Applications Are Now Closed
The Horton Summer Exhibition 2025
Applications are now open for The Horton’s Summer Exhibition 2025 on the theme ‘The Music of Life’ – paying tribute to The Horton’s extraordinary legacy as Europe’s first centre for music therapy.
Open to professional and amateur artists living in Surrey, including the former historic Surrey boroughs of Kingston, Merton, Richmond, Sutton and Croydon.
Artists are encouraged to explore ideas such as healing, rhythm, sound, memory, and emotion and their personal experiences of music’s ability to capture a moment or to transform lives. Submissions can include painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, textile and multi-media pieces.
Music Therapy was pioneered at Horton Hospital in the 1950s – the first time music was used as a tool for mental health care in a formal programme.
How to Submit
The Horton Summer Exhibition 2025 is open to professional and amateur artists living in Surrey, including the former historic Surrey boroughs of Kingston, Merton, Richmond, Sutton and Croydon.
Artists must be aged 18 years at the time of entry. Students in current education are eligible to apply.
The Horton Summer Exhibition will be held 1st – 26th August 2025 and will showcase a variety of artwork selected by a judging panel, with a main competition prize of free exhibition space and promotion for three artists in 2026 at The Horton.
Why enter?
The selection panel hopes to see an eclectic mix of work by established artists alongside emerging talent and first-time exhibitors. If your work is selected for the Summer Exhibition, you will benefit from:
- A three-week exhibition at a beautiful venue with free parking and a Cafe-Bar on-site.
- Artist’s name and link on our website.
- Outreach to press and media.
- Promotion of the exhibition on The Horton’s social media accounts.
- Printed exhibition leaflets/ posters and price lists.
- Promotional photography and video filmed in the exhibition space.
- Invitation to a Private View launch event.
- Opportunity to sell work – with a 20% + VAT commission (deposit) on sales taken by The Horton to raise funds for the charity.
Making a submission:
The cost of entry is being kept low to reduce barriers to participation. Artists will pay £5 per entry and can enter a maximum of three artworks. (£15)
If your work is selected for the Summer Exhibition, there will be an additional fee of £25 per artist (£10 for full-time students aged under 23) to participate; this goes towards the costs of running and promoting the exhibition and provides you with all the benefits listed above.
Please note that although you may enter up to three artworks, only one piece may be exhibited per artist.
Your artwork
- Your work must have been completed in the last five years.
- 2D – must be framed or canvas (no clip frames) with fixings and be a maximum size of 110cm wide x 110cm
- 3D – will be considered but there are fewer spaces available – at a maximum of 100cm wide.
- Artists submitting digital artwork must be able to provide a monitor or projector as required.
- All work for sale should be priced between £100 and £2,000. But you do not have to put your work up for sale.
Key dates
Submissions must be made ONLINE via the Curator Space Portal between Tuesday 27th May and Monday 9th June 2025.
- The first round of selection will be made from digital images of artworks. The Royal Academy has produced a very helpful guide to Photographing Your Work if you need some tips.
- Final deadline for entries: Monday 9th June 2025 at midnight.
- If you are successful in the first round, we will notify you by email and may ask you to deliver your artwork to The Horton for the final round of in-person judging. Date to be confirmed.
- Artists selected to exhibit will be notified in the week beginning 30th June 2025
- Exhibition Dates: 1st – 26th August 2025
Please note, we can only accept applications through the Curator Space portal.
When the Portal opens for Submissions, please download and read the Terms and Conditions relating to entry before submitting your Work, as they form a contract between you and The Horton.
SUBMIT YOUR WORK
The Judges
| Kendra Haste | Kendra is a contemporary British sculptor celebrated for her distinctive use of galvanised wire to create expressive, life-sized representations of animals. She is a Master’s graduate from the Royal College of Art and a member of the Royal Society of Sculptors. Haste’s sculptures are included in numerous public and private collections, with notable commissions including Royal Beasts (2010), a permanent installation of thirteen wire animals at the Tower of London and a life-size elephant relief at Waterloo. Her solo show Big Bad Wolf runs at the Ornamental Cast Iron Museum, Büdelsdorf, Germany, 29.05. – 02.11.2025 |
| Karl Newman | Karl is CEO of Freewheelers Theatre and Media – a diverse and creative company of people with disabilities based in Leatherhead, Surrey, and the Co-Chair of the Surrey Cultural Partnership. Karl also practices as a painter, graduating with a degree in Fine Art from The Chelsea School of Art, and has exhibited widely and has work in public and private collections. www.karlnewmanart.co.uk |
| Saba Khan | Saba is CEO to Surrey Minority Ethnic Forum, supporting more than 60 grassroots community groups, and Founder of ArtEase – offering workshops supporting good mental health. A self-taught painter herself, Saba is also Creative Advisor to charity Voice of Freedom which uses the therapeutic process of photography, working with people who have escaped trafficking and torture. |
| Steve Trimm | Illustrator and graphic designer Steve is a trustee of The Horton and teaches our life drawing sessions. He began his career working for the Conran Design Group and the 1992 World Expo in Seville. He has led creative projects around the globe and now practices as a freelance designer and visiting lecturer. He is the creator of The Horton’s brand identity and was the designer for the permanent heritage exhibition. |
| Christopher Wray | Christopher is a musical director, music educator and choral conductor, with many years of experience in teaching young people. His areas of interest are musicology and music pedagogy within the singing and development of young voices. Chris is also vice chair of LGBTQ+ Forum for Kingston Upon Thames. |
| Maria Reeves | Maria is director of The Horton. She co-founded the charity that runs The Horton, previously serving five years a trustee and taking a leading role in project managing the renovation of the listed building and its transformation in becoming an independent arts centre. As creative director, she leads artistic programming at the venue – from creative workshops to performances and events – introducing The Horton Summer Exhibition for the first time last year. |
