Exhibition Submission Guide
If you would like to submit work to our Annual Exhibition, you may find the following guidelines helpful.
1/ GUIDELINES FOR EXHIBITING ARTISTS
These are guidelines and not rules; exceptions to the guidelines will be at the discretion of the selection committee.
Entries should be of a high standard of composition and draughtsmanship in any medium and on any material. The work must be executed in the miniature technique showing fine detail and brushwork, and mastery of the chosen medium. It must be of good composition and tonal balance when viewed from a distance and by virtue of its detail and fine execution must stand up to close inspection.
Within the space available in the cases, we try and accommodate larger frames whenever possible but paintings should always be of fine miniature quality and must not fall into the category of ‘small painting’.
Works exhibited can not be resubmitted for at least two years. If you are an overseas exhibitor, please also see separate ' Information for Overseas Exhibitors' which is available from the Office.
Entries should be of a high standard of composition and draughtsmanship in any medium and on any material. The work must be executed in the miniature technique showing fine detail and brushwork, and mastery of the chosen medium. It must be of good composition and tonal balance when viewed from a distance and by virtue of its detail and fine execution must stand up to close inspection.
Within the space available in the cases, we try and accommodate larger frames whenever possible but paintings should always be of fine miniature quality and must not fall into the category of ‘small painting’.
Works exhibited can not be resubmitted for at least two years. If you are an overseas exhibitor, please also see separate ' Information for Overseas Exhibitors' which is available from the Office.
- Guidelines for Image Sizes:
Rectangles 4.5 inches x 6 inches
Squares 4.5 inches
Circles 4.5 inches in diameter
Circles 4.5 inches in diameter
Maximum area including frame, not to exceed 50 square inches.
- Mounts and frames (see video help below): Mounts should be accurately cut. There is no restriction on the size of the moulding of a frame, but excessively heavy frames may be rejected if the selection committee feels they are unnecessary or detrimental to the painting. Frames should be of high quality, clean and in keeping with the picture, and they should hold their contents securely. The artist’s name, the medium used and the title of the painting, should be clearly shown on a label on the reverse of the painting. All works should have a securely fitted hanging ring or D-ring positioned close to the top of the frame. Glass if any, must be clean on both sides. See video below for advice on framing.
- Portraits (commissioned works) may be submitted Not For Sale (N.F.S.) for Exhibition only, but artists offering NFS portraits are encouraged also to submit a non-commissioned work of similar value for sale.
- Sculpture (original or part of a limited edition) Works should not exceed 10 inches in any dimension. Consideration should be given to the subject matter and appropriate scale. The artist must indicate whether the piece is an original or part of a limited edition run. If the sculpture is part of a limited edition run, please detail how many pieces are available for sale and the total number of edition copies.
- Reproductions: Members may submit limited edition and/or non-limited edition reproductions for sale. A maximum of 6 designs can be submitted with up to 3 prints per design (so a maximum of 18 prints in total). All prints must be mounted, appropriately wrapped, signed, numbered (if limited editions) and priced. Only miniatures of original size will be accepted. Overall presentation must be to a high standard.
- Cards may be submitted by members for sale. They must be individually labelled and priced. Only miniatures of original size will be accepted. Overall presentation must be to a high standard.
All reproductions and cards must be submitted with the appropriate form together with your parcel. Unlabelled items will not be accepted.
Framing guidelines video:
2/ SELECTION and HS STATUS
Selection will take place on Thursday 18th April 2024. Selection of work for the exhibition is at the discretion of the Selection Committee and its decision is final. If any of your entries have not been selected you will be informed within 10 days of Selection.
If you wish to discuss your work at any time during the exhibition, please contact a member of the Council or speak to the Sales Desk. Work submitted for the exhibition is always subject to selection.
HS status: Artists who have had 3 or more works accepted in two consecutive years or 8 works selected over a three year period can apply for HS status when entering work into the following year’s exhibition. This is subject to the Selection Committee’s approval and is by no means automatic. Members who are awarded full HS status receive a certificate and are entitled to use the initials HS after their name. They are also entitled to have their own page on the Hilliard Society website. Continued entitlement to use ‘HS’ requires work to be submitted at least every third year to maintain confidence in the standard of work produced.
If you wish to discuss your work at any time during the exhibition, please contact a member of the Council or speak to the Sales Desk. Work submitted for the exhibition is always subject to selection.
HS status: Artists who have had 3 or more works accepted in two consecutive years or 8 works selected over a three year period can apply for HS status when entering work into the following year’s exhibition. This is subject to the Selection Committee’s approval and is by no means automatic. Members who are awarded full HS status receive a certificate and are entitled to use the initials HS after their name. They are also entitled to have their own page on the Hilliard Society website. Continued entitlement to use ‘HS’ requires work to be submitted at least every third year to maintain confidence in the standard of work produced.
3/ EXHIBITION ENTRY FEES and COSTS
All payments must be made in pounds sterling.
Artist Members whose current annual subscriptions are up to date may submit work and there is no limit to the number of works that can be submitted. The Entry Fee is £7 per work for the first four items and then £3 per work. This covers handling and administrative costs and is non-refundable.Non-Members may submit up to FIVE miniature works for the Exhibition at an Entry Fee of £12 per work. This covers handling and administrative costs and is non-refundable.
