Call for Artists 2020

Would you like to participate in Open Studios Notts 2020?

  1. Read below what is involved.
  2. Complete & submit the Artist Registration Form, send us images of your work and studio and pay the £35 fee, by 8 JAN 2020 EXTENDED TO 15 JAN 2020

Promoting the Open Studios Notts events is a collaborative effort by all the artists involved – to see what happened last year, take a tour around our website.

Michael Trueman, OSNotts co-ordinator

Artists and craftspeople are invited to join Open Studios Notts 2020, taking place in May and early June. This is the 9th year of this collaborative event.

Open Studios Notts’s aim is to widely promote Nottinghamshire artists and maker’s open studio events in a co-operative collaboration, creating opportunities during May/June for visitors to meet artists and to discover their work and practices.

Benefits to artists and makers

  • Promotion – Your studio event will be strongly promoted across Nottinghamshire and beyond, to residents and visitors via brochures (20,000 print run), website, social media, traditional press and print media, radio and TV. Additionally, all participants actively cross-market each other’s activities.
  • Photography – INSPIRE: Culture, Learning & Libraries will oversee selecting a sample of individual participating artists to have professional photographs taken of them working in their studios as the basis of our linked library exhibitions (and the artists involved will receive their images digitally for their own promotional use).
  • Exhibitions – INSPIRE: Culture, Learning & Libraries will curate exhibitions of the studio photographs in three Inspire library galleries between 24th April and 4th June 2020, plus information about all the events.
  • Support – As part of a community of artists and craftspeople, you will receive advice and guidance from the organisers and other participants to help you make the most of your open studio event.
  • Economic boost – Holding an open studio event under the umbrella and support of Open Studios Notts helps you to meet, at low cost, a new audience to support the economic viability of your creative business.

What is Open Studios Notts?

We are a ‘not for profit’ volunteer led umbrella organisation, with some support from INSPIRE and Nottingham City Council, with twin aims:-

  • to create opportunities for visitors to meet artists and discover their work & practices.
  • to encourage co-operation & collaboration amongst the broad community of Nottinghamshire and Nottingham artists.

Qualifying events

Events taking place in May and early June 2020. Venues may take the form of:

  • Working Studios – individual artists opening their studio spaces.
  • Temporary workspaces in accessible venues – with small groups of artists demonstrating aspects of their practices.
  • Larger group/festival events – may be a studio colony, a festival, etc (** below).

Fees

  • The individual artist’s fee for 2020 is £35.
  • Fees are kept as low as possible and charged solely to cover material costs in promoting the artists events – specifically designing and printing over 20,000 copies of the brochure, website hosting costs & signage. The co-ordinating and promotional work itself is carried out in a voluntary capacity.

TO JOIN IN, PLEASE:

  1. Complete & submit the artist registration form (at www.osnotts.co.uk).
  2. Send us an image of your work and your studio (for use on promotional material).
  3. Pay the £35 artists fee.
  4. Form, image & fee to reach us by 15 Jan 2020 to guarantee inclusion.
  5. It may be possible to accept late applications – an additional fee will be due of £10 per artist.

**Note: OSNotts is primarily about meeting artists in their studios/workplaces. However, it is possible to register a group entry – contact the organisers for more information.

BEFORE COMPLETING THE REGISTRATION FORM, YOU WILL NEED:

  • Dates and times you plan to be open. If you open as part of a group or studio trail, it has proved to be an advantage if you all open on the same days and times. Your local group leader will be able to supply the dates planned. If you are new to OSNotts, please contact us for assistance and we will endeavour to put you in contact with other artists in your area.