Prospectus
Smithfield Fall Festival of the Arts
Saturday, September 19, 2015
(Rain Date Sunday, September 20, 2015)
Downtown Smithfield, Virginia (100% Outdoors)
Application Dates: October 1, 2014 – May 15, 2015
Application Fee: $20
Notification Date: June 12, 2015
Smithfield, Virginia has many of the charms associated with Virginia’s famous Colonial communities, including a revitalized historic downtown, tree-lined, brick-paved sidewalks, charming cafes, shops and galleries, and all the character of a former Colonial seaport. No wonder Smithfield is the top daytrip destination from Williamsburg and Virginia Beach. According to the Virginia Landmarks Register, Smithfield is “perhaps the best preserved of Virginia’s Colonial seaports.” The Virginia Review called Smithfield, “without a doubt, one of the prettiest towns in Virginia.”
Part of Isle of Wight County and just minutes from Newport News, Norfolk, Hampton and Suffolk, Smithfield’s Historic District boasts more than 70 buildings of exceptional architectural importance, including historic St. Luke’s Church, the earliest original Gothic structure in the United States, and a brick courthouse built in 1750, right in the heart of downtown. The town continues to host one of the nation’s largest meat-processing industries and the home of one of Hampton Roads’ largest employers, Smithfield Foods, Inc., an international Fortune 500 company.
The Smithfield Fall Festival of the Arts, presented by the Isle of Wight-Smithfield-Windsor Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with the Isle of Wight Arts League, is a juried outdoor fine art show featuring accomplished travelling artists from throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. There will be live entertainment throughout the day on an adjacent stage. A popular farmers market in an adjoining parking lot will bring additional foot traffic to downtown Smithfield in the morning hours.
The show has openings for more than 80 artists in the first year, and room for expansion in the future. We welcome artists working in Ceramics, Drawing, Fiber/Leather, Glass, Jewelry, Metal, Painting, Photography, Wood, and other media. Prizes include $1,000 for Best in Show, and $200 prizes for first place in each category.
Festival guests will enjoy the arrangement of exhibits in the middle of Main Street and can take advantage of free off-site parking in adjacent lots. The quad setup for artists affords every artist a corner booth and great visibility.
There will be an artist hospitality center with water, coffee and lemonade, and pastries at the local Arts Center on Main Street, as well as booth sitting service available. There are ample public restrooms downtown, including those at the Arts Center and the Chamber of Commerce Information Center.
The Chamber of Commerce will market the event throughout the Hampton Roads and Coastal Virginia area, with a regional media sponsorship in addition to paid advertising in regional lifestyle magazines and newspapers, as well as news releases, an event website and Facebook page, and support from the Smithfield-Isle of Wight Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The goals of the Smithfield Fall Festival of the Arts are:
· To encourage and promote the vibrant arts community of Smithfield and Isle of Wight County;
· To showcase downtown Smithfield as a destination for upscale shopping and fine dining within the Hampton Roads, Virginia region and beyond.
Contact Information:
Andrew Cripps, IOM, President
Isle of Wight-Smithfield-Windsor Chamber of Commerce
100 Main Street
PO Box 38
Smithfield, VA 23431
(757) 357-3502
acripps@theisle.org
www.smithfieldfallfestival.com
Important Dates and Deadlines
· October 1, 2014: Start of application period
· April 15, 2015: Online application deadline at Juried Art Services
· April 27, 2015: Jury session begins
· June 12, 2015: Status notification available at www.juriedartservices.com
- IMPORTANT July 3, 2015: Deadline for booth fee payment for accepted artists
· August 7, 2015: Deadline for cancellation with full refund
· August 21, 2015: Deadline for cancellation with 50% refund less $25 Admin Fee
· August 21, 2015: No refunds for cancellation beyond this date
· September 1, 2015: Artist information e-mailed
· September 19, 2015, 10am to 5pm: Smithfield Fall Festival of the Arts
Awards
Best of Show - $1000
Awards as follows in each Category: 1st Place - $200
Honorable Mention: Ribbons Only
Award Categories
Ceramics, Drawing, Fiber/Leather, Glass, Jewelry, Metal, Painting, Photography, Wood, Other Media
Festival Eligibility and Non-Eligibility Rules
1. All artwork submitted to the jury process, displayed and presented for sale must be designed and executed by the accepted artist. By applying the artist certifies that jury images submitted represent his/her original work.
2. Work displayed and sold at the Smithfield Fall Festival of the Arts must be consistent with the work represented by the submitted jury images.
