Prospectus

19^th Annual The Art Center’s Festival of Fine Arts

Fine Art & Fine Craft
June 24-25, 2017
Highland Park, Illinois
100% Outdoors

The Art Center's Festival of Fine Arts takes place in the eastern section of the affluent Chicago suburb of Highland Park, north of Chicago.  Highland Park is a community of 30,000 with more than 52% of the households having incomes of $100,000 or more. About 22% of the households have incomes of $200,000 plus. The high income levels combined with high education and love for the arts make Highland Park a wonderful place to exhibit and sell art.

A new layout puts this festival on the boutique and café lined streets surrounding the Art Center and features incredible works in both functional and non-functional art categories. The festival is loved and well supported by the art collectors who live in the area.  The Art Center, a 55 year old non-profit visual arts organization is home to art classes and gallery exhibitions and hosts this annual festival which is produced by Amdur Productions. 

Art Center Director Gabrielle Rousso, the Board, and Staff of The Art Center are committed to making this a great festival for artists.

Artists will have the opportunity to interact with the public through art demos and booth chats. Live music, great food and fun activities for kids make the festival a perfect experience for all.

Festival Information

Staff Support: Amdur Productions staff is present on site throughout the entire festival to assist artists from load in to load out.

Booth Sitting: Amdur Productions staff is available to booth sit for artists throughout the entire festival

Artist Parking: Amdur Productions reserves close day and overnight parking for artists at no additional cost.

Load-in: Artists will be able to drive up to or very close to their booth space and unload their vehicle.

Tent Rental: Artists may rent tents, tables, pro-panels, and weights through the festival. Tents are commercial grade and rental includes delivery, set up, weights and removal.

ProPanel Rental: NEW THIS YEAR! We will have limited “pro-panel” walls available for artists. Rental is on a first come/first served basis, quantity is limited.

Set Up/Take Down Help: Booth set up and take down assistance is available on a scheduled reserved time and hourly cost basis.

Break Room: An artist break room/area provides refreshments throughout the festival for artists.

Hotel Rooms: Hotel rooms are blocked to give artists the best rates in the area.

Awards: Bestowed at an artist reception on Sunday morning of the festival weekend.  Hosted at The Art Center of Highland Park, join us for awards, appetizers, and a drink from local favorites.

Marketing: A large multi-layered marketing plan supports this show with ads running in newspapers, advertisements, on radio, posters, street banners, social media and through direct mail postcards. Professional public relations ensures high visibility for this festival.

Security: Overnight security is provided.

Contact Information

Important Dates and Deadlines

• January 16, 2017: Applications due for all festivals
• February 14, 2017: Notifications of fest status online 
• March 17, 2017: Registration forms and show fees due (generally half fees)
• April 20, 2017: Last day for refunds (less $50)
• June 24-25, 2017: The Art Center’s Festival of Fine Arts

Festival Eligibility

1. All artwork submitted to the jury process, displayed and presented for sale must be designed and executed by the accepted artist.
2. Artist certifies that jury images submitted represent his/her current original work.
3. Art collaborators that produce a single product may qualify as a single exhibitor. Such a team may not consist up to two people. If you enter as a collaboration, it must be clearly noted on the application and the collaborative effort must be clearly defined. Both artists must be present during all festival hours.
4. No work by apprentices or employees will be accepted.
5. Buy/sell vendors are strictly prohibited from all or part of an artist’s booth.
6. Artwork created from commercial molds, mass-produced kits, embellished objects or other commercial methods or artwork produced in studios involved in volume production will not be permitted.
7. Work made from ready-made items like clothing, glassware, furniture, etc. with painted, dyed or added embellishments are not accepted.

