Call out for exhibitions
Dunbar Town House 2026
We are looking for two practising visual artists or craft makers to present a public facing exhibition at Dunbar Town House Museum and Gallery from April to June 2026.
Each year we support an array of artists and makers to present their work to the public at the East Lothian Council-run Dunbar Town House Museum and Gallery, providing a platform on which to present their work, engage with the public and further their reputation within the community.
We have two slots available:
Wednesday 1 April - Sunday 10 May
Installation dates: Monday 30 March to Tuesday 31 March
Take down dates: Monday 11 to Tuesday 12 May
Friday 15 May - Sunday 21 June
Installation dates: Wednesday 13 to Thursday 14 May
Take down dates: Monday 22 to Tuesday 23 June
In addition to the space each artist will also receive:
- a point of contact from the Museums Team who can give you a tour of the gallery and provide advice on the hanging system, technical arrangements and answer any queries prior to installation.
- front of house staffing to manage the exhibition space during opening hours.
- support from the Arts Service team to create and print signage materials and promotional marketing materials with a budget of £300 available for print and design (if required).
- inclusion in a digital marketing campaign for both exhibitions produced by the East Lothian Council Arts Service and shared through ELC Museums Service. This would include web listings, social media posts and a press release.
- support to take sales during the exhibition with a 25% commission provided to the Dunbar Town House Museum & Gallery/East Lothian Council Museums Service. This is used to support the staffing and running costs of the exhibition space and will be managed by the Museums team.
- access to the exhibition space for an opening event during opening hours.
- access to an additional space within Dunbar Town House Museum & Gallery during opening hours to provide workshops/talks related to the exhibition
Who this opportunity is for
The exhibition space is available for artists who:
- work in visual arts or craft including but not limited to painting, pottery, sculpture, photography, textile design, etc.
- are based in East Lothian or have created work directly in response to East Lothian as a location.
- are able to manage the installation of their work into the exhibition space with support from 1 member of staff.
- are able to take a lead in managing the promotion of the exhibition with support from the Arts Service team.
- are happy with the technical specifications of the gallery space and the facilities that can be provided
We are committed to increasing the diversity of artists working in our sector and especially welcome applications from those who identify as having characteristics currently under-represented in visual art and crafts in Scotland.
How to apply
To apply artists are invited to submit the following items by email to artsservice@eastlothian.gov.uk
- an artistic statement on the planned exhibition detailing what the exhibition will focus on, the themes being explored, what visitors to the space will see, any notes required on installation. This statement should be 500 words / 4 minutes and can be submitted in a written form or as a video/audio recording. Please note that your grammar or spelling / quality of your filming will not be judged - we want to hear about your ideas!
- a copy of your artist CV 6 examples of your work, ideally of the work you plan to exhibit These images should be provided as a jpeg or saved in a Word file or PDF and attached to the email.
Timeline
- deadline: Sunday 16 November
- panel meeting: Wednesday 3 December
- artists informed: Wednesday 10 December
- marketing goes live: Monday 2 March
- exhibition 1: Wednesday 1 April - Sunday 10 May
- exhibition 2: Friday 15 May - Sunday 21 June
Selection criteria
All submissions will be read by Geraldine Brennan, Community Arts Development Officer at East Lothian Council Arts Service, and Jo Moulin, Museums Officer at East Lothian Council Museums Service. The panel will base their decision on a range of factors including:
- the information provided in the artistic statement and the quality of work presented
- whether the scope of the exhibition is realistic and manageable in the time frame and resources available
- the diversity of voices represented through the exhibition season across the East Lothian Council galleries
- the diversity of art forms represented through the exhibition season across the East Lothian Council galleries
If you have any questions or need some assistance with your application, contact us by email. If you require this information in an alternative format or have access requirements we need to meet to support you in making an application: artsservice@eastlothian.gov.uk
Download the document with full information and instructions on how to apply