Register for COS25

We are now making plans for Cheltenham Open Studios 2025 (COS25). Scheduled to run between 7 – 15 June 2025, we are aiming to engage even more local people with the wonderful art being created on their doorsteps. It would be great if you could join us.

As always, we will be producing a colour guide to accompany the event, publicising each venue and the artists exhibiting, as well as giving details of opening times and directions. The 2025 event will also benefit from a continued online presence and interactive map.

To participate in COS25, your venue must be within 20 miles from the centre of Cheltenham. Each participating artist will be required to become a member and register for the event. To assist with the costs, each artist will be required to pay a non-refundable registration fee of £60 for individual member artists, or £120 for existing member groups and communities; £130 for non-members.

To become a member now, join and register for only £60. Membership offers:

• A free listing and personal profile on the COS website’s directory of artists.
• The opportunity to exhibit in COS-sponsored spaces throughout the year.
• Free advertising on the online Calendar of Events.
• Entry to COS-sponsored workshops and events.
• The opportunity to collaborate and network with other artists.

Your membership will run from the date we receive your completed application until 30 September 2025, and is renewable every year thereafter.

As the arts continue to struggle in this current economic climate, we feel it is even more important to embrace the Open Studios event, celebrate the work being made locally and support the development of our artistic community.

We plan to keep production of the guides to 10,000.

• marketing materials for venues to display.
• posters to be displayed around the centre of town.
• local media PR.
• individual artist online listings as well as in the printed guide.
• web PR.
• COS25 launch night.

Registration for most artists is via your Member Portal.

Venue Registration information must be provided no later than 15 February 2025. After this deadline it will not be possible to guarantee its inclusion in the guide. Event participants will be required to upload their own listing for the guide.

It’s a recurring issue, but feedback from previous events indicates that visitors become frustrated by the irregular opening hours of some venues, particularly when visiting a cluster on the trail. Please keep your opening hours simple and consistent!

We would encourage every venue to be open between 10am – 4pm every day and 7 – 9pm if you are opening in the evenings (or straight through until early evening, if not opening later on). At the very least, can we ask that your venue is open between 11am – 4pm, on both Saturdays and Sundays. It is just for nine days, every two years, after all. If you have neighbouring venues, try to co-ordinate your opening hours with them, it really does help with visitor numbers.

If you wish to participate and do not currently have a venue arranged, please indicate this on the registration form. We encourage artists to find their own venue to exhibit. If possible, a venue will be found for you that has additional space, but this cannot be guaranteed. The onus is on you the artist to explore your own exhibiting opportunities.

To get started you need to:

• First, make sure that your membership is current.
  • For existing or previous members, you can log in to our Member Portal.
  • If your membership is not current, you will be given instructions on how to renew.
  • If you can't remember your password, you can quickly and easily get a new password via email.
  • If you're not yet a member, then you can register for a new account on our website.
• Next, to create your guide entry, click the yellow "Start registration" button.
  • Once registered, if you are providing a venue space for others – now is the time to invite them to register too. All they need to do is select your venue's name on their own registration form.
  • If you are an artist showing at someone else's house, you must select their venue on your registration so we can match up venue hosts and artists.
• Finally, once registered, don't forget to pay your COS25 event fee. This will be using the same bank details you used for your COS membership.

We will, once again, be running the very successful COS fundraiser, where all participating artists are encouraged to donate at least one small item of artwork (5 inches square) to be sold in aid of COS funds for an increased price of £10. These will be for sale at the launch. Any unsold will go on display at designated venues on the trail (TBC).

There will be a group exhibition at Gardens Gallery. With the huge success of the previous taster show, its central location and great footfall we’ve decided to make this a more inclusive space again and give everyone the opportunity to exhibit there. This will take the form, as before, of a 35 x 35cm group exhibition that is open to all members. The criteria are:

• you are registered to take part in COS25.
• you pay a £10 fee to participate.
• you offer one stewarding slot during the Gardens Gallery exhibition (7 – 15 June).
• your entry is any shape up to 35 x 35cm, including frame (3-D work should fit within a 35cm cube size). The idea is that there is a unified cohesive group exhibition, that is fair to everyone taking part.

If there are not enough entries to cover COS costs for the gallery hire (we will need about 60 participating artists), members will be invited to put in an additional piece for an additional fee. It is open to artists working in both 2-D and 3-D. These items will be for sale, priced by the artist and with the full sale-price going to the artist. The work will remain up for the duration of the show as a signpost to your venue. This way all artists taking part in the event have opportunity to benefit.

We will send you details of where to collect your Venue Packs (containing guides, posters etc), and to hand in your work for the Small Art Exhibition, in due course.

If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch using our contact form.

We look forward to seeing you at COS25!