Festival Policies

1. Acceptance is non-transferable.
2. The Art Center’s Festival of Fine Arts is a drug-free and an alcohol-free environment.
3. No smoking is allowed in artists booths.
4. Accepted artists must be present and exhibit during all festival hours. No agents, representatives, family members or friends are permitted as a substitute for the accepted artists’ attendance.
5. Any artist closing his/her booth prior to the end of the show will not be permitted to return the next day or in subsequent years (unless illness so requires).
6. Only artwork in the category accepted through the jury process is allowed to be exhibited. It is the exclusive right and responsibility of the Festival Committee to remove work that is not in compliance with the festival policies and requirements.
7. Discount/sales signs, ribbons and awards from other shows are not allowed.
8. Each exhibitor is responsible to collecting and remitting local sales tax to the State’s Department of Revenue as required by law.
9. White tents only.
10. No exterior commercial signage.

Reproduction and Limited Edition Prints Policy

Fine art reproductions must be clearly and individually labeled as a limited edition which is signed and numbered on the front of each piece. The method of reproduction and brief process description must be on the back. Browse bins may be used, but reproductions may not be mixed with originals. Framed reproductions may be hung on one wall not to exceed a total of ten linear feet. No laser prints or photo copies permitted.

Limited Edition Prints are printed works for which the artist hand manipulates the plates, stones or screens and which have been properly signed and numbered as a limited edition. These hand pulled prints are considered to be originals. Printmakers are encouraged to identify their process.

Jury and Exhibit Space Fees

$25 Jury Fee (non-refundable)

$425 Exhibit Space Fee + art piece donation + city permit fee

Double Deal: 10 x 20 Booth Space for $700

Application Process

Applications will be processed online through Juried Art Services (JAS) at www.juriedartservices.com. Juried Art Services is free to participating artists and includes a detailed introductory tutorial. After reviewing our prospectus and the JAS Tutorial, if you have any questions contact us via email or phone, and we will assist you with the process of applying to our festivals.

When applying in two categories, work in each must be substantially different. Four images of the work and one of the display must be submitted for each category. A separate jury fee is required for each category.

Online jury payments are processed directly by Amdur Productions through a secure payment system. Email confirmation of your payment will be sent. Please follow online payment instructions if paying your jury fee with a credit card. Your jury fee payment will be posted to JAS within three days after you submit your application. All questions or concerns regarding the payment of your fees should be directed to the office at 847-926-4300 or email info@amdurproductions.com.

If paying with a check or money order (US currency only) please send via US mail no later than 7 days after the submission of your online application. Applications will not be processed or forwarded on to our jury unless your jury fee is paid in full. The non-refundable jury fee check will be deposited on receipt.

All checks are to be made payable in US dollars to “Amdur Productions” and sent to:

Amdur Productions
PO Box 550
Highland Park, IL 60035

Please note the festival name on your check.

Exhibit Space

Spaces are 10’ X 10’ and work must be contained within the assigned space. You may not infringe on another space physically or audibly. Exhibitors must have a white tent. All tables must be skirted to the ground. Only one artist’s work or the work of two approved collaborating artists may be displayed per booth. Artist must keep their area clean and orderly. Double spaces are considered and must be occupied by two tents.

An artist requesting a corner must either have the corner wall open or use the outside wall to display art.

Special booth space and special needs requests will be accepted but are not guaranteed. We will make every effort to meet all special requests on a first come, first served basis. Additional charges may apply. Please include all booth requests on the registration form.

During the festival, all exhibits will be visited by a festival representative to ensure that they are in compliance with our festival policies. It is the exclusive right and responsibility of the Festival Staff to call for the removal of work that is not in compliance with the festival policies and requirements. Non-compliance may result in expulsion from the festival or refusal of future festival participation.

Requirements

All canopies are required to be white and able to withstand winds and rain and be properly weighted. Properly weighting requires AT LEAST 40 pounds per leg (more in windy weather). Tents must be connected to weights with rope or straps, not bungee cords.

Jury and Selection Process

The artistic work submitted by each artist is juried based on the criteria listed below:

• Body of Work: How well the images represent a point of view
• Artistic Theme: design, vision, creativity
• Technical Competence: technique, skill, degree of difficulty, mastery of materials used
• Originality

Notification and Booth Fee Payment

Once the jury process is complete, all artists will receive an email from Juried Art Services directing the artist to log into their JAS account to check the status of their application. Please keep your email up to date with JAS to receive this information in a timely manner.

