Terms and Conditions

Peterborough Artists’ Open Studios (PAOS) Terms & Conditions

Membership is open to anyone in Peterborough or the surrounding area who is participating in the visual arts on payment of a membership fee.
All work displayed must be original and must be the work of the registered member.
An application for full membership entails three procedures: Acceptance of the Terms & Conditions, Payment, and completion of the PAOS MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM.
Acceptance by PAOS of this membership application entitles the member to a PAOS membership for 12 months, a single entry in the PAOS brochure, and a dedicated artist’s page on the paos.org.uk website. PAOS reserves the right to decline any application deemed unsuitable. All fees must be paid in full before an application is valid.
Artists sharing a space with other artists must all submit separate applications and pay the appropriate full membership fee. Any artists exhibiting and selling work under the PAOS banner or seen to be utilising PAOS advertising and marketing at any venue (their own or shared with a PAOS member) during the PAOS weekends must be current members of PAOS (also refer to points 10, 19 and 33).
Artists can apply in the following categories only: see points 7-9.
Full members, who pay the standard fee, may exhibit in the annual exhibition, and may have an entry in the brochure and on the website.
Charity membership group, your organisation will be a registered charity and the PAOS participation will be organised by a responsible representative from your charity. Charity groups must be pre-approved by the PAOS committee before filling out an application form.
Junior members, can exhibit as individuals or groups and must be under 18. Junior members or groups pay a reduced fee and must only exhibit under supervision of an adult who is over 18, the adult must accept all responsibility, either as parent or guardian or have provision in place for appropriate Public Liability Insurance, e.g. through an education institution or as an arts organiser. The adult must be present for the duration of the PAOS event as stated on the entry form and as advertised in the brochure or on the website to include any changes made after the application process is completed. The junior member/group may have one entry on the brochure and on the website.
If there are any additional requirements or circumstances not covered by these terms and conditions, artists should discuss their plans for the Open Studio weekend events with a committee member, before submitting their application. PAOS reserves the right to charge a full year’s membership fee to any non-members participating at a PAOS venue. It is the responsibility of any registered host PAOS member to inform any non-members who might exhibit with them that such fees are payable.
It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all details on the application form are correct at the time of submission. It is also the applicant’s responsibility to check their artist’s statement and submit in writing any amendments required before the deadline stated. PAOS reserves the right to exclude, edit or decline any content deemed to be inappropriate. PAOS accepts no liability for any errors or omissions in the brochure, advertising, and promotional material.
The yearly application deadline as displayed on the PAOS website is 23:59hrs on the 14th February. Applications for membership are deemed to be completed only when all necessary documents, images and payment have been received.
Each member will benefit from a dedicated artist’s page on the website. Once the website page is set up with information from the application form, it is the member’s responsibility to check all their details displayed are correct and add any further information and remove any information they do not wish to be displayed.
New applicants and returning artists must accept responsibility for, and learn how to manage and maintain the content of, their artist’s website page on PAOS.org.uk. For personal security or privacy reasons, an artist is entitled to ask the committee to help edit their entry or information from the PAOS.org.uk website at any time during the year – but not as part of an effort in unilateral withdrawal from PAOS.
On submission of the application form, the applicant agrees that the PAOS committee cannot be held liable for any effects or damages incurred arising from any information on the application form that appears on the website inadvertently including errors made through misunderstanding the form content, format or through typo error by the committee in helping artists set up their pages. The PAOS webteam will endevour to help remove any such accidentally included information from PAOS.org.uk site as soon as practicably possible on request from the applicant.
Members cannot withdraw from the PAOS event and membership fees cannot be refunded once the application has been accepted and the brochure production has started. This is to ensure production costs are covered.
A banner will be provided for display outside each venue and a cash deposit may be asked to be left with the PAOS banner organiser. Hosts can request more than one banner if the venue requires more. The banner/banners must be returned within 30 days of the last PAOS event date. If the banner is not returned, or is damaged, artists participating at the venue will be required to contribute towards the cost of replacement or forfeit their deposit should one be retained by PAOS.
Every member must open their venue to the public on the days and times specified in the brochure, and hosts must be in attendance during the opening times stated.
The PAOS logo and ‘Peterborough Artists Open Studios’ as an entity must not be used on any personal or professional promotional material without written permission from the committee. Any proposed partnerships of PAOS with existing members, groups, third party organisations, or businesses must be expressly agreed before publicising and agreement confirmed in writing by the PAOS committee.
