Prospectus
5th Annual Mercato Fine Arts Festival
March 1-2, 2014
Naples, Florida
100% Outdoors
This festival draws a crowd to the Mercato Lifestyle Center, located at the intersection of Vanderbilt Beach Road and U.S. 41 in North Naples. The juried festival showcases works in all media by 110 artists from across the country. Anchored by businesses including Whole Foods Market and The Capital Grille, Mercato offers a trend-setting, ultra convenient mixed-use lifestyle that combines luxury condo living, high-end retailers, restaurants and a premium movie theater all on one prime site, just minutes from the beach. Festival guests enjoy not only fine art but fine dining as well. Two parking garages accommodate the guests.
The mission of the Naples Art Association (NAA) is to promote and advance education, interest and participation in the contemporary visual arts. Festivals hosted by the Naples Art Association provide the primary funding source for the association’s education and related programs.
Contact Information
Marianne Megela, Festival Director
Naples Art Association
585 Park Street
Naples, FL 34102
239-262-6517 x103
Cell: 239-580-7999
marianne.megela@naplesart.org
www.naplesart.org
Important Dates and Deadlines
- November 13, 2013 On-Line Application Deadline at Juried Art Services
- November 22, 2013 Jury Session begins
- November 27, 2013 Status Notification Available at www.juriedartservices.com.
- IMPORTANT: December 11, 2013 Deadline for booth fee payment for accepted artists
- January 8, 2014 Deadline: Full Refund
- January 22, 2014 Deadline: 50% Refund less $25 Admin Fee
- January 23, 2014 No Refund Deadline
- February 5, 2014 Artist Information Packets Emailed
March 1-2, 2014 10am – 5pm Mercato Fine Arts Festival
Festival Eligibility
- All artwork submitted to the jury process, displayed and presented for sale must be designed and executed by the accepted artist.
- Artist certifies that jury images submitted represent his/her original work.
- Art teams and/or collaborators that produce a single product may qualify as a single exhibitor. Such a team may not consist of more than two people. If you enter as an artist team or collaboration, it must be clearly noted on the application and the collaborative effort must be clearly defined in the artist statement. Both artists must be present during all festival hours.
- No work by apprentices or employees will be accepted.
- Buy/sell vendors are strictly prohibited.
- 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.
- Work made from ready-made items like clothing, glassware, furniture, etc. with painted, dyed or added embellishments will not be accepted.
- No work on display may be copies of masters, advertisements, or widely circulated photographs.
- No posters, laser prints, t-shirts, postcards, calendars, candles or other promotional items will be permitted.
Festival Policies
- Acceptance is non-transferable.
- Mercato Fine Arts Festival is a drug-free and alcohol-free environment.
- 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.
- 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.
- Only artwork or crafts in the category accepted through the jury process are allowed to be exhibited. It is the exclusive right and responsibility of the NAA Festival Committee to remove work that is not in compliance with the festival policies and requirements.
- Discount/sales signs, ribbons and awards from other shows are not allowed.
- Each exhibitor is responsible to collecting and remitting 6% sales tax to the Florida Department of Revenue.
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 are. 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)
$395 Exhibit Space Fee (deposited upon acceptance)
Application Process
All 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 1 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 the Naples Art Association (NAA) through a secure payment system. Email confirmation of your payment will be sent by the NAA. 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 art center accounting office at 239-262-6517 x108 or email Peter.Franklin@naplesart.org.
If paying with a check (US currency only) please send via US mail no later than 14 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 to “Naples Art Association” and sent to:
Festivals Department
Mercato 2014
585 Park Street
Naples, FL 34102
Please note the festival title 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 unless exempted by festival director. All tables must be skirted to the ground. Only one artist’s work or the work of two collaborating artists may be displayed per booth. Artist must keep their area clean and orderly. Double spaces are considered (jewelry category excluded).
Special booth space or special needs requests will be accepted but not guaranteed. We will make every effort to meet all special requests on a first come, first served basis. Additional charges may apply. Please email the festival director if you have any special needs or considerations.
During the festival, all exhibits will be visited by a committee member to ensure that they are in compliance with our festival policies. It is the exclusive right and responsibility of the NAA Festival Committee to remove 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. The Mercato Fine Arts Festival is a family-oriented event, and exhibits must be in keeping with this atmosphere. We take pride in our quality and established reputation.
Jury and Selection Process
Our jurors’ panel consists of several independent jurors selected for their in-depth knowledge and experience in multiple mediums. A diversity of backgrounds and skills are sought, including working artists, educators, fine art and craft gallery owners, and museum directors/curators. It is the policy of the NAA to select a new panel of jurors for each festival to allow for a fresh perspective.
All applications are viewed anonymously. An equal number of spaces are allotted for each category based on the total number of booths available for the festival. The artists accepted into each category are based on their total combined score of the jurors. The top scoring artists within each category are invited to participate in the show. Selections by the jury are final.
The work submitted by each artist is juried based on the criteria listed below:
- Artistic Merit: design, vision, creativity
- Craftsmanship/Technical Competence: technique, skill, degree of difficulty, mastery of materials used
- Marketability/Booth Presentation: presentation in a professional manner
Notification and Booth Fee Payment
Once the jury process is complete, all artists will receive an email from Juried Art Services directing the artist 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 November 27, 2013. Accepted artists will be required to submit their booth fee payment by the deadline date of December 11, 2013 for participation. Online payments are made by use of the ‘CLICK HERE’ link in the contents of the acceptance letter. If the booth fee is not received by the deadline date, the artist may forfeit his/her participation in the festival.
