Our Open Exhibition is Kindly sponsored by

Loughborough Amateur Operatic Society 

Designed to provide an opportunity for artists, whether local or national, professional or amateur, to exhibit their work. The exhibition also offers the people of Charnwood and the surrounding areas a chance to see work by many different artists, all at the same time.

Successful applicants will have their work on display from Saturday 30th July to Wednesday 31st August 2022.

Sock Gallery’s Summer Open Exhibition 2022 is a fantastic opportunity to showcase your work, with cash prizes for the winner of both our adult and young person categories and a chance to win an exhibition at Sock Gallery through our People’s Choice Award. Application forms are available to pick up from the gallery and to download here.

Entry information

The Open invites you to submit two-dimensional work ranging from paintings, photographs, drawings, original prints and mixed media work. If your work is larger than 2m x 2m (including the frame), please contact Sock Gallery before the submission dates for advice. All work must be fitted with mirror plates before entry – further details on this are provided later. We are accepting three-dimensional work to be housed in our Craft Cabinets. These are set close to the entrance of the gallery and are locked at all times. The three-dimensional work entered must be no larger than 27cm (h) x 23cm (w) x 34cm (d).

Applications

You can submit your application online or on submission days. Please make payment through the website and then email your completed application with up to 3 photos for each piece submitted to sock@charnwood.gov.uk
Please read the online application guidance notes before entering this way.

Online applications can be submitted before the submission dates but will be judged on the same day as the in-person submissions. Pieces can still be submitted in person at Loughborough Town Hall on one of the specified submission dates. We regret that we are unable to accept work in person before these dates. No work will be accepted in person or online after these dates. Anyone bringing in work on behalf of an artist must have with them the completed application form as well as the required entry fee.

Submission Dates

Friday 22nd July 11am – 7pm

Saturday 23rd July 9am – 5pm

Cost of Entry

There is a non-refundable administration fee of £7 per piece of work submitted. This must be paid at the time of submission, with a maximum of 3 pieces per person (total £21). Payment can be made by cash or cheque (cheques must be made payable to Charnwood Borough Council).

Categories and Prizes

Young Persons (ages 11 – 17)

Winner of this category: £150

Adults (18 and over)

Winner of this category: £500

The Adults and Young Persons winner of each category will be announced at the Private View.

People's Choice Award

Voted by the public during the exhibition. The winner will win an exhibition at Sock Gallery. The winner will be announced at the end of the exhibition.

Selection and Results

Submissions are judged by an independent panel to ensure the best range and quality of work is displayed. Unfortunately, due to the number of applications, individual feedback for unsuccessful applications is not available.

Work is judged on a specific selection criteria which includes:

• Quality of the work (technical skill)

• Originality of the work (ideas behind the work)

• Presentation of the work (e.g. framing)

Artists will be notified on Wednesday 27th July as to whether they have been successful. If your work is not successful, it must be collected between Friday 29th July 11am – 5pm or Saturday 30th July 9am – 3pm. Work that is not collected on these dates may be disposed of (without notification to the artist).

Here is where you can download an application and tips for applying online-

​​​​​​​ SUMMER OPEN APP 2022 Digi (PDF Document, 12.4 Mb)​​​​​​​

​​​​​​​ Online Application Guidance Open 2022 (PDF Document, 0.1 Mb)​​​​​​​

We would like to thank our sponsor LAOS for their continued support.