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Artist Application

Note: There is a $35 non-refundable application jury fee. Application fees are non-refundable. If accepted, the application fee will be credited to your space rental.

Apply at ZAPPLICATION

GENERAL INFORMATION

October 11, 12, 13, 2024
Friday and Saturday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Sunday 10:00 am to 5:00 pm

Set-up time on Friday at 6am, no earlier.

IMPORTANT DATES

Application dates – January 22, 2024 thru May 1, 2024

Notification of acceptance – May 9, 2024

Deadline to confirm & pay – May 23, 2024

Cancellation deadline with full refund – September 1, 2024
(Application fees/business license fees are not refundable.) *

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

All applications are processed through ZAPPLICATION and must include five photos, four of which represent your work and one of your booth display. The images that you submit are what the jury will look at when they score your work. You will only be allowed to display and sell products that were represented in your application.

BOOTH FEES

  • 10’ x 10’ – $300
  • 10’ x 15’ – $450
  • 10’ x 20’ – $600
  • Special Location Request fee – $100
    If you require a specific booth space, or placement in the Fair you must purchase a Special Location Request. The fee is refundable if the request cannot be reasonably accommodated.

REFUND POLICY

Full space rent refund if artist cancels by September 1, 2024. Application fees/business license fees are not refundable.

All cancellation requests must be received in writing or email. No verbal requests will be honored.  All cancellations made prior to 5:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time on September 1, 2024, will receive a full refund less credit card fees when applicable and a $75 processing fee.  No refunds will be given for cancellations made after 5:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time on September 1, 2024. There are no exceptions for any reason.

BOOTH SPACE PURCHASING

Booth Spaces are purchased on a first come first serve basis. Spaces are limited to a total amount of artists per category along with doubles that are available. Once invitations are released, booth spaces become available for purchase. Please note that doubles are usually the first to sell out.  Once booth spaces sell out, artists will have the option of being put on the Waitlist.

SPECIAL LOCATION REQUEST

Upon being invited to the Fair and purchasing your booth space, all artists who pay and submit a Special Location Request will receive priority on a space over those who don’t.  We will do our best to accommodate all who have paid for Special Location Requests. 

There is no electricity available. Open flame or propane heaters are not allowed in artist booths. Only battery-operated generators allowed.  No gas or electric generators allowed.

Due to fire code restrictions, we can only guarantee corner booths ten feet, regardless of whether the corner is located on a fire break or an intersection.

PARKING

Parking is the responsibility of the artist. Be aware of fire lanes, driveways and no parking signs. Artists are NOT allowed to park inside the parking area immediately surrounding the Fair. Please park in the residential neighborhoods surrounding the fair. Do NOT park on Main Street or Pima Street.

AWARDS

During the event, our staff will select one artist to be awarded with the ‘Best of Show Award’. The winner will receive a custom award and a single 10′ x 10′ booth space (or the equivalent in rent credit if winner has a larger space) at the next event. Selection is based on artwork, booth presentation, and the artist’s interaction with our guests.

JURY PROCEDURE

All applications will go through a blind jury process. The applicant’s photos, image descriptions and artist statement will be the only information provided to the jury. No identifying information should be included in the photos. Because of this, it is vital to provide clear, professional images, as well as a succinct artist statement and image description with your application. Jury scores will not be released. All decisions of the jury panel are final.

Please note, participation in a previous festival, or longstanding history with the festival, is appreciated and taken into consideration, but does not guarantee future acceptance.

ARTIST CATEGORIES

All disciplines must adhere to the following: Works must be made by the exhibiting artist, no buy-sell/resale, imported, mass-produced, or machine line work.

