SAA LogoHow to Apply for Artist Membership in the Society of Animal Artists

Thank you for your wanting to join the Society of Animal Artists (SAA). The Society is a world-renowned organization that has become the standard bearer of excellence in the field of animal art and within the greater fine art community. The Society of Animal Artists was founded in 1960 by the late Patricia Allen Bott and Guido Borghi, two visionaries who sought to reposition animal art as an important contemporary art form by creating a community of like-minded artists. Since its inception, the Society has grown by leaps and bounds, generating tremendous response through its museum and gallery exhibitions. The annual Art and the Animal exhibition and tour are eagerly awaited events in the art world and provide our artists with the opportunity for greater recognition. To apply for artist membership, please read and follow the instructions below.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: January 15th, 2025 at 5 PM EST It is advisable NOT to wait until the last minute in case your application has any issues! The SAA jury meets once annually the week after the deadline.

Please Note:

– The Society is striving to accept only the best quality work so our juries are tough!

– The SAA does NOT exist to promote sales for members! Our mission is one of education via high standards of artistic excellence in exhibitions and programming.

– A jury of our Signature Members currently determines artist membership.

– Artists juried into SAA exhibitions are responsible for the cost of shipping both to and from the venue. Consider this additional cost of participation before submitting.

– The Society currently does not consider photography, digitally generated art, or purely illustrative work, for membership applications. SAA Jurors are usually unable to respond with critiques to artists whose work has been declined. They will try when requested to do so but make no guarantees.

Former members should contact the office for how to rejoin the Society.

– If you have any questions, please contact us by phone or email. We look forward to receiving your application and hope you will be joining us.

Applicants may be elected to either Signature or Associate membership. Membership benefits include the ability to submit to the SAA’s Annual Exhibition and SAA regional shows; SAA newsletters and communications; listing on the SAA website and catalog; promotion via our social media platforms; participation in lectures, presentations, workshops, and meetings; access to SAA Team Partner discounts and special offers; attendance at SAA receptions and award banquets; SAA outings, field trips, and more!

Signature Member: Signature members are considered full members of the Society and are granted all privileges of Society membership. They are recognized as having attained the highest level of ability in the field of animal art and consistently uphold the Society’s standards of excellence. They are entitled to vote in Society matters and use the initials “SAA” when signing artwork.

Associate Member: Associate members are granted many of the privileges of Society membership and are eligible to submit work to all exhibitions. Associates may not vote in Society matters or use the initials “SAA” when signing artwork. Associates may become Signature Members by jury vote or by earning points in Society shows and exhibitions. Associates are automatically promoted to Signature members if they receive the Award of Excellence in an Annual Exhibition.

Dues and Fees Payable Upon Acceptance: Associate Members & Signature Members Initiation Fee: $100.00 Annual Dues: $160.00 TOTAL: $260.00. (DO NOT PAY THESE AMOUNTS UNTIL YOU RECEIVE THE FORMAL JURY NOTIFICATION!). NOTE: To secure your membership, all dues and fees must be received within 30 days of notification. Membership materials will be mailed to you upon receipt of payment.

Artists READ BEFORE You Submit!

The following is a list of criteria that our jury considers when viewing an applicant’s work:

* Is this an example of ‘fine art’?
* Is the piece well-drawn? Or skillfully carved, sculpted, or assembled?
* Does the work have a creative and effective composition or abstract design?
* Does the artist display a mastery of the medium?
* If 2-D, is there a demonstrated mastery in the depiction of light? Use of color and Value?
* If 3-D, is there a clear mastery of form? Control of surface texture? Patina? And is the piece effective from all angles?

The SAA likes to see the artistic ability to place your subjects in a proper environment, rather than simply creating portraits.  Most competent artists can create a good portrait from a photograph, but that doesn’t provide us with the information as to whether that artist KNOWS that animal and understands both anatomy and behavioral characteristics, and the proper environment. These are important to our SAA mission of education regarding the species our members depict in their artwork. Is there something about the artwork that is special or unique and not just an average depiction of an animal?  Please NOTE – our jurors see an overabundance of “portraits” so expect these to be judged more critically.

