International Art In Scotland, Scottish Art Internationally

The Society of Scottish Artists is an artist-led, not-for-profit organisation with over 1000 members from across Scotland and beyond.
Run by artists for artists, the Society is led by a team of volunteers, each elected by the members and working together to create opportunities for artists.
The Society does not receive any public funding. We support each other to organise, present and promote exhibitions and events, as well as offering a platform for discussion and sharing.
We hold our Annual Exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh, where we showcase the best of contemporary art to audiences in excess of 34,000 people. We also organise an ongoing programme of exhibitions, events and international residencies.
Founded in 1891, the Society of Scottish Artists held its first Annual Exhibition in the Royal Scottish Academy Gallery in the heart of Edinburgh. Today continues in the spirit of its founders, to show the controversial and the unexpected and to give hanging space to new artists of promise.

Aims of the SSA
To promote the contemporary arts in Scotland by increasing audience and widening access.
To promote and encourage experimentation and the “adventurous spirit” in Scottish art.
To empower and inform artists through becoming part of an artist-led organisation and through the provision of training opportunities and discussion forums.
To provide exhibition opportunities for artists
To facilitate artist exchanges and communication with international artists and artist groups
To provide educational projects to encourage a wider understanding and awareness of contemporary art
To work under a policy of equal opportunities, access and inclusion

The Annual Exhibition
The Society continues its tradition of holding an Annual Contemporary Open Exhibition in the Royal Scottish Academy in Princes Street, Edinburgh.

Installation, video, site-specific and performance art alongside a strong core of works in traditional media result in challenging and invigorating shows. In an art-world where the divide between “new genres” and “traditional media” has rarely been wider, the SSA plays a unique and vital role in bridging the gap.

The SSA supports emerging and experimental artists in a number of practical ways. Each year the SSA selects a number of graduating students from the five Scottish art college degree shows to exhibit in the Annual Exhibition. It also accepts proposals for installations and performance events selected through open submission.