Artist Sally Muir shares her love of the Bath Society of Artists Open Exhibition
I’ve been a member of the Bath Society of Artists for about five years, before that I submitted work fairly regularly, sometimes I got in sometimes I didn’t, but I always went to see the exhibition and always enjoyed it. It’s a terrific cross-section of artists working in the South West at the moment.
17,000 visitors attend the exhibition
The annual Open is always very well attended, the Private View is absolutely packed and the seven week show had over 17,000 visitors last year with £48,000 worth of sales. So if you do get work in, it will be seen by a lot of people and with a bit of luck, sold.
I have worked as a porter on the selection day for the last few years, and the selection process is very serious and careful, very much like the RA, but without the sherry laced Bovril. Last year, out of the 530 non-member entries, 198 were shown alongside 192 works by members.
There is also a good selection of prizes, which is always a bonus, apart from the very generous Pegasus Prize of £350 worth of art materials, there is the Bath Society Prize of £1000 and the Public Choice Prize of £500 together with a host of smaller awards.
This year, for the first time, there will be an online submission process for the first round of judging, in doing this with Parker Harris, the Society hopes to broaden the reach and diversity of the show.
The final selection will be done as before by a panel of artists and art professionals and this year this includes David Inshaw RWA, David Simon (David Simon Contemporary) and Katie Ackrill (Pound Art Centre).
If you are wondering whether to enter, I would highly recommend giving it a go. All Open Exhibitions are something of a lottery, but you do get in it’s a lovely event to be involved in and your work will be seen by a very large number of people.
How do I enter?
Online submission is now open with a deadline of 5pm on 16 April 2019. You will be notified of digital selection results on 30 April 2019 and, if successful, will then be invited to deliver their artwork to the Victoria Art Gallery. On Saturday 11 May, where it will be appraised by a selection panel a day later. CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR ARTWORK ONLINE