3. Collaborating artists that produce a single product may qualify as a single exhibitor. Collaborations are defined as such:
a. Collaborations may not consist of more than two people.
b. The collaboration must be a true artistic collaboration rather than a business collaboration. For example:
i. Creative Collaboration – defined as two individuals working together from creative planning all the way to the execution of the completed work
ii. Business Collaboration – defined as one or more individuals who help the artist by contributing effort to ease the production process, such as framing, printing, accounting, etc.
c. Collaborations must be clearly identified on the application and the collaborative efforts of each artist must be clearly defined in the artist statement.
d. Both collaborative artists must be present during all festival hours.
4. No work solely created by apprentices or employees will be accepted.
5. Commercial agents, dealers, manufacturers or buy/sell vendors are strictly prohibited nor can they be proxies for artists.
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 will not be accepted.
8. No work on display may be copies of masters, advertisements, or widely circulated photographs.
9. No posters, laser prints, t-shirts, postcards, calendars, cards, candles or other promotional items will be permitted.
Festival Policies, Rules and Regulations
1. Acceptance is non-transferable.
2. The Smithfield Fall Festival of the Arts is a drug-free and alcohol-free environment.
3. Accepted artists must be present and in their booths during all festival hours. No agents, representatives, family members or friends are permitted as a substitute for the accepted artists’ attendance.
4. Artists are required to display an Artist Information Statement in a prominent place within their booth. Materials and processes used must be disclosed in this statement.
5. Only work in the category accepted through the jury process is allowed to be exhibited. It is the exclusive right and responsibility of the Smithfield Fall Festival of the Arts Committee to remove work that is not in compliance with the festival policies and requirements.
6. Any artist found closing his/her booth prior to the designated hours will not be permitted to apply for participation in subsequent years.
7. Artists must comply with all safety requirements;
a. Sufficient amount of weights must be used for each tent
b. Tables must be covered and skirted to the ground with covers that are safe to pedestrian traffic
c. Artists may not smoke in their booths. No Smoking signs must be displayed in booth
d. Fire Extinguisher should be considered necessary equipment
e. No 2-dimensional artwork displayed on the ground will be permitted
8. Setup and Breakdown procedures are handled by the festival in conjunction with local police and city policy and all artists must follow specific setup and breakdown directions in order to safely and efficiently enter and exit the festival.
9. Artists MUST park in designated parking area only. Non-compliance will result in towing at owners expense.
10. Discount/sales signs, ribbons and awards from previous or other shows are not allowed.
11. Each exhibitor is responsible for collecting and remitting 6% sales tax to the Virginia Department of Revenue. For information about a temporary sales tax certificate, go online to https://www.tax.virginia.gov/taxforms/Business/Sales%20and%20Use%20Tax/ST-50a.pdf
Reproduction & Limited Edition Prints Policy
To foster an appreciation and value of the arts in people of all financial and economic levels the Smithfield Fall Festival of the Arts believes it is important to offer attendees the opportunity to buy reproductions of the participating artists’ original work. By providing this opportunity it may encourage the purchase of original artwork in the future. This transition is possible only if buyers understand exactly what they are purchasing and the process behind it. Therefore, our guidelines for the exhibition of reproductions are:
1. Reproductions are considered an ancillary part of the artist’s display.
2. Original work must occupy at least 50% of the artist’s wall space
3. Reproductions are an important part of your success as an artist. Creating unique and original works is an important part of your artistic growth and development. As an educational organization hosting festivals, Original work must occupy at least 50% of the artist’s wall space.
4. Fine art reproductions must be clearly and individually labeled and signed on the front of each piece.
5. Reproductions must be on archival material and all work displayed in the booth must be for sale.
6. The method of reproduction and brief process description must be on the back.
7. No hand colored or enhanced reproductions will be considered “original” works; they will be considered reproductions
8. Browse bins may occupy only minimal space and must be aesthetically pleasing and not obstruct patron flow.
9. Reproductions may not be mixed with originals in browse bins.
10. No laser prints or photo copies permitted.
Limited edition prints are 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
$20 Jury Fee (non-refundable)
$175 Exhibit Space Fee (deposited upon acceptance)
Application Process
All applications will be submitted online at www.juriedartservices.com. Juried Art Services (JAS) is free to participating artists and includes a detailed introductory tutorial. After reviewing our prospectus and the JAS Tutorial, if you have any questions or need assistance with the application process contact the festival director via email or phone.
All applications require the submission of 4 images of the artist’s work and 1 image of booth presentation. When applying in two categories, work in each must be substantially different and the required images must be submitted for each category. A separate application fee is required for each category. An artist information statement is required and should convey to the jurors the process and materials used to create your work.
Online application payments are processed directly by the Smithfield Fall Festival of the Arts through a secure payment system.
Email confirmation of your payment will be sent by the Smithfield Fall Festival of the Arts. Your application fee payment will be posted on your JAS account within three days after you submit your application. All questions or concerns regarding the payment of your fees should be directed to the Isle of Wight-Smithfield-Windsor Chamber of Commerce at 757-357-3502 or email chamber@theisle.org.
