Activities of the Guild include:

• Hosting an annual Orange County Open Studio Tour, held the first two weekends in November
• Hosting annual Winter and Spring shows when possible
• Hosting an information, education, and demonstration booth each year at Festifall
• Providing a website to promote OCAG members’ artwork with contact information for an artist liaison to respond to queries about the guild and its artists from members of the public. All members are entitled to a page in the OCAG website Gallery and may include a link to their personal website
• Offering organizational Facebook and Instagram pages and a blog publicizing members’ events and recent artwork, articles written by members about artistic process and inspiration, and a publicly accessible calendar of members’ events
• Hosting quarterly meetings for members with educational programs and speakers
• Coordinating forums and workshops on art related topics
• Seeking out and coordinating other opportunities to show and sell members work throughout the year
• Promoting and organizing self-led artist interest and learning groups

Eligibility
Membership is open to any individual artist who lives or maintains a studio in Orange County, NC and who has been juried into the Guild. The jury process generally takes place once a year to select new members. The jury’s decision is final. Neither the jury nor the Board of Directors of the Guild will provide explanations of jury findings or individual critiques for applying artists.

The Jury Committee membership is composed of volunteers representing members working in various media. Applications will be judged by the entire committee, not just those representing your medium. Membership on the committee changes somewhat from year to year and an effort is made to have a jury member representing your medium. There will be a minimum of 8 voting members plus the co-chairs of the jury present. To insure fairness, the jury process is blind; applicants are anonymous. It is very important to present professional looking photographic images of your work and to describe your work in a way that helps the members of the Jury Committee understand what it is that you do.

Please note that images for consideration by the jury should not necessarily be a comprehensive representation of your work, but 7 images of your work that show some cohesion of thought, design, and execution. The pieces shown needn’t be all the same, but the body of work must be understandable to jury members who are unfamiliar with your artistic production. Of the 7 images of your work, at least 3 should be from the previous 3 years. All artistic media are accepted. Artists must show and sell original work. No kits, commercially manufactured items or imports are permitted. Purchased and unoriginal materials, if used, need to show great creative effect. The artist must design any molds used. Your work must show:

• Competence: The applicant must have basic competence in their medium. The work should clearly show experience working in that medium.
• Confidence/Clarity: The work should be original and should show individual confidence in style and execution. Some cohesion of thought, design, and execution should be evident to the jury.
• Commitment: It should be clear in the jury process that the applicant has been seriously engaged in this work and intends to continue in a committed fashion.

We seek high quality, artistic excellence, serious intent and professional presentation in fine arts and crafts, both traditional and contemporary.

Fees
There is a $25 nonrefundable application fee. The application fee must be paid by the entry deadline.

Additionally, the annual membership dues are $100 per calendar year, January 1 - December 31. New members pay their dues after they have been juried into the Guild. Members may participate in any Guild show with payment of the appropriate event fee. The fee for Studio Tour participation is $500. This fee can be reduced to $250 by completing at least 8 hours of committee work.Please note that 8 hours are the minimum but, for an event to be successful, more than 8 hours may be expected. The Studio Tour is open only to members. All Studio Tour participants must maintain a page in the website Gallery. All members will be listed in the Guild Directory.
 

Multiple Media
An applicant is permitted to submit a SINGLE application with work done in 2 distinct media (pottery and photography, for example), but the applicant should be forewarned that unless the work in both media is of superior quality, this is not recommended. Often such applications read as “weak” in a jury situation - like the applicant "is not committed" and “all over the place”.

An applicant is permitted to submit up to 2 applications if they do work in two distinct media. The applicant in this case would submit one application for each medium with 7-8 separate images and a separate Artist Statement for each. With each application the $25 nonrefundable application fee is required.

“Young Adult Emerging Artist” Opportunity
This year we are seeking 1 to 5 artists between the ages of 21 and 30 for our one year “Young Adult Emerging Artist” positions. If you fit this category, and live or maintain a studio within Orange County and are juried into the Guild based on our criteria described above, the annual fee of $100 will be waived for one year, as will the $250 fee for participation in the Open Studio Tour and the fees for online exhibitions, if you are chosen for one of the 5 Emerging Artist slots. (The $25 application fee will still apply.) If you intend to exhibit during the Open Studio Tour, responsibility to work at least 8 hours on a committee in the Guild will apply to you as it does to all Tour artists (see above). Should a “Young Adult Emerging Artist" not have a space in which to display during the Open Studio Tour, the Guild will actively explore options for a space in which you can display your work during the Tour. (This could be shared space with an established Guild member.) Please Note:  Applicants for the Young Adult Emerging Artist positions should not plan to be enrolled in a degree program (with the exception of BFA or MFA) during the year of their OCAG membership (from February through the following January.)

Application Requirements
For consideration by the OCAG Jury, you must submit the following:

• 7 images of your work
• 1 image of Studio/ workspace (optional)
  • Only seven digital images should be of your art work. If you choose to submit it, the eighth image may be of your studio or working space (not including the artist).
  • ENTERING YOUR IMAGES: Entry form must be filled out in its entirety. List sizes up to the nearest inch. Submitted images must not include matting or frame. Crop the photos to include only the artwork. Be sure your images are right-side-up. The title of each image should start with your Last Name.
  • Before uploading your images, make sure they are smaller than 5MB, but at least 1200 pixels on the longest side. Images should be in JPEG or JPG format, sRGB color space.
• 1 Resume (2 pages maximum)
  • A one or two-page résumé which outlines “arts relevant” info: exhibitions, teaching, workshops attended, continuing professional development—all demonstrating your seriousness of purpose as an artist. It is not expected that you do your art full-time. Many of our members have other “day jobs.” At the end, include any skills or qualities that you might bring to the Guild as a member.
• 1 Artists Statement (2000 character limit)
  • An artist’s statement (2000 character limit) wherein you write about your artistic/creative philosophy, processes, and your intentions with your work. Talk about your work, describing to the jury what you do, how you do it, and what your hope is for its outcome. Please do not include your name in the artist's statement.
    
    Incomplete applications will not be considered.
     

Calendar
1. A new applicants’ Q&A Zoom information session on Sunday, January 7, 2022 at 1:00 pm.  Please email Deborah Harris (dharris118@nc.rr.com) if you’d like to attend.
2. Application submission closes at 11:59 pm on January 31, 2022.
3. Notifications will be sent out in mid to late February 2022.
4. A New Members Orientation Meeting will be scheduled on Zoom in February 2022 once the new membership is determined. You will be contacted about this following the Jury’s decision.
 

Application Requirements

The images of your work most heavily influence judging but judges also review your Resume and Artist Statement. 

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must be active artists and live or maintain a studio in Orange County, NC.