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May 18 & 19, 2024
Reston, Virginia
Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art
Saturday 10am-6pm & Sunday 10am-5pm
200 Artists
Deadline: January 2, 2024

Application fee: $55/Booth fee: $525

Now in its 33rd year, the Tephra ICA Arts Festival (formerly Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival) has a long-standing reputation for showcasing high quality, hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind artwork in a dynamic outdoor setting. Drawing upon a robust exhibitor and collector base coupled with Tephra ICA’s contemporary foundation, the Festival has become one of the region’s most anticipated events, attracting over 20,000 people annually to the unique, outdoor environment of Reston Town Center. The Festival is comprised of one-on-one experiences, performances, and special events that engage visitors with compelling artistic voices — leaving an exciting, thoughtful mark in the region. Outreach to affluent patrons and knowledgeable collectors who recognize quality, original artwork is at the forefront of our marketing efforts.
The Festival has great amenities!

• Prior day set-up (Friday, May 17)
• Convenient load-in and load-out
• FREE parking Friday - Sunday in on-site garages for passenger vehicles
• Reduced hotel room rate for the Hyatt Regency Hotel on-site and Sheraton Reston Hotel off-site
• 24/7 site security (artists are responsible for securing their own booths)
• Option to rent a tent, set up and break down included, (on a first come-first served basis) for artists that do not have event infrastructure or prefer not to set up the tent themselves.
• Artist hospitality lounge with complimentary breakfast, coffee, bottled water and portable snack options available daily
• Ample artist support with booth-sitters
• Convenient and profitable selling hours for the Festival period
• $5,000 in cash awards
• Complimentary tickets to the Festival Cocktail Hour and Artist Award Ceremony for artists plus one guest, which includes complimentary hors d'oeuvres and beverages
• Year-round promotion on the Tephra ICA website, including accompanying artwork images, booth numbers, email contact, and links to personal website.

Testimonials:

2023 Exhibitor: "This show is one of the finest on our show plan - always keep our fingers crossed to be invited back and continue to encourage other artists to apply"
2023 Exhibitor: "We always mention volunteer teams when encouraging other artists to apply to show. Your volunteers are a big plus to the overall show!"
2023 Exhibitor: "Overall very impressed with how the festival was run and with how the artists were supported. Thank you!"

Artists are the core of the Tephra Fine Arts Festival. In appreciation of the time, effort, and money invested by participating artists, Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art works hard to provide an excellent experience for artists throughout the festival.

For more information: https://www.tephraica.org/festival

Contact: Hannah Barco hbarco@tephraica.org

February 23, 24, & 25, 2024
Fountain Hills, Arizona
Downtown Fountain Hills
Friday & Saturday 10am-5pm & Sunday 10am-4pm
500 Artists
Deadline: December 1, 2023

Application fee: $35/Booth fee: $500

The Fountain Festival of Fine Arts & Crafts is celebrating it's 50th Anniversary this February! 
We cannot wait to welcome artists of all categories from all over the country for this incredible show spanning over Downtown Fountain Hills. 
Fountain Hills Arizona is home to the third tallest fountain in the world, gorgeous desert scenery,
and many, many art lovers. 

We hope you'll join us for an incredible event!

Testimonials

• "The chamber staff is always so helpful and seem happy to see us! It was really well organized and move in and out were good!"
• "Everyone and everything was excellent!! Great weather helps too. See you next show!"
• "Year after year, the festivals are well attended and organized. The Online check-in is awesome. I have referred several vendors that have asked about craft shows to attend. You are in the top three. John Redmon - Hang Five"
• "This event was great from start to finish. I felt like we were very cared for at all times, before and after the show. The info shared by email was very timely and appreciated. Thank you to all of you who worked so hard to pull this off! Michelle Pappas"
• "Fountain Festival of Fine Arts & Crafts is one of our favorite shows. Great customer experiences coupled with high class artisans make for a truly amazing show. We look forward to this event each year. This is our fifth year attending and now we have built up a group of people who love and treasure the items we make. If you are thinking about vending at this festival, do not hesitate. It is well worth it. Jill Crozier HPSilver, LLC."

We are bringing back the dearly missed tradition of having a hot air balloon launch on the final day of the Festival! Because of this, vendors will have the option to open their booths early (7:30AM).

