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Oklahoma City 2019 Festival of the Arts

Location:
Bicentennial Park & Civic Center Music Hall
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (South)

Phone: (405)270-4848
Event Dates: 4/23/19 - 4/28/19
Application Deadline: 9/25/18 Midnight CST

The application deadline has passed.


REQUIREMENTS:


Images: 6 (a booth shot is required)

Fee (OKC Application Fee): $25.00

You can submit up to 2 applications for this show.

JURY DETAILS


Event Summary
Presented by the Arts Council Oklahoma City, Festival of the Arts is now in its 53rd year. This fine art show draws over 600,000 visitors annually and averages $1.2 million in art sales each year.

General Information
Staff at the Arts Council Oklahoma City will provide assistance to artists that need help with their application. Please call (405) 270-4848, and a staff person will be happy to assist you with the process.

GENERAL INFORMATION FOR ARTISTS

Now in its 53rd year, Festival of the Arts is Oklahoma City’s annual “rite-of-spring.” Each year, more than 144 fine artists from across the United States exhibit at Festival. Total art sales generated by Festival Artists average $1.2 million annually.

Festival of the Arts also features three performing arts stages, street performers, international cuisine, extensive children’s programming and hands-on activities for art lovers of all ages.

Bicentinnial Park, located in the heart of downtown Oklahoma City, is home to Festival of the Arts. Also encompassed in the event is the historic Civic Center Music Hall. 

Participating artists rave about the “Oklahoma Standard” – the most service-oriented volunteer corps anywhere, experienced professional staff, 24-hour security, Festival-owned exhibit space, and friendly, art enthusiastic crowds.

Extensive marketing attracts over 600,000 visitors annually to Festival, which is supported by more than 5,000 volunteers.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR ARTISTS

ART SALES AT FESTIVAL:
 
  • All art sales are handled through a centralized system of Festival sales booths. Sales booths accept payment in every standard form, including cash, checks, debit and credit cards.
  • Festival retains a 20% commission on all art sales.
  • Festival collects and remits all sales tax.
  • Artists are supplied with sales tickets providing easy sales handling and a permanent record of each customer’s purchase transaction.
  • The artist’s 80% portion of art sales is distributed to the artist by direct deposit on or before May 10th, 2019.
  • Commission sales for later delivery are allowed as set forth in the Artist Contract.

    FEES:
     
  • Booth rental fee is $150.
  • Booth rental fee is due January 4th, 2019 along with the signed contract.
  • Rental fees will be refunded if the artist:
    - Successfully meets all provisions of the Artist Contract
    - Has gross plaza art sales of at least $2,500.

    ENTRY STANDARD

    ORIGINAL WORKS OF ART:

    The Festival has a tradition of offering an extensive selection of original works of art. Our primary concerns are the creative vision of the applicant and the quality of the work. Work must be original in concept and made by the hands of the exhibiting artist. See media-specific standards stated within the Media Application Categories.


    GREAT SALES OPPORTUNITIES

    Festi-First PROGRAM:
  • The Festi-First VIP Program rewards buyers by giving them the first pick of the art. To participate in the program, buyers commit to purchase a minimum of $500 in original artwork. Annually, approximately 100 buyers participate in Festi-First and generate sales of over $150,000 before Festival opens to the public. In 2018, ACOKC launched Festi-First Under 40, encouraging young professionals ages 21-40 to participate by offering a lower commitment amount of $250. Festi-First and Festi-First Under 40  will take place on Tuesday, April 23rd, 2019 between 7:30am and 11:00am.
 
  • All artists are required to open their exhibit space prior to 7:30am (Tuesday only) in order to take advantage of this very special art sales opportunity.


    YOUNG AT ART MART:

    Young at Art Mart is an educational project that gives children ages 5 to 12 an opportunity to independently select and purchase artwork. Parents are not allowed inside the tent. The price range of $.50 to $5.00 is intentionally affordable for children.

    Original and handcrafted work is preferred. Inventory is not limited to the artist’s accepted medium. Inventory is comprised of donated items and commissioned items. Unless items are donated, the Arts Council retains a 20% commission on sales.

    OTHER JURIED EXHIBITS

    SCULPTURE PARK:

    Sculpture Park is a garden of sculptural works, both abstract and traditional. Sculpture Park features works in stainless steel, colorful metals, and other outside materials.

    All work exhibited in Sculpture Park must be original in concept and made by the artists’ hands. Sculpture artists who apply for booth space and are accepted become eligible to apply to participate in Sculpture Park.

    TIMELINE
     
  • Deadline for Application: September 24th, 2018
     
  • Artist Notification Letters Sent Out: November 2nd, 2018
     
  • Signed Artist Contracts and Booth Rental Fee Due: January 4th, 2019
     
  • Visual Artist Check-In: April 22nd, 2019
     
  • Festival of the Arts: April 23rd - April 28th, 2019
    Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 11:00am-9:00pm, Sunday 11:00am-6:00pm
     
  • Art Sales Checks will be direct deposit

    APPLICATION PROCEDURE

    1. ARTIST'S STATEMENT
     
  • An Artist's Statement (in addition to the Statement of Material and Technique asked in the online application) 400-word maximum, describing the technique, material used and any other creative expression of the artist's work.
  • A missing or nonconforming Artist's Statement will result in disqualification.

