Membership

Membership in the Guild

The open application period for new members begins December 1^st, and the deadline for application is February 14^th. 

Why Join the Guild?

• Connect with other members in a supportive community of active Chatham County artists, with the objective of developing and sharing knowledge, skills, resources, and sales/exhibition opportunities. 
• Maintain your own personal artist’s page on the Guild website, including studio videos, a gallery of your work, social media connections and contact information, plus the opportunity for an online sales portal.
• Submit news items/media/features for the bi-monthly CAG newsletter distributed to more than 1100 subscribers.
• Participate in the annual studio tour and other Guild exhibition opportunities.

Who Can Apply for Membership?

• Application for Guild membership is open to professional working artists and craftspeople 18 years of age or older.
• The applicant has a working studio located within Chatham County.
• Every member will assume the responsibilities of Guild membership, including: 
  • Make a meaningful contribution to the Guild purpose and mission.
  • Attend Guild member meetings (three annually).
  • Maintain the integrity and currency of all information, images, and videos on your artist’s page on the Guild website.
  • Actively participate in Guild activities and committees. 
• All members are expected to actively participate in Guild activities as outlined above, but new members may wish to “get to know” the guild before committing to the studio tour and exhibitions.  After three years of non-participation in the studio tour or Guild exhibitions, returning members will need to reapply and be juried back into the Guild. 

New Member Jury Selection Criteria 

• New members are juried into the Guild by a jury of Guild members.
• Applications are juried blind – we look at the images of your work and read your artist’s statement, but the jurors do not know the names of the applicants.  
• Specific criteria when viewing images of the applicant’s work are:
  • Quality: The artist demonstrates the ability to make high-quality artwork.
  • Technical proficiency: the artist displays skill in the chosen medium.
  • Consistency: the artist has a consistent and coherent body of work.
  • Originality: The artist’s work demonstrates creativity and originality.
  • Presentation: the artist has submitted high-quality digital images.  A professional image is evenly lit and shows the work to its best advantage without background distractions or unnecessary display props. 

Steps for Applying

1. Click “Apply Now” below and pay the $20 application fee online via PayPal or credit card.
2. Once you have paid the application fee, you will receive an email with a link to the application form.  Complete and submit the application form.
3. The jury committee meets within 30 days of the February 14^th application deadline, and you will be notified soon after.
4. By or before April 1^st, when your membership is approved, you’ll receive an email with instructions for paying your dues and fees.  Annual membership dues must be paid ($50 for members who serve a minimum of 24 hours per year on a committee, $100 for members who choose not to serve on a committee).  Membership is from January to January.  
5. Members who intend to be on the studio tour will pay the tour fee of $200 for working members who serve on a committee, or $400 for members who do not serve on a committee. Tour dates are traditionally the first two weekends in December.  The deadline to pay fees for the studio tour is May 1^st.  
6. Upon payment, your artist profile will be published and you can login to the website to make edits and updates.

Any questions?  Email us.  We look forward to seeing your work!