November 17, 18 & 19 
Richmond, Virginia
Main Street Station
Presented By: Visual Arts Center of Richmond
120 Artists
Deadline: May 26
Application Fee: $45
Booth Fee: 7x10 $900, 10x10 $1000, 14x10 $1100
Craft + Design, which always takes place the weekend before Thanksgiving, kicks off Richmond's holiday shopping season and brings out a crowd of over 3,000 art collectors and connoisseurs who are interested in museum-quality craft.
This year the show is moving to a new venue at Main Street Station. The Station's newly renovated train shed is a 100,000-square-foot space, built in 1901 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, recently renovated as part of a $90 million effort to restore Main Street Station. Glass walls offer visitors panoramic views of Church Hill, Shockoe Bottom and downtown.
Even better: The venue, which sits squarely in the middle of the Shockoe Design District, is highly visible from Richmond's I-95 corridor and accessible via train. Amtrak passengers from Washington, D.C., and beyond will be able to debark and walk directly into Craft + Design.
As a result of the change in venue, VisArts plans to double the number of participating artists at this year's show. An average of 60 artists have participated in the show annually since its move to the Science Museum of Virginia in 2008; the new space will accom-modate 120 artists. Longtime exhibitors will remember when the show was held at the Greater Richmond Convention Center and featured more than 200 artists.
Organizers have said they feel like 120 exhibitors is about the right size for the show, and look forward to using the new space to expand the size of the booths and offer more food and beverage stations, educational programming and entertainment. Seventy-five percent of artists who exhibit at Craft + Design are from outside Virginia.
Marketing: Craft + Design is heavily promoted across a wide range of communications platforms. Highlights include outdoor advertising, a public radio partnership, extensive social media campaigns, print advertising and special promotions with corporate partners and luxury brands. Last year's featured artist was jewelry artist Ashley Buchanan.
More Information: visarts.org/events/craft-design-show/
Contact: Lizzie Oliver, lizzieoliver@visarts.org (804) 353-0094
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