Prospectus

American Craft Shows
2020 Season

Do you make incredibly well-crafted wearables, jewelry, home goods, or lifestyle items? Are you committed to sharing your story as a maker and influencing the craft marketplace? Does your work reflect the diversity of the contemporary craft marketplace?

As a national organization with an ambitious vision to galvanize diverse craft communities to advance craft as a catalyst for contemporary American life, the American Craft Council produces four major juried marketplace events for the 2020 season. ACC encourages makers at all stages in their career who qualify to apply for the American Craft Shows and join our show artist community.

How to apply
The application period for the 2020 season is open June 15 through August 19, 2019.

About the shows – artists and audience
ACC’s four annual, juried craft shows (Baltimore, Atlanta, St. Paul, and San Francisco) convene a vibrant and diverse community of more than 1,500 of the country’s most talented craft artists – ranging from those just beginning their careers to masters in the field – and reach nearly 50,000 attendees each year. Annual artists’ sales total more than $15 million, and exhibiting artists represent the freshest and broad aesthetic, intellectual, technical, and material diversity of the craft field, from age-old traditions to cutting-edge technologies to DIY and upcycling makers movements.

Collectively, artists who participate in the American Craft Shows represent the potential of craft in an ever-evolving marketplace and creative economy. They demonstrate ambitious and inventive marketplace awareness as much as they engage in creating quality, beautiful, and useful objects and products that improve our lives. Makers who have been successful in the marketplace use the ACC show platform to launch new products, new lines, and new stories. Ambitious artists making incredibly noticeable work are experimenting with new markets and buyers and connecting with gallerists and curators. Above all, they’re makers supporting other makers for the greater good. They’re the future of the marketplace, propelling a movement toward a more thoughtful and compelling way of bringing the beauty of handmade work into our lives.

ACC’s craft marketplace continues to evolve to represent, demonstrate, and model a contemporary craft ecosystem. The American Craft Council is committed to showing up in cities, neighborhoods, and communities to convene makers and marketers, curators and collectors, shoppers and critics, buyers and sellers, thought leaders and civic leaders. Our shows are about celebrating, projecting, and growing an expanded craft footprint in our creative economy.

Equity and Inclusion
We believe in expanding the definition of craft and community through our inclusion and equity statement:

The American Craft Council is committed to justice, inclusiveness, and equity.
Drawing on craft’s rich legacy of openness and its deep roots in all cultures,
the Council will work to create opportunities for
creative people from all walks of life.

Questions?
For questions about the shows or the application process, please email our staff at
shows@craftcouncil.org.

Application Overview
The 2020 American Craft Show season will have a total of four juries that applicants can apply into:

Jury 1: Wearables
(bags and handbags, clothing, footwear, hats and scarves, and leather)

Jury 2: Home Goods
(tableware and sculptural pieces in ceramics, fiber, glass, stone, metal, wood, mixed media, and basketry)

Jury 3: Lifestyle
(bicycles, boats and accessories, fishing and accessories, shelter, surfboards, skateboards, and musical instruments)

Jury 4: Jewelry
(metal, enamel, and non-metal)

We encourage you to apply if you produce original work in any of the following categories: bags and handbags, basketry, bicycles, boats and accessories, ceramics, clothing, fiber, fishing and accessories, footwear, furniture, glass, hats and scarves, jewelry, leather, lighting, metal, mixed media, musical instruments, paper, shelter, stone, surfboards and skateboards, textiles, or wood.

Deadline: August 19, 2019

Jury results will be emailed to applicants in late September 2019.

Emerging Artists Program
ACC recognizes and supports artists as they make their way through different stages on their pathway to practice. If you’re new to ACC and have never done a major craft show before, we encourage you to apply for our emerging artists program. Now in its sixth year, our Hip Pop program offers lower booth fees, a custom-made exhibiting space shared with five other artists, and more extensive exhibitor support. NOTE: The application process for the emerging artists program is separate from that for traditional booths. Visit craftcouncil.org/hippop to learn more and apply.

Grant Opportunity for Fiber Artists
Are you a fiber artist who hasn’t participated in our American Craft Shows before? Each year we offer financial support to two new fiber artists through our Randall Darwall Fiber Grant, created in honor of a longtime ACC show artist. Learn more and apply here .

What is eligible?

