FAQs

Membership

Who is eligible to become a Member?

Members must live, work or study in Purbeck. Purbeck is defined as the area of Dorset previously administered by Purbeck District Council. Have a look at our Membership Eligibility page for more information.

When should I apply to become a Member?

Membership is free and continuous until cancelled by you, (or revoked by the PAW Trustees), so you can join anytime.

When can I exhibit with PAW?

Our Festival begins on the weekend of the late May Bank Holiday and runs for two weeks.

Who is eligible to exhibit with PAW?

Any registered Member can exhibit with PAW.

If you are holding an Open Studio with other artists, all named Additional Artists included in the entry, must be registered Members before the application will be passed for publication.

Open Studios can also invite established artist who live outside of Purbeck to exhibit as a Guest Artist.

I’m a Member, when can I apply to exhibit?

Applications to exhibit open on the 1st of January and close on the 31st of January. Late entries will not be chased and will unfortunately result in your entry not being included in the brochure.

Brochures

What do I get in the brochure?

Every participating artist will have their name, phone number, email address, website address and one image included in the brochure. Rollington artists will have a short description. Open Studio artists will have a longer description, (more words can be added for a fee).

What does the brochure look like?

The brochure is printed in full colour, and contains everything a visitor needs to know about the exhibitions and Open Studios which make up the PAW fortnight.

Can I proof-read my entry before publication?

Yes, the brochure proof will be sent out to all participating artists to check before publication.

How much does the brochure cost?

It’s free.

Can I have some brochures to give out?

Yes, once the brochures have been printed you can collect some from the April Members Meeting or from Rollington Barn from the Monday before the Festival.

Open Studios

What are the benefits of having an Open Studio?

We generally have around 40 Open Studios each year. This gives our visitors a wonderful opportunity to see lots of artists at work.

Having an Open Studio enables you to show a wider breadth of your work and set it up in a way that you can show it to its best advantage. It is also a great opportunity not just to show your work but to be able to talk about it and get feedback.

PAW visitors love to learn more about how artists work, meet the artists themselves and see work in progress. This is the aspect that makes going to an Open Studio different from going to exhibitions during the year.

And you don’t need to have a big custom built studio, it can be in a garden shed, in your home, in fact wherever you work and are happy for people to visit. You can exhibit on your own or join forces with other PAW artists and do a joint Open Studio. You can use the PAW Visual Artist Forum page on Facebook or the Message Forum on this website (Login to view) to chat to other artists who have had an Open Studio before and pick their brains for ideas and for support.

As an Open Studio you have an entry in the main PAW brochure and PAW provides you with road signs and an Open Studio banner to help you guide people to your studio.  It’s a great experience and definitely worth having a go. However, if you don’t feel ready to have an Open Studio, Rollington is a great introduction to exhibiting your art work in PAW and a way to safely test the waters.

What categories of Open Studio are there?

There are three categories of Open Studio:

    • Artist Studio: a show of work in an artist’s home or studio. This can be a solo exhibition hosted by one individual artist, or other registered Members can be invited to exhibit as Additional Artists. Established artists who are ineligible to become Members may also be invited to exhibit as Guest Artists.
    • Exhibition: a show of work in a non-commercial space (barn, village hall, etc.). Additional and/or Guest Artists can also be invited to exhibit.
    • Gallery/Business: a commercial gallery, shop, pub etc. Additional and/or Guest Artists can also be invited to exhibit.

What are Additional Artists and Guest Artists?

Any Open Studio may invite other registered Members to exhibit as Additional Artists. They may also invite established artists who are ineligible to become Members to exhibit as Guest Artists.

Who should fill in an Open Studio form?