Online credit card payments are processed directly by the Naples Art Association (NAA) through a secure payment system. Please follow online payment instructions when paying your booth fee with a credit card. Confirmation of your payment will be sent by email from the NAA. All questions or concerns regarding the payment of your fees should be directed to our accounting office at 239-262-6517 x120.
If paying with a check (US Currency only) please send via US mail no later than 14 days after the notification date (11/27/2013). Include artist’s name and name of festival on your check.
All checks are to be made payable to “Naples Art Association” and sent to:
Festivals Department
Mercato 2014
585 Park Street
Naples, FL 34102
If you have any questions regarding status notification or our payment process please contact us.
Categories
Ceramics, Fiber/Leather, Furniture, Glass, Graphics/Printmaking, Jewelry, Metal, Mixed Media 2D, Mixed Media 3D, Painting, Photography, Sculpture, and Wood.
Ceramics – Original shaped and fired clay (including earthenware, porcelain, stoneware and terracotta), excluding jewelry. May not be machine-made, mass produced or used as embellishment on another medium. (For example, a leather handbag with clay balls for decoration.)
Digital Art – Signed, original work created by the artist using a computer, printed with archival quality materials. This category includes scanned images of the artist’s original photography work that have been significantly manipulated or enhanced into the final piece. Art that could not have been created without digital technology.
Fiber/Leather – Original work created by the artist from fibers or leather including batik, basketry, weaving, quilt-making, books, paper-making and fine wearables. No tie dye or factory produced items are permitted. Excludes jewelry.
Furniture – Original work in any material which is functional as a piece of furniture.
Glass – Original work created in glass by the artist including blown glass, fused glass or stained glass. Excludes jewelry.
Graphics/Printmaking – Original two-dimensional work including graphite, charcoal, chalk, pastels, wax crayon, inks, and washes. Also, prints manually created by the artist using plates, stones or screens which have been signed and numbered.
Jewelry – All jewelry, whether the work is produced from metal, glass, clay, fiber, paper, plastic or other materials, must be entered in this category. No commercial cast, molds or production studio work is allowed.
Metal – Original, non-jewelry metal work created by the artist without use of a production studio. Excludes jewelry.
Mixed Media 2D – Includes collage and handmade paper; incorporates more than one type of material and has a relief depth of less than 1/8 inch.
Mixed Media 3D – Original, non-functional work which combines more than one material or media and exceeds 1/8 inch depth. Excludes jewelry.
Painting – Original, two-dimensional work created with pigment, including oils, acrylics, watercolor, egg tempura, casein, alkud, etc.
Photography – Signed prints created by the artist from his/her own original negative or digital files that have been process by that artist or under the artist’s direct supervision.
Sculpture – Original three-dimensional work created by shaping stone, wood or any other hard material. Excludes Jewelry.
Wood – Original hand-tooled, machine worked, built-up, turned or carved work in wood. Excludes jewelry.
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 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 when a booth becomes available. To accept waitlist status, click the CLICK HERE link in the waitlist letter, fill out and submit.
Cancellation and Refund Policy
Cancellations must be made in written form and submitted by mail or email. Emails should be sent to the Festival Director at marianne.megela@naplesart.org.
Cancellations prior to January 8, 2014 will receive a full refund. Thereafter, a 50% refund less $25 admin fee is available until January 22, 2014. No refund after January 23, 2014. No refunds will be made for any act of God, local authority or weather related cancellations of the event.
No Show Policy
Artists who have not checked in and/or called 239-580-7999 (leave message) by 7:00 am Saturday (first day of festival) will be considered a NO SHOW and the assigned space will be forfeited with no refund. Exhibitors who do not show and do not cancel will not be re-invited.
Artist Agreement
I hereby submit this application to become an exhibitor in Mercato Fine Arts Festival. I agree to abide by the festival policies and regulations as established by the Festival Committee and Collier County.
By submitting this application, applicant hereby and forever discharges the Mercato Fine Arts Festival, the Naples Art Association, the Mercato and Madison Marquette, of and from all manner of actions, suits, and damages, claims and demands, whatsoever in law or equity, from any loss and damage to the undersigned’s property while in the possession, supervision or auspices of the Mercato Fine Arts Festival, the Naples Art Association, the Mercato, Madison Marquette, their agents, representatives or employees. In the event that the “Festival” is interrupted or prevented without contributory fault or negligence of either party because of war, act of God, fire, national or local calamity, riot or civil disorder, any act or regulation of public authorities, or any unforeseen occurrence or labor dispute, including strike or lockout of employees, then obligations of the parties shall be suspended to the extent made necessary, but no refund shall be due or payable to the artist from the Naples Art Association for any fees paid. Neither the Artist nor the “Festival” shall be liable to the other for any damages caused thereby.
I also warrant that the artworks submitted for jurying and the artworks to be shown were produced, solely by myself or in collaboration with the co-artist in the category in which selected. I also authorize use of the images submitted with my application or duplicates thereof for festival publicity, documentation or archival purposes.
I agree to grant a license to the Naples Art Association to reproduce electronically, in limited resolution, my original artwork for a period of up to eighteen (18) months beginning November, 2013. I understand by signing this agreement, I retain full copyright of my original artwork. My images shall not be redistributed except as anticipated on the Web site, festival printed material, advertising and other festival-related media, without the express written permission of myself and the Naples Art Association.
The Naples Art Association reserves the right to make final interpretation of all rules.