For the third year running, this post about the Call for Entries for The Pastel Society's Annual Exhibition needs to highlight the fact that the dates for entry and submission have changed yet again!
This post summarises:
- the change in the pre-selection process - which this year is:
- applicable to all work and not just large work
- digital - with online entry
- the change in date for entry and submission to the 2012 Exhibition - and the fact that pre-selection closes on 21 November 2011
- the change in the name and why I still think this is not a good idea.
Pre-Selection goes Digital!
Last year, The Pastel Society introduced pre-selection for artists intending to submit large works to avoid unnecessary and expensive journeys for pastel works which were not considered suitable for the PS Exhibition.
This year The Pastel Society (along with the rest of the Federation of British Artists Society) has an expanded pre-selection entry which differs in two crucial ways
- it now applies to all submissions (ie NOT just those which are large works)
- the submission is digital with online entry via the Mall Galleries website. (see my post for more details about this - NEW two-stage digital pre-selection process for FBA Exhibitions)
The initiative has been launched to encourage more UK and regional-based artists to submit work to exhibitions at the Mall Galleries, making entry more affordable to a wider number of artists.However the bad news is that to take advantage of this submission process, you need to submit your work much earlier than the Receiving Day - hence why this is the earliest ever Call for Entries for the Pastel Society post I've written for this blog!
The development of this process has resulted from feedback suggesting a growing reluctance by some artists to bear the costs of travelling in to central London. Having trialled a digital pre-selection process in 2011, the Mall Galleries are confident their new pre-selection process will make applying to their open exhibitions more attractive and convenient to thousands more artists in the UK and abroad.
You have until the 21 November to submit your entry as a digital file online.
The dates are different (again!)
Last year The Pastel Society reverted (more or less) back to its old dates for both submission and exhibition.
This year both the submission and exhibition dates change - and are significantly earlier than last year.
In very broad terms everything is about two months earlier than last year. I've done a table (below) to illustrate the changes.
2012 Exhibition | 2011 Exhibition | |
| Registration & digital submission opens | 1 November 2011 | - |
| Registration & digital submission closes | Monday 21 November 2011, 12noon | - |
| Notification of pre-selection (on Mall Galleries website) | Tuesday 29 November 2011 | 8 January 2011 |
| Receiving Days (this year includes submission by those who have NOT submitted work for pre-selection) | Friday 9 & Saturday 10 December 2011, 10am-5pm | Friday 5th and Saturday 6th February 2010, 10am-5pm |
| Regional hand-in dates | ||
Bristol | Friday 9 December 2011 (12pm - 3pm) | |
Surrey, Sussex and Kent | Contact Art Moves | |
| Edinburgh, Perth, Glasgow, Dumfries, Carlisle, Kendal, Preston, Lancaster, Penrith, Manchester, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Birmingham And Doncaster | Contact Picture Post ON 29 NOVEMBER to book transport | |
| Penzance, Totnes, Exeter & Southampton | Contact South Hams Express | |
| Collection of unaccepted work | Friday 16 and Saturday 17 December 2011, 10am - 5pm | Saturday 13th or Wednesday 17th February 2010, 10am-5pm |
| Exhibition (open to public) | Opens to public: Tuesday 14 February, 10am-5pm including weekends Closes: Saturday 25 February, 2pm | Opens to public: Wednesday 7th April, 10am-5pm including weekends Closes: Saturday 17th April at 3pm |
| Collection of unsold work | Thursday 1 March 2012, 10am - 5pm | Thursday 22nd April 2010, 10am-5pm |
You can find out more about the entry process on the Mall Galleries website Call for Entries page
Handing-in dates
All pre-selected work (ie it hasn't already been rejected) and all other work not submitted through the digital online process should be submitted on the 'hand-in' days (which are either Friday 9 & Saturday 10 December 2011) for selection in the normal way. Fees are payable BEFORE the work can be accepted.
