Established in 1879, the Royal Ulster Academy is the largest and longest established body of practicing visual artists in Northern Ireland. Through a series of education and exhibition events throughout the year the organisation aims to celebrate, enrich and expand contemporary approaches to the visual arts.
One of the founding principles of the Academy was to hold an annual exhibition of work by both members and non-members of merit. Now in its 132nd year, the Royal Ulster Academy’s Annual Exhibition showcases the work of members, invited and selected artists every Autumn and remains one of the highlights of the Northern Ireland arts calendar (for details on our 2013 exhibition please click here).
The Royal Ulster Academy is a charity and raises funds through exhibition entry fees, commission on sales, sponsorship and artistic grants. It is governed by a Council made up of Academy members. The current President is Colin Davidson , elected 4 October 2012. There are four categories of Academy membership – Academician, Senior Academician, Associate Academician and Honorary Member. Membership is by peer nomination and election at the organisation’s annual general meeting.