For more information: fhchamber.com/artfairs-spring-fountain-festival/ 

Contact: Hannah Toth hannah@fhchamber.com

July 5, 6, & 7, 2024
Denver, Colorado
Denver’s Cherry Creek North Neighborhood
Friday & Saturday 10am-8pm, & Sunday 10am-6pm
250 Artists
Deadline: December 1, 2023

Application fee: $45/Booth fee starts at $900

The Cherry Creek Arts Festival is recognized as a leading show in the industry and a beloved annual community tradition which has been a part of the cultural fabric of Denver for over three decades.

CherryArts invites you to apply to be one of 250 exhibitors at the 2024 event, a world-class celebration of visual arts known for its accolades and excellence. Our goal is to provide our exhibitors and the 150,000 visitors with an experience of unparalleled quality. Highlights include: historically high art sales potential (estimated at $18,381 per artist, via 2023 Artist Survey), consistently high national rankings, on-site artist amenities and a new jury panel each year to provide fresh perspective. The Cherry Creek Arts Festival is a well-established show that draws a loyal regional audience, many of whom are collectors.

NEW Grant opportunity for the Emerging Artist Program

This program is designed specifically for artists who are beginning their career with very little experience exhibiting and selling their artwork at any venue. The application procedure and fee are the same as the regular show however, upon acceptance, emerging artists will pay a lower booth fee $350, have a tent provided and includes workshop, artist mentoring, support for lodging and will sell and showcase their work at the 2024 CCAF.

"I love this show. Well attended by a diverse & enthusiastic throng of people. Well run by a friendly & professional staff & super volunteers. Your inclusion of the kids is impressive. I have no suggestions or complaints. Thank you with love." 2023 Artist

Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to exhibit and sell your art at the 33rd annual Cherry Creek Arts Festival, 
July 5th to 7th, 2024!

For more information: https://cherryarts.org/events/cherry-creek-arts-festival/
Contact: Tara Brickell Hello@CherryArts.org

July 11 - 14, 2024
Centre Hall, Pennsylvania
Grange Park, 149 Homan Lane
Thursday-Saturday 10am-8pm & Sunday 12Noon-5pm
190 Artists
Deadline: December 1, 2023

Application fee: $35/Booth fee starts at $475

The People's Choice Festival was founded in 1993 and is a 4-day arts and crafts festival located in Centre Hall, PA (formerly in Boalsburg, PA). This show was created by PA artists for PA artists. This event includes 190 artisan booths, food court, specialty food vendors, wineries, children's activities, free music and live entertainment.

Amenities Include:

• Full set up day in advance of the festival with lunch provided
• Frequently Cleaned Restrooms and onsite facilities
• Overnight Security
• Booth Sitters (pending availability)
• Parking Located near booth space with 1 free parking pass
• Additional parking passes can be purchased (parking for guests is $7/day and there is no admission fee)
• RV camping Availably (arranged through Grange Park)
• Courtesy shuttle around the festival grounds

Apply now:

People's Choice Festival of Fine Art & Crafts

 For more information: http://peopleschoicefestival.com

Contact: Amy Madison aemadison@gmail.com

April 12, 13, & 14, 2024
The Woodlands, Texas
Along the Woodlands Waterway
Friday 11am-5pm, Saturday 10am-6pm,
& Sunday 10am-5pm
200 Artists
Deadline: October 18, 2024

Application fee: $40/Booth fee starts at $550

Celebrate our 19th year with us! The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival has been dazzling art audiences for nearly two decades, regularly ranking among the top arts venues in the country. The community finds joy in art, and this festival shares that joy with our artists and patrons!