There is no entry fee payable for young people under 18 who may submit up to FIVE works in the Young Artist category.
RETURN DELIVERY COSTS (UK EXHIBITORS)
At the end of the live Exhibition at Wells Town Hall, the Society will return to the artist all work which was either not selected or remains unsold.
If all of an artist’s paintings are sold, the Society will reimburse the cost of postage to the artist along with the money from the sales.
RETURN DELIVERY COSTS FOR OVERSEAS ARTISTS If you are an overseas exhibitor, please see separate ' Information for Overseas Exhibitors' which is available from the Office.
- Collection in person: Unsold/ Unselected work can be collected on Monday 17th June between 10am and 12 noon at Wells Town Hall.
- Return by post: Any artists who want their work returned by post must add the cost of return postage and packing to their Entry Fee. Work will be returned by Royal Mail Special delivery with £1,000 compensation.
Parcels weighing up to 1kg Add £10 to the Entry Fee
Parcels weighing 1 to 2kg Add £15 to Entry Fee
Parcels weighing over 2kg Add £20 to the Entry Fee
If all of an artist’s paintings are sold, the Society will reimburse the cost of postage to the artist along with the money from the sales.
4/ Website
The exhibition also takes place on dedicated pages of the Hilliard Society’s website. Artwork will be can be viewed online from the time of the Private View and purchased by phone using the dedicated Sales Line for the duration of the Exhibition.
After the live exhibition has ended, works can be purchased directly from the website. If artists do not want their work to be displayed on the website, please inform us when submitting entries.
5/ HILLIARD SOCIETY COMMISSIONS
A commission will be taken by the Hilliard Society to cover the exhibition costs and for the sole benefit of the Society. The percentages taken include all payment processing fees and are as follows:
- Original artwork in the live or online exhibition: 35%
- Cards, limited edition and non-limited reproductions: 25%
- Commissions of new work from introductions made at the live or online exhibition: 35% (This applies only to the first commission an artist receives from a buyer).
6/ pricing
- All work must be for sale except those portraits entered under the “Not for sale” rule, and no work should be submitted for a sale price of less than £100.
- When pricing your work, you should remember to take into account the commission taken by the Hilliard Society. Please ensure that any work accepted in the exhibition is removed from or marked as temporarily unavailable on any other website.
- No price reductions will be agreed with buyers.
- All prices should exclude the cost of delivery to the buyer. We will add the following standard amounts to cover the cost of postage & packing: £15 for postage to UK, £20 for international postage.
After the exhibition: If any of your work is sold from the website after the end of the live exhibition, the price (less the HS %) and the amount paid for postage will be transferred to you. You will then be responsible for arranging and paying for postage to the buyer.
If a buyer purchases more than one painting online from a single artist, a reasonable sum to cover postage & packing can be negotiated between the buyer and the artist.
7/ How to Enter
NB: If you are an overseas exhibitor, see separate Information for Overseas Exhibitors available on request from the Executive Secretary (info@hilliardsociety.org).
- Complete your Entry Form and email or send ALL pages to Katie Green, Executive Secretary by the final submission date. It is essential that this is done, even if you are bringing your own work to Selection, as information on the form needs to be recorded and processed before Selection takes place. (Note - Entry Forms are available from this website nearer to the Exhibition).
- Send your Work, including any reproductions and cards, to Katie in a separate parcel by the final submission date.
- Enclose a copy of your Entry Form (and Reproductions and Cards form if applicable) in the parcel.
- Write your name on the outside of the parcel.
Methods of payment:
You must pay your Entry Fee & Return Postage costs when you submit your work. Where possible, payments should be transferred directly into the Hilliard Society Bank account.
Account Name: The Hilliard Society Sort Code: 20 99 40 Account No: 40476137
Please ensure that you give your name as a payment reference so that we know who the payment is from.
Cheques: If you are unable to pay be direct transfer, a cheque can be made payable to “The Hilliard Society” and attached to your Entry Form.
8/ OTHER INFORMATION
- Phone sales: There is a dedicated sales and enquiry number 07821 325598 which is made live from 7pm on the day of the Private View and is then available during the exhibition opening hours. Please note at busy times you may leave a message for the Society to get back to you. Priority will be given to those attending the exhibition in person but the Society will make every effort to answer the sales phone during the exhibition week. Alternatively, you can email info@hilliardsociety.org with details of the painting(s) you are interested in and we will contact you.
- Insurance: Whilst the majority of paintings are displayed in locked cases throughout the exhibition in secured/alarmed premises, exhibitors are responsible for insuring their work both during the transit and exhibition.
The Hilliard Society does not accept any liability for work that goes missing, either when being returned to the artist or when being sent to a buyer.
- Payment and Work Sold: Payment from the exhibition will be made by the Society within one calendar month of the exhibition closing date.
- Your personal information: We keep a record of the personal details you provide us with so that we can keep you informed about this and future exhibitions. If you do not wish to receive information from us, please contact the Executive Secretary.
- Legal and tax matters: Any legal and tax implications of submitting work to the exhibition are the responsibility of the artist. The Society is not able to give legal or tax advice.