ART CLUB
8th - 17th May 2026
OffBeat Art Club is a group exhibition and open call celebrating the weird and wonderful artwork which might not always find a home in exhibitions. It brings together artists who are working in craft, print, painting, ephemera and object-based work about the vernacular and the slightly off-centre.
The exhibition coincides with London Craft Week and is part of OffBeat’s wider Folk Film Festival. It’s taking place in collaboration with Staffordshire St.
The exhibition sits within OffBeat’s wider interest in how offbeat culture keeps surfacing in contemporary visual practice, not as nostalgia, but as something open to everyone.
This exhibition is curated in collaboration with Wilfrid Wood.
What we’re looking for
We are inviting submissions from artists and makers working in:
- Craft-led or materially focused practices
- Print, drawing, painting and mixed media
- Film stills, archival material and image-based work
- Small sculptural objects or wall-based works
- Work that connects to folk culture, place, ritual, labour or the handmade
We are particularly interested in work that feels thoughtful rather than polished, and in practices that sit slightly outside dominant commercial or institutional aesthetics. We want to use the OffBeat Art Club as a chance to platform under-represented artists making work in any medium.
Context: OffBeat Folk Film and beyond
OffBeat is best known for OffBeat Folk Film Club and the OffBeat Folk Film Festival, which look at archival and contemporary folk film, documentary and moving image. We are interested in an expanded definition of ‘folk’, a culture which is, literally “OffBeat” - weird, wonderful and the surprising. We hope to use film to show an inclusive, positive and hopeful vision of what it is to be British today. The OffBeat Art Club extends this into a physical exhibition format, creating space for static and object-based work that shares the same concerns around place, tradition and contemporary vernacular culture.
Although we are interested in what it is to be British, Britain and Britishness, do not need to be key themes within the work. In fact, the artists don’t even need to be British at all.
This exhibition is part of an ongoing expansion of OffBeat into exhibitions, publishing and artist-led projects beyond film.
What this opportunity offers
- A curated group exhibition at Staffordshire St, Peckham
- Alignment with London Craft Week
- Professional exhibition documentation
- Promotion via OffBeat and Staffordshire St channels
- The opportunity to sell work during the exhibition
- The opportunity to take part in a London Craft Week market stall selling smaller pieces and ephemera.
About Staffordshire St
Staffordshire St is an independent, not-for-profit project space in Peckham, South East London. Championing emerging and under-represented artists, Staffordshire St produces exhibitions, collaborative projects and live events alongside a learning programme of talks, screenings and workshops. They also provide affordable studios for artists, makers and designers.
Important Information
Submission fee
£8 to submit one work
£15 to submit two works
£20 to submit three works
If the submission fee is a barrier for you, please get in touch.
Delivering the work
If your work is selected, we will ask you to deliver it to Staffordshire St. 2D works must be provided framed, and ready to hang. 3D works must be ready for display, including installation directions and fixings.
Sales
Artists receive 50% of the sale price on any work sold as part of the exhibition.
London Craft Week market
The exhibition coincides with London Craft Week and includes a weekend market at Staffordshire St. Selected artists will be able to sell work directly as part of this event.
The submission fees help us cover the practical costs of putting on the exhibition, including installation, invigilation, documentation and promotion. All fees go directly back into making the show possible.
Dates
Submission deadline: 15 February 2026
Artists notified: April 2026
Exhibition dates: 8th May - 17th May 2026
London Craft Week market weekend: 16th - 17th May 2026
Not Ready to Submit yet?
Don’t worry, we can remind you a few weeks before the deadline.Instagram
Contact Us
hello@offbeat.film
Contact Us
hello@offbeat.film