2025 Membership – Associates only
Suffolk Open Studios 2025
Membership of Suffolk Open Studios is now closed to Full members i.e. those wishing to participate in the June 2025 Suffolk Open Studios event. You may still join as an Associate member at any time during the year (on request via the Contact Us form) but please note that your membership will still expire on 31st December 2025 and it is now too late for you to appear in the 2025 Directory.
Suffolk Open Studios 2026
Membership will open for Suffolk Open Studios for 2026 on 1st November 2025. See below for details. All applications for membership must be completed by 31st January 2026.
Who can join Suffolk Open Studios?
All artists, creative makers and artisans living or working in Suffolk are eligible to become members of Suffolk Open Studios. We also welcome galleries and art groups.
SOS members benefit from being part of a great network which is inclusive, supportive and collaborative. There is no selection process. All makers of original artwork created “by hand” that displays their own personal creativity can be assured of a very warm welcome to our organisation (this includes digital art but, at present, not AI or NFTs).
There are currently six types of membership :
- Full (£65/year)
- Associate (£45/year)
- Young person/Student – opening (£25/year)
- Young person/Student – not opening (£25/year)
- Art Group of four or more members (£100/year)
- Friends of Suffolk Open Studios (volunteers – no membership fee
If you would like to take part in the June Open Studios event, your studio (or the venue in which you will be showing your work) must be located in Suffolk. You should apply for Full, Young person/Student – opening, or Art Group membership. Galleries may join as Full members. Residence qualification: ‘Opening’ members do not have to live in Suffolk, but their Open Studios location must be within the county.
If you do not have a studio, or do not wish to ‘open’ in June 2025, you can join us as an Associate or Young person/Student – not opening member. Among many other benefits (detailed below) Associate and Young person/Student – not opening members are also eligible to participate in the SOS members’ group exhibitions. Residence qualification: Associate and Young person/Student – not opening members must live in Suffolk.
All Full, Associate, and Young person/Student members can participate in any or all of the SOS members’ group exhibitions, where every artist will have a minimum of one work accepted (subject to space). Only members of Art Groups who also hold individual membership can take part in these shows.
Suffolk Galleries form an integral part of the SOS network and benefit from publicity as well as interaction with a large number of artists. Galleries should join as Full members.
Friends of Suffolk Open Studios may be artists or non-artists, but all will share a passion for art, craft and making, and are committed to supporting artists and artisans across Suffolk. Friends of SOS may choose to offer practical, hands-on support at exhibitions and events, or to volunteer their admin skills to the committee. Friends of SOS would not be eligible to show their own artwork as part of events or exhibitions organised by Suffolk Open Studios. As volunteers, there is no membership fee.
Click HERE for a more detailed explanation of the features and benefits of the different categories of membership.
Benefits of Suffolk Open Studios Membership
SOS aims to bring Suffolk artists, artisans, makers, galleries and art groups together in an organisation, run by a volunteer committee of its members, and which uses its collective power to produce a number of events each year where the public can either visit the artists in their studios or see their work in group shows.
In conjunction with the main June event, we also produce the popular printed SOS Artist Directory and a digital App, updated annually, both of which have now become really useful, year-round resources for art enthusiasts across the county and beyond.
As individuals, publicizing and promoting work is frequently difficult and expensive; SOS members benefit from paid-for marketing and publicity, complementing the promotions that the members themselves do. The collective power of Suffolk Open Studios allows us to reach further than individual artists can alone – however, this is not a guarantee of visitors to studios or exhibitions. Each artist must also do their own work to generate visitors. All members, non-opening included, distribute as many SOS Artist Directories as possible from Easter onwards, and, together with our own social media team, publicize SOS on their ‘socials’ or through mailing lists. We all work to help each other 🙂
It can also be expensive for artists to take part in exhibitions, or they may be difficult to access. As part of Suffolk Open Studios, we aim to organize several members’ group exhibitions each year. The first exhibition for 2025 will be at The Theatre, Framlingham, at the end of May, with more to follow (details will be announced nearer the time).
All members have their own profile page on this website, which they can manage directly, with a portfolio of up to 20 images and as much information as they would like to share. We also encourage members to post their own events, workshops, courses and classes on this site, which can then be shared on our social media feeds or to our mailing list of over 700 subscribers.
June Suffolk Open Studios main event
Artists choose which weekends in June they wish to open (if any). ‘Opening’ members commit to opening their spaces for at least one weekend in June (Saturday and Sunday, 11am-5pm, to ensure consistency for visitors). We strongly encourage artists to open on one or both of the first two weekends if they can, as these always tend to be by far the busiest, although artists are free to open later in the month – or all month if they wish!
Responsibilities
It is important that members understand that they are a part of a group where everyone contributes to the success of the main Open Studios event in June and the group exhibitions. Each member is given an allocation of SOS Artist Directories to distribute around their local area (as well as keeping some for visitors, if opening). We also send members a list of suggestions for a successful Open Studios event and provide some SOS posters, onto which further details can be added. If members have any problems with publicity, the committee is always happy to help.
Suffolk Open Studios is an organisation in which you really do get out what you put in. Members are welcomed as part of an active community, which can bring its own benefits, including connecting with like-minded individuals with whom they can share ideas and possibly develop collaborations. You may even find an SOS member in your area who is happy to share a studio with you in the future. If you put yourself forward, get involved, take part, join in and contribute we are certain you will find the experience extremely rewarding.
The Application Process
As mentioned above, there is no selection for Suffolk Open Studios. All who apply are accepted, as long as they meet the eligibility criteria. Even so, the standard of work has remained consistently high, with visitors to our exhibitions commenting that they cannot believe the shows are not ‘juried’.
On 1st November 2025, a link will appear at the top of this page which will take you to the online application form – this is for NEW MEMBERS only – existing members should follow the link in their renewal email. It is quite a long form, but that is because the data it collects will be used to create your Profile page or ‘Listing’ on this site, the printed Artist Directory and the mobile App. You may decide to answer only the required questions when first signing up, then once accepted and your membership is active, you can log in to this website using the link at the bottom of the page (yellow footer section MEMBER LOGIN/OUT), edit your profile and upload your images. IMPORTANT – all information must be complete and at least one image uploaded by midnight on Sunday 8th February 2026.
Click HERE for more information on completing the application form. Even though it is tempting to dive straight in, we strongly suggest that you read this guidance carefully – experience tells us that ultimately, it will save you time.
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