    • A Member who is having an Open Studio as a Solo Artist – a Member who is exhibiting at their home or studio in Purbeck which is not usually open to the public
    • A Member who is having an Open Studio as an Inviting Artist – a Member who is exhibiting at their home or studio in Purbeck which is not usually open to the public and is inviting other Members (Additional Artists) and/or Guest Artists to exhibit with them at their Artist’s Studio
    • An Exhibition Organiser – a Member who is the organiser of a solo or group exhibition in a non-commercial space, (barn, village hall, etc.)
    • An Exhibition Organiser with named Additional Artists and/or Guest Artists – a Member who is the organiser of a solo or group exhibition in a non-commercial space, (barn, village hall, etc.) who is inviting other Members (Additional Artists) and/or Guest Artists to exhibit with them at their Exhibition
    • A Gallery/Business – a Member that is a commercial gallery or business, (shop, pub etc.)
    • A Gallery/Business with named Additional Artists and/or Guest Artists – a Member that is a commercial gallery or business, (shop, pub etc.) who is inviting other Members (Additional Artists) and/or Guest Artists to exhibit with them at their Gallery/Business

Who should fill in an Additional Artist form?

An Additional Artist – a Member who has been invited to exhibit either at another Member’s Open Studio, at an Exhibition at a non-commercial space or at a Gallery/Business and wants the benefits of:

    • Contact details included in the brochure entry
    • An image included in the brochure entry
    • A listing in the brochure index
    • An Exhibiting Artist page on the main website
    • One framed or wall-hung work of art or one 3D work of art or six pieces of jewellery at Rollington
    • Five mounted works of art that will be displayed in a print browser or five small 3D works of art at Rollington
    • Twenty cards over two rows in a card carousel at Rollington

Who should fill in a Guest Artist form?

A Guest Artist – an established artist who is ineligible to become a Member but has been invited to exhibit either at a Member’s Open Studio, an Exhibition at a non-commercial space or at a Gallery/Business and wants the benefits of:

    • Contact details included in the brochure entry
    • An image included in the brochure entry
    • A listing in the brochure index
    • An Exhibiting Artist page on the main website
    • One framed or wall-hung work of art or one 3D work of art or six pieces of jewellery at Rollington
    • Five mounted works of art that will be displayed in a print browser or five small 3D works of art at Rollington
    • Twenty cards over two rows in a card carousel at Rollington

Can I exhibit as a Rollington Artist as well?

All Open Studio Artists already get a reduced Rollington allocation, but you are very welcome to apply to exhibit as both a Rollington Artist and as an Open Studio Artist.

Please note that you only get one Rollington allocation per Artist. So, for example, if you are exhibiting as a Rollington Artist and as an Additional Artist, your maximum number of works for display would be 6, not 7.

Rollington spaces are also allocated on a first come, first served basis where we prioritise Rollington only exhibitors. This means that when you apply for a full Rollington place and an Open Studio you will initially be placed on a waiting list and your application will be confirmed once applications have closed and we know how many artists we can accommodate.

How do I get my Open Studio signs?

Each Open Studio is given a numbered package containing:

    • An Open Studio door banner
    • 3 directional PAW signs (can be cut to make arrows)
    • Brochures
    • Flyers
    • An Open Studio Visitor Survey form

These can be collected from:

    • The April Members Meeting
    • Rollington Barn (once the barn is open!)

Rollington exhibitiors can also pick up brochures and flyers to use for publicity at the meeting or from Rollington.

Rollington Barn Door Signage:

At Rollington Barn there is a large PAW map on the barn door. We ask that every Open Studio provides us with a laminated A5 flyer to display next to this map to give visitors additional and up-to-date information about their Open Studio.

Please can the flyers show the Open Studio Number in one corner.

Flyers can be droped off at:

    • The April Members Meeting
    • Rollington Barn (once the barn is open!)

Rollington

What is Rollington?

Rollington is PAW’s collective exhibition which aims to show at least one piece of work from each of the artists taking part in the Festival. The exhibition takes place in the main Rollington Barn, which is a beautiful historic stone building, set in the idyllic countryside just outside of Corfe Castle. There is also the Purbeck Young Artists exhibition and a Pop-Up café on site.

Can I have an Open Studio as well?

Members are very welcome to exhibit as both a Rollington Artist and as an Open Studio Artist.

Please note that you only get one Rollington allocation per Artist. So, for example, if you are exhibiting as a Rollington Artist and as an Additional Artist, your maximum number of works for display would be 6, not 7.

