Elements Exhibition

by Amanda Hirst

AAS welcomes entries to a UK Member’s-only exhibition at the Milton of Crathes Gallery on Deeside.

Artists are invited to respond to the title “ELEMENTS” by submitting up to TWO works which may be in a variety of media: painting, drawing, mixed media, printmaking, sculpture, jewellery, ceramics, textile and photography.

Please note that this exhibition is only open to UK members of the Society who hold valid membership (per the membership database) on the entry deadline 26th July 2025, work by entrants not satisfying this criterion will be rejected. To renew membership or to join the Society please visit our website: https://aberdeenartistssociety.co.uk

Full Terms and Conditions are given below.

Entry Deadline: 26/7/2025, midnight

Key Dates

Open For Entry: Wednesday, 9 April 2025

Entry Deadline: Saturday, 26 July 2025 at 12 midnight.

Pre-selection result: Saturday, 16 August 2025 from 5pm

Delivery of works: Sunday 21 September & Monday 22 September 2025, 10.30am – 4pm

Final Selection result: Thursday 25 September 2025 (from midday)

Private View: Friday 26 September 2025, pm, by invitation only (Awards)

A further Private View for artists & guests will be arranged in due course

Open to Public: Saturday 27 September – Sunday 26 October 2025

(Mon to Sat 10am – 4pm, Sun 12 – 4pm)

Collection of work: Monday 27 & Tuesday 28 October 2025, 10.30 – 4pm

Opportunity

There will also be the opportunity for exhibiting artists to provide workshops or give talks/demonstrations during the run of the exhibition. These would be arranged in collaboration with the AAS/ Milton Gallery and be held on their premises.

Cost of Entry – to be paid during the OESS on-line application process.

Student membership submissions: £6 per entry (max 2)

Full membership submissions: £9 per entry (max 2)

Prizes

Full details of the prize categories will be available shortly on the AAS website and on the AAS social media sites.

Prize winners will be chosen by judges appointed by the AAS and will be announced and presented at the private view on the evening of 26th September.

Private View – 26th September 2025

Individual exhibiting artists will receive an invitation to a private view on the evening before the exhibition opens to the public. Due to safety and space limitations, the number of attendees is strictly limited, and entry will be by INVITATION ONLY. No exceptions will be made.

Prize winners will be announced, and they will receive their prizes during this evening.

A further Private View for artists and their guests will be arranged in due course.

Terms and Conditions

ARTWORK DETAILS

Artists may submit up to TWO works.

2D work – 100cm maximum in any direction

3D work – Must be able to enter via a standard single width door and weigh less than 50kg.

Work may be in any of the following categories: painting, drawing, mixed media, printmaking, sculpture, jewellery, ceramics, textile and photography.

No electrically operated or mechanical works will be considered.

No reproductions of original works will be considered.

No video work will be considered.

Original artworks submitted must have been completed within the past 5 years, and have not previously been exhibited with the AAS.

ONLINE OESS APPLICATION

Entry Deadline: Saturday 26 July 2025 at midnight

Artists must register and submit their work online at https://aberdeenartistssociety.oess1.uk Please take note of your log-in details – you will need this later to see the selection results. New applications made after this deadline will not be accepted, and existing applications cannot be changed.

ONE digital image per work is essential – however up to three images showing different angles may be submitted. These images will be viewed by the Exhibition Selection Panel and should do justice to your work. Please note the digital specifications on the OESS submission site – we recommend JPEG or PNG files of at least 1MB in size and no larger than 5MB.

Entry fees: Artists £9 per work / Students £6 per work. Payment, using a debit or credit card, for submitting a work is made online (OESS) during the application process. Submissions will not be accepted without payment, and refunds will not be given for applications which are not completed by the deadline. Applications where works are not selected or not delivered to the gallery will still be subject to the entry fees.

PRE-SELECTION – from OESS online images

Pre-selection results: available on Saturday 16 August 2025 from 5pm.

The pre-selection results are only available online from OESS – notification emails will NOT be sent out.

All works submitted for exhibition are considered by the AAS Exhibition Selection Panel whose decisions are final. Feedback is not provided on individual submissions and the Society will not enter into discussions nor make any exceptions to the final selection.

Artists are responsible for logging back into their account on the submission site from 16 August to find out if their works have been pre-selected for the next stage i.e. hand-in of the physical artwork.

GALLERY HAND-IN ARRANGEMENTS / REQUIREMENTS

Hand-in Dates: Sunday 21 & Monday 22 September 2025, 10.30am – 4.30pm

Pre-selected works must be delivered to the Milton of Crathes Gallery, Crathes, near Banchory, AB31 5QH.

Artists may not hand in works that are different to those that have been pre-selected.

Transport of works to and from the exhibition venue will be the responsibility of the artist.

Artists are responsible for un-wrapping their work before handing over to the Milton Gallery staff and for removing all packing from the gallery. Due to limited space within the gallery, artists are required to arrive at their agreed time – a schedule will be emailed to all pre-selected artists to book a delivery slot. No deliveries will be accepted out with the agreed time slot.

