SSA | VAS OPEN

Society of Scottish Artists and Visual Arts Scotland invite artists from across the world to apply to be part of the biggest show of contemporary art in Scotland.

Working together for the second time, the two leading arts organisations are joining forces to present another ambitious collaborative exhibition celebrating the best in contemporary and applied art.

The exhibition, entitled SSA|VAS OPEN, will take place at the Royal Scottish Academy on Edinburgh’s Princes Street from 22 December 2019 – 30 January 2020.

SSA|VAS OPEN promises to be the largest and most diverse exhibition of contemporary art and craft to be held in Scotland this year, giving an expected audience of over 30,000 people the opportunity to discover and enjoy artworks across all mediums. The exhibition is produced and supported entirely by artists with no public funding.

Andrew Mackenzie, President of Visual Arts Scotland said, “Since their inception, both Societies have focused on the new and adventurous, the challenging and contemporary. We will continue this commitment by presenting an exhibition that demonstrates fully the diversity of contemporary and applied art created today.

“All artists and makers from anywhere in the world can apply to exhibit and all types of art will be considered. From painting and sculpture to moving image, performance and applied art, our selection committees look forward to considering every submission.”

President of the Society of Scottish Artists, Sharon Quigley added, “The Society of Scottish Artists and Visual Arts Scotland have much in common yet are very distinct organisations. Working together, our mission once more will be to celebrate our unique qualities, while confirming our individual identities as two of Scotland’s leading art institutions.

“This exciting collaboration, fully rooted in common purpose will allow us to combine our expertise to present one ambitious exhibition. We anticipate receiving many hundreds of entries, yet this should not deter artists from applying as our selection process is completely anonymous so every proposal has an equal chance of success.”

Society of Scottish Artists and Visual Arts Scotland are artist-led organisations whose Annual Exhibitions, traditionally held at the prestigious Royal Scottish Academy, attract many thousands of visitors. Both organisations nurture a vibrant network of artist members from across Scotland and beyond.

Artists can submit works for consideration from Thursday 20 June 2019. Further details on how to apply and links to the online submission website will be posted on this website on 20 June.

SSA|VAS OPEN, at the Royal Scottish Academy on Edinburgh’s Princes Street from 22 December 2019 – 30 January 2020

OPEN SUBMISSION – CALL NOW CLOSED

There are FOUR categories for artworks with separate deadlines;

INSTALLATION, PROPOSALS AND PERFORMANCE SUBMISSIONS
Installation, site-specific, audio, audio-visual work, interactive works, performance, animation or proposals for an unrealised work.
Open For Entry: Thursday 20 June
Deadline: Monday 5 August
Pre – Selection Notification: Tuesday 27 August

SSA | CUTLOG – ARTISTS MOVING IMAGE
Open For Entry: Thursday 20 June
Deadline: Monday 5 August
Pre – Selection Notification:

UPDATE: Due to the high number of submissions the panel of selectors require more time to make their decisions and therefore we have extended the pre-selection notification date to Monday 16 September.  The selection results will be available at the submission website from this date.

VAS | INCHES CARR MENTORING AWARD
For makers.
Open For Entry: Thursday 8 August
Deadline: Tuesday 1 October
Pre – Selection Notification: Friday 8 November

GENERAL SUBMISSION
Painting, printmaking, photography, drawing, sculpture, craft, jewellery and all other media not listed under INSTALLATION, PROPOSALS AND PERFORMANCE SUBMISSIONS or SSA | CUTLOG categories.
Open For Entry: Thursday 1 August
Deadline: Monday 30 September
Pre – Selection Notification: Wednesday 23 October

ALL
Artwork Delivery: Sunday 15 December 2019 10am – 4pm
Large artwork/install delivery Sunday 15 December or by arrangement
Return of non-selected works: Wednesday 18 December, 10am – 4pm
Private View: Saturday 21, 2pm – 5pm
Exhibition Open To Public: Sunday 22 December 2019 – Thursday 30 January 2020
Collection of unsold work: Saturday 1 February 2020, 10am – 2pm

All further details can be found on the online submission website.