Rollington spaces are also allocated on a first come, first served basis where we prioritise Rollington only exhibitors. This means that when you apply for a full Rollington place and an Open Studio you will initially be placed on a waiting list and your application will be confirmed once applications have closed and we know how many artists we can accommodate.

How much work can I exhibit at Rollington?

2D Rollington Artists:
– six framed or wall-hung works of art that will fit within a maximum hanging space of 7ft by 3ft 6ins
– ten mounted works of art that will be displayed in a print browser
– thirty cards over three rows in a card carousel

3D Rollington Artists:
– six works of art that will fit within a maximum exhibition space of 18in by 3ft
– ten small works of art that will also fit within the allocated exhibition space
– thirty cards over three rows in a card carousel

Jewellery Rollington Artists:
– thirty-six pieces of jewellery that will fit onto two shelves of a glass display cabinet
– ten mounted works of art that will be displayed in a print browser
– thirty cards over three rows in a card carousel

Your allocation of 6 items can be split between framed or wall-hung 2D pieces, 3D pieces and jewellery. 6 jewellery pieces equal one framed or wall-hung 2D piece or one 3D piece.

Open Studio Artists:
– one framed or wall-hung work of art or one 3D work of art or six pieces of jewellery
– five mounted works of art that will be displayed in a print browser or five small 3D works of art
– twenty cards over two rows in a card carousel

Works of art can be replenished as soon as they are sold.

Does my framed work need to be an original or can it be a print? Can I put mounted original work in the print browsers?

You may display framed original work or prints on the walls at Rollington, and you may put mounted originals in the print browsers. Basically, if it’s framed it can go on the walls and if it’s mounted it can go in the print browsers!

Do I need to provide print browsers, card carousels, plinths etc.?

No, all screens, hanging, dais, print browsers and card carousels are provided. We ask that all framed work has D rings attached in the top third of the frame.

How should I price my work?

Prices should be in whole pounds. Articles under £3, such as cards, should be priced in multiples of 50p, (work can also be displayed as ‘not for sale’)

Can I have flyers or business cards on display?

Flyers can be displayed with your cards for sale in your allocated card carousel space.

Open Studios are encoraged to add an A5 flyer to our Open Studio Map on the barn door.

We do not have space to display business cards or other advertising literature, but all your contact details will be available to visitors in the brochure.

What is the Artist’s Statement?

We ask all exhibiting artists to write a short statement, 200 words max, which tells the visitor a little bit about them and their art. This statement is then used on the Exhibiting Artist pages on our main website and is printed out and displayed by the artists work at Rollington.

How should I label my work?

All labels should state your name, artist ID number, title of work and price.

2D artists should use card luggage labels and tie them on to the D-rings of pictures with string long enough for the label to be read when the work is hung. This makes the hanging and the placing of PAW labels easier as the luggage labels are then tucked behind the work when it has been hung.

Mounted works of art should have sticky labels stuck on their cellophane wrapping, or on the back, with your name, artist ID number, title of work and price.

3D artists should attach labels securely by whatever is appropriate to the work. e.g. for sculpture use a luggage label on string round the sculpture so that we can easily see your name, artist ID number, title of work and price.

We ask Jewellery artists to label your own work with your name, artist ID number, title of work, price and catalogue code (Catalogue codes are your Artist ID, then J for Jewellery and the number of the item, so 24J01, 24J02 etc.).

Most cards will have the name of the artist and price printed on the back. If not, use a sticky label on the wrapping. Single cards must all be priced the same. Card packs must be securely bound and priced the same. We strongly recommend that you label your cards with your artist ID number to prevent them being confused with other artist’s cards.

Please make the pricing on your labels as large as possible as the lighting in the barn can sometimes make small numbers difficult to see!

Where is my work stored when I hand it in?

We put rugs, blankets and plastic sheets on the floor around the walls for 2D framed work.

We ask you to unwrap your own pottery and sculpture and place it on one of the plinths / dias where you work will be exhibited.

Mounted work, cards and flyers should be handed in to a steward on handing in day to be immediately put on display.