While the arrangements for regional hand-ins have improved over the years there remains a discontinuity at present between the notification date re pre-selection and the date at least one firm which takes art to exhibitions wants to know whether or not an artist wants to book its services! (see above table)
However this is the first year of the new services and there are bound to be a few glitches - which I guess will crop up during this first exhibition which uses the new system. I'm confident these will be resolved and I've got a query in with the Mall Galleries people re the dates and hopefully we'll hear soon what the solution is.
UPDATE - we have a solution - see the response from the Mall Galleries below! Artists in the north need to book transport with Picture Post on 29 November (ie the date the pre-selection is announced on the Mall Galleries website). The announcement will use registration numbers so make sure you have your copy of the submission form and registration number to hand!
Thanks for pointing this out. We have been through the Call for Entries document this morning and checked - it is only the Pastel Society affected by this issue. We have contacted Picture Post and added a note within the registration system to alert artists applying to the Pastel Society who will be affected by this to contact Picture Post on 29 November to arrange collection of their works.Conditions of Entry
Who can enter?
This is an OPEN exhibition and is not limited to work by members.
More and more artists from other countries are submitting work. They will however need to deal with a carrier which will unwrap the artwork, store the packing material and repack it at the end of the exhibition if the work has not sold. This service is not available at the receiving gallery.
Eligible work
- Acceptable media are: Pastels - including Oil Pastels, Charcoal, Pencil, Conte, Sanguine, or any dry media.
- Maximum of six works submitted. Maximum of four works selected.
- All works must be for sale. Minimum price: £300
- All works must be framed but metal and clip frames are inadmissable.
- Contact the FBA in advance if the pictures is taller than 2.4m (8ft) as works this tall cannot be received at the FBA offices.
- all work has to be submitted unwrapped and no packing materials will be stored
- Download the Registration Pack
- submission fee £10 per work (no further hanging fee)
You can also see more information about past exhibitions in the links at the end of this post.
Awards/Prizes: There are numerous and various prizes
- Daler Rowney Art Materials Awards,
- Bill Patterson Memorial Award,
- Brian Sinfield Fine Arts Award,
- Linda Blackstone Gallery ‘Debra Manifold Memorial Award’,
- £200 Annie Longley Award,
- Cross Gate Gallery Prize Kentucky USA,
- Frank Herring Awards,
- The Arts Club Award,
- Unison Pastels Materials Award,
- Anthony J. Lester Art Critic Award,
- Purcell Papers Award,
- The Ranelagh Press Award.
I'm now going to have a bit of a gripe!
I really do NOT like the new name for the Society. I'm going to continue to call this society THE Pastel Society as opposed The Pastel Society UK on the basis that:
- That's what everybody knows it as - and (I think) everyone will carry on using this name.
- The oldest pastel society in the English speaking world, in my view, should stick with the prestige which that gives you i.e. you do not need to explain the title any further!
- There's a far better name available if somebody would make the application - The Royal Pastel Society! All the other media societies have got their royal status so I don't suppose it would be too difficult to achieve. ;)
- The name is clumsy. Do we refer to the royal family as "The Royal Family UK"? The convention is:
- either to provide a preface eg The British Pastel Society
- or indicate the country of origin at the end preceded by 'of' eg The Pastel Society of Great Britain
Links:
- The Pastel Society
- Pastels - Resources for Artists - for those interested in soft pastels. It also contains links to other pastel societies
Call for Entries
- The Pastel Society 111th Annual Exhibition - Call for Entries (9 January 2011)
- Change of dates for Pastel Society Annual Exhibition 2009 (12 March 2009)
- Exhibition review: the Pastel Society's 110th annual exhibition (10 June 2009)
- a pastels workshop with Felicity House (13 Jun 2009)
- The Pastel Society UK - 109th Annual Exhibition (17 Mar 2008)
- "Pastels Today" - the Pastel Society Exhibition (#1) (04 Mar 2007)
- "Pastels Today": the Pastel Society Exhibition (#2) (04 Mar 2007)
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