Notification of status will be available at Juried Art Services on February 14, 2017. Accepted artists will be required to submit their booth fee payment by March 17, 2017 for participation. If the booth fee is not received by the deadline date, the artist may forfeit his/her participation in the festival.

Credit card payments are processed directly by Amdur Productions.  All questions or concerns regarding the payment of your fees should be directed to Shanna in our accounting office at 847-926-4300.

If paying with a check or money order (US Currency only) please send via US mail no later than 14 days after the registration due date (03/17/2017). Include artist’s name and name of festival on your check.

All checks are to be made payable to “Amdur Productions” and sent to:

Amdur Productions
PO Box 550
Highland Park, IL 60035

If you have any questions regarding status notification or our payment process please contact us.

Categories - All artists must apply to a category

2D – Original two-dimensional work including graphite, charcoal, chalk, pastels, wax crayon, inks, and washes. All work must be framed and/or presented in a finished format. 2D Artists must show work vertically in your booth. Matted work must be shown in bins only.

3D Functional – Dimensional work that has a function – such as wearable fiber or wood furniture.

3D Non Functional – Art that serves an aesthetic not functional purpose. Generally “sculptures.”

Painting – Original, two-dimensional work created with pigment, including oils, acrylics, watercolor, egg tempura, etc.

Photography –  Signed prints created by the artist from his/her own original negative or digital files that have been “taken” and processed by that artist or under the artist’s direct supervision.

Jewelry – No buy/sell or buy/sell fill-in allowed.

Sub-categories – All artists must select a sub-category

Ceramics – Original shaped and fired clay (including earthenware, porcelain, stoneware and terracotta)

Fiber – Original work created by the artist from fibers/fabric or leather including batik, basketry, weaving, and quilt-making. No factory produced items are permitted.

Furniture – Original work in any material which is functional as a piece of functional furniture or home accessory.

Glass – Original work created in glass by the artist including blown glass, fused glass or stained glass.

Print Making - Prints manually created by the artist using plates, stones or screens which have been signed and numbered.

Metal – Original work created by the artist without use of a production studio.

Mixed Media – Includes collage and handmade paper; incorporates more than one type of material. Generally flat, wall hung art.

Wood – Original hand-tooled, machine worked, built-up, turned or carved work in wood.

Acrylic Paint – Applied to a surface in any way

Acrylic Resin – Applied to a surface in any way

Batik – Technique used on fabric

Collage – Variety of materials applied to a surface

Drawing – Charcoal, graphite, and color pencils applied to a surface

Egg Tempera – Applied to a surface in any way

Gold and/or Silver – Precious metal or precious metal clay used in jewelry

Leather – Primary material used

Oil Paint – Applied to a surface in any way

Paper – Hand made

Pastel – Dry pigments applied to a surface

Photo – Black & white, color, black and white & color, hand color, digital. Select the area the majority of your work is in

Stone – Carved

Watercolor – Applied in any way

Other - If your category is not represented, you may add your own

Artist Statement

An Artist Statement describing the technique, materials, and processes used in the creation of your entire body of work must be included with each Juried Art Services entry. Co-artists must describe the collaboration. Your Artist Statement may be used in the promotion of the festival through public relations efforts and should be no longer than a maximum of 1000 characters (including punctuation and spacing).

Wait List Policy

A wait list is selected from the jury's scores in each category, and wait listed artists are invited as cancellations occur in that particular category. Wait list artists can be accepted up to and on the day of the show and will be notified by phone and email when a booth becomes available.

Cancellation Policy

Cancellations must be made in written form and submitted by mail, fax, or email. Emails should be sent to the Artists Director, Caitlin, at Caitlin@AmdurProductions.com.

No refunds after April 20. Booth fee transfers to next year’s festival will be determined on a per case basis.

No Show Policy

Artists who have not checked in and/or notified Amdur Productions with a message via festival phone (224-253-2330), office phone (847-926-4300), or email (info@amdurproductions.com) by 7:00 am Saturday, or the first day of festival, will be considered a NO SHOW and the assigned space will be forfeited with no refund.