  • Ceramics – Original functional and non-functional works, other than jewelry, using clay as the primary medium, including, but not limited to porcelain, stoneware, raku, earthenware, etc. Any molds used must have been created by the applying artist. No machine-made or mass-produced work is permitted. If multiple pieces of the same design are displayed, each piece must be signed.
  • Clothing – All original, hand-made clothing, including surface design which is airbrushed or hand-applied to the clothing. Machine-made or massed produced clothing with a hand-applied surface design is acceptable.
  • Drawing & Painting – All works created by hand using wet and dry media including chalk, charcoal, pastels, pencil, wax crayon, inks, washes, paints, etc. Signed limited edition prints of original works are permitted.
  • Fiber – All work crafted from fibers including basketry, embroidery, weaving, tapestry, batik, painted silk, wearables, paper-making, broom corn, rope, etc.  No machine tooling, machine-screened patterns or other forms of mass production are permitted.  No factory produced wearable items are permitted unless there has been a minimum of 75% modification or enhancement by the artist.
  • Furniture – Work created as furniture in any media.
  • Glass – All fused and slumped glass, hand-blown glass items, and handmade leaded glass works.
  • Jewelry Fine: Handmade jewelry using precious metals; gem-quality stones and/or a high degree of design.
  • Jewelry Ornamental – Handmade jewelry for ornamental purposes using non-precious metals and or semi-precious stones or beads.
  • Leather – All handmade leather items, including belts, bags, shoes, hats, wallets, or decorative art, such as wall hangings, etc.  Leather can be cut, stamped, sewn, embossed ,painted, or embellished according to the artist’s original design.
  • Metal Work – All non-sculptural handmade works.
  • Mixed Media – All works utilizing different media combined to make one work of art or craft.
  • Musical – All handmade musical instruments of any media.
  • Other – Art not fitting any other category, including hammocks, corkers, light switch plates, fan pulls, animal apparel (dog hats, collars), etc.
  • Paper – All handmade works of paper art or craft.
  • Photography – All photographic works including digital prints.
  • Printmaking – All printmaking works, including lithography, screen printing, woodcuts, engraving, etching, mezzotint, aquatint, drypoint, etc.
  • Sculpture – All art that is three-dimensional incorporating any material that is carved, modeled, constructed, cast or built-up.
  • Textiles Non-Clothing – All handmade textile non-clothing, including quilting, embroidery, canvas work, etc.
  • Toys – All handmade toys or games.
  • Upcycled/Creative Reuse – Art using found objects as the primary medium. Works can be either two or three dimensional but must use a minimum of 75% recycled or reused materials. Artists must demonstrate they have substantially transformed by-products, waste materials, useless and/or unwanted products into new works of art.
  • Wood – All handmade wood items that are sculptural and functional but not furniture or toy.

We will reject all resale applications, applications for items that are made by my family, items that require minimal assembly from pre-made components, health/well-being/beauty-care items (including pain-relief jewelry and items with ‘magical’ healing properties), simple candles, and food/beverage items (including honey.)

The items that you sell must be demonstrably made by you, with no more than two others involved in the production. Every effort will be made to not book artists whose work closely resembles work by other artists booked at the fair.

All products must be handmade by no more than three people in the artist’s studio.  The primary artist must be present during the entire show.

RULES / REGULATIONS

The following rules and regulations have been established by the promoters to ensure quality, integrity of process, presentation and patron’s experience:

