What is the Oxford Art Society?
The Oxford Art Society was founded in 1891. Its members are artists working in a wide range of styles and media who are based in Oxfordshire. The Society holds regular Open and Members’ exhibitions as well as providing opportunities for younger artists to show their work. Membership is by invitation. Read more about the history of the OAS.
About our exhibitions
We have two annual exhibitions in Oxford. Our Members’ exhibition takes place in the spring, and our Open exhibition in the autumn. There is also a biennial Young Artists exhibition held in the early summer, which is an open exhibition for artists aged 17 to 30.
The selection panel changes for each exhibition and usually consists of the Chair (or one of the Co-Chairs), several OAS members representing different artistic disciplines, and a guest selector from outside the Society who may be a practising artist, exhibition curator, or other expert in the artistic field. Information about the submission process and the dates for upcoming exhibitions are available on this website and are advertised on our social media channels.
Who runs the OAS?
The OAS is run by a committee of members and other volunteers. The committee is elected at the members’ Annual General Meeting, which is usually held in January.
The Constitution gives more information about the rules that govern the operation of the Society.
President Emerita
Kathleen Soriano
President
Francis Hamel
Committee
Helen Ward (Co-Chair)
Becky Paton (Co-Chair)
Amanda Bond (Secretary)
David Barron (Treasurer)
Mark Clay (Membership engagement)
Melinda Kenneway (Membership)
Candida Groom (Exhibitions)
Vivien Shelton (Exhibitions)
Yolande Wyer (Publicity)
Amanda Benstead
Nicola Moeran
Jeremy Morgan
Angie Hunt
The President and President Emerita of the Society are Honorary Members. People who have been Chairs or Presidents of the Society in the past or have given exceptional service to the Society in other ways can also be made Honorary Members by the Committee. The current Honorary Members are:
Francis Hamel
Kathleen Soriano
Johannes von Stumm
Harriet Eagle
Jago Pryce
Rona Marsden
Graeme Salmon
Joseph W Winkleman, PPRE, RWA, Hon RWS
Peter Farley
Amanda Jewell
Lin Kerr
Carole Grant-Garwood
How can I become a member of the OAS?
Membership of the Oxford Art Society is by invitation only. It is open to anyone who lives within a 30-mile radius of Oxford (Carfax) and who produces artwork of a high quality. To be considered for membership of the Society you will need to submit work and have it accepted for inclusion in at least two annual Open exhibitions. We consider original paintings, drawings, mixed media work including collage, limited edition prints, sculpture, sculptural ceramics, glass, and textiles. We don’t accept photographic prints of artwork, photographs, or videos. The committee reviews all non-members’ work accepted into the Open exhibition and may invite some artists to submit further examples of their work and an artist statement. A panel of Committee members then decides which of those artists are invited to join the Society.