ARTWORK LABELS

Artwork labels will be available to the pre-selected artists via OESS and will also be available at the gallery. They should be SECURELY attached to each work with string which is taped or stapled to the back of the work. The string should be long enough for the label to hang over the front of the work. For sculptures or unusually shaped works please affix the label in the most convenient way possible.

Each label has three sections – A, B and ARTIST RECEIPT – all of which must be completed in full in BLOCK CAPITALS. A permanent label or other identification should also be affixed to the back of each work and, if possible, to each piece of sculpture, giving the artist’s name, title of work and price. Failure to comply with these requirements in full can lead to rejection of the work.

FRAMING AND GLAZING

Framed and unframed works are accepted.

Frames must have large D rings (20mm) attached and be strung with no knots at the D ring. See Photo below. Work with clip frames or with inadequate or unstable frames will be rejected.

Unframed work may be shown in a browser and should be securely mounted and protected accordingly. Label requirements are the same.

While all reasonable care is taken of works submitted, such works are at all times at the artist’s own risk.

The Society reserves the right to refuse any work which is deemed unsuitable for hanging

PRINTS

Original fine art prints are encouraged. If further works from an edition are available, the framed and unframed price, the number in the edition and number available for sale should be noted on the online application form. Reproductions of existing artworks in other media will not be accepted.

SCULPTURE/3D WORK

Plinths will be supplied by the gallery. Works whose stability, materials or method of construction could present a hazard to the viewing public may be rejected on these grounds. A composite work must be accompanied by clear instructions for assembly and all individual parts must be clearly labelled.

Larger sculptures welcome. Maximum size 200cm in any dimension weighing no more than 50kg.

FINAL EXHIBITION SELECTION

Final selection notification: available Thursday, 25 September 2025, from midday

The final selection results are only available online from OESS – notification emails will NOT be sent out. Artists are responsible for logging back into their account on the submission site from 25th September.

If your work has not been selected for the “ELEMENTS” exhibition it will be securely retained by the gallery until the end of the exhibition – work may be hung if wall space becomes available in the gallery as a result of sales. NB see Collection of Unsold Works below. Exceptionally, ASS may request the early collection of fragile works due to space restrictions and safety.

No installed work, once placed, can be removed until the close of the exhibition without agreement from the AAS Exhibition Team.

All works submitted for exhibition are considered by the AAS Exhibition Selection Panel whose decisions are final. Feedback is not provided on individual submissions and the Society will not enter into discussions nor make any exceptions to the final selection.

SALE OF WORK

All works should be for sale.

Sales are subject to 40% gallery commission – the price of the work shown on the online submission form and on the labels is the total price payable by the purchaser (and so should include commission). The artist will receive the net payment from the Gallery in the month following the end of the exhibition.

Print editions – the artist must arrange for the framing and delivery of any additional framed prints sold.

Any private sale of work (including editions) must immediately be intimated to the Gallery Manager, otherwise a sale made through the gallery shall have precedence. No editions of works should be sent by the artist to a purchaser until the gallery has confirmed that the price has been paid in full. In addition, any private sale made out with, but as a direct result of, the exhibition should also be acknowledged, whereupon the relevant commission will be charged.

COPYRIGHT

Under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 it is the general rule that in the absence of any agreement to the contrary, copyright of a work of art belongs to the artist or his/her/their heirs and assigns. By submitting work, unless contacted by the artist in writing to say otherwise, the artist grants the AAS and the Milton Gallery permission to photograph and/or film the submitted works for press and marketing purposes, including the right to free reproduction in any catalogue, poster, website or other non-commercial promotional material in connection with the exhibition.

CARE OF WORKS

All artwork delivered to the gallery and condition-checked is insured whilst at the gallery premises.

No insurance cover will be given to works while in transit to or from the gallery, or after the stated collection dates. The AAS will not be responsible for any damage sustained to work while in transit to or from the gallery and the work will be at the artist’s own risk. We recommend artists arrange suitable insurance to cover these risks.

Fragile works must be appropriately labelled and unframed mounted prints/photography must come with corner protectors. Unframed 2D works and works of a temporary or ephemeral nature will remain at the risk of the artist and will not be covered by insurance. Works will be assessed for condition on delivery to the gallery.

COLLECTION OF UNSOLD WORK

Collection: Monday 27 & Tuesday 28 October 2025, 10.30am – 4pm

There is limited storage at the gallery and with a very quick exhibition-changeover it is extremely important that artists uplift their works at their agreed time on the above dates. As with the dropping-off of work, a collection time-schedule will be emailed to all artists concerned.

Any works not collected will incur a storage fee of £5/day per work to be paid by the artist directly to the gallery.

After TWO WEEKS the work will become the property of the AAS and may subsequently be disposed of. By completing the online registration process, the artist accepts this condition as a binding agreement whereby ownership of the uncollected works is relinquished and transferred absolutely to the AAS.

By completing the online registration process for the AAS 2025 ELEMENTS Exhibition you acknowledge that you have read, understood and accept the Terms & Conditions as above.

Please Note: The above terms and conditions are provided by the exhibition organisers.