RHS Botanical Art Shows in 2017 - the FAQS

This post is about how to find information about the RHS Botanical Art Shows in 2017 and the future - for all actual and aspiring future exhibitors. 

In the past, many botanical artists have found it very difficult to find out about:

• how to be selected for exhibition at an RHS Botanical Art Show
• how to win an RHS Medal - particularly a Gold Medal.

Below you can find out about:

• what facts are available from the RHS
• what information is available on this websites - including tips from past Gold Medal winners!

Saturday at the RHS London Botanical Art Show in 2016

RHA Botanical Art & Photography Shows in 2017

The RHS now has a web page for information about the shows for artists and photographers. If you hope to exhibit in future or are planning to exhibit in 2017 you should bookmark this now. That's because it's not easy to find unless you know where to look!

The page has two sub-pages for:

• Botanical Art 
• Botanical Photography (NOT to be confused with the RHS Photography competition)

Each of these provide information and links to more detailed information about

• ​how to apply to exhibit
• rules and regulations for exhibitors
  

​Dates of RHS Botanical Art Shows in 2017
​

In 2017 the RHS Botanical Illustration Shows are:

• ​RHS London 24-25 February 2017
• RHS Malvern Spring Festival 11-14th May 2017

All those selected to exhibit in the future:

• should have had a letter listing these dates
• will get another letter in the Autumn (date unspecified!) inviting them to apply to exhibit at one of these two shows.

Applications for space for exhibits of paintings and drawings should be made on forms sent out by the RHS Shows Department. Contact details for eligible artists are automatically sent to the RHS Shows Department, following acceptance by the Picture Panel, however artists should ensure that the RHS Shows Department is kept informed of any changes to their contact details 

RHS Botanical Illustration - Exhibitor Factsheet
​

The RHS have published their Exhibitor Fact Sheet for Botanical Illustration in 2017. Download this and save it and then print it out and start highlighting all the things you need to remember!  (Note: Rather annoyingly the print is in green ink (!) which means that it does not reproduce well when printing in greyscale)

Interestingly although the shows have always been described at Botanical Art Shows in the past, the Factsheet emphasises that it is about "Botanical Illustration".

The RHS has always been very clear that these shows are for works that are primarily of botanical interest. I'm assuming the change of name is because the RHS wants to continue to emphasise the botanical emphasis of its exhibitions when compared to some of the other botanical art exhibitions around the world and the range of works that they include.

I am however going to try and find out if there is anything more behind this change in name.

The heading of the FACTSHEET for RHS Botanical Art Shows in 2017

This is what it covers:

• a definition of botanical illustration - you need to make sure that what you propose to exhibit conforms to this definition.
• contacts - although oddly it omits the key contact for artists which is the email address for the Picture Panel. You can find this on page 3 in the next section
• Selection: New Exhibitors - describes the process used to people who want to exhibit with the RHS. You are already too late to apply to be approved to exhibit for 2017. However if you apply now you can start the process for being approved to exhibit in 2018 and beyond.  The closing date for applications for approval is usually June each year - with the selection meeting of the Picture Panel being held in July. This section provides precise guidelines and criteria for approval to exhibit.

Only exhibitors that have been accepted by the Picture Panel are eligible to apply for space.

• Rules and Regulations for Exhibiting - This section details all the rules for presentation and conduct while exhibiting (which I will review in a future post)
• Labelling - Botanical names are sacrosanct to the RHS! This is a very big section and that's a very big clue to how important this aspect is to the judges. I've known people in the past lose out on a good medal because they did something wrong when writing out their labels. Knowing how to name your plant and when to use italics and capitals is VERY important!  This page recommends the use of latest edition of The RHS Plant Finder in relation to the use of cultivar names.
• Staging - As many people know new display boards were used for the RHS london Botanical Art Show in 2016. These will continue to be used in future. Note the STRONG recommendations as to the use of conservation grade polyester film such as Melinix or Mylar to protect the artwork. (I'll be writing more about these and how to get hold of them in future)
• Judging and awards - this stipulates what medals are available and how they are awarded. It highlights in particular the judging criteria used which are listed within three categories: Quality of Botanical Illustration; Quality of Presentations and Overall Impression
• Terms and Conditions - The normal sort of 'small print' which MUST be read thoroughly. Don't make any assumptions! Note the need for insurance.

More information

In addition, on this Botanical Art and Artists website you can find:

• ​a whole page devoted to RHS Botanical Exhibitions - for Artists and Photographers. ​It's in the Exhibitions section and covers the Regulation and Guidance and dates and downloads when identified. This includes links to my past reviews of the exhibitions, interviews with Gold Medal Winners and posts about selected artists. 
• Tips from RHS Gold Medal winning botanical artists - culled from my interviews with many past Gold Medal Winners. These can be found on the Tips and Techniques Page in the Education section. 
• The Botany section of this website has a section on Plant Names and Botanical Latin which some artists may find very useful. It includes the summary of the advice the RHS provides relating to botanical names.
• listings for artists who have won an RHS Gold Medal in the past in the Artists section (with pages for different countries/geographical areas) . They are identified by GM after their name (with the year where this has been indicated). Where I've met them, the listings also include images of them with their work.

As indicated I'll be writing more on this topic. Please let me know if you have any queries not otherwise answered by the Exhibition Fact Sheet.

This post was stimulated by somebody who wrote to me asking about a particular fact relating to the 2017 exhibitions. So I'd really appreciate it if you would please share this post with artists who might be interested in exhibiting at the RHS. Thanks!