So simply put yes, and we're sorry that we have to do this but it's the only way we can get what we hope will become an annual show off the ground in this location. The truth is there's lots of costs to be considered but we want to be as up front about fees as possible so we're going to tell you a bit more.
All the fees can be found on the exhibition page, but your entry could cost you as little as £10 and we're also supporting young people with free entries to the exhibition. Beyond that you could pay up to £45 to submit the maximum of 6 pieces at the highest price, which we personally think is fairly reasonable. We're then charging a tiny 30% commission, which we're sure you'll agree is better than a lot of other exhibitions and venues but has always been our standard rate.
Now, this is a submission fee, so there is a minuscule chance you could pay for your entrance and not get selected, but we're not looking to turn anyone away. The judging process is there for moderation but we hope to absolutely fill this venue with submissions so the odds are good!
But where does your submission fee go? Well there's two main costs ahead of us; marketing and maintenance. Lets start with the latter. Now, we're going into a lovely space and there's not much more we need to do than painting a white box, but as many artists out there will be aware, paint isn't cheap and we need a lot of it to get this space gleaming. We're also installing our professional hanging system to make sure that the presentation in this pop-up is as high quality as you'd expect in our main venue. There won't be any cutting corners here, we're serious about making this the best exhibition we can offer you.
And then there's the marketing pot. As far as we're concerned, we wont settle until everyone this side of Bristol has heard about this exhibition so a big chunk of money is going to go into spreading the word and making sure that no one can say they didn't know the exhibition was happening. That sort of goal doesn't come cheap though, so we're raising funds to make sure we get the coverage just right.
Most importantly though, we're running this exhibition sustainably, so your fees and commission payments will not just go into making this exhibition a huge success, but they'll be poured into funding future opportunities year after year after year. We're committed to making opportunities happen for you, not lining our own pockets so this exhibition is intended to build a legacy that will last.
For more information on our Summer Open Exhibition, head here!