Images submitted by PAOS artists via yearly application form, uploaded to the website media facility or submitted for exhibition or competition must include the artists first name and last name in the image title followed by an unique three or more digit number. This is to allow for identification and admin use by the PAOS committee and any third parties appointed to produce publicity or editorial material for PAOS.
Images submitted for inclusion in the directory or website may also be used by PAOS on other promotional materials, without further permission from the artist. PAOS artists are responsible for the quality of the images they submit, and it is recommended that members use a photographer to obtain images of a professional standard if they cannot produce satisfactory images for publication themselves. PAOS and any third parties may request alternative images from the artist if those submitted or uploaded to the website are not of sufficient resolution or lighting to effectively view the work the image is intended to convey.
Third parties acting for PAOS in the production of the brochure and competitions may ask PAOS artist members to supply alternative images to the ones uploaded during the application process where those images supplied are not suitable for publication for any reason agreed by the publisher and PAOS committee.
PAOS will run competitions during any given year where PAOS artists members will have the opportunity to submit work for judging and publication by a third party in newsprint and/or online. PAOS artist members agree that the third party has fair editorial and advertising use of any images of work submitted (that the third party may make during the submission or judging process), without additional payment, for the purposes of publication and promotion of PAOS and its activities in print or online; PAOS members accept on submission to PAOS competitions/events that the third party will be under no obligation to pass on images they have made of artists work to the PAOS artist concerned.
PAOS will not accept any liability for unforeseen loss or damage to works entered into PAOS run competitions and exhibitions, due care of works will be taken, however works should be insured by the artist against loss, damage and theft.
PAOS will not accept any liability for any member or visitor and/or for damage to/ or loss of work, equipment or other property in the care of members, or by the visiting public. Artists opening their studios are responsible for the safety of their visitors and themselves. It is recommended that you obtain product insurance and public liability cover. For your own safety it is not advisable to be on your own at your venue during open studio visiting times.
No liability can be accepted by the Peterborough Artists Open Studios group from perceived lack of response or take up from any advertising as organised by the PAOS committee. (It should be noted that the PAOS ‘umbrella’ marketing events are to help artists attract an audience and raise awareness of their work. Artists should also take their own steps to advertise and build a following and not expect PAOS alone to provide footfall to their venues.)
PAOS is not responsible for any losses resulting from the unlikely cancellation of the event, although they will endeavour to reimburse fees where possible.
PAOS will usually communicate with members via emails using Mailchimp or the PAOS.org.uk – Wishlist email, to keep them informed of key matters. Although not recommended you can unsubscribe from these emails using the facilities provided.
Members should formally contact the committee using the email: paospeterborough@gmail.com rather than using social media, Facebook, Messenger or Whatsapp applications – Any communications through social media platforms or via committee members personal emails cannot be regarded as official PAOS channels and should be regarded as informal information sources only.
Artists accept that their webpage information will ‘roll-on’ from year to year should they renew their membership and it is their responsibility to update the webpage information to match the new application form information. Non returning members will have their artist pages deleted to comply with GDPR at the end of any given years membership. Artists can ask the PAOS webteam to retain their artist page in unpublished draft form should they wish to take a break for a year if the artists intends to have the page reactivated at a later date, however PAOS accepts no responsibility for accidental deletion of draft pages in the course of website maintenance.
PAOS membership is run in accordance with its constitution, a copy of which is available on request and can also be found in the resources section of paos.org.uk accessible to PAOS members. These yearly dated terms and conditions listed here are decided by committee quorum and may vary from the constitution as membership requirments, social and economic circumstances demand year to year; as such, applicants are agreeing to these Peterborough Artists’ Open Studios (PAOS) Terms & Conditions 2025 upon joining PAOS as a member.
Applicants accept that PAOS operates a zero tolerance system regarding abuse towards any of its membership, visitors or organising committee, PAOS is a volunteer run organisation to help promote art activity and artists in the PE postcode area. Applicants to PAOS accept that its members and organising committee will strive to give inclusive, fair and equal treatment to PAOS members wherever possible and that PAOS also seeks to help promote non member arts events, artists and organisations when appropriate.
Any member found not abiding by any of the above terms and conditions, may be asked to explain their actions to the committee and as a last resort may risk exclusion from further PAOS events.

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