Guild Artist’s Benefits and Obligations

The Arts Guild of Sonoma is a nonprofit artists’ collective in which every member fully participates in the business of running our gallery. Founded in 1977, we are one of California’s oldest, continuously operating artists’ cooperatives. 

Artist Membership Benefits

Artist members in the Arts Guild of Sonoma enjoy these benefits:

  • Show your artwork in the gallery at least six months a year

  • Display images of your artwork on our website and link to your personal website

  • Display images of your artwork on the Guild’s Facebook page and link to your personal Facebook page

  • Have your work actively promoted through periodic emails and social media

  • Display your business cards in the gallery

  • Sell your matted prints from art bins in the gallery

  • Sell your greeting cards from card racks in the gallery

  • Sell your small artwork (less than $100) from the “Small Works” display case in the gallery

  • Display your artist’s profile in the gallery binder for buyers’ reference

  • Mentoring program to assist you through your first 2 months of membership

Artist Membership Responsibilities

The Arts Guild of Sonoma is a nonprofit public benefit corporation, supported and maintained by our Artist members. Each Artist member has a responsibility to fully participate in the business of our gallery. Please consider all of the following information when deciding whether membership in the Guild is a good fit for you.

ARTIST RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Serve on Guild committees

  • Fulfill required contractual hours of gallery desk/sales duty

  • Attend some AGS receptions

  • Participate in Guild fundraising events

  • Participate in caring for and cleaning up the Guild premises

  • Be a stellar ambassador from the Guild to the Sonoma community at large

  • As a member of a “collective”, you are expected to respect fellow artists in a positive manner, demonstrate a collaborative team spirit and, most importantly, be kind

Annual Contract

Exhibiting Artist members are required to sign a contract for the months they intend to exhibit work with the Arts Guild for a minimum of six months per year. Annual contracts are due within four weeks of receipt of the contract.

New artist members will be considered “provisional artists” and will be supported by an existing artist member to ensure their success and familiarity with the operations and responsibilities of being an Arts Guild artist. There will be a review in six months to determine mutual compatibility and compliance.

Annual Membership Fee of $200

An annual gallery fee of $200 must be paid by January 15th for each year in which you show your work in the gallery. For members joining later in the year, the fee will be pro-rated from the month you are able to exhibit your work and is payable when you sign a contract to be an exhibiting artist in the Guild.

Exhibiting Fees

Artists pay fees for each month their work is exhibited, payable the day the show is installed, as follows:

  • 2-D half-space $80 – 4 ft. wide wall space limited to 3.5 feet of actual art within the space

  • 2-D full-space $160 – 8 ft. wide wall space limited to 7.5 feet of actual art within the 8-foot space

  • 3-D space $80 - floor or pedestal surface

  • Foyer $50

  • Print Bins $30 Quarterly

  • Card Racks $21 Quarterly

  • Small Artworks Display $30 Quarterly

Gallery Commissions on Sales

Artwork sold in the gallery is subject to a 20% commission.
A credit card service charge of 3% is paid by the artist.

Gallery Hours

Exhibiting artists work in the gallery and perform required operational duties (e.g., recording sales, ) during the months that they exhibit, as follows:

  • 4 hours for one half space in the Gallery

  • 8 hours for a full space in the Gallery

  • 2 hours for one space in the Foyer

When an Exhibiting Artist cannot fulfill their gallery hours obligation, he/she can arrange for the hours to be worked. Other exhibiting Guild artists may substitute for your hours. Cost: usually $20/hour to be negotiated between you and the member working your hours.

Guild Committee Commitments

Exhibiting Artists are required to sign up for Guild committees in which they participate and/or are responsible for performing regular jobs throughout the year, regardless of the months in which they exhibit and separate from their exhibition-related gallery commitments. All jobs are critical to the Guild’s operation.

We attempt to match you with a job that works with your skillset. The following are some of the Guild jobs, although they are not all available at all times:

Jobs include:

  • Officer of the Guild

  • Guild Board of Directors

  • Application Committee

  • Monthly Opening Receptions – coordinating, setting up, or clean-up

  • Annual Fundraiser Committee

  • Events Committee

  • Public Relations & Marketing

  • Maintenance (e.g., cleaning, lighting, painting)

  • Grants and Donations

Questions? Please contact Screening Committee Co-Chair, Jennifer Whitfield.

Our gallery is located just off the historic Sonoma Plaza, a year-round tourist destination for visitors from all over the world. Through our prime venue, we continuously expose our artist members’ works to new viewers. We also host monthly gallery receptions to provide valuable opportunities for our artist members to meet and engage with prospective buyers and local art patrons.

Over the years, hundreds of artists of diverse ages, careers, and artistic backgrounds and working in various media have participated in the Guild. Many current members are award-winning artists, and many show their work throughout the U.S. We welcome new artists to join our creative family, live our purpose, and develop and grow within our artistic community.