How to Apply

We are pleased to announce that the Society will begin looking for new members this autumn. Due to a huge amount of interest in our last intake, this process will be a little different to previous years.

If you are interested in becoming a member then please apply using the form below. There will be a pre-selection phase of online submissions. Please fill in the form, attach images of your work and email it to the Gallery Manager (gallery@stisa.co.uk).

Pre-applications close at midnight on 31st October 2024.

Our board of directors will then convene and select a shortlist of candidates from those who have applied.

If you are successful in the pre-selection, you will be notified by the end of November 2024 and requested to bring up to 6 pieces of your artwork to the gallery on Monday 6^th January 2025.

Our directors will then meet again and choose who to elect into the Society.

You will be notified by Sunday 12th January regarding whether or not you have been successful.

We wish you luck in your application!

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About Us

The St Ives Society of Artists is a vibrant group of Cornish artists exhibiting and collaborating in the Mariners Gallery, St Ives. Showcasing a range of work from abstract to figurative, sculpture and ceramics, the Society currently hosts around 6 exhibitions a year, as well as renting out the Crypt Gallery – a space below the main exhibition which may be rented to hold solo or group shows.

Formed by members of the St Ives Arts Club in 1927 and led by George Fagan Bradshaw and Herbert Truman, the Society was established to further the interests and promote the work of the many artists living in the St Ives area. Previous exhibitors in the Society have included Dame Barbara Hepworth, Peter Lanyon, Naum Gabo, Borlase Smart, Wilhelmina Barns-Graham and Patrick Heron.

The Society caps its membership number at 80 artists which means there may not be a membership application every year.

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Benefits of Membership (Full Adult)

Become part of a supportive artist community in the heart of St Ives with a range of benefits including:

• Three wall hanging spaces for each members exhibition in the Mariners Gallery, a gallery space located in central St Ives.

• Access to display space for unframed artwork and artists greeting cards
• Priority booking for the Crypt Gallery, a separate gallery space located below the Society
• Artists page with personal profile and work examples on our website.

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Benefits of Membership (Youth Membership 18-25)

For the first time, the Society is offering a Youth Membership scheme using funds bequeathed to us by former member Valerie Davide. Artists, sculptors, jewellers and ceramicists aged between 18-25 are invited to apply to become a member of the Society with benefits including:

• Free membership fees
• Hanging or plinth space in all membership shows throughout the year
• An annual grant of £250 towards framing costs for work shown in the gallery
• Reduced commission on sold work in the gallery
• Priority booking of the Crypt Gallery for solo or group shows

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Membership Criteria

To apply for membership to the Society you must be a practicing artist living or working in Cornwall. An exception may be made if you live outside Cornwall if you can show the panel that you are able to meet the requirements of supplying work and contributing to the Society from your home location.

You must have a practice that allows you to supply work to our 4 members shows each year.

If you are elected as a Full Adult Member by the Directors to the Society, membership is priced at £55 per annum. Subs are due after the February Annual General Meeting (AGM) each year and you will be contacted by the Gallery Manager with details of how to pay.

New members are subject to a three-year probationary period to ensure that they are meeting the expected standard required by the Society.

The Youth Membership is valid for two years after which members can apply for Full Adult Membership in the following membership run.

To help the Society maintain our Grade-II listed building, members are requested to take part in a donated event each September to coincide with the St Ives September Festival. You will be supplied with a canvas and we ask that members create a small piece of work on this and all proceeds from the sale of the artwork will go towards the fund for restoration work.

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