Visual Artists Ireland is an all Ireland membership organisation for professional visual artists.  As such, we depend upon our membership fees and other forms of generated income to add to our Arts Council and Arts Council of Northern Ireland grants.

Membership Entitlements:
All Professional and Associate members are entitled to:

• Avail of all Visual Artists Ireland services, facilities and resources
• Receive the Visual Artists’ News Sheet by post (6 issues per year)
• Access the journal Printed Project online (2 issues per year)
• Be included on the Visual Artists Ireland database and receive mail-shots of events and opportunities
• Inclusion on our members’ contact area of the Visual Artists Ireland website
• Take part in the Artelier Studio Exchange Programme
• Rent equipment and utilise in-house resources at subsidised rates
• Receive a membership card, which entitles you to discounts at a wide range of art material suppliers and service providers
• A reduction on fees charged for workshops and events
• Propose artists projects such as symposia, exhibitions, seminars or workshops to the Visual Artists Ireland Board

Professional members are also entitled to -

• Vote at the AGM
• Nominate professional members for election on to the Board of Directors
• Stand for election to the Board of Directors
• Propose items for the AGM agenda
• Act as a VAI nominated artist on commission/selection panels

We experience a constant increase in people asking for our support.  We have also seen success in terms of our lobbying both of government and media concerning the rights of visual artists.  Looking forward we can see more and more call on these services.  As we continue with periods of consultations regarding the rights of visual artists, we are especially aware of all of the different aspects that effect us on a daily basis.  At present our focuses include: Revenue, Social Welfare, Mobility, Job Creation, and the equality of opportunities for visual artists in all of Ireland.

Our work with individual artists also occupies a huge amount of time for our help desk facility.  Issues that are a constant subject for us are problems with revenue and social welfare, advice on contracts, finding the best deals on insurance, advice on how to proceed with commissions, setting up a studio, professional development, mediation, and also recently we have been dealing with cases of artists that have suffered from fraud and misrepresentation.

It is also worth noting that VAI has advertised over 3.75 million Euro’s worth of opportunities in the past 12 month period.  Added to these are the free information services that we offer, including the eBulletin, The Visual Artists News Sheet, Twitter, Facebook, RSS Feeds and our own social network for visual artists http://www.thecommonroom.net.  All of these allow artists to not only know what is going on, but also to publicise their own activities.  Already we have in excess of 1000 people signed up to The Common Room, and recently have started an international advertising campaign to make people aware of the artists who are registered on it.  With over 8,500 subscribers to the eBulletin added to the extremely high number of visitors to our website, we can now say that we are the primary comprehensive source of information for the visual arts in Ireland.

There are many other benefits to artist members such as the Supplier discount scheme, delivery of The Visual Artists News Sheet direct to your door, equipment hire, the use of VAI facilities and also 50% on all of Visual Artists Ireland’s education and discussion group programmes.  In fact, attendance on one workshop usually repays most of the membership fee.  Our Education Officer is always gathering an understanding of what current needs that artists have in this area, and has delivered a wide variety of topics in all parts of the country.

By joining Visual Artists Ireland you become part of a larger representative body supporting and promoting the rights and status of individual artists. The larger the membership the greater the mandate the organisation has to represent the interests of individual artists and the art sector.

There are also other tangible benefits to membership explained below.

Join or Renew Membership of Visual Artists Ireland
Click here to sign up and pay for membership

Categories of Membership:
There are 2 types of membership

• Professional Membership: – For any artist who fulfils three or more of the professional status criteria listed below.

• Associate Membership: For any emerging artist who does not yet fulfil these criteria.

Organisations or non-artists may also sign up as ‘Friends’ in order to receive a subscription to magazines or other services.

Professional status criteria:
To qualify as a Professional member you must meet a minimum of three of the below criteria. You do NOT need to fulfil these criteria if you are applying for Associate membership.

• Degree or Diploma from a recognised third level college
• One-person show (including time based events) in a recognised gallery or exhibition space
• Participation in an exhibition/visual art event which was selected by a jury in which professional artists or recognised curators participated
• Work has been purchased by Government, local authority, museum or corporate client
• Work has been commissioned by Government, local authority, museum or corporate client
• Have been awarded a bursary, residency, materials grant or otherwise grant aided by the Arts Council/Arts Council of Northern Ireland or other funding body
• Have been awarded tax-exempt status by the Revenue Commissioners, or are on schedule D as a self-employed artist in Northern Ireland

Additional Memberships:
The Visual Artists Ireland membership form can be used to apply for memberships of other organisations and VAI initiatives as follows:

IVARO is the Irish Visual Artists Rights Organisation. IVARO is a rights management organisation that collects and distributes royalties due to its members for the use of their work. It also provides free information and advice on copyright issues. You can join IVARO by visiting the membership page of their website here. Membership of IVARO is free. By joining IVARO you mandate the organisation to represent you in relation to your copyright.

IAA is the International Association of Art. It is a UNESCO initiated global network of visual artists representative organisations. Visual Artists Ireland is the Irish representative within the IAA. The IAA issues an artists card through its national committees, which can be used to gain reduced or free entrance into some of the major museums and galleries around the world. The card is only available to professional members, its costs €5 and is valid for a two year period. You can get an IAA card by ticking the appropriate box on the application form. A photo is required to obtain an IAA card.

Membership Rates:

Standard Rate – €50
This is the standard rate for professional and associate membership for artists living on the island of Ireland.

Concessions Rate – €25
The concessions rate is available for unwaged or students living on the island of Ireland

The concessions rate can also be availed of by members of the National Sculpture Factory (NSF), Architectural Association of Ireland (AAI) and Northern Ireland Visual Arts Forum (NIVAF)

International Rates
Britain – €65
Europe and Rest of World: €70
There are no concession rates for international members.

Friend Rate
Friend: €60

Join or Renew Membership of Visual Artists Ireland
Click here to sign up and pay for membership