East Anglia has been the home for many artists of both national and international acclaim. John Constable, John Sell Cotman and, more recently, Edward Seago and Sir Alfred Munnings, are among the best well-known. So it is perhaps, surprising, that until now, the fine artists of the region have not been represented by a single, dedicated society. The formation of the IEA seeks to remedy that omission, with the sole aim of raising the profile of fine arts in the area.
Under the patronage of Norman Lamb MP and the leadership of The Council, the IEA aims to become one of the nation’s most distinctively recognised societies. With its flagship event being its Annual Open Exhibition, the IEA organises a programme of events, including exhibitions for its Members and other events open to all-comers. Many of its Members and supporters are individually involved in teaching painting and graphics through classes, master classes and workshops.
The Pathway to Membership
- Any artist who has had work accepted for inclusion in the Annual Open Exhibitions (OE) of the IEA on at least two consecutive occasions, may apply to become a Candidate (for Membership) by giving written notice to the IEA at the same time as they submit work to any following Annual IEA Open Exhibition (OE).
- Within two weeks of the closing of the open exhibition artists who have applied will be informed in writing if they have been accepted to be a Candidate.
- Successful Candidates will be invited to meet a group of Council Members of the IEA where their application will be considered. This will be an informal meeting at a time and place convenient to both the group and Candidate. During the meeting, the Candidate will be asked to produce a number of original works (framed or unframed), sketches or notebooks, or indeed any other works the Candidate wishes the group to see as evidence of their artistic skill and experience.
- Within 14 days of the meeting, the Candidate will be notified whether or not their application for Membership has been successful. If unsuccessful an artist can re-apply to become a Candidate for Membership a further two times (two OE’s) before the application process must start again.
We remind all applicants of the IEA that its reputation has been earned thanks to the consistently high standard of work produced by its Members and the full Terms and Conditions for any artists submitting work to an exhibition are set out on the IEA website.
Note: A non-refundable Candidate’s fee of £30 to cover the administration costs involved in considering their application for Membership will be charged covering up to and including three applications.
If you are an enthusiastic artist we would strongly invite you to submit your work to the next Annual Open Exhibition.
We look forward to seeing you.