PARTICIPATION TERMS & CONDITIONS
As an exhibitor with Bucks Art Weeks you are joining a collaboration of Buckinghamshire artists and makers as a partner. We work together to provide this opportunity for artists and makers to show their work and to sell to the public. To continue the success of Bucks Art Weeks, we ask you to agree to the following before submitting your application:
REQUIREMENTS OF ALL PARTICIPANTS
To volunteer your assistance with the running and marketing of Bucks Art Weeks, specifically the required distribution of publicity material throughout the county - directories, posters and leaflets - and to generally promote Bucks Art Weeks to help create a successful fortnight for everyone.
To collect your allocation of Bucks Art Weeks printed materials (directories, posters, postcards etc) at the notified times and from your nearest agreed collection point, or arrange for someone else to do so on your behalf. These distribution points are manned by Bucks Art Weeks exhibitors - please respect that they are doing this voluntarily so please be punctual.
Signage - Only order what you require. When the event has finished all signage is to be removed and kept in a dry safe place ready to be used again the following year. If you need to dispose of your signage email: admin@bucksartweeks.org.uk
To include the official Bucks Art Weeks logo and email address, in a prominent size and position, in all marketing (printed material/trails maps/flyers/websites etc.) that you produce to promote your Bucks Art Weeks event. The logo is available here on the website. Please go to 'Help and Resources, then scroll down to 'Marketing Material'.
To open your venue for a minimum of 5 full days over the fortnight.
To promptly notify the Bucks Art Weeks office if any of your contact details change during the year.
To complete and return an Evaluation Form on your overall experience of the event, by 31st July, providing details on visitor numbers and feedback. (Your feedback is essential in providing us with a full picture of how the event is fairing year on year, and to provide necessary information for reporting to our members and sponsors. Individual feedback is treated in total confidence and we do not report information on individual venues, only in total and by area).
You must become a member of the Visual Images Group, organisers of Bucks Art Weeks. If you are exhibiting you must ensure that your membership is renewed to cover the period up to and including the event.
You must ensure that you have suitable Public Liability insurance. VIG does not provide blanket insurance cover for home/private activities because it does not ‘organise and control’ those home/private exhibitions. We provide promotional services and the potential to connect with a wide range of other artists and visitors/customers. If you need assistance with this, contact our Co-ordinator who will be happy to help you.
You must ensure that your venue complies with Health and Safety Legislation. We strongly advise you to carry out a written health and safety risk assessment for your venue.This is not as daunting as it may sound - it's a common sense review of all aspects of your premises, including any demonstrations you may give, identifying any potential hazards.
Please ensure that you proofread your own entry on the website.
EXPECTATIONS
We expect you to be open for all the hours and days specified on your entry form as many visitors make special journeys to visit you. Any exceptional circumstances, where you find you need to close, should be reported as soon as possible to the VIG Co-ordinator.
Your venue should be adequately staffed at all times. Each participant of Bucks Art Weeks should commit to being present in person at their venue for a minimum of 30% of its published opening hours and have cover for ALL other times. The only exceptions to this are for commercial Galleries for whom Bucks Art Weeks is operated as a part of their normal trading pattern. If any groups feel that they have a problem meeting these criteria, please contact the Co-ordinator.
You may not include any non-participating artists, or their artwork, in your Bucks Art Weeks exhibition (unless by prior arrangement). Studios/venues exhibiting more than one artist’s work need to apply as a group or each individual artist should apply separately.
Please ensure your studio/gallery is well presented, safe and welcoming to all visitors and/or members of the public, including the use of good, clear exterior and interior signage and directions - especially on the roadside, if your studio is difficult to find.
IMAGES
The VIG Committee reserves the right to decline entries which are deemed not to be in the spirit of Bucks Art Weeks, e.g. an entry which is predominantly an advertising opportunity for an unrelated business.
Please ensure that the image you select for inclusion in the directory is suitable for a wider audience including children, and is in keeping with a positive Bucks Art Weeks image.The image should not include any advertising material such as a banner or logo. The Committee has the right to reject any unsuitable images.
GENERAL
Whilst every effort will be made to ensure the accuracy of information included in the Bucks Art Weeks directory, website and promotional material, VIG cannot be held responsible for any omissions or mistakes which occur.
VIG accepts no liability or responsibility for any business that may ensue from an artist’s membership to VIG or participation in Bucks Art Weeks.
VIG accepts no liability or responsibility for any consequences that may occur as a result of unsolicited marketing companies using published artist contact details from the Bucks Art Weeks website, directory or other print, to get in touch with artists. The website is a marketing tool for artists and is live and online all year round.
Cancellation policy – if an artist decides to withdraw from Bucks Art Weeks before 31 January, we will refund up to 50% of their participation fee. Cancellations after 31 January will be non-refundable due to the costs already incurred. In the event of Force Majeure closure or cancellation of the event, and depending on the timing of the closure/cancellation, special arrangements will be made and the exhibitors notified as soon as is possible.
Refunds due to Coronavirus and/or Government shutdown - Bucks Art Weeks is a non-profit organisation and it is entirely reliant on the income received from artists membership and entry fees on a yearly basis. We don’t receive any grants or support from elsewhere. Although the organisers/committee members receive no fee for the organisation of the event, the fees each year fund all of the other paid running costs, paid positions and the marketing of the festival, including the website and web support. This means that income from each year's registration will have been spent in preparation for the event before the impact of an unprecedented occurrence, such as Coronavirus, may force us to alter our event plans. Therefore we cannot refund fees, but will, as always, endeavour to bring the very best possible event to the public within the confines of government health and safety guidelines.
Entries - All individual Bucks Art Weeks entries will be on the basis of one person per entry. If your Art Weeks venue includes or is run by two or more artists, you will need to submit your entry as an ‘artist group’ or as an individual Bucks Art Weeks entry for each artist. However, if two or more artists genuinely collaborate in the production and creation of all their work then it is acceptable to apply as a single Bucks Art Weeks entry.
You must pay the full inclusion fee before the application deadline of 31 January or risk your entry becoming null and void. All payments to be made through PayPal with a debit or credit card. You DO NOT require a PayPal account to make your purchase.