If you are a highly skilled artist who depicts nature AND are dedicated to the conservation cause, we encourage you to apply to join us. AFC is a non-profit invitational group of nature and wildlife artists from around the world. As a Group, we work collectively to promote our work, participate in members-only initiatives, publications and art shows, and at the same time, promote the conservation of our natural heritage. As a member you are part of a unique and very special international community.
To apply for AFC Signature Membership as an artist, please enter your email and a user name of your choice below. You will then be prompted to provide additional information for review by the AFC Selection Committee, including:
- One or two paragraphs explaining why you wish to become a member of the AFC
- Your biography/CV
- A summary of your past and ongoing support for conservation - this might include donation of artwork to conservation causes, volunteer work, or affiliations with conservation organizations (please indicate your willingness to pledge a portion of selected artwork to conservation-oriented organizations).
- A minimum of 3 (preferably 5-7) clear sample images of your work.
Alternate application method is to send an email to membership@artistsforconservation.org and include the above information.
Not all applicants are accepted.
Membership Benefits
In 2017, AFC introduced a second category of membership to encourage involvement of all artists who are committed to the AFC mission. Since 2019, ALL new AFC members are inducted as Associate Members. Each year, a selection of Associate Members are promoted to Signature Membership status. Promotions are made based on one of the following:
- Acceptance of at least two artworks in the AFC annual juried exhibit;
- Receipt of an award in the AFC annual juried exhibit;
- By special approval of the AFC board.
Following are key benefits of Membership (Associate and Signature):
- Contribute to furthering the AFC's mission and leadership role in supporting conservation through art;
- Pride of membership in the world's leading nature art organization;
- Eligibility to submit for AFC's annual juried art exhibit;
- Eligibility to participate in the AFC Flag Expeditions Fellowship Program;
- Eligibility for awards;
- Eligibility to participate in special AFC Expeditions, and projects;
- Personal representation on a cutting-edge AFC website (see below for details);
- Major incremental web presence, with viewership substantially larger than major industry magazines;
Following are key ADDITIONAL benefits of Signature Membership:
- Prestige of being accepted a member of the highest order in the world's leading nature art organization;
- Expanded representation on the AFC website;
- Signature Membership title status, allowing you to use AFC suffix after your name.
Special Membership Designations
AFC also has three additional membership designations which are appointed by the AFC board to existing Signature Members. AFC does not accept direct applications for these forms of membership.
Emeritus
This designation is for Members who continue to support the AFC mission and community but who are either retired or otherwise no longer producing/selling art.
Honorary
This designation is for Members who have typically played a special high profile and representative role in AFC community and programs.
Deceased
This is a legacy designation for prior Signature Members, who have passed.
Membership Dues
Membership dues are nominal and have been decided upon in order to cover basic costs of operation and marketing. To-date, the AFC has been supported almost exclusively by volunteer labour.
Note. For the first time in over 10 years, due to increased costs, annual dues increased by approximately 10% on Oct 1, 2022
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One-time Initiation Fee: USD $50.00
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Annual Membership Dues (Signature & Associate): $250 USD ($23.75/month option is available after first-year)
Memberships that have expired more than six months may be de-activated. Re-instating membership will incur a re-instatement fee ($50) plus full-year membership payment ($250) to bring membership back to good standing. After the first year of re-instatement, members may optionally switch to monthly payments again.
Getting Up and Running as a New Member
One of the important benefits of membership is your personal AFC website and Internet address. Once invited, you will be asked to submit all required material and a check (or online credit card payment) for the appropriate amount (see Dues and Fees). Included in the invitation will be a user name and a password which give you access to the easy-to-use, sophisticated Artist Web Site Management Tools.
These tools allow you to quickly and easily input the initial information and images for your new website, which you can later edit to keep the site up-to-date. This is the easiest and fastest way to have your website up and visible to the world. Simply log in from the site’s home page using your username and password and follow the step-by-step instructions. This involves little more than filling out forms. You can add as much material and as many images as you like and make changes to your site at any time.You also are given a feature that allows you to accept credit card payments online through the secure services of PayPal.
We will work with you to launch your AFC website and learn about opportunities to participate in AFC programs.
Membership Highlights
Cutting Edge AFC Artist Websites
AFC's latest generation website provides its members with professional quality web presence and art portfolio that rival any paid commercial service available today. Included with membership, each artist's AFC website includes rich functionality and features including: flexibility across all screen sizes, high resolution (watermark protected) images, video streaming, blog, mobile device optimization, social media integration, support for your own conservation awareness and fundraising campaigns, powerful search and artwork categorization capability, text formatting with image and video embedding and more!
Social Media Platform
AFC values the importance of social media channels for internationally reaching and building a following both for the arts and environment. It gives AFC and it's members a global, powerful reach without geographic bounderies. Some artists have used social media to raise funds for conservation by holding live auctions online, educational workshops, and tutorials. Social media is a powerful free networking tool that gives artists a voice online, a platform for campaigns to raise funds and awareness to conservation issues. Artist for Conservation is very active on several social media channels and profiles it's members, exhibit artwork, support for conservation, awards, artists news and events. Visit Facebook or Instagram @ArtistsforConservation, Twitter @natureartists.
"Silent Skies" Collaborative Mural Project
In 2015, AFC announced a major collaborative project to artist members in the creation of a major public art centerpiece that was later installed and revealed in near-completed form at the International Ornithological Congress." Silent Skies" is an international collaborative super-mural mosaic featuring all 678 endangered species of birds of the world. Since its initial launch, the mural has been touring internationally across North America and China Learn more
International Touring Exhibit
AFC's Juried Exhibit tours internationally each year, including to The James Museum of St. Petersburgh, Florida and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson,Arizona. In 2017, AFC expanded its touring exhibit outside North America to mainland China toward developing an regular Asia-Pacific tour. In 2019, our international exhibit was exhibited at the Qingdao Lan Wan Art Gallery at Lan Wan Art Park - a relatively new 300 acre ecological park, monumental sculpture garden, and art village, centrally located in one of China's most beautiful and important coastal cities - Qingdao City. Learn more
AFC Festival 2018 Partnership with the International Ornithological Congress
In 2018, AFC partnered with one of the world's oldest and most important global organizations dedicated to bird studies - the 27th International Ornithological Congress (IOCongress2018) in Vancouver, Canada. Under the arrangement, AFC became the Congress' lead Partner for the Visual Arts, which offered members some special exhibiting opportunities to a worldwide audience based at Vancouver's spectacular Convention Centre - at the epicenter of the city's waterfront. Learn more