A Word About What Makes Good Wildlife Art (PDF from an SAA Juror for guidance)

Artist Member Application Form

PLEASE READ AND FOLLOW THESE STEPS … AND DOUBLE-CHECK YOUR ACCURACY!

STEP ONE: Fill in all information requested below

STEP TWO: Jury is by digital images ONLY- with two views required for each 3D artwork. Filenames must include the artist’s last name and the image number corresponding to the application form’s information (Example: Jones-Image1). For 3D artwork, add A or B after the image number for view A or view B (Example: Smith-Image1A). Images should be 300 dpi, no more than 8” (2400 pixels) at the widest dimension, and in JPEG format. When ready, email your artwork images to: admin@societyofanimalartists.com

STEP THREE: Jury Fee: The $40.00 jury fee may be paid by check* or money order and mailed. You may also pay by credit card via PayPal by directing your payment to “admin@societyofanimalartists.com”. For the description, enter: “Application payment for YOUR NAME”.  If paying by check (U.S. Dollars only via a US bank) mail to: Society of Animal Artists, 5451 Sedona Hills Drive, Berthoud, CO 80513. (Please mail your check early enough for it to arrive before the deadline!)

*Our bank charges $40.00 for processing international checks. If you are an international artist and do not have a US bank account for check writing, use PayPal to pay your dues.

NOTE! You should receive an immediate confirmation of your submission by this page reloading after you click the button. You will also receive an email confirmation from the SAA Executive Director that your application and payment have been received. The confirmation email should come within 24 hours or a week if the Director is away – please contact the SAA if you don’t receive any confirmation! We would rather you take that extra step to be sure! Our jury meets the week after the deadline noted above and notifications are sent out before the end of the month. Please contact the SAA if you haven’t heard anything since emails can go into spam folders!

Please abbreviate the US State. Example: AL
Please enter your primary website if you have one
Please list them as we link new members' accounts to our social media pages.

Artwork Information

We require that you submit five images of your best, recent work. We recommend that you send us a cohesive group (Example: If you do birds in watercolor best don't include an oil of an Aardvark!). We see A LOT of simple portraits, consider dynamic compositions including habitat unless you specialize in well executed and interesting portraits.
Species of animal, bird, fish, insect ...
Just the media , like "Oil". No need to put the substrate.
Please enter sizes as inches, numbers only
Please enter sizes as inches, numbers only
Please enter sizes as inches, numbers only
Species of animal, bird, fish, insect ...
Just the media , like "Oil". No need to put the substrate.
Please enter sizes as inches, numbers only
Please enter sizes as inches, numbers only
Please enter sizes as inches, numbers only
Species of animal, bird, fish, insect ...
Just the media , like "Oil". No need to put the substrate.
Please enter sizes as inches, numbers only
Please enter sizes as inches, numbers only
Please enter sizes as inches, numbers only
Species of animal, bird, fish, insect ...
Just the media , like "Oil". No need to put the substrate.
Please enter sizes as inches, numbers only
Please enter sizes as inches, numbers only
Please enter sizes as inches, numbers only
Species of animal, bird, fish, insect ...
Just the media , like "Oil". No need to put the substrate.
Please enter sizes as inches, numbers only
Please enter sizes as inches, numbers only
Please enter sizes as inches, numbers only
How are you paying your jury fee?
Did you find us on Facebook, Instagram ... our catalog? We'd love to know if you can share! Thank You!

GDPR

If you live in the European Economic Area (EEA), you fall under the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). By submitting this form you are consenting to the SAA storing and using your data as laid out in our privacy policy. (We are storing what you are submitting to us for the purpose of jury and will retain the information if jury results merit it)