This year’s Bath Society of Artists annual exhibition will open at the Victoria Art Gallery on Saturday 18 May and run until Saturday 29 June 2019. This year – for the first time – submissions are being processed online on the Society’s website. Deadline is April 16th.
Now in its 114th year, this hugely popular exhibition showcases the best of the region’s artistic talent. Any artist aged 18 or over can submit work for possible selection. All of the artworks are for sale.
Last year there were approximately 800 entries, from which 389 were selected for an exciting exhibition that attracted more than 17,500 visitors in seven weeks.
Each year the society invites a prominent local artist to display their works within the show. This year’s invited artist is Stuart Geddes, President of the Royal West of England Academy (https://stewartgeddes.weebly.com/).
Ben Hughes, Hon Treasurer of Bath Society of Artists, said: “We are extremely grateful to the Victoria Art Gallery for once again hosting our annual show. It is an excellent opportunity for both members and non-members alike to have their work displayed in a wonderful historic setting.”
The Society was founded in 1904 with 26 members. It has grown over the years to a membership of about 120 diverse, talented artists. Many distinguished 20th-century painters have exhibited with the Society including Walter Sickert, John Singer Sargent, Philip Wilson Steer, Gilbert Spencer, Patrick Heron, Mary Fedden, William Scott and Howard Hodgkin.
The prizes on offer total nearly £3,000, and include the Bath Society of Artists Prize of £1,000, the Pegasus Art prize of £350 for materials, the Bath Society of Artists 3D Prize of £250, and the Harry Walker Young Artist’s Prize of £250, awarded to artists aged 18 to 25. There are also smaller prizes for prints, watercolours, small paintings and portraits.
During the exhibition, members of the public will be invited to vote for their favourite artwork, with the winner of the Bath Society of Artists Public Choice Prize receiving £500.
For the first time this year, submissions are being processed online on the Bath Society of Artists website, www.bsaorg.uk. The deadline for submissions is 5pm on 16 April 2019. Artists will be notified of digital selection results on 30 April 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 on 12 May.