  • All artists are required to check in prior to setting up. Set-up must be completed by 9:00 a.m. on opening day.  Booths must be open by 10:00 a.m., and remain open until the official close on all three days. Artists must claim their assigned booth space no later than 6:30 a.m. on Friday, or it may be forfeited.
  • Artists are responsible for removing all trash and debris from their assigned booth area during load-out, as well as ensuring the general cleanliness of the area surrounding their booth throughout the Fair.
  • All work must be represented by the original artist, including commercial reproductions of artwork – limited edition signed works are allowed.
  • No booth sharing is allowed.
  • No pre-recorded music may be sold.
  • If you are demonstrating your craft or talent in your booth, we reserve the right to control the methods, materials, volume or any activity which may provide a hazard or nuisance. The artist must remain in their booth. No selling, storing or demonstrating is allowed outside of the artist’s assigned booth. No fire/flame, or fuel-powered generators.
  • The artist is responsible for providing their own tent, tables, chairs, display materials and equipment (i.e. dollies, carts, etc.).  If you need to rent any of these items Fair staff will be happy to provide contact information to the Fair’s official tent rental company.
  • The artist is responsible for proper insurance and protection of their products and equipment during set-up, throughout the Fair and load-out. The Fair is not responsible for any damage to an artist’s property due to weather, unrelated incidents or acts of God. General security is provided 24-hours during the show. If additional security/accommodations are required by an artist, arrangements must be made prior to setup. The artist will be responsible for all related additional costs.
  • All artists are expected to comply with all Fair and government regulations and respect artistry standards. The Promoter reserves the right and responsibility to ensure compliance of all regulations. Failure to comply and cooperate with Fair Staff will result in the exhibitor’s removal from the show with no refund and exhibitor’s ability to exhibit in future shows revoked.
  • All canopies must be fire retardant and must be tied down with a minimum of 40 pounds of weight on each leg at all times. Canopies must never be left unattended while show is open. In the event of a wind or weather event, management may request that canopies be lowered.
  • The promoters are the final arbiter(s) of all Fair rules, and all their decisions are final.
  • Permitted age of artists – All participants must be 18 years or older.
  • Artist must be present – The artist/artists who sign the contract MUST be present at the show for the entire three-day event and exhibit hours posted for the public..  Representatives may not attend in place of the artist.   This is intended to give our audience an opportunity to engage with the artists themselves, which creates a greater connection to the works.
  • Good Neighbor Policy – We expect all of our exhibiting artists to show respect and courtesy to their booth neighbors.  Please do not engage in any activities that will decrease your neighbor’s ability for success.  Do not be rude, loud, encroach on their space, engage their customers inappropriately (cross-calling), use strong smelling chemicals, play music too loudly, or in any way be disrespectful. Pets must well-behaved, and non-agressive, and must remain on leash unless being walked. Clean-up after your pet. Promoter has final word in dispute mediation.
  • Rain or Shine Event – Agree to be present despite weather conditions.  Though rain is not common in the Desert Southwest, each participant is responsible for preparing their displays to withstand weather fluctuations including rain and wind.
  • Event is held on City of Cottonwood property. No electricity is available. No fuel-powered generators, space heaters, or open flames (candles, etc.) are permitted.
  • Collaborators – Exhibitor assures that he or she has direct hands-on involvement in the creation and execution of each piece of work to be exhibited.  Collaborating artists, if accepted, may show only their collaborative works and their names must be listed as collaborators on the show application.  Collaborations are intended to be true artistic collaborations rather than business partners.  The creative contribution of each artist in the collaboration must be identified on the application.
  • No Distributors allowed – Artists involved in distributing volume production for others are not permitted to exhibit. If the artist himself/herself is a distributor or wholesaler, then only work personally created and made by the exhibiting artist is allowed to be presented in the festival.
  • Original Work – PBSW Events, LLC dba The Arizona Wine Country Artists Village has the right to investigate the origins of all artwork presented. If any artwork is found to be not original of the applicant’s creation, the PBSW Events, LLC dba The Arizona Wine Country Artists Village has the right to refuse participation without refund. All work in every category must be the original work produced by the exhibiting artist. No ‘buy-sell/resale’, mass-produced component assembly, or other art that is not personally created and produced by the applying artist is permitted. Work which has been produced with commercially-acquired kits, molds, patterns, plans, prefabricated forms or other commercial methods is not permitted. No work “Made by my family” is permitted.
  • AI- generated art – No AI-generated art is permitted.
  • Excluded/ineligible vendors – Buy-sell/resale
  • Jewelry – Jewelry can only be present in the booths of those artists in the jewelry category.  Please do not sell jewelry or pins if you have not been juried and accepted as a jewelry artist. Chains and chokers not made by the artist may be sold by jewelry artists as part of a unit, but they may not be sold by themselves if they are not original works of the artist. If you apply in another category but the work is jewelry, we will move you in the Jewelry category.
  • Upcycled/creative re-use – Works included for sale in this category must be 75% reclaimed materials that are altered by the artist.  No jewelry allowed in this category.
  • Reproductions – Reproductions over $50.00 must be signed and numbered. Original works should occupy a minimum of 60% of any artist booth, leaving 40% for reproductions. 2D reproductions must be matted.
  • All displayed work must be accepted by the jury process – Work displayed on site must be consistent with the work shown in the digital images submitted.  No work outside of your juried category will be allowed.
  • No promotional additions are permitted – Exhibitors are prohibited from selling non-original promotion items (i.e., posters, postcards, calendars, tee shirts, mugs, videos, DVDs, etc.) at the exhibition. All items exhibited must be submitted for jury approval in their appropriate categories listed on the artists’ application inventory.
  • Disclosure of licensed image sales – If artist has sold or licensed images of his/her original work to commercial concerns and those images which will be displayed at the Festival, the artist must disclose that licensing through on-site public disclaimer signage stating that some of the images being presented have been licensed for reproduction and may be found at commercial sale as reproductions being sold at discounted prices.
  • Load-in/load-out information: No Vehicles of any kind permitted on the grass, no exceptions. There are four entrances to the field, or supplