2026 Membership – Opens 1st November
Suffolk Open Studios 2026
Membership will open for SOS2026 on 1st November 2025. See below for details. All applications for membership must be completed by 31st January 2026.
Who can join Suffolk Open Studios?
All artists, creative makers and artisans living or working in Suffolk are eligible to become members of Suffolk Open Studios. We also welcome galleries and art groups.
SOS members benefit from being part of a great network which is inclusive, supportive and collaborative. There is no selection process. All makers of original artwork created “by hand” that displays their own personal creativity can be assured of a very warm welcome to our organisation (this includes digital art but, at present, not AI or NFTs).
There are currently six types of membership :
- Full (£75/year)*
- Associate (£55/year)*
- Young person/Student – opening (£25/year)
- Young person/Student – not opening (£25/year)
- Art Group of four or more members (£120/year)
- Friends of Suffolk Open Studios (volunteers – no membership fee)
*Concessions available for artists on a low income – contact the Membership Secretary for more information.
IMPORTANT: If you would like to take part in the June Open Studios event, your studio (or the venue in which you will be showing your work) must be located in Suffolk. You should apply for Full, Young person/Student – opening, or Art Group membership. Galleries may join as Full members. Residence qualification: ‘Opening’ members do not have to live in Suffolk, but their Open Studios location must be within the county.
If you do not have a studio, or do not wish to ‘open’ in June, you can join us as an Associate or Young person/Student – not opening member. Among many other benefits (detailed below) Associate and Young person/Student – not opening members are also eligible to participate in the SOS members’ group exhibitions. Residence qualification: Associate and Young person/Student – not opening members must live in Suffolk.
All Full, Associate, and Young person/Student members can participate in any or all of the SOS members’ group exhibitions, where every artist will have a minimum of one work accepted (subject to space). Only members of Art Groups who also hold individual membership can take part in these shows.
Suffolk Galleries form an integral part of the SOS network and benefit from publicity as well as interaction with a large number of artists. Galleries should join as Full members.
Friends of Suffolk Open Studios may be artists or non-artists, but all will share a passion for art, craft and making, and are committed to supporting artists and artisans across Suffolk. Friends of SOS may choose to offer practical, hands-on support at exhibitions and events, or to volunteer their admin skills to the committee. Friends of SOS would not be eligible to show their own artwork as part of events or exhibitions organised by Suffolk Open Studios. As volunteers, there is no membership fee.
Click HERE for a more detailed explanation of the features and benefits of the different categories of membership.
Benefits of Suffolk Open Studios Membership
SOS aims to bring Suffolk artists, artisans, makers, galleries and art groups together in an organisation, run by a volunteer committee of its members, and which uses its collective power to produce a number of events each year where the public can either visit the artists in their studios or see their work in group shows.
In conjunction with the main June event, we also produce the popular printed SOS Artist Directory and a digital App, updated annually, both of which have now become really useful, year-round resources for art enthusiasts across the county and beyond.
As individuals, publicizing and promoting work is frequently difficult and expensive; SOS members benefit from paid-for marketing and publicity, complementing the promotions that the members themselves do. The collective power of Suffolk Open Studios allows us to reach further than individual artists can alone – however, this is not a guarantee of visitors to studios or exhibitions. Each artist must also do their own work to generate visitors. All members, non-opening included, distribute as many SOS Artist Directories as possible from April onward, and, together with our own social media team, publicize SOS on their ‘socials’ or through mailing lists. As a collective, we all work to support each other 🙂
It can also be expensive for artists to take part in exhibitions, or they may be difficult to access. As part of Suffolk Open Studios, we aim to organize several members’ group exhibitions each year. The first exhibition for 2026 will be at the end of May in the stunning Holton Lodge Barn Gallery, Halesworth, with more to follow after the June event (details will be announced nearer the time).
All members have their own profile page on this website, which they can manage directly. On this page artists can show a portfolio of up to 20 images and as much information as they would like to share, plus links to their own websites and social media. Some members actually use their SOS Member Page instead of going to the expense and trouble of developing their own personal website, and find it works very well.
We also encourage members to promote their own events, workshops, courses and classes on this site, which can then be shared on our social media feeds or to our mailing list of over 700 subscribers.
Above all, members of Suffolk Open Studios enjoy being part of an active, supportive and friendly community of like-minded people.
June Suffolk Open Studios main event
Artists may choose which weekends in June they wish to open (if any). ‘Opening’ members commit to opening their spaces for at least one weekend in June (Saturday and Sunday, 11am-5pm, to ensure consistency for visitors). We strongly encourage artists to open on one or both of the first two weekends if they can, as these always tend to be by far the busiest, although artists are free to open later in the month – or all month if they wish!
Through the Member Map on our website, and our closed Members’ Only Facebook and WhatsApp groups we encourage those who are close geographically to work together to form Art Trails and publicize their Open Studios offerings.
Artists whose studios are in remote locations and who may feel a little ‘out on a limb’ are encouraged to work with other members in a similar situation to form Hubs, which might involve hiring a location and showing their work together as a group. Some may use this shared weekend to generate an audience for individual studio openings later in the month.
With over thirty years’ experience in delivering successful Open Studios events across the county of Suffolk, and tapping into the vast collective knowledge of its member-base, SOS can help makers at all stages in their ‘art journey’ to share their work with a wider audience. Details of members’ work and studios are also featured in the much sought-after SOS Art Directory – a popular free year-round resource that helps art-lovers in the region explore the work of Suffolk’s incredible artists, artisans and makers.
Responsibilities
Suffolk Open Studios is a collective, run by its members for its members. It is important, therefore, that anyone thinking of joining SOS understands that they will be part of a group where every single member contributes to the success of the main Open Studios event in June, the group exhibitions and the organisation as a whole.
As a condition of membership, every SOS member (opening or non-opening) is allocated a quantity of SOS Art Directories to distribute around their local area (as well as keeping some for visitors, if opening). The committee sends members a list of suggestions for a successful Open Studios “June Event” updated annually to reflect feedback provided by participants from previous years, gathered through an important Member Survey which is carried out each July. A number of A3 SOS posters are also provided (we ask members to print their own A4 posters) which can be displayed around the county to raise awareness of the event and to direct people to individual studios, hubs or exhibitions. If members have any problems with carrying out their own publicity and promotion, the committee is always happy to offer suggestions.
Suffolk Open Studios is an organisation in which you really do get out what you put in. We do not have a secret formula for selling art, but we do have an active community of artists who network, share knowledge, support each other and quite often collaborate on projects or exhibitions. You may even find an SOS member in your area who is happy to share a studio with you or share an exhibition with you in the future. If you put yourself forward, get involved, take part, join in and contribute we are certain you will find the experience rewarding. If you like, you could always join the the SOS Committee, you do not need to be a long-time member or have any special skills – your input and energy are all we ask for.
The Application Process (new members only)
As mentioned above, there is no selection for Suffolk Open Studios. All who apply are accepted, as long as they meet the eligibility criteria. Even so, the standard of work has remained consistently high, with visitors to our Members’ Group Exhibitions regularly commenting that they cannot believe the shows are not ‘juried’.
On 1st November, a link will appear at the top of this page which will take you to the online application form – this is for NEW MEMBERS only – existing members should follow the link in their renewal email. It is quite a long form, but that is because the data it collects will be used to create your Profile page or ‘Listing’ on this site, the printed Artist Directory and the mobile App. You may decide to answer only the required questions when first signing up, then once accepted and your membership is active, you can log in to this website using the link at the bottom of the page (yellow footer section MEMBER LOGIN/OUT), edit your profile and upload your images. IMPORTANT – all information must be complete and at least one image uploaded by midnight on the second Sunday in February as there is a very quick turnaround to get the SOS Art Directory prepared, proofed, printed and delivered by April.
Click HERE for more information on completing the application form. Even though it is tempting to dive straight in, we strongly suggest that you read this guidance carefully – experience tells us that ultimately, it will save you time.
A final suggestion for artists intending to open their studio – if you think you’d like to become part of an Art Trail in your area, don’t wait until the end of January to join. All memberships run from 1st January to 31st December so joining us in November would actually be advantageous as your studio location will be added to the Member Map within a few days and it allows other members to find you. If there is no existing Art Trail in your area – why not use the member map to reach out to nearby artists and create one?
You must be logged in to post a comment.