The 56th Annual Bluff Park Art Show
October 5, 2019 to October 5, 2019
Bluff Park Community Center and Park, Hoover AL
Application Dates
Mar 12 to May 1 '19
Application Fee
$40.00
(see prospectus for details)
Late Application Dates
May 2 - May 18, 2019
Late Fee
$30.00
(see prospectus for details)
Notification Date
Jun 12, 2019

Prospectus

THE 56th ANNUAL BLUFF PARK ART SHOW

OCTOBER 5, 2019

HOOVER, ALABAMA (Birmingham MSA)


Application Dates: March 12, 2019  - May 1, 2019    Application Fee: $40
Late Application Dates: May 2 - May 15, 2019     Late Application Fee: $70
Notification Date: June 16, 2019

DATE AND LOCATION

Show Date: Saturday, October 5, 2019   Time: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Location: Bluff Park Community Center and Park,​ 517 Cloudland Drive, Hoover, AL 35226



Always on the first Saturday in October, The Bluff Park Art Association brings together approximately 150 artists from across the United States for the annual Bluff Park Art Show. The 2018 show included 38 artists who were new to event and artists from 11 states. Bluff Park, located in Hoover, Alabama, is within the Birmingham MSA with 1.13 million residents. The park offers a neighborhood feel in a wooded and shady setting, which includes a children’s art area and musical performances. Patrons arrive by shuttle throughout the event and the “art cart” is available to take larger pieces of art directly to the buyer’s vehicle. Artists give high rankings for the Bluff Park Art Show based on both sales volume and the hospitality they receive from the event organizers.  The Bluff Park Art Show is consistently included in the Alabama Tourism Departments Top Events each year.  The funds earned from this one-day event enable the Bluff Park Art Association to work towards our goal of promoting the arts in the community, in schools and in-home collections. Visit our website for additional information 
www.bluffparkartassociation.org  


 

ARTISTS BENEFITS:

  • $12,500 in cash awards in several categories ranging from $3,500 to $300
  • Entrants are selected in a blind juried process with new jurors each year
  • Easy park access for loading and unloading
  • Overnight security in the park
  • Artist’s Friday Night Dinner - free
  • Artists’s Saturday Breakfast - free
  • Booth sitters
  • Bottled water throughout the event - free
  • Multiple food trucks to choose from

APPLICATION DATES AND DETAILS
Key Dates 

  • Entry Deadline: May 1
  • Late Entry Deadline: May 15
  • Notification Date: June 16

SUBMISSIONS FEES:

  • $40 - non-refundable fee is required for each application received
    on or before May 1.
  • $70 - non-refundable fee is required for applications received May 2 through May 15. 

NOTE:  Application fees must be received by June 1 to be eligible for jurying. Payment may be paid either online through PayPal or by check. 

To pay by credit card via PayPal, click Pay Now after submitting your application.

Make checks payable and mail to:

​Bluff Park Art Association
​​​​​Renee Schneider, Treasurer â€‹
P. O. Box 26012

​​​​​Birmingham, AL 35260


Commission: a 20% commission on gross sales (before tax) will be collected from each artist at the end of the show.  This is in lieu of a booth fee.

​Submission: applications to the 56th Annual Bluff Park Art Show must be submitted online at  www.juriedartservices.com  Every artist must electronically submit four images: three images representative of the work to be exhibited and one booth image representative of the body of work to be exhibited.  Examples of any items that you plan to sell during the Show must be represented in your booth image.  If you do not have a current booth shot, a photo of a grouping of current work may be substituted. Because our jurors judge ONLY on your artwork and do not see your name (blind jury), please do not include your name, your business name or a photo of yourself in the booth image or in your artist statement. All communication will be through email.  Ensure your profile has your correct and preferred email address.  Add bpaashowchair@gmail.com to your safe sender list to insure you receive all communication.

TO APPLY IN MULTIPLE CATEGORIES:  Separate applications, images and fees must be submitted for each medium in which an artist wishes to be considered.  If only one application is accepted, only work in that medium may be exhibited.  Only one application per medium may be submitted. NOTE: Only artists juried and accepted in the jewelry category may display and sell jewelry items. Apply in the jewelry category as well, if you create and sell jewelry items in addition to your other work.

There is a question on the application asking whether you are a new artist.  Answer “yes” only if you have never been invited to our show.


 MEDIA CATEGORIES:

  • Clay
  • Digital Imaging
  • Fiber
  • Glass
  • Graphite/Pastels
  • Jewelry
  • Metalworking
  • Mixed Media – 2 dimensional
  • Mixed Media – 3 dimensional
  • Other – Specify the nature of your work
  • Painting
  • Photography
  • Printmaking
  • Sculpture
  • Woodworking​

NOTIFICATION: 
Jury results will be sent to applicants by email no later than June 16, 2019. Acceptance notification will appear in your Juried Art Services account under the My Applications function.  You must email bpaashowchair@gmail.com with your acceptance or declination of our invitation.  It is your responsibility to email your acceptance and secure your spot in the Show.  If we have not heard from you we may, at our discretion, delete your invitation and offer your spot to an artist on the Wait List.

NOTE: all correspondence and information will be sent electronically and will state “Bluff Park Art Show” as the subject.  We use the email contact you have on file with Juried Art Services.  Please notify us if your email address changes.


