsel, formed the Committee for the Preservation of the IEAG, and publicly launched the website she had developed for the organization.
Dr. L initially hoped the matter could still be resolved privately. Subsequently, Linda Ruth posted statements on Facebook describing the website as "fake," creating confusion within the egg art community. Additional allegations were later posted on multiple Facebook pages by Jennifer Stevens Klinger, Linda Ruth, and Debbie Peters Botts. In response, Dr. L's attorney issued formal cease-and-desist letters regarding statements believed to be defamatory.
10. January–February 2023
On January 29, 2023, Jennifer Stevens Klinger and Debbie Peters Botts announced the dissolution of the IEAG.
On February 18, 2023, they announced that the IEAG would continue functioning as a "repository" for the organization's remaining assets, which, under IEAG By-Law #18, were to be distributed to a qualified nonprofit organization. That announcement was removed several weeks later.
The dissolution of the IEAG marked the end of an organization that had served egg artists for many decades. Egg Art International remains committed to preserving the legacy of those artists by promoting, educating, and supporting all forms of egg art worldwide.
As of the date of this writing, the remaining IEAG assets and funds have not been distributed in accordance with IEAG
By-Law #18, as reproduced below.
IEAG By-Laws: # 18 Dissolution
Upon dissolution of the IEAG, the Executive Board shall pay out or make provisions for the distribution of all the assets of the IEAG, exclusively for the purposes of the IEAG, in such manner, or to such organization or organizations organized and operated exclusively for educational purposes (e.g. to a public library for the purchase of Eggshell Art books), as shall at the time qualify as an exempt organization under Section 501(c)(7) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law) as the Executive Board shall determine. Any such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by the Court of Common Pleas of the County in which the principal officer of the IEAG is then located, exclusively for such purposes or to such organization or organizations which said Court shall determine and organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.
As of August 2024, no money or patterns donated by Joan Huff to the IEAG had been used to establish the Joan Huff Egg Educational Fund or returned to Joan Huff's family. Egg Art International established the Joan Huff Scholarship in 2024. See information here.