Apply to be part of Open Studios Hebrides 2025
New members are always welcome
Deadline for applications to be part of our Summer Open Studios Hebrides event
28th FEBRUARY 2025
Join Open Studios Hebrides
Membership forms for 2025 available now!
Forms and full information are lower down on this page.​
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We believe that the term ‘ARTIST’ covers a wide range of creative disciplines and abilities, including crafts.
Introduction
We are an association of artists and craftspeople, all based in the Outer Hebrides.
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When Gill Thompson started this group in 2021, it was to create the first Open Studios event in Lewis. Under her creativity and vision, and later with others who assisted her, OSH has developed into a thriving creative community. Gill has passed the baton to other members to carry but is still a much-valued member and a fantastic source of advice.
​We now include all of Lewis and Harris and have spread south into Uist. While our Summer Open Studios event is still our biggest event, we are now more than 'Open Studios'. We have a comprehensive website that provides every member with an online gallery of their work, regular member exhibitions and an active online peer support group. We have talked recently about changing our name but for now, we are still ‘Open Studios Hebrides’.
We are very proud of what has been achieved so far and would love for you to join us on the journey to becoming even bigger.
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As art and craftspeople spread across a large rural area, being part of a professional and social group brings great benefits. In joining the Open Studios Hebrides group these are some of the things you will benefit from:
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A gallery entry on our website (All members)
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Membership of our WhatsApp group (All members)
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Peer learning and support (All members)
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Associate members get a small gallery on our website, with a maximum of 6 images.
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Associate members will get a brief entry in other materials we produce.
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Full members get an extended gallery on our website, with a maximum of 21 images.
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Full members get a detailed entry in other materials we produce.
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Full members get free submissions to our exhibitions.
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Full members can have a space in a shared venue for Summer Open Studios if they do not have a suitable studio space.
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Full members are supplied with signage for Summer Open Studios.
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Social media advertising - the emphasis will be on full members but any advertising for OSH essentially raises the profile of all members.
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We have two membership categories:
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Full Members receive all of the above benefits
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Associate Members receive the first 5 benefits
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Membership Fees are payable on the 28th February 2025 - reminders will be sent out
Please remember that everything done for the group, by the committee or by other members, is done on a voluntary basis, no one is paid for their work. Our ongoing success depends on our members fully engaging with each other and our aims, and as such there are some expectations of all members, these are outlined in our handbook (see link below). Currently, the handbook is the 2024 version, it will be updated in due course.
Become a Member
Please read the OSH Members Handbook, it contains a wealth of information about joining, benefits, terms and conditions, insurance, opening your studio, etc.
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Please provide your details by completing our interactive membership form below. Details of how to pay will be communicated in February 2025.
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We use Google Forms as a secure way of handling membership information. This helps us meet GDPR requirements and ensures that your data is handled carefully. We are always happy to help anyone who needs technical, practical or other help, as we wish to be as accessible to all, as we possibly can.
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Please, submit your fully completed membership form and pay your membership fee asap, so we can start planning events.
The deadline for membership forms and payments, to be part of the Summer Open Studios event, is 28th FEBRUARY 2025. This permits us to plan and set up the arrangements for the main Open Studios and to put the details of participating artists on the website and in the brochure.
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New members are welcome to join at other times in the year but, depending on deadlines, are unlikely to benefit from being in our brochure and may have missed deadlines for exhibitions.
All members have a gallery entry on our website.