It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the Society of Women Artists’ 163rd Annual Open Exhibition.  And what an exciting exhibition it is! This year we had a record number of works submitted which was both a joy and a challenge for the selection panel.  The number and quality of the works we had to select from ensured that the exhibition couldn’t be anything less than stunning.  Our only disappointment is that we couldn’t show the 2,000 or more pieces that would have been worthy of inclusion.  But we are proud to invite you to browse over 470 works of dazzling diversity from many of the finest women artists working today, members and non-members, from all over the UK and beyond. 

We are delighted to showcase the work of a few selected students from Heathfield School in Berkshire, London’s Heatherley School of Fine Art and Orleans Park School, Twickenham.

Throughout the week member artists will be giving demonstrations of how they work.

There will SWA playing cards for sale, designed by 54 of our members. 

You will be able to buy raffle tickets to win an exquisite book of over thirty original signed works by members. And visitors can vote for their favourite piece in the exhibition.

We are proud of our long-standing collaboration with Breast Cancer Now and delighted to be hosting our traditional evening for BCN guests and to continue our support by donating a percentage of our sales revenue to this important charity. 

At our own special event supporting the SWA’s Young People’s Art Initiative we have two illustrious guest speakers:  Sarah Rollings, Headmistress of Heathfield School, Ascot (whose students will have work in the exhibition) and Cristina Meneses (Partner in The Women’s Leadership Network for Estée Lauder) who will talk about Estée Lauder’s policy of showing school-aged girls how The Creative Arts can be linked to careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics. 

Our regular input of new members ensures that the society remains vital and relevant and I am delighted to welcome the following new full members of the SWA:  Arabella Brooke, Amy Heath, Kate Newington, Victoria Perloff, Maggie Robinson.

The selection panel deliberated over a remarkable number of applicants for membership this year and we congratulate a superb line up of new associate members:  Rachel Arif, Harriet Merry, Jane Morgan, Barbara Robjant, Christine Roychowdhury, Svetlana Semenova, Nicola Stratton Tyler, Christine Watson.

We extend grateful thanks to all our sponsors whose generosity enables us to offer an impressive list of awards to selected artists in recognition of their talent. 

All of us at the SWA would like to express our great appreciation to our loyal long-standing Patron, HRH Princess Michael of Kent who will be presenting our awards again this year.  We feel profoundly privileged to be blessed with her support and her uplifting presence at our annual exhibition. 

I would like to express my personal gratitude to the SWA’s truly remarkable council whose harmonious and tireless commitment ensures our beloved and important society still flourishes nearly 170 years after its inception and continues to support and celebrate women’s art of today. 

On behalf of the members and the council of the SWA, I thank our wonderful executive secretary Rebecca Cotton for her endless patience, dedication and good humor throughout the year. 

And we would all like to thank the amazing team of technicians and administrators at the Mall Galleries for their hard work and support in bringing our exhibition to fruition.

Helen Sinclair 

President of the Society of Women Artists