Terms and conditions for exhibiting in SEAW exhibitions

Terms and conditions for both a gallery-based PHYSICAL exhibition and an ONLINE EXHIBITION

These conditions apply to all Society of East Anglian Watercolourists exhibitions unless amended in writing for a specific exhibition because of gallery size, gallery location and COVID.

Please read very carefully before sending your submission.

1. General Conditions

  • These conditions apply to the submission and exhibition of Works managed by the Society of East Anglian Watercolourists (SEAW) and any gallery hosting their exhibition.
  • Further specific regulations and fees for each exhibition may apply.
  • All submitted paintings must be in watercolour or a water-soluble medium for at least 80% of the painting and on an acid-free paper.
  • Water-based media includes acrylic, if diluted with water (rather than a non-water based medium), but this must not be used in thick, impasto form. Water-soluble oils may not be used.
  • All paintings must be the original work of the submitting artist.
  • No prints, whether original or reproductions will be accepted.
  • To maintain the freshness of the exhibition, work should be recent (painted within the last three years), should not have been shown in any SEAW exhibition before (physical or virtual) and should not have been physically exhibited before within a 20 mile radius of the venue.

          If in doubt please contact the Committee via email.

2. Size 

  • The size of works to be provided is either the exterior frame size for the physical exhibition or the exterior paper size, without the mount, for an online exhibition.
  • For a physical exhibition, the maximum dimension of a painting in height or width is 90 cm. Please do not exceed this limit as your work will not be selected.
  • For an online exhibition, there is no minimum or maximum size but the artist needs to be aware that if the artwork is sold it may need to be posted.

3. Pricing

  • All work must be for sale.
  • The minimum price for framed and online paintings is £150.
  • The minimum price for unframed paintings (unhung and sold in browsers) in a physical exhibition is £50.

         

4. Presentation

Framed work

  • All work must be securely framed and glazed with picture ‘D’ rings securely attached to the frame.
  • Strong picture cord (not household or garden string) must be tightly stretched 1/3 from the top between the ‘D’ rings with no slack.
  • Works in metal frames or clip frames, or backed with cardboard, sellotape or masking tape will NOT be accepted.
  • No coloured mounts, only cream, off-white or white allowed although a 5mm coloured edge to separate painting from mount will be acceptable. Float mounting on cream, off-white or white mounts is also acceptable.
  • All submitted works must bear a securely attached adhesive label on the reverse side of the painting containing the following information: title, artist, price, medium. Please complete all sections of the label for each painting.
  • In addition, each framed painting must have a luggage tag attached to one of the D-rings on a piece of cord. The cord should be long enough so that the label can be hung and read on the right side of the painting. The tag should bear the name of artist, title, medium and price.
  • For safety reasons, glazed works with unprotected glass edges are not permitted.
  • Perspex as a glass substitute will NOT be accepted
  • Pictures that are not properly framed, mounted, sealed or presented may be rejected.

Work for an online exhibition, OR for submission to a selected exhibition

  • Paintings must be photographed well and not through glass. Separate guidance is available on how to provide the best image of your painting. Click here to read the guidance.
  • Photographs must be of the painting only with no mount, frame or white paper edges showing.
  • The Committee reserves the right to refuse poorly, photographed artwork and to reject any work considered to be of unsuitable content.

5. Presentation – Unframed work 

  • When unframed works are submitted for the browsers, all work must be mounted, and on stiff acid-free card, preferably mount board or equivalent quality card.
  • No coloured mounts, only cream, off-white or white allowed although a 5mm coloured edge to separate painting from mount will be acceptable. Float mounting on cream, off-white or white mounts is also acceptable.
  • Fully enclosed within a transparent wrapping (please do not use cling film or masking tape).
  • A completed label (see previous section 4) as provided by the SEAW should be securely attached to the back of the transparent cover and a smaller label listing the title, artist and price should be attached to the top right on the right-side of unframed work.
  • The Committee reserves the right to refuse poorly mounted, wrapped or badly labelled unframed pictures and to reject any works considered to be of unsuitable content.

Our full guide to presentation may be viewed here

6. Eligibility for submission to exhibitions

  • Unless otherwise stated for a specific exhibition, our open submission exhibitions are open to artists who live in, or are associated with, the counties of Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Bedfordshire. If in doubt please contact the Committee via email.
  • All artists will be responsible for the submission of their own tax returns and payment of tax (both VAT and Income Tax) to UK HMRC where applicable.

7. Notifications for Open Exhibitions

  • For Members only, in a non-selected exhibition, all of your works will be hung in the online gallery and at least one of your works will be exhibited in the physical gallery. The Committee cannot guarantee to hang every submitted piece, but will endeavour to hang all paintings in the physical gallery. Works may be sold ‘off the wall’ and new pieces hung as space becomes available.
  • For Full Members, Non-Members and Friends in a selected exhibition, there will be an online selection process. Decisions are made by the judges and the final decision on selection and hanging in the physical gallery (and if relevant the online gallery) and the awarding of cups and prizes, will be made by the judges.

