Membership in the Guild - Chatham Artists Guild

Membership applications for the 2026-27 season are accepted during a two month period from September 1st 2026 to October 31st, 2026. If you meet the criteria, we encourage you to apply. Full information about applying to the Guild is included below. We look forward to receiving applications from professional artists in Chatham County. In late August, the “Apply Now” button will appear at the bottom of this page. Once you read the materials below and have verified that you meet the basic requirements for membership in the Guild, please click that button to proceed with your application. Any questions? Please email us.

Non-discrimination Statement: The Guild shall not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, gender identity or expression, race, geography, economics, religion; or political affiliation.

The Chatham Artists Guild’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policy is to promote, cultivate, and sustain a culture of diversity and inclusion.
We recognize and celebrate the diversity of our members. We value our differences, life experiences, culture, creativity, innovation, self-expression, unique abilities and talents, and the investment our members make in their form of visual creativity and volunteer support. Our members not only represent our culture but our reputation and the accomplishments of our organization
We invite Chatham artists to submit examples of their work. The jury members, selected from our membership pool each year, are made up of artists working in a variety of media. New memberships are juried annually based on an anonymous, point-based evaluation of the artists’ work.
We strive to reach out to all Chatham County artists to encourage them to apply for membership, and encourage all art lovers to attend our activities and events.

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 artist’s statement, studio videos, a gallery of up to 25 images of your work, social media connections, and contact information, plus the opportunity to link to your online sales portal.
Submit news items/media/features for the bi-monthly CAG newsletter distributed to more than 2500 subscribers.
Promotion on social media.
Participate in no-cost professional development.
Participate in the annual studio tour and other Guild exhibition opportunities, such as at the Carrboro ArtsCenter, NC Arts Incubator, 79 West, the Chatham County Library, as well as other locations.

Who Can Apply for Membership?

Visual artists 18 years of age and older who have a studio in Chatham County are eligible to apply to the Chatham Artists Guild.
The Guild accepts both 2D and 3D fine art and fine craft in many different media, such as painting, print-making, ceramics, wood, metals, stone, glass, fiber and textiles, jewelry, basketry, mixed-media, photography, and any other fine art and craft format.
We are looking for artists committed to professional-quality work who are ready to put in time as an active part of the Guild community, making a meaningful contribution to the Guild’s purpose and mission.

Do I Need an Official Studio?

Depending on the work you do, your studio may be a dedicated art studio, your kitchen table, a corner of a room, or a shared space.
Do not worry if you do not have a suitable exhibition space suitable for participation in the Studio Tour. There are many opportunities to share space with other members during the tour. Note: Non-members may not participate in the tour in a shared space.

Responsibilities of Membership

Make a meaningful contribution to the Guild’s purpose and mission.
Attend Guild all-member meetings (three annually).
Pay annual membership dues.
Pay Studio Tour fee if participating. If the tour fee presents a financial hardship artists may apply for a fee waiver. Most members participate in the Studio Tour, but it is not required.
Keep your artist’s profile page on the Guild website up to date.
Actively participate in Guild activities. (This is a great way to network and make new friends).
Fulfill volunteer hour commitment. Details below.
Promote the Guild whenever possible in customer communication and correspondence.
At some point during your membership, serve on the Guild Board for a three-year term.

New Member Selection

New members are juried into the Guild by a committee of Guild members.
Applications are juried blind – the images of your work and your artist statement are reviewed, but the names are hidden from the jurors during the selection process.

What are the Criteria for Acceptance?

The specific criteria the jury considers when viewing images of the applicant’s work are:

The work displays an understanding of the medium, and the handling of the material shows the applicant’s control, skill, and experience.
The work is finished in a manner that adds to the overall expression and effectiveness of the work.
In the submitted images, the artwork is well-lit and positioned to its best advantage without any visible background distractions or unnecessary display props. Click here to access a PDF on how to photograph your work. Click here to access a PDF on how to crop and resize your images.
The pieces display creativity and a consistent individual style and are not copied from works made by other artists. Show us examples of your best work, consistent in style and technique rather than samples of different things you can do.
Note: The application form asks what specialized knowledge and experience you have that could contribute to the Guild’s operation and mission. We are an entirely volunteer organization, so the active participation of our members is critically important. We do not vote on this item, but we do take it into consideration.

