UK National Art Societies: 2011 Open Exhibitions - dates and deadlines

This is my annual post about all the Major Open Exhibitions by National Art Societies in the UK.

The definition of an Open Exhibition is that any artist may submit work to be shown in the exhibition. You don't need to be a member of the relevant art society

The list excludes

• the Major Art Competitions (details coming soon) and 
• Local Art Societies (see Art Societies in the UK - Resources for Artists and Art Society Exhibitions (UK) - Resources for Artists)
• Members Only exhibitions. 

Organisation of exhibitions - what happens where

Mall Galleries Receiving Day at 17 Carlton House Terrace

In the UK, a significant number of the leading national art societies are affiliated to the Federation of British Artists based at Carlton House Terrace and the exhibitions are held at the Mall Galleries.

Two major exceptions are the Royal Watercolour Society and the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers which exhibit at the Bankside Gallery next to Tate Modern.  (Note:  There are no details about submission to the RSPP open)

A number of non-FBA national art societies also choose to avail themselves of the facilities at the Mall Galleries and both submissions and open exhibitions are held at the Mall Galleries.

Other national societies choose to administer their open exhibitions themselves and locate their exhibitions at other locations and galleries in London and around the country.

Exhibitions : Deadlines, Venues and Dates

This year I'm ecstatic that the Mall Galleries/FBA have created an Exhibition Planner as part of their Call for Entries Guide for Artists.  This lists both the submission days and the dates for every exhibition which they run (but not for all exhibitions at the Mall Galleries)

Below is a summary table of the deadlines for the various art society exhibitions.   Note that the Pastel Society will get the benefit of all the decorations in the Mall for the Royal Wedding at the end of April!

Details of all the Societies are available in Art Societies in the UK - Resources for Artists 
A note of dates / relevant links are available in Art Society Exhibitions (UK) - Resources for Artists

Art competition	Deadline dates 2011	2011 Exhibition dates
RWS Open Competition	Entry form/payment: 12th January	Bankside Gallery – see below
Royal Society of British Artists	14-15 January	Mall Galleries:  2-12 March (PV 1 March)
Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour	28-29 January	Mall Galleries: 30 March – 10 April (PV 29 March)
RWS Open Competition	12 February (London) + regional (earlier)	Bankside Gallery: 18 February – 10 March
Society of Botanical Artists	14 February 2011	Westminster Central Hall 8 April -  17 April
Pastel Society	18 – 19 February	Mall Galleries: 20 April – 1 May (PV 19 April)
Royal Society of Portrait Painters	18 – 19 March	Mall Galleries: 5 – 20 May (PV 4 May)
RSPP International Submissions	9 February re digital image 18 March for artwork
Royal Academy of Art: Summer Exhibition	Sculpture Photo deadline: 15 March Sculpture (invited: 27 April Transport agent deliveries: 28 March Glazed works (watercolours, prints, drawings, etc): 28 and 29 March Unglazed works (oils, acrylics, etc): 30 and 31 March Architecture: 28 April	Royal Academy of Arts 7 June – 15 August
Society of Women Artists	15 – 16 April	Mall Galleries: 30 June – 9 July
Bulldog Portrait Bursary	9 May
Society of Equestrian Artists	4 June	Mall Galleries: 2 – 7 August
UK Coloured Pencil Society	11 June	Westminster Central Hall 19 September – 1 October
Guild of Aviation Artists	To be announced	Mall Galleries July 2011?
BITE Artists Making Prints	15 – 16 July	Mall Galleries: 24 August – 3 September
SWA Bursaries	1 August
Royal Society of Marine Artists	12 – 13 August	Mall Galleries: 12-23 October (PV 11 October)
Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors & Engravers	20th August	Mall Galleries: 11 - 23 October
Society of Feline Artists	Submission date to be announced	Llewellyn Alexander Gallery: 26 August - 16 September
Society of Graphic Fine Art	Deadline to be announced	Menier Gallery: 3 – 15 October
Society of Wildlife Artists	11 – 12 September	Mall Galleries: 27 October – 5 November
New English Art Club	30 September – 1 October	Mall Galleries: 25 November – 4 December (PV 24 November)
Royal Institute of Oil Painters	28-29 October	Mall Galleries: 7-18 December (PV 6 December)

Notes:

1.     FBA at CHT:  Mall Galleries / Federation of British Artists – work to be submitted to basement at FBA HQ in Carlton House Terrace.  £12 fee per work submitted / no hanging fee Link to registration and regional hand-in submission info

2.     LA Gallery:  Llewellyn Alexander Gallery 124 -126 The Cut, Waterloo, London SE1 8LN UK (opposite the Old Vic Theatre)

3.     Bankside:  Bankside Gallery, 48 Hopton Street, London, SE1 9JH

Notes:

• FBA at CHT:  Mall Galleries / Federation of British Artists – work to be submitted to basement at FBA HQ in Carlton House Terrace.  £12 fee per work submitted / no hanging fee Link to registration and regional hand-in submission info
• LA Gallery:  Llewellyn Alexander Gallery 124 -126 The Cut, Waterloo, London SE1 8LN UK (opposite the Old Vic Theatre)
• Bankside:  Bankside Gallery, 48 Hopton Street, London, SE1 9JH
• Westminster Central Hall,  Central Hall Westminster, Storey's Gate, London, SW1H 9NH

Federation of British Artists

For all FBA member shows administered by the FBA:

• the call for entries, eligibility criteria for all submissions and details - for each Society - of how to submit for the the FBA shows plus certain others administered by the FBA are all available right now in the Mall Galleries Call for Entries 2011 Leaflet. (pdf file). 
• The General Guidance for all Mall Galleries exhibitions is available on the websit.  There are links to the websites of all other art societies which vary as to how much information they provide at this point in the year.
• You can Download the Registration Pack (Pdf file) - which provides the registration form (submitted with all framed works), labels and general guidance for all exhibitions  Alternatively you can also obtain these documents by writing to the FBA.

You can also download a pdf version of my summary exhibition document - which provides more detail about ALL the exhibitions - from my website.

See also my blog post about the location of the Mall Galleries and its two doors - The Mall Galleries has two doors!

(Many thanks to Suz for identifying the misleading column heading - now corrected)