Three-dimensional, handmade craft that is handmade and reflects excellence and the unique vision of its maker or community.
Work that is thoughtfully conceived and skillfully executed.
Work that is the design of the applicant and made in the United States or Canada by the applicant or under their direct supervision.
Three-dimensional printed work is eligible; however, all work, printing, and design must be executed by the artist or printed under the direct supervision of the artist.
Small-studio production work made under the direct supervision of the applicant. Direct supervision requires that the artist oversees production work as it occurs and provides constant direction, feedback, and assistance. All work must be produced in the United States or Canada. ACC reserves the right to require authentication of the production process at any time during the application and exhibition process.

What is not eligible?

Commercially manufactured art.
Work assembled (wholly or in part) from commercially available kits.
Two-dimensional art such as paintings, prints, or photographs.
No production work by third-party printers will be allowed.
Mixed media work that uses paint and canvas as its primary medium.
Screen-printed material.
Etchings or web- or sheet-fed offset printed work
Works that use materials acquired from the killing of endangered species.
Elephant/mammoth ivory, including fossilized ivory.
Dried or silk flower arrangements.
Soaps
Bonsai
Embellished commercially-made objects (such as T-shirts, note cards, etc.)

Note: The Council’s decision is final with regard to acceptability of exhibitors’ work. Ineligible work, items and/or exhibitors may be removed from the show without prior notification and/or refund of booth fee.

Standards
As a national organization with an ambitious vision to galvanize diverse craft communities to advance craft as a catalyst for contemporary American life, the American Craft Council enrolls a diverse, knowledgeable and respected cadre of jurors who are committed to growing the craft creative economy.

Jurors select craft artists who demonstrate a fresh aesthetic and collectively represent a diverse array of craft mediums at various price points, aiming to achieve a balanced representation of qualified applications in the following juried categories:

Wearables
Lifestyle
Home Goods
Jewelry

Each application to the American Craft Show will be scored by a jury of seven people. Jurors will review applicants images of work, artistic statements, and marketing presence, and rate the applications for:

Technical and aesthetic aptitude
Marketplace awareness and impact

Collaboration and artist acknowledgement

One primary artist must be listed on each application, as the shows are organized by artist. Artists may also add secondary collaborative partners. This means they will be listed side-by-side in the directory, booth signs, etc. unless the primary artist directs us otherwise. The primary artist or collaborative partners must be present at the show.
Artists working together may apply as one if they collaborate on every piece. If accepted, they may exhibit only pieces that are part of the collaboration.
Secondary collaborative artists are defined as being an integral part of the design and making of the work.
If two artists have unrelated work, operate separate businesses, and wish to share a booth space, both artists must submit images in their respective medium categories and be accepted individually. The minimum shared booth size for two artists is 10 x 15 ft. For three artists, it’s 10 x 20 ft.

General Policies
ACC reserves the right to:

Invite up to 20 percent of the show artists. ACC is committed to creating and supporting a vibrant and compelling marketplace experience and reserves the right to invite and curate show artists.
Refuse submissions that fail to meet the high level of quality and fail to meet the standards of the jury.
Require removal of objects at a show that are inconsistent with the application submission. Exhibitors must display work consistent with the type and quality represented in their submission.
Remove an artist from the show if all work is not the design of the applicant and made in the United States or Canada by the applicant or under his/her direct supervision.
Cancel any show that does not receive sufficient, appropriate applications.
Retain all fees for show applications and space reservations.
Exceptions to this policy may be considered in extraordinary circumstances. Cancellation by the exhibitor will result in forfeiture of all fees paid up to the date of cancellation.
Reclassify applications if the jury selected on the application does not fit the type of work

How To Apply

Artists are encouraged to carefully prepare their applications for this highly selective marketplace project.
Submit application materials (five digital images and an artist statement) via Juried Art Services, the online application system (juriedartservices.com) by midnight (PST) on August 19, 2019.
Each application will be given one jury score for the four 2020 marketplace events artists apply into. Mark the checkbox for each show you would like to apply for.
In an effort to demonstrate new and fresh work, returning applicants are encouraged to submit at least two to three images of new work.

Image Requirements and Specifications

Digital images must be an accurate representation of the object as it was originally photographed. Acceptable manipulations include: size of the file, background, lighting, shadows, contrast, color correction, and/or adjustments that do not affect the object itself.
Professional photography is highly recommended as it best highlights the quality of your work for jurying and allows us to use your images for show marketing purposes. We suggest using a white background in your images. ACC retains the right to use application images in show marketing materials, including social media, with artist consent and acknowledgement.
We encourage you to submit new images each year. Submitted images should be high resolution (a minimum of 300 dpi at 5 x 7 in.). Juried Art Services requires that images be between 1400 and 4000 pixels on the longest side. Refer to the help menu on the Juried Art Services website and review the application checklist. Contact Juried Art Services directly for technical assistance.