If paying with a check (US currency only), please send via US mail after the submission of your online application. Applications will not be forwarded to the jury process unless your jury fee is paid in full. The non-refundable jury fee check will be deposited upon receipt.
All checks are to be made payable to “IOW Chamber of Commerce” and sent to:
Isle of Wight-Smithfield-Windsor Chamber of Commerce
PO Box 38, Smithfield, VA 23431
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 organizers. All tables must be skirted to the ground. Proper tent weights are required by every participating artist. 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 exhibitors will be visited by a festival committee member to ensure they are in compliance with our festival policies. It is the exclusive right and responsibility of the festival committee to request 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. The Smithfield Fall Festival of the Arts is a family-oriented event, and exhibits must be in keeping with this atmosphere.
Jury and Selection Process
Our jurors panel consists of 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.
The jury is a blind jury, meaning all applications are viewed anonymously and the jurors do not know the names of or any other information about the artists. Booth images should show your booth as it is set up for exhibition at an outdoor show with your work displayed. Your booth image should not show your name or have people standing in the booth.
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. The decision of the jury is based solely on the images submitted and all decisions are final. Artists who are members of the Isle of Wight Arts League are exempted from the jury process.
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
Images from accepted artists will be retained for promotion and adherence to the rules. A wait list, by category, will be established based on jury scores.
Notification and Booth Fee Payment
Status notification will be available online at www.juriedartservices.com on June 12, 2015. (Please keep your email address updated with JAS to receive this information in a timely manner.) Accepted artists will be required to submit their booth fee payment by the deadline date of July 3, 2015 for participation. If the booth fee is not received by the deadline date, the artist may forfeit his/her participation in the festival. To make an online credit card booth fee payment, please follow the steps below:
- Artists log into their JAS account
- Click on the specific application to check the status
- Status letter will open
- Within the letter use the CLICK HERE link to access the acceptance/decline form
- Fill out the form; when completed hit SUBMIT
- If artist declines participation, the process is over
- If artist accepts participation he/she will be re-directed to the secured payment page for credit card payment.
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 Isle of Wight-Smithfield-Windsor Chamber of Commerce. All questions or concerns regarding the payment of your fees should be directed to the Chamber of Commerce at 757-357-3502 or email chamber@theisle.org.
If paying with a check (US Currency only) please send via US mail before the July 3, 2015 deadline date. Include artist’s name and name of festival on your check.
All checks are to be made payable to “IOW Chamber of Commerce” and sent to:
Isle of Wight-Smithfield-Windsor Chamber of Commerce
PO Box 38, Smithfield, VA 23431
If you have any questions regarding status notification or our payment process please contact the festival organizers.
Categories
Ceramics, Drawing, Fiber/Wearable, Glass, Jewelry, Metal, Painting, Photography, Wood, Other Media.
Ceramics – Original shaped and fired clay (including earthenware, porcelain, stoneware and terracotta), excluding jewelry may not be machine-made, mass produced or used as an embellishment on another medium. (For example, a leather handbag with clay balls for decoration.)
Drawing – Drawings are two-dimensional works on paper using one of the following: graphite, ink, charcoal, pastels, wax crayon, chalk and a variety of other marking media.
Fiber/Wearable:
Fiber: Original work created by the artist includes non-wearable artwork from fibers such as basketry, batik, embroidery, weaving, tapestry and papermaking. Excludes jewelry
Wearable: Includes clothing or leather goods, such as belts or purses that can be worn. No factory-produced items, regardless of additional modifications or enhancements by the artists may be exhibited. No tie dye or factory produced items are permitted. Excludes jewelry.
Glass – Original work created in glass by the artist including blown glass, fused glass or stained glass. Excludes jewelry
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.
Painting:
Painting: Oil/Acrylic – Creation of a still life, portrait, landscape, abstract or other subject matter on a flat surface such as canvas with a single medium including oil and/or acrylic paint or sticks; egg tempura; casein or alkyd.
Painting: Watercolor – Creation of a still life, portrait, landscape, abstract or other subject matter on a flat surface such as watercolor paper with watercolors.
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.
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 of their work. 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 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, follow the steps below:
- Artists log into their JAS account
- Click on the specific application to check the status
- Status letter will open
- Within the letter use the CLICK HERE link to access the Waitlist Acceptance/Decline Form
- Fill out the form completely
- When completed hit SUBMIT; this completes the process
Cancellation and Refund Policy
Cancellations must be made in written form and submitted by mail or email. Emails should be sent to: Sherri Gill, chamber@theisle.org.
Cancellations prior to August 7, 2015 will receive a full refund. Thereafter, a 50% refund less $25 Admin Fee is available until August 21, 2015. No refund after August 21, 2015. 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 757-357-3502 (leave message) by 7am Saturday, September 19 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.