EXHIBITING RULES:

  • Artists may present only their own work in their assigned space.  Generally speaking, only one artist with his/her original work is allowed per booth.  However, if multiple artists choose to show together in one booth, ALL artists showing must have applied, been juried and invited to exhibit in the Show. Non-juried artists’ work being exhibited will be removed from the Show.  Anyone intending to exhibit with more than one artist in a booth must have the approval of the Show Chair prior to the Show.
  • Art teams and/or collaborators that produce a single product may qualify as a single exhibitor.  If you enter as an artist team or collaboration, it must be clearly stated on the application and also in the artist statement. 
  • Only original fine art may be exhibited.  Commercially manufactured items or items made from commercial kits or molds are unacceptable.  Reproductions of the artist’s original work may not be displayed or sold (this includes t-shirts).  Any work exhibited must be entirely the artist’s creation from beginning to end.  No commercial involvement of any type is permitted.  
  • Excluded from exhibition: prints, giclees, commercially manufactured items, ceramics from commercial molds, mass-produced items, plants, soaps, candles, food items, books, CDs, t-shirts, commercial jewelry and any work not created by the exhibiting artist.  Exhibitors must display their own work, not that made by others (buy/sell).
  • Work may only be exhibited in the medium selected by the jury.  Only work representative of that submitted to the jury may be exhibited. Only artists juried and accepted in the jewelry category may display and sell jewelry items.
  • The Association reserves the right to prohibit the display of any work at its discretion. Displays will be viewed throughout the Show.

CHECK-IN, SETUP AND SALES
Artists Check In:

  • Friday, October 4 from 9 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
  • Saturday, October 5 from 6 a.m. to 8:00 am.

Your exhibit must be ready when the show begins at 9:00 a.m.


An Artists Dinner is provided Friday starting at 4 p.m. and Artists Breakfast starting at 6:00 a.m. Both are complimentary and our special gift to make you feel welcome and appreciated.

  • Exhibit spaces are in a park setting. The park is mountainous and uneven in terrain.  You should bring shims or levelers for your exhibit. If the weather forecast includes wind, please bring weights for your tent. Each artist is responsible for his/her own display and canopy
  • Artists must staff their display booth at all times during the Show hours. Volunteer booth sitters are available for breaks as needed.
  • Exhibitors bear the responsibility for all setup and security needs for their exhibits. The Show does not require exhibitors to show proof of insurance; however, it is recommended that each exhibitor be covered under their own insurance. Please allow for restocking during Show hours, as vehicles are not allowed on the streets after the show opens. 
  • All artists will transact their own sales and are responsible for complying with the state and local sales tax regulations. Each exhibitor is responsible for collecting Alabama State tax, Jefferson County tax, and the City of Hoover tax as required by law. Tax forms will be provided in the check in package.

AWARDS: 
Last year the show distributed $12,500 in awards ranging from $3,500 to $300.  A designated judge will view exhibits and select awards in a number of categories.  The artist whose work is chosen to receive the Bluff Park Art Association Permanent Collection Purchase Award will receive $3,500 and their artwork will become the property of the BPAA and added to the Association’s Permanent Collection which is on rotating display throughout  the Hoover/Birmingham metro area.  The recipient of this award will also automatically receive an invitation to exhibit in the next year’s show. Check our website for information on this year's judge.  www.bluffparkartassociation.org


2018 BLUFF PARK ART SHOW AWARDS

2018 Show Judge: Graham Boettcher, Executive Director, Birmingham Museum of Art.
Charles Pinckney of Athens, Georgia won the $3,500 Purchase Award in 2018, which means one of his jewelry pieces will go in the Bluff Park Art Association’s permanent collection. His work was chosen for the top award from among the work of 140 artists, coming from 11 states, including as far away as Pennsylvania and the Florida Keys.


Here is the complete list of award winners from the 2018 show:

  • $3,500 Bluff Park Art Association Permanent Collection Purchase Award — Charles Pinckney, jewelry, Athens, Georgia
  • $1,750 President’s Award — Paveen “Beer” Chunhaswasdikul, clay, Gadsden
  • $1,750 Award in honor of 2018 Show Judge Graham Boettcher — Debra Riffe, printmaking, Birmingham
  • $1,250 Board of Directors Award in honor of Barbara and Ed Randle — A. Denise Rollings-Martin, jewelry, Bremen
  • $1,000 August A. Moore Memorial Purchase Award — Bethanne Hill, painting, Birmingham
  • $500 Award for Excellence in Glass — Amy Soverow, Birmingham
  • $500 Hugh and Jackie Dye Award — Eric Poland, two-dimensional mixed media, Pelham
  • $500 Synovus Award — Jim Weaver, painting, Florence
  • $500 Hoover Arts Alliance Award — Eric Johnson, sculpture, Dora
  • $500 Gallery Services Incorporated Award — Theresa St. Romain, jewelry, Tucker, Georgia
  • $500 Mills Pharmacy Award — Don McWhorter, clay, Carrollton, Georgia
  • $300 Popular Vote Award — Essie Ebrahimi, woodworking, Montevallo
     

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

Visit our website at www.bluffparkartassociation.org

Questions about the Screening Process: Contact the Screening Chair: bpaascreening@gmail.com

Questions about the Show: Contact the Show Chair for Artists: bpaashowchair@gmail.com