Artist information

Any information collected in the application may be used in show directories and online artist listings (name, secondary artist name(s), company name, city, state, website URL, and/or email address). Please review this information carefully for accuracy before submitting your application. Your information will be published as entered.

Jewelry applications - IMPORTANT

Jewelry images must all be submitted under jewelry. Do not include jewelry images in any other category submission, or they will be removed.
Any artist who wishes to exhibit jewelry, as well as other types of work, must submit separate applications in the appropriate categories.

Multiple Bodies of Work

If an artist makes two distinct bodies of work in the same jury category, they may wish to submit a separate application for each. Applicants may not submit the same image more than once in the same category.
A single application representing multiple bodies of work in the same material must proportionately reflect what the artist intends to exhibit at the show. For example, if one type of work predominates in the artist’s display, it must predominate in the files submitted. ACC reserves the right to enforce the same proportion in your display.
If an artist wishes to apply with more than one application, they must apply with separate online user IDs, digital images, and application fees.
If there are multiple applications and only one is accepted, only work represented in that application may be exhibited. If both are accepted, the work may be exhibited in any proportion.

Invited vs. Wait-listed
If one application is accepted and another is wait-listed, the wait-listed work may not represent more than one-third of the entire booth. Once the artist’s number on the wait list is reached, the artist may include the wait-listed work in his/her booth in any proportion.

Jury Process

Each applicant must select a jury category.
Each application to the American Craft Show will be scored by a jury of seven people.
Jurors will review applications in August.
Applications will be scored based upon technical and aesthetic aptitude and marketplace awareness and impact.
Average jury scores are tabulated by the digital jury system to produce a single score.
Invitations to exhibit are issued to artists in each material classification with the highest scores.
A wait list in each media is created from the scores immediately following those invited to exhibit. The Council reserves the right to balance its shows through artists on the waitlist.
Individual scores are not released, and the Council does not provide an explanation of why an artist’s submission was or was not accepted.

Deadlines

Application deadline for 2020 shows is August 19, 2019, at midnight (PST.)
Jury results for all shows will be emailed to show applicants in late September 2019.

Application Fees

$15 processing and handling fee for each set of images.
$30 application fee for each show you would like those images applied to.
All application fees are non-refundable and are not transferable. The Council assumes no responsibility for the receipt of incomplete applications.

Booth Fees
Booth fees vary by show location and cover the following:

Space rental
Booth sign
Exhibitor badge plus one assistant badge
Stock storage and empty crate removal and storage
Listing in print show directory
Listing on show website
Ten free guest passes
Discounted guest passes for public days
National, regional, and local advertising campaigns
Social media kit for artists
Social media campaigns

Booth fees DO NOT cover:

Ancillary decorator services such as pipe and drape, carpet, shipping, etc.
Electricity (exception: San Francisco show)
Exhibitors are responsible for having the outside and back of their booths visually presentable, as these are visible from the adjoining booths. Exhibitors must provide their own booth or rent a booth from the show decorator.

Exhibitor Terms and Conditions
Accepted exhibitors must agree to abide by the general terms and conditions of the American Craft Shows below.

Exhibitors must be full-time residents of the United States or Canada.
Exhibitors must be professional, capable of producing work of consistent quality, and responsible for fulfilling orders obtained at a Council show.
All work in Council shows must be original and created by the exhibitor or under the exhibitor’s direct supervision. Exhibitors must display only their own work, not work made by others.
All work must be original and handmade in the United States or Canada. Small studio production work under the direct supervision of the applicant is acceptable.
Exhibitors must present work consistent with the type and quality represented in the application submission. In addition, work of inferior quality or inordinate proportions of work not represented in the image submission are not permitted.
Exhibitors must attend their work in person for the duration of the show. Exhibitors’ employees may not substitute for the exhibitor. Sales representatives are never permitted.
Booth displays must remain intact until the show ends.
Exhibitors must be current members of the American Craft Council at the time they exhibit in a Council show.
Exhibitors must have a valid state sales tax permit from each state in which they are participating in a Council show. Exhibitors are responsible for collecting and reporting sales tax where applicable.

American Craft Show, Baltimore
The Baltimore Convention Center in Maryland is home to the Council’s flagship show, now in its 44th year. This highly competitive and prestigious show is a must-attend event for wholesale buyers and the public, attracting artists, buyers, and craft appreciators from across the United States.

Jury notifications will be emailed in late September of 2019.