Testimonials

Thanks to you, the rest of your staff, and the many volunteers. This was the best experience ever, and I am still on cloud nine as I begin to plan for next year with compelling and interesting shoots in my constant journey to take my photographic art up a notch!   Patti Gary, Photographer

Thank you for creating a wonderful show, where my husband and I were blown away by the friendliness and professionalism of your team. We had a lovely time and will be applying again next year. This was probably our favorite show we’ve participated in since we started and it’s mainly down to it being so well organized and the staff showing a caring and ‘can do’ attitude.   Best, Danyelle Lakin, 2D Mixed Media

 Thank you it was a great show. One of my pieces sold for the highest price of any of my single pieces. Which was great, but also wanted to show it at Southlake, Brookside and Belleville, which are my next few shows. But it's gone! Anyway, thank you for the great show. Warm regards   Mark Zirinsky, Studio Z, Denver

Just wanted to circle back regarding The Woodlands Festival & let you know that I had a KILLER show!! Thank you for consistently making this a world class art festival.❤️ Julia Gilmore

For more info: www.thewoodlandsartscouncil.org/festival
Contact: David Mayes david@thewoodlandsartscouncil.org

My Art Was Stolen! What Do I Do?

By Terri in Art Business Advice > General Art Advice

Every artist who shows their artwork in public places runs the risk of having their art stolen. It doesn’t matter if your art is displayed at an outdoor art show, indoor gallery, corner coffee shop or upscale restaurant—it can happen anywhere.I’ve had a few pieces taken over the years and I can tell you quite honestly that it’s one of the most frustrating and disheartening things I’ve ever experienced.

Art usually isn’t replaceable, so the theft of just one piece could mean you’ve lost hours, maybe months, of work. . . all that painstaking effort and creative energy wasted, with nothing to show for it.If you’re smart (or just very cautious) you’ll already have made some reproductions and/or high-quality scans of your artwork. If that’s the case then the loss of the original will still be heartbreaking, but it might not be as much of a financial setback.

And speaking of finances, when tax-time rolls around you CAN write off the cost of the materials you used—but you’ll also have to fill out a police report, and unfortunately no one will be paying you for the time you spend doing that. Your time is not of any monetary value to the taxman.

Still, that IS the first step. Fill out a police report so the theft is on record.

After that, there are a few other things you can do that may aid in the recovery of your stolen works of art. Go to www.Stolen911.com (it’s a free website where you can list your stolen artwork) or visit the Art Loss Register for professional art recovery help.Craigslist.org is also a good place to spread the word—after all, someone might have spotted the theft as it happened—and other local community sites would work too.

And of course, if you have a blog or website you can also post a notice there with a photo of the stolen item,

When my art was stolen, I started putting up colorful flyers on my booths at art shows with a big headline saying: "HAVE YOU SEEN THIS ART? It was stolen at. . . etc, etc." I included all the details of where and when it was taken and made sure to have a picture of the art too.

I didn’t ever get my art back, but two good things DID come out of the situation.

First, because I started taking positive steps I immediately felt better about the whole situation—I regained control. And second. . . well, let’s just say that those flyers weren’t too bad for publicity. At least potential buyers knew that my art was good enough to steal!!

If you’ve had something you created taken from you, I extend my heartfelt empathy to you. Based on my own experience, I’d encourage you to share your story with other artists—it might help other artists prevent the same thing from happening to them, and it will certainly make you feel better!

Check out PopArtDiva.com for additional articles and artwork by Terri

Take your game to the next level. There is nothing more important than observing an open jury, or better yet, participating in one to see what you need to do to improve your presentation.

One more week to apply.
The next mock jury is scheduled for Tuesday September 26th. You don't have to be available as it's happening because it will be recorded and uploaded to Youtube immediately afterwards. Instructions on submitting images are available on my web site at https://bermangraphics.com/blog/holding-a-mock-jury-on-zoom/
Call me with any questions. 412-401-8100

Larry Berman
https://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100

I would like to know effective security measures to prevent stealing a painting off the wall at an art fair.   Has anyone used cams etc.?   Two of my smaller paintings were lifted this past weekent at the Lakeview East Art Fair when i went to get my van to pack out. This is rare as my paintings would not bring anything if fenced etc.   thanks. 

The next mock jury is scheduled for Tuesday September 26th. Besides Barry Bernstein (high end ceramicist) and Bonnie Blandford (jeweler and former show director), we will have a new juror this year. Camille Marchese, director of the Coconut Grove Art Festival will also be a juror. You don't have to be available as it will be recorded and uploaded to Youtube. If you want to participate, the instructions are on my web site: https://bermangraphics.com/blog/holding-a-mock-jury-on-zoom/

Larry Berman
https://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100