8. Delivery and Collection of works

For a Physical Exhibition

  • Dates for delivery and collection of works will be published on the SEAW website for each exhibition. These are the only times when works may be delivered and collected.
  • Artists are responsible for the delivery and collection of their work at the Gallery.
  • If a transportation arrangement is made with another Member, then the artwork must be in a padded bag (clearly marked with the artist’s name) which is easy to open. Works that are delivered wrapped up in bubble wrap and tape must be unwrapped on site by the artist or they might be rejected.
  • All artwork must be un-packed and the packaging materials removed by the person bringing the artwork. No gallery storage is available for packaging. The Society actively supports the use of padded artwork bags which speeds up the hand-in and collection processes and ensures safe delivery of the work.
  • It is also the artist’s responsibility to package their artwork for removal at the end of the exhibition.
  • Work not collected at the stated times will be subject to a daily charge of £10 and will be disposed of after one week, unless there are exceptional circumstances preventing collection. Please contact the Committee in advance of take-down if, due to exceptional circumstances, you have problems with the collection of your artwork.
  • If an external storage company is used, the society cannot provide any guarantees about storage charges or conditions.

For an Online Exhibition

  • Photographs of the works for sale must be submitted electronically at the point of submission.
  • It is the artist’s responsibility to make sure the artwork is photographed properly (see section 4).
  • It is the responsibility of the artist to ensure that works are delivered to the buyer in a timely and secure manner (see section 11).
  • Further details will be available if the decision is made to move to an online event due to increasing COVID cases and restrictions.

9. Submission fees and commission

  • A fee may be charged for each painting submitted for exhibition.
  • The number and type of works submitted may vary according to membership status and type of exhibition.
  • Fees may vary according to membership status and exhibition type.
  • Where the Society holds a physical exhibition in conjunction with an online exhibition, artists may be asked to choose to take part in one or both of the exhibitions. If the artist chooses to take part in both the physical and online show, they will incur no extra hanging fees but must agree to the delivery arrangements for online purchases (see Section 11).
  • Unless otherwise stated, the SEAW will charge a 35% commission on the total price paid for framed and unframed exhibited works and cards sold in both the physical and online exhibitions.
  • Commission at the same rate is also applicable on sales made after the exhibition date, which can be attributed to the painting being hung in the physical or online exhibition. In addition, commission is also applicable to paintings commissioned as a result of the physical or online exhibition.
  • Once work has been submitted to the SEAW, any sale made by the society before or during the course of the physical or online exhibition shall take precedence and supersede one made privately. Any private sale will incur the normal commission.
  • If a painting is sold at the physical exhibition at the same time as it is sold online, the physical sales takes precedence and the online sale will be refunded.
  • The price of Works stated must include commission of 35%. If the artist is registered for VAT, then the VAT due on the selling price of the Works should also be included in the price entered on the form and it is the artist’s responsibility to record, and pay that VAT to UK HMRC.

10. Intellectual Property Rights

  • The copyright and all other intellectual property rights in and to works, will remain the property of the artist and any enquiries in relation to such rights will be referred to the artist.
  • The SEAW and host gallery have the right to copy and/or reproduce the works and to communicate and/or issue such copies to the public in connection with the exhibition, for advertising the exhibition and for general marketing or promotional purposes, and other related activities, including without limitation the incorporation of images of the works within promotional and marketing materials.

11. Liability

  • The SEAW and/or the host gallery undertake no responsibility whatsoever for any loss of, or any damage to, works entrusted to them, whether arising from fire, default, error, neglect or theft by carriers, packers or other persons and whether in their own employment or not, or otherwise, howsoever, and all goods are at artist owner’s risk absolutely.
  • Artists are responsible for insuring any paintings they submit for exhibition.
  • Artists are responsible for ensuring that any paintings sold during the online exhibition are mounted and framed (if negotiated), delivered and/or posted safely after discussions with the buyer, and for insuring any painting if that is required. Here is the SEAW guide to post-sale processes.
  • For the online exhibition only artists are responsible for recouping payment for any framing and delivery directly from the buyer as this is not included in the price. Artists do not need to pay commission to the SEAW on any additional mounting, framing or postage revenue they receive.

12. Indemnity

  • Artists submitting their works to the SEAW (whether for an exhibition or any other purpose) shall indemnify and keep indemnified the society against any actions, claims, proceedings, losses, liabilities, charges, costs and expenses which they may incur arising out of or in connection with any actual or alleged financial or contractual arrangements between the artist and any third party.

13. Personal Data

  • The SEAW will hold the personal data supplied by the artist on the exhibition submission form, in accordance with GDPR 2018. It will only be used for administering exhibitions, commissions and prizes and will not be transferred to a third party without the consent of the artist. Read our privacy policy here.

14. Disqualification

  • The SEAW reserves the right to disqualify any Work if the artist has failed to adhere to these Terms and Conditions and the relevant rules and by-laws of the Society.

Completion of the submission form (either online or paper-based) for any SEAW exhibition is to be taken as the unreserved agreement of the entire contents of these terms and conditions, and any supplementary conditions applicable to a specific exhibition as published on the SEAW website or submission form.