Please note: There are three separate sections in the Baltimore show: wholesale-only, wholesale/retail, and retail-only. Each is considered to be a separate portion of the show and should be applied to separately. Artists may apply to any or all sections of the show and are eligible to exhibit only in the sections to which they apply and are accepted. Note how many booths are available in each section of the show when considering your application choices.

New in 2020: You spoke and we listened. The 2020 wholesale show will be back to two days.

Show Dates
February 19 - 20, 2020 (wholesale)
February 21 – 23, 2020 (retail)

Move-in Dates
Wholesale and wholesale/retail sections: February 17 – 18, 2020
Retail section: February 19 – 20, 2020

Show Size
Wholesale-only section: 50 exhibitors
Wholesale/retail section: 275 exhibitors
Retail-only section: 300 exhibitors

Booths and Fees

Wholesale-only (two days)

10 x 10 ft.: $1,000
15 x 10 ft.: $1,500
Corner booths: $300 additional
Perimeter corner (corner booth on wall): $150 additional

Wholesale/retail (two days wholesale/three days retail)

10 x 8 ft.: $1,630
10 x 10 ft.: $2,040
15 x 10 ft.: $3,060
20 x 10 ft.: $4,080
20 x 5 ft.: $2,840 (includes two corner fees)

Corner booths: $400 additional
Perimeter corner (corner booth on wall): $200 additional

Retail-only (three days)

10 x 8 ft.: $1,140
10 x 10 ft.: $1,425
15 x 10 ft.: $2,140
20 x 10 ft.: $2,850
20 x 5 ft.: $2,225 (includes two corner fees)

Corner booths: $400 additional
Perimeter corner (corner booth on wall): $200 additional

A $65 facility service fee will be added to each booth contract. (This is charged as a separate fee in order for all artists to pay an equal amount regardless of booth size; for facility services such as custodial and in-house building security.)

American Craft Show, Atlanta
Now in its 31st year, the Atlanta show is held at Cobb Galleria Centre, a beautiful venue situated near the affluent suburbs of Cobb County, Georgia, with easy highway access and ample parking. It’s a very competitive show that draws a sophisticated audience.

Jury notifications will be emailed in late September of 2019.

Please Note: Wholesale opportunities are offered for artists at our retail shows. ACC reaches out to buyers and invites them to attend anytime during the show. Artists will be asked to check a box on their space reservation form if they are interested in conducting wholesale business.

Show dates
March 13 – 15, 2020

Move-in dates
March 11 – 12, 2020

Show size
230 exhibitors

Booths and fees

10 x 10 ft.: $940
15 x 10 ft.: $1,410
20 x 10 ft.: $1,880
20 x 5 ft.: $1,540 (includes two corner fees)

Corner booths: $300 additional
Perimeter corner (corner booth on wall): $150 additional

American Craft Show, St. Paul
Now in its 34 year, this established show attracts a loyal regional audience, many of whom are collectors, and draws attendees from the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, as well as western Wisconsin. It’s held at St. Paul RiverCentre, a superb facility in the heart of downtown.

Jury notifications will be emailed in late September of 2019.

Please Note: Wholesale opportunities are offered for artists at our retail shows. ACC reaches out to buyers and invites them to attend anytime during the show. Artists will be asked to check a box on their space reservation form if they are interested in conducting wholesale business.

Show dates
April 16, 2020 (Preview Party)
April 17 – 19, 2020

Move-in dates
April 15 – 16, 2020

Show size
230 exhibitors

Booths and fees

10 x 8 ft.: $755
10 x 10 ft.: $940
15 x 10 ft.: $1,410
20 x 10 ft.: $1,880
20 x 5 ft.; $1,540 (includes two corner fees)

Corner booths: $300 additional
Perimeter corner (corner booth on wall): $150 additional

American Craft Show, San Francisco
Now in its 45th year, our San Francisco show is held at the Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture’s Festival Pavilion, which is located on the waterfront between Fisherman's Wharf and the Golden Gate Bridge. This show serves a well-established audience of Bay Area craft enthusiasts, including a growing younger demographic of admirers of handmade goods.

Jury notifications will be emailed in late September of 2019.

Show dates
July 31 – August 2, 2020

Move-in dates
July 29 – 30, 2020

Show size
250 exhibitors

Booths and fees*

10 x 5 ft.: $635
10 x 8 ft.:$1,015
10 x 10 ft.: $1,270
15 x 10 ft.: $1,905
20 x 5 ft.: $1270

Corner booths: $400 additional
Perimeter corner (corner booth on wall): $200 additional

*Booth fee includes electricity.