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The Society of Bluffton Artists

ARE YOU AN ARTIST?

SOBA Artist Membership Opportunities

Are you interested in becoming a member of The Society of Bluffton Artists?

PLEASE NOTE: PHOTOGRAPHY IS FULL FOR 2021-2022.  We can not accept any more photographers as exhibiting members at this time.

We are a cooperative gallery that is operated and staffed by local member artists. We change our gallery exhibit every single month. The art that has not sold is removed and a completely new show is installed. The Society of Bluffton Artists welcomes everyone to become a member! You can join us even if you are not an artist with our supporting membership. Artists may consider one of our exhibiting memberships. We look forward to meeting and nurturing new members!

Benefits of a SOBA membership:

Gallery Hours & Contact

Membership Options

Exhibiting Membership

We welcome most mediums to our gallery! Some of the mediums that our artists submit are oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, pencil, collage, and mixed media. We do offer a limited number of photography memberships on a first come, first served basis.

PLEASE NOTE**:  Membership runs from September 1st-August 31st. If you register in July or August, SOBA gives you those two months free and your membership is good through August 31st of the following year. If you register any other time of the year, it will be necessary to RE-REGISTER by August 31st to continue your membership uninterrupted. 

PLEASE BE SURE TO REVIEW OUR DISPLAY GUIDELINES TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WILL BE ACCEPTED ON CHANGE OF SHOW DAY.

To ensure that our exhibits are always professional, every artist must adhere to framing requirements as well as size limitations. 

PLEASE NOTE: 3-D artist memberships must be reviewed and accepted by the Society of Bluffton Artists Board of Directors. Some of the 3-D mediums that we have exhibited are handmade jewelry, ceramics, pottery, stained glass, and woodworking. Please contact our Director of Membership for further information on becoming an exhibiting 3-D artists.

Exhibiting Membership
Non-Staffing
Sign-up currently closed

Exhibiting Membership
Staffing
$125

Supporting Membership

$75

Supporting Members will receive our newsletter and are invited to participate in special boutiques, pop up shows, member events, and fundraisers throughout the year. Supporting members also enjoy discounted workshops and classes.

Don't want to register online?

Stop by The SOBA Gallery on Church Street in Old Town Bluffton to fill out a membership application in person.

Upcoming Exhibits

Upcoming Workshops

Classes & Workshops

Frequently Asked Questions

If you would like to become a SUPPORTING MEMBER, your donation of $75 will put you on our email list and will entitle you to participate in special events like our Holiday Boutique. It will also entitle you to participate in workshops and classes at a reduced rate.

If you would like to become an EXHIBITING MEMBER, you will need to decide if you can help staff the gallery each month. Staffing members pay a reduced fee and they must work one half day each month at the gallery. Non-staffing members pay the full membership fee and are not required to staff the gallery.

Read our SOBA 101 Membership Guide for more information.

For additional information, read SOBA’s membership guidelines.

We completely change our exhibit every single month. On the first Monday of the month, 9:00am-11:00am, you must pick up your unsold art from the month before and submit new art for exhibit. If your art sells during the month, you may replace it with a similar sized piece. To ensure that our gallery always looks its best, we encourage exhibitors to replace sold pieces as soon as possible.
Yes! But, keep in mind that we change all of the art on the first Monday of each month between 9:00am-11:00am. You will have to pick up art that has not sold during the month and drop off new work at that time if you intend to exhibit in the new show.

If you are invited to become a featured artists, you are given cart blanche to develop a body of work and hang your private show in our featured artist room inside the gallery. Your show will exhibit for a month and you should plan to have back up work reserved to add to the show when one of your pieces sells. The first weekend that your show is open, you are invited to have a reception at the gallery. SOBA members will attend as well as your friends and family. SOBA will assist you in sourcing print media and other advertising to promote your show. You will be featured on our website and social media pages before and during your show.

No, Membership runs from September 1st-August 31st. If you register in July or August, SOBA gives you those two months free. So, your membership will be good until August 31st of the following year. If you become a member at any other time of the year, your membership ends on August 31st unless you re-register and pay for the following year.

No, we have exhibiting artists at all levels of experience and talent. If you are unsure if you are ready to exhibit, we encourage you to participate in one of our workshops or classes. You will meet other artist members and you will have the opportunity to see how your work might fit into the next gallery exhibit.