Hesketh Hubbard Bursaries

London's largest life drawing group, the Hesketh Hubbard Art Society, is offering three free year-long membership bursaries to young artists aged between 18 and 30.

- The opportunity to attend weekly life drawing sessions at Mall Galleries free of charge for a year, starting from January 2024.

- Untutored sessions take place on Friday evenings and selected Monday evenings, between 6:00pm and 8:15pm. (Understandably there might be times when artists are unable to attend sessions, however frequent absences may result in the bursary being withdrawn).

- Currently there are 44 sessions per year. Usually around 70 artists work from 3 models: the 'quick' 15 / 30 minute nude poses, the two hour 'long' nude pose and the two hour clothed portrait pose. The sessions offer an opportunity for serious artists to develop their skills and artistic interpretation of the human figure in a stimulating and supportive atmosphere.

- Mentoring and support for each recipient will be provided at the beginning of the bursary period.

- The bursaries are for young artists aged between 18 and 30 at the close of submissions.

- The bursaries are intended for those who have had limited access to life and portrait drawing and painting, rather than artists who are already accomplished in this field.

- Artists can work in any medium or media, except those that cause damage or disruption to the galleries. For example dip pens and ink are not allowed due to the risk of staining the gallery floor.

- Selected artists must obey the Society’s Code of Conduct

All applications must be submitted online, free of charge, following which shortlisted artists will be invited for interview:

1) Upload up to five example images of your work, an Artist Biography, and your Artist Statement to the Mall Galleries’ Open Exhibition Submission System (OESS) between Friday 22 September and Friday 3 November 2023.

- Images must be in JPEG or PNG format, under 5MB, and represent the human figure.

- The Artist Statement should be up to 300 words and answer the question, 'How will the bursary help to develop your artistic practice?'

2) Log in to your account on the OESS from 12 noon on Friday 10 November to see if you have been shortlisted for interview.

3) If so, attend your interview at Mall Galleries, 17 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5BD on Friday 17 November.

- Shortlisted artists will be asked to present a small portfolio to help with the discussion of their practice during the informal, face-to-face interview.

- The interview panel will comprise representatives from the Hesketh Hubbard Art Society and Mall Galleries.

The three winners will be announced on the Mall Galleries website at 12 noon on Wednesday 22 November, before the bursaries begin in January 2024.

Submissions open: Friday 22 September 2023, 12 noon

Submissions close: Friday 3 November, 12 noon

Notification of shortlisted artists: Friday 10 November, 12 noon

Interviews with shortlisted artists: Friday 17 November at Mall Galleries, London

Winners announced: Wednesday 22 November, 12 noon

Bursaries begin: January 2024

The Hesketh Hubbard Art Society is the largest and most prestigious life drawing society in London, with over 120 members.

The Society was established in 1930 by a committee of the Royal Society of British Artists to address the shortage of life drawing opportunities at that time. The committee was chaired by Eric Hesketh Hubbard (1892–1957), who went on to become president of the RBA. The Society was originally known as the RBA 'Drawing Club'. After Hesketh Hubbard’s death in 1957, the Society was renamed in his honour.

Today, as then, the Society offers both amateur and professional artists the opportunity to draw and paint a wide selection of life models in a stunning gallery setting.