Can I help with hanging the display?

Hanging usually starts on the Wednesday afternoon after hand in and continues on Thursday, (and possibly Friday), from 10am. You are very welcome to come and help with this. You can sign up via the Stewarding Rota.

Can I hang a huge painting at Rollington?

We welcome large works, (1m by 1m +), to be hung high up at Rollington. These, even if in addition to your space allocation, will be free. Please note that acceptance of work of any kind at Rollington is subject to space availability.

What happens when I sell a piece of work?

Once the Festival begins you can check for any sales on your Rollington Stock & Sales Sheet on this website. The sales will be updated daily.

We encourage artists to replace sold work as soon as they know it has sold as this gives them more sales opportunities and helps to keep the Rollington exhibition alive and interesting. Replenished work must be recorded on your individual Replenished work sheet, (this can be found in a folder at Rollington), so that we can keep track of stock. Replenishments will not be listed on the website unless sold.

How does the stewarding work?

To safeguard our work and to manage and ensure the safety of visitors to the exhibition at Rollington we always need a minimum of two Stewards, (three during busy periods), and one Recorder. Recorders are responsible for recording sales, taking payments using cash and the credit card reader and totalling monies at the end of each session.

All Members whose names appear in the brochure are required to Steward at Rollington Barn during the Festival. Rollington exhibitors are required to steward a minimum of two half day sessions, while Open Studio exhibitors are required to steward at least one half day session.

We recognise that this can be a significant problem for some Members who are opening their studios. There are a number of other sessions on the Stewarding Rota such as helping to prepare Rollington, hanging the exhibition, or helping to run the Purbeck Young Artist Celebration event or the Private View that will count as your contribution.

Alternatively you may be able to arrange for another Member to take your place on the rota, or you may ask some other responsible adult to take your place. If you decide to do this you must obtain the prior permission of the Rollington Manager.

What do I do when I’m a steward?

Stewarding sessions run from 10am to 1.30pm and from 1.30pm until 5pm. At weekends and on Bank Holidays there is an additional split shift from 11am to 3pm to cover the busiest time of the day. Please arrive 10 minutes before your session starts i.e. 9.50am, 10.50am or 1.20pm.

Read the Stewards’ notes, (which are sent to you when you sign-up for a stewarding session), to get yourself familiar with what is expected of you during the day. There will be Recorders who have been specifically designated to be responsible for recording all sales, so you are free to talk to visitors about the art on display, artists’ statements, the Rollington Survey, upcoming events and generally help to promote the rest of PAW.

You will be responsible for directing the customers to the sales desk and also for ensuring that the artwork is wrapped after it has been purchased. Please wrap pieces carefully. Bubble wrap etc. is available.

What is the Rollington survey?

Each visitor selects a counter, the colour of which corresponds to where they have come from e.g. Purbeck = blue, Poole/Bournemouth = red, Dorset = green and Further Afield = white. They then drop the counter in the jar corresponding to where they heard about the Rollington exhibition e.g. Brochure, Road Signs, Word of Mouth, Previous visitor etc. This information is really important to help us to learn more about our visitors and to be able to target our publicity more effectively.

Do you insure my work while it’s at Rollington?

The barn is locked at night and there are at least two Stewards on duty at all times, but you are responsible for insuring all works that you, and any other Members at your studio, hand in for exhibition.

We all do our best to look after all works but please note PAW cannot take responsibility for theft, loss or damage however it is caused. We, as individual members, are all a part of PAW, taking shared responsibility for the work on display and the smooth running of the exhibition.

Can I come to the Rollington Private View?

All artists exhibiting at Rollington, or as part of an Open Studio will receive e-invitations to the Rollington Private View.

Everything Else

How will you use the pictures that I send you?

Unless you tell us otherwise we will assume we can use your brochure and website images as well as images from photographs taken at Rollington, which will include work on display there, for general publicity.

What subject of work can I show at PAW?

All work exhibited, particularly at Rollington, must be suitable for viewing by children. The decision of the Rollington Manager on this, and on any other exhibition issue, is final.