The Question of Digital Enhanced Versus A.I.-Generated Artwork

The Chatham Artists Guild is committed to supporting artists producing original, professional-quality work created by the artist’s own hands and the skillful use of tools and materials. For several decades, artists have used Photoshop, Gimp, Lightroom, PaintShop Pro, and other software packages to enhance their artwork. The effective use of these programs involves a great deal of learned skill, and they have been accepted as legitimate components of the artist’s toolbox. But now, we have entered the age of A.I., with Nano Banana, DALL-E, Midjourney, Recraft, and other A.I-driven programs that can generate imagery. In evaluating submitted work, the jury will be on the lookout for A.I. generated artwork. When certain submitted examples are suspect, we will employ online A.I. detectors to verify whether the work was created by the human hand. Any work that has been generated or enhanced with these new A.I. tools will be eliminated from consideration.

The Application Process

At any time during the application process, if you encounter challenges or have questions, please do not hesitate to contact us via email.
The new membership application period runs from September 1 to October 31. When the application period is open, you will be able to begin the application process by clicking the Apply Now button at the bottom of this page (the button is only visible during the application period). That will take you to a page where you will pay the $20 application fee and enter contact information. Please make sure to enter your email address exactly correctly, because entering it incorrectly has caused problems for other applicants.
Once the application fee is received you will be sent an email with a link to the application form. You must be logged into the website in order to access the application form, and to do so, you must create an account on the CAG website.
- Go to https://chathamartistsguild.org/ and click the button for “Member Login.”
- At the login page, enter the email address you supplied when paying the application fee, and click the “lost your password?” link.
- When the window opens, enter your email address and create a password.
- Once you are logged in, you will be able to access the application form with the link provided in the email message.
Complete the application form, Double check to make sure you have filled out all the fields properly, and make sure you check the box at the bottom agreeing to the Guild’s terms of membership.
Note that the artist statement is not a bio or a CV. Please limit it to a few paragraphs. Once you are in the application form, there is a link to a PDF explaining how to write an effective artist statement.
Please carefully follow the instructions for submission of digital images, and do not submit any that include a picture of yourself. See the link above to access handout on photographing your work and cropping and resizing the images.
Please recheck all your information on the form. When you are certain that all information is correct, click the Submit button at the bottom. Stay on the website for a few minutes until an acknowledgement appears saying that your application form has been received.
The jury committee will meet as soon as possible after the October 31, 2023 application deadline to conduct the selection process.
Shortly after the jury meeting, you will receive a letter via email notifying you of the decision. Please note that whether or not you are accepted, the letter will include a summation of the jurors’ constructive comments about your work. We take this seriously and the comments are offered entirely for your benefit. Please contact us if you wish to discuss those comments.
If your membership is approved, the email will include useful information and a number of web links to help you settle into the Guild. Annual dues are paid between January 1st and January 20th. Annual membership dues are $60 for working members and $120 for non-working members. “Working members” are those who commit volunteer hours on a Guild committee or other Guild service – 10 hours or more per year if not on the studio tour, and 24 hours or more if on tour. “Non-working members” are those who choose not to volunteer for Guild services. Membership is from January to January. Your membership does not officially begin until January 1st, but you will begin receiving some member benefits sooner.
Once accepted into the Guild, your artist profile page will be published, and you will receive instructions on how to access your profile page, edit the text, upload additional images, and add video links. Once logged into the website, you will also have access to useful information available on the Member Resources page of the website.
In late December you will receive a notice announcing the January All-Members Meeting. Some of the most important Guild business of the year takes place at the January meeting. It is very important for all guild members to participate in this gathering. For new members, it is an opportunity to meet the Guild officers, ask questions about the Guild, and get to know other Guild members.
Studio tour fees can be paid anytime between January 1st and the April 1st deadline. For those members who intend to be on the tour, the fee is $225 for working members serving a minimum of 24 volunteer hours per year, or $425 for non-working members. Fees collected from studio tour participants are used for designing and printing the tour brochure and for other tour publicity. Tour dates are always the first two weekends in December.

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