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. 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
• Maintaining a listserv with opportunities for exhibition, jobs, and cultural events
• 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 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.

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 5 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 3 artists between the ages of 21 and 30 for OCAG one year “Young Adult Emerging Artist” positions. For artists who fit this category, and live or maintain a studio within Orange County and are juried into the guild, the annual fee of $100 will be waived for one year, as will the $250 fee for participation in the Open Studio Tour and any fees for online exhibitions, if chosen for one of the 3 Emerging Artist slots. (The $25 application fee will still apply.) Those intending to exhibit during the Open Studio Tour, must work at least 8 hours on a committee as do 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 they can display 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
To be considered by the OCAG Jury, artists must submit the following:

• 5 images of art work
• 1 image of Studio/ workspace (optional)
  • Only five digital images should be of art work. A sixth image may be of the artist's studio or working space (but 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 images are right-side-up. Title of each image should start with the artist's Last Name.
  • Before uploading 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 “art relevant” info: exhibitions, teaching, workshops attended, continuing professional development—all demonstrating seriousness of purpose as an artist. Members are not required to do art full-time. Many members have other “day jobs.”
• 1 Artist Statement (2,000 character limit)
  • An Artist Statement (2,000 character limit) wherein artists write about their artistic/creative philosophy, processes, and their artistic intentions. Artists should talk about their work, describing to the jury what it is, how it is done, and any expectations for its outcome. Please do not include any name in the artist's statement.
    
    Incomplete applications will not be considered.
     

Calendar
1. New applicants’ information sessions on January 5, 2025 and January 19, both at 3:00 pm.at the Drift coffeeshop in Chapel Hill (near Whole Foods).  Please email Deborah Harris (dharris118@nc.rr.com) if planning to attend.
2. Application submission closes at 11:59 pm on January 31, 2025.
3. Notifications of acceptance or denial will be sent out in mid-to-late February 2025.
4. A New Members Orientation Meeting will be scheduled in March 2025, once the new membership is determined. Artists will be contacted about this after the Jury’s decision.
 

Application Requirements

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

Eligibility Criteria

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