Taking part in Central Fife Open Studios is hard work and also great fun! As a participant you will benefit from being able to sell your work directly to the public, take commissions, demonstrate your practice, discuss your work and inspirations, sign visitors up to classes, make contacts with galleries and benefit from the opportunity to hear feedback from the public directly about your work.
The aim of the event is to:
raise public awareness of the breadth and depth of talent within and around the Central Fife area
increase awareness of the variety of arts and crafts being practised
to provide a unique weekend for visitors
give people the opportunity to engage with art/craft/design, the people who make it, in the spaces in which it is made while at the same time exploring and discovering this lovely part of Scotland
to expand and increase the audiences for the visual arts being practised around the area within the public and private sectors.
We are always open to applications from artists within the Central Fife area.
How do I Apply? To apply to participate in Central Fife Open Studios you need to send an email to info@centralfifeopenstudios.org with the following information which will be shared with members of the committee for consideration:
Your name
Your address
The address of your studio
Images of your work and/or a link to your website
Details of your practice
Information about where your work has been exhibited, commissions undertaken etc
An up to date CV outlining qualifications and experience
Application Deadline Our event takes place in September each year and all our publicity materials are prepared months in advance. The deadline for application is 15 March 2020. All new applications are considered and selected by our committee members and successful applicants will be notified by the end of March.
Criteria for participation Participation in Central Fife Open Studios is open to artists and designer/makers living and working in the Central Fife region who hold a degree level qualification in their field*. You need to be working full or part-time as a professional artist or designer/maker with a permanent accessible work space or studio space in which you can display your work to the public. Your work must be of a high standard and you need to be willing to open your studio to the public for the duration of the event and be able to speak to visitors about your work. As a professional artist/maker, you will also be responsible for your own public liability insurance.
*If you do not have a degree, you can still apply as we will look closely at all work submitted and make our decision based on the quality of the work and the professionalism of the artist.
You will also to be expected to help with distribution of publicity materials in the run up to the event, attend meetings arranged by the committee, as well as contribute to the cost of the event through an annual fee.
Funding Every participant pays a fee to take part in Central Fife Open Studios. This pays for production of the publicity materials, advertising, website running costs and maintenance and social media promotion. Our aim is to keep fees low and the cost of participation varies each year depending on the number of participating artists involved. Fees are calculated and announced to all members once all new applications have been assessed and decided upon and simply cover the cost of running the event.
CFOS Disciplines Painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, jewellery, textile work, metal work, glass, ceramics/pottery, sculpture, woodwork are all included. All work must demonstrate skill, craftsmanship and design – the use of kits/piecing together bought-in pieces is not acceptable.
Can I Borrow a Venue? In previous years we've had members sharing venues or hosting a guest as we understand that some artists and makers may not have a dedicated studio space or one that is suitable for public access. We're open to suggestions and would love to discuss suitable alternatives.
I'm just starting out – can I take part? It doesn't matter how long you have been in business or how or where you learnt to do what you do as long as you have a work space or studio and that your work is of excellent quality and you are able to present it and talk about it in a professional manner.
We are a group of amateur artists/makers – can we take part? No. Central Fife Open Studios is an event is set up to support professional artists/makers who are making, or attempting to make, at least part of their living from their artistic practice. While we recognise that many amateurs will be producing work of a very high quality, there are other events/exhibitions which can support them to show their work.
CFOS Geographical Area The event covers the Central Fife area, stretching from Inverkeithing and North Quensferry in the west, up to Glenrothes, Leven and Lower Largo in the east.