    2. IMAGES OF ARTWORK
     
  • Upload exactly six (6) images:
    - Five (5) images should each feature a different piece of your original artwork. Each image must be in the media for which your application is submitted.
    - One (1) image of your booth display. This image should be of your artwork only. No people should be present in the image.
  • The quality of your images directly impacts the juror's opinion of your work. Make them high-quality.
​3. JURY PROCESS

Three jurors are selected to conduct a blind jury over the course of two days. Each juror is selected based on their arts related profession. This include those working in arts administration, arts education, museum curators and seasoned artists. the jurors are shown five images of the applicant's work and one image of their booth display. The scores are based on the quality of work and balance of the show. The scores are tallied in a spearate room the jurors are not allowed to access, ensuring each individual juror only knows their own scores. A threshold is then created based off of the available openings in each individual category. The thresholds include an accepted category, a wait listed category, and a rejected category. Selection for each category is based solely on the combined average scores from the jurors. 

4. MEDIA APPLICATION CATEGORIES

The predominant element or material of work determines the media category in which to apply. See additional guidance below.

Two-Dimensional
Water Media Painting - watercolor, acrylic, gouache. Reproductions of any kind are prohibited.
 
 
Oil Media Painting - traditional oil, casein.  Reproductions of any kind are prohibited.
 
Drawing/Digital/Printmaking
·         Drawing - examples include but are not limited to: pencil, charcoal, pastels, chalk, and ink.
·         Digital – original works executed by the use of a computer.
·         Printmaking - original works of art (not reproductions of an original) in signed & numbered limited editions in intaglio, lithography, digital, relief, monoprint or serigraphy.
 
Photography - includes all photographic processes which begins with a camera lens.
-  All pieces must be signed, numbered and dated.
-  Prints must have been processed by the artist or under artist’s direct supervision by a reputable service.
-  Prints must meet archival quality standards.
 
2-D  Mixed Media- two-dimensional artwork not falling into another 2-D category. Works incorporate the use of 2 or more artistic media.
 
Three-Dimensional
Sculpture- three-dimensional original work completed in any medium.
·         An art form in which the non-functional sculptural form takes precedence over the material used in its creation.
·         Elements may include, but are not restricted to one or more of the following: metal, wood, stone, clay, paper and plastics.
 
Jewelry - decorative and personal adornments that possess a high degree of artistic skill and original design.
·         Elements may include but are not restricted to one or more of the following: metal, wood, stone, clay, paper, glass, fiber, and plastics.
·         No commercial casts, molds or production studio work is allowed.
 
Ceramics- clay and porcelain vessels that are primarily functional in concept and design.
·         Work must be totally conceived and created by the artist without the use of apprentices and/or employees.
·         If multiple pieces of the same design are displayed each piece must be signed.
·         Machine made or mass produced work is prohibited.
 
Wood - original hand tooled, machine-worked, utilitarian and functional pieces made from wood.
·         Examples may include, but are not limited to: turned or carved wood, original wood furniture, marquetry, toys, kitchen utensils, etc.
 
 
Fiber - decorative or wearable pieces made from fiber or textile-like materials.
·         Garments made from hand-woven fabrics & leather.
·         Hand-woven baskets & leatherwork.
·         Machine tooling, machine-screened patterns and any form of mass production is prohibited.
·         No factory produced wearable items, regardless of additional modification or enhancement by the artist, may be exhibited.
·         Belt buckles sold separately must have been hand-made by the accepted artist.
 
Glass - Decorative or functional glass works created by molding, casting, glass blowing, or kiln formed.
·         No forms of mass production permitted.
 
3-D  Mixed Media- three-dimensional artwork not falling into another 3-D category. Works incorporate the use of 2 or more artistic media.
 
 
 

Rules/Regulations
GENERAL RULES FOR ARTISTS:

1. Artists must be present with their work for the entire six days of Festival.
2. Applications will be considered only if 100% complete.
3. Artist may apply in up to two different media categories. Separate applications are required for each application category. An artist can apply only once in a single category.
4. Two artists (and not more than two) may submit a collaborative application to be considered as one entry and accepted or rejected as such. If accepted, both artists must be present at Festival.
5. All work exhibited must be comparable to work shown in the submitted application. Work inconsistent with this provision will be removed by Festival personnel.
6. Artists may display work only in the media category in which they are accepted.

Booth Information
EXHIBIT SPACE

Festival artists are required to use the exhibit space provided by Festival. There are four exhibit spaces under each 16’x16’ tent. Each exhibit space includes two 11’ wide by 6’6” high vertical expanded aluminum mesh panels placed at a 90 degree angle under the tent. The triangular display area in front of the panels is approximately 64 square feet. Each tent is covered with a vinyl canopy and includes a sliding sidewall to enclose the tent during non-business hours.

The Festival also provides each artist with four 110 outlets (maximum 600 watts), two clamp lights and signage showing artist name and tent number. All other display equipment (counters, shelving, etc.) and additional lighting is provided by the artist.
 
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