I've chosen the Royal West of England Academy as its 163rd Annual Exhibition opens today in Bristol. It continues until 29th November at Royal West of England Academy Queen's Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1PX
Basic facts about the society are reported below - together with my comments in grey italics. Quotes from the website - are shown as quotes.
Royal West of England Academy
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| The front of the Royal West of England Academy Photograph by Linda Bailey [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons |
The Society
This is the only regional Royal Academy of Art. It's also a charity and receives funding via the Arts Council England's Museum resilience funding.
- Founded: It started as Bristol's first art gallery. Organisations which merged and became the RWA started in the 19th century. The History Page provides an account of a complicated history involving various organisations and timescales - but it could be clearer and I found it odd that it's unclear when the RWA got its royal charter.
- Purpose:
The RWA’s aim is to provide an inclusive programme of exhibitions, events and workshops in order to enhance the knowledge, understanding and enjoyment of art for the widest possible audience.
- Patrons/ Friends / Volunteers: The RWA has all of these - and is keen to recruit more. See the page about 'Support us'. Friends of the RWA have their own website
Artist members
- Membership: The Academy has 150 Academicians who are elected by their peers. Membership is by application and selection twice a year. see
- RWA Artists for details on how this works and what sort of people they select for membership.
- plus the listing for all the RWA artists)
- Subscription: £120 annual membership (can be paid monthly)
Venue
- Gallery / Based: Bristol - Queen's Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1PX (link to google map)
- Entry: free to all under 16, registered students, Patrons, Friends and Art Fund members. Charge of £5 for all adults due to the fact the RWA is self-supporting.
- Opening Hours: Tuesday - Saturday: 10am - 6pm; Sundays: 11am - 5pm. Closed on Mondays
- Eat and drink: Cafe on the premises
Exhibitions & Events
- Annual exhibitions since the middle of the 19th century. This year is the 163rd Annual Open.
- Annual Autumn Open exhibition is the largest Open Submission exhibition in the South West. In 2014 this included 546 works by 346 artists. Submission is digital and the Online Submission Page is www.rwasubmissions.org.uk/login.php
- also holds also holds open exhibitions focusing on specific disciplines such as Photography, Sculpture and Printmaking
- Biennial exhibition for drawing
- see images from previous exhibitions on Flickr
- exhibition archive is odd as it only shows you the archive for each month of past years rather than the major exhibitions from past years categorised by year and then an archive for more minor shows by month/year (As navigation I found it confusing and I don't think it works)
- Artists can also submit a proposal for an exhibition to be held in the galleries.
The RWA welcomes exhibition proposals from artists, independent curators and practitioners.
- Events: List of events in 2015 (by month - i.e. no quick glance and repetitive clicking to see everything on in eg next six months) and 2016 (again by month - no quick summary of major events) plus an archive for past years.
Education
- The RWA run an extensive programme of educational activities and learning opportunities for adults, families and children.
The RWA has signed up to the Kids in Museums manifesto as part of our commitment to making family visits more enjoyable.
- Of particular note is the Bristol Drawing School (separate website) which is based in the RWA building.
- Talks and Demonstrations: see events
RWA Online
- Website: http://www.rwa.org.uk
- News / Blog:
- The RWA blog with no name - which is a really weird way to try and get listed by Google!
- Facebook page (see below) seems to fulfil this role but appears to have gaps in posts which are timely and relevant
- Facebook Page:
- RWA - https://www.facebook.com/royalwestofenglandacademy - This has a strapline which describes the RWA as an "Art gallery · Cultural Gifts Shop · Art school" (which I found a little odd especially as the embedded links don't work!)
- Bristol Drawing School - https://www.facebook.com/drawingschool
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/RWABristol
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/rwabristol
The Royal West of England Academy Online - Alternative Perspectives
Below you can review other profiles of the RWA and reviews of its activities and exhibitions.
General Reviews
- Culture 24: Royal West of England Academy
- Time Out - The Royal West of England Academy
- Wikipedia: Royal West of England Academy
- Trip Advisor - RWA Page - comments by visitors
- Visit Bristol: Things to do - RWA
Exhibition reviews
- Guide2Bristol: Bristol Royal West of England Academy review: The 163rd Annual Open Exhibition
- Sophie Ploeg - RWA 163d Open Exhibition (by one of the exhibiting artists)
Events
- Eventbrite - list of all upcoming and ticketed events at the RWA
Permanent Collection
- BBC page about the RWA and its paintings
