Communication between us and you
We want to improve how and when we communicate with our venue organisers. Some of you are also artists taking part, so you receive all the information we send out in newsletters. However, some are not artists and we realised recently that you weren’t getting all the information.
Please make sure you are signed up to our newsletter so that you get all the public newsletters that go out. Once the closing date has passed we set up a newsletter list of artists taking part that year, which sends out specific information just for them. If you are a venue organiser we will set up another newsletter list just for you – you will receive the newsletters that go out to artists and any aimed just at organisers.
We therefore need to know who you are!
- If you are an artist there is a box to tick on the Application Form which tells us you are the organiser for your venue (there can be more than one person if you share the task).
- If you register a new venue using the New Venues Form we will pick up your details from that.
- If you are neither of the above – you’re not an artist taking part and your venue has been around before – please email us on info@derbyshireopenarts.co.uk and let us know that your venue is taking part in 2027 and that you are the organiser.
Finding artists for your venue
The closing date for applications is 13th January 2027. During the autumn artists will be looking for venues and vice versa. If you have spaces to fill at your venue, email us at any time until a few days before the closing date and let us know:
- How many spaces you have.
- What type of artists you are looking for, if you have a preference.
- Any important info you think artists should know.
- Your contact details.
This will go out in regular newsletters to our public newsletter list so that potential artists will see where there are spaces. Artists can also contact us to advertise themselves to venues in the same newsletters, so make sure you keep an eye on them.
What information your artists will need from you
You will need to communicate certain information to your artists, particularly any new to Derbyshire Open Arts. This includes:
- They need to apply to us, not just to you as the venue. Some new artists don’t know the process. Membership for the 2027 event is £95.
- Any cost for the venue and/or other requirements including public liability insurance.
- Set up and take down days/times.
- All the information they need to enter on the application form about the venue:
- Full address
- Directions to venue – maximum 30 words
- What3words - specify what they are rather than let artists find their own
- The days and times you will be open – particularly if they are different to the expected 3 days and 10 till 4 opening.
- If you are having a preview evening
- Disabled access – Yes, No or Partial. This may not be the same for every artist depending on where they are exhibiting.
- Having a discussion about how many publicity materials are needed. We’ve had problems recently where several artists were ordering for the venue rather than for themselves which led to a lot of waste. We have no problem if you want to do this – as long as only one person orders. Or you can order some for the venue and ask the artists to order more for themselves. Please encourage your artists to collect their publicity material and get it out and about – in 2025 a few didn’t collect theirs.
If you have any queries about being a venue organiser, please contact us on info@derbyshireopenarts.co.uk