Terms & Conditions

Contract terms and conditions

Please retain for future reference. Do not send back with your completed form.

1. The Norfolk Open Studios programme is open to all visual artists and makers working in any medium who live or work in Norfolk in the following Local Authority areas: Breckland, Broadland & Great Yarmouth, Norwich, North Norfolk, South Norfolk and West Norfolk & King’s Lynn. We cannot accept applications from artists who live outside these Local Authority areas.
2. Norfolk Open Studios does not guarantee that every participating artist will have an image in all publicity produced.
3. Norfolk Open Studios reserves the right to edit text supplied for use in promoting the scheme, including artist listings information.
4. Every effort will be made to return artwork images where stamped addressed envelopes have been supplied, but Norfolk & Norwich Festival cannot be held liable for any losses or theft of artwork.
5. Membership entries are accepted on a first-come/first-served basis, subject to a maximum capacity, receipt of full payment and a fully completed application form. Returning application forms by the deadline date may not guarantee your inclusion.
6. Brochure listings will be collated and data entered by the Festival office and then proof-read by the artists themselves. We must be notified of all artists listing amendments by the deadline date for amendments given at the time by the NOS Office.
7. All NOS members agree to adhere to their obligations as relevant to membership status and as per their application form.
8. It is not acceptable to include non-participating artists or their artwork in an individual artist’s NOS exhibition/studio. Studios/venues exhibiting more than one artist’s work must apply as a group or each individual artist should apply separately.
9. It is not acceptable to include work by artists who do not live or work in Norfolk in a NOS group exhibition.
10. Members opening their studios during the scheme agree, at the very least, to open on two full days, for two of the three weekends, between the hours of 10am and 5pm during the scheme dates.
11. All members must ensure that their studio is open to the public on the days and times that are published in their listing in the NOS brochure and website. Many visitors make special journeys based on this information. If, for circumstances outside your control, you are unable to open, you must notify the NOS office and display a sign with suggestions to visitors of studios nearby that are open.
12. Members opening their studios are responsible for their own insurance cover including Public & Products Liability Insurance. This might be covered in member’s personal home or business insurance but artists must check with their insurer first. Each member has a responsibility to ensure the safety of their visitors. Norfolk Open Studios does not accept any liability for visitor safety. (NB: NOS is unable to provide blanket insurance cover for home/private activities because it does not ‘organise and control’ the home/private exhibitions but is simply providing promotional services and the opportunity to meet other artists and visitors).
13. Members are responsible for the insurance of their work at all times.  
14. Whilst every effort will be made to ensure the accuracy of information included in the NOS brochure/website, NOS cannot be held responsible for any omissions or mistakes which occur.
15. Artists agree to deliver and pick up their own work during a NOS exhibiting event, as required by the exhibition organiser, or to arrange for someone else to do so on their behalf.
16. Norfolk Open Studios has no responsibility for or liability from any business that may ensue from an artist’s membership to Norfolk Open Studios.
17. All artist brochure listings must provide contact and access details including; full name, full studio and home address, contact telephone, email address and wheelchair access at the venue. Additional information for group entries will be dependent on space available.
18. Members are expected to volunteer their assistance with the running of Norfolk Open Studios, specifically the essential distribution of publicity material (particularly the brochures) around the county, the delivery and hanging of their own work and invigilation as directed.
19. Members are expected to collect their own quota of NOS print materials (brochures, posters, postcards etc) on the given dates/times and from the allocated venue/s within the district that their studio is located in, or arrange for someone else to so, on their behalf.
20. All artists must pay the full inclusion fee before the application deadline or risk their entry becoming null and void. Our preferred methods or payment are BACs, our online secure payment system or by card over the phone.
21. All individual NOS entries will be based on one person per entry. If your open studio venue includes or is run by two or more artists, you will need to submit your entry as an ‘artist pair’  or ‘artist group’ or as individual NOS entries 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 NOS entry.
22. Group entries are allocated a larger space in the brochure than the individual listings so are therefore required to pay a higher fee which, for groups that are up to 9 artists, is near equivalent of 3 individual artist membership fees. For larger groups that are made up of 10 or more artists, the fee is greater to acknowledge the number of artists showing work. Artist group entries are defined as entries that are not specifically individual artist open studios and/or may be run or occupied by more than one person but always exhibiting the work of Norfolk based artists. If you are two artists working in one studio please refer to point 21 and read carefully.
23. For artist group entries, it is not possible to publish an image for each of the artists in the group. A maximum of 2 images can be published in the brochure listing. Due to space limitations in the brochure, no guarantee can be given that more than 12 artist names from the group will be included in the listing or the index page.
24. For artist group entries, at least one of the artists from the group must be present at the venue during their published NOS opening times, to meet and talk with visitors.
25. All artists agree to ensure their 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).
26. Images supplied with completed application forms must be of appropriate quality for inclusion in the NOS brochure. You will be required to supply higher quality / alternative images if your original ones are not appropriate for the inclusion.
27. All NOS artists agree to allow the Festival office to disclose their contact information from Section A and B of the application form to the other NOS artists taking part that year. This is to aid communication, the set-up of art trails and the sharing of publicity distribution.
28. All NOS artists must be aware that the majority of communication with them from the Festival office will be by email. If an artist does not have an email address then communications will be by telephone or post where possible.
29. Cancellation policy – Artists have a grace period of 1 month after the application deadline to withdraw their application and receive a full refund of their participation fee. Cancellations made after 1 month post-application deadline will be non-refundable due to costs already incurred. For 2025, the deadline to withdraw and receive a full refund is midnight, Sunday 23^rd March, any cancellations made after this date will be considered non-refundable.
30. All NOS artists must notify the NOS office as soon as possible if any of their contact details change during the year.
31. All NOS artists must include the official NOS logo in any marketing activity (print/maps/flyers/websites etc.) that they produce. The logo will be emailed to artists from the NOS office as part of the artist marketing pack, and can be requested at an earlier date if needed.
32. All artists taking part must inform the NOS office via the application form of the correct Norfolk district that their studio is located in. Artists who have listed themselves in the wrong district will be automatically moved into the correct district on the NOS maps.
33. Norfolk Open Studios operates a zero tolerance approach with regards to aggressive, insulting or abusive language or behaviour. Artists who act in this way to any Norfolk & Norwich Festival employee, intern or volunteer will be removed from the scheme and their participation fee will not be refunded.
34. Norfolk & Norwich Festival accepts no responsibility for any arrangements or disputes that may occur between venues or organisations that Norfolk Open Studio artists work with, or book for use, during NOS.
35. Norfolk & Norwich Festival accepts no responsibility for or liability from consequences that may occur as a result of unsolicited marketing companies using published artist contact details from the NOS website, brochure or other print to get in touch with artists. NOS artists are given the option in Section L (data protection) of the application form to tell us whether they are happy for their contact details to be published on the NOS website or not. The website is a useful marketing tool for artists and the scheme, and so it is live and online all year round.
36. All individuals and groups participating are responsible for seeking all relevant and appropriate permissions from neighbouring residents regarding use of shared access to property, especially where there is no public right of way or where property and/or land restrictions are in place. Norfolk & Norwich Festival accepts no responsibility for any arrangements or disputes that may occur between individuals and local residents.