Art Social and Student Open Exhibition
Students, past and present, of Creative Art Courses are invited each year to showcase their wonderful artwork in our annual Student Open Exhibition
Our Student Open Exhibition coincides with the AWOL Studios Open event each year. Students, past and present, are invited to join us as an exhibitor or as a visitor – meet like-minded artists, make new friends, and at the same time visit the AWOL Studios open event where artists from across the creative industries open their studio doors to the public over all 5 floors of Hope Mill. The events are open to the public, so friends and family are welcome to attend.
Art Social + Student Open Exhibition Details
Exhibition Date: Saturday 10th October 2026. 1-7 pm. Coincides with the annual Autumn AWOL Studios Open event
Submission Deadline: Monday 28th September
Open Submission process:
- Step 1: Digital submission of up to 3 artworks. Click here
- Step 2: You will see an on-screen notification in green text telling you your form was successful sent
- Step 3: We will manually email you to thank you for your submission. This may take a few days, but if in doubt please email us to double check if there have been any technical issues.
- Step 4: After submission deadline, we will reply by email during the week of 28 Sept – 2 Oct, accepting you into our Open Student Exhibition and let you know how many artworks you can display (this is due to limited wall space)
- We will also remind you about other important details
Exhibit: This is a relaxed social event for everyone interested in making art who has previously attended one of our courses, classes, art groups, etc. You are encouraged and welcome to exhibit and attend the AWOL Open studio event.
Visit: You are equally invited to attend to our exhibition in Studio 516 to view the artwork on display, socialise, meet artists, ask questions about our courses, enjoy sharing your passion for art, and enjoy all the creatives across the 5 floors of AWOL Studios within hope Mill.
Any Questions?
If you have any questions about how to take part and exhibit as part of our Annual Student Open Exhibition use the ‘Leave a Reply’ comment box below and make sure you are signed up to receive our Newsletters
Sue McLeod
14 October 2025 @ 12:39 pm
Thank you for going to the trouble of arranging and setting up the students’ exhibition, Brian. It was great to see everyone’s work up in the same safe studio space where we come to learn and be inspired by your teaching, alongside supportive and friendly people. It was lovely to see that more students were showing their work this year compared to previous years. It’s growing! Hopefully in years to come, more of us will feel encouraged to submit our work. To be included in the AWOL Open Evening was a great idea.
artfulantics
16 October 2025 @ 9:38 am
Hi Sue. Many thanks for your reflections on being a part of the event. Thank you for making it such a success. As you say – I’m looking forward to it being an even bigger event in 2026!.
Tony
10 October 2025 @ 9:45 am
Massive thanks to Brian for including our student work in the AWOL Open Exhibition. It’s very exciting to see your work on display and feels validating as an artist. The whole event was inspiring and a perfect opportunity to share (and pinch!) ideas.
artfulantics
10 October 2025 @ 3:46 pm
Hi Tony, Many thanks for your comments. Good to hear you enjoyed exhibiting in our exhibition. Same again next year!.
Naomi
8 October 2025 @ 8:36 am
I submitted and had some work displayed at this year’s Student Open and it was a real treat to both attend as an artist, and to see everybody’s work on the wall where it belongs! Events like this are really valuable as a safe and friendly catalyst for focus and a sense of achievement, especially if you find yourself intimidated by the art crowd and struggle with ways to share your work (like me). Already looking forward to the next one!
artfulantics
9 October 2025 @ 8:30 am
Hi Naomi. Great to hear being involved was such a positive experience. Thank you for helping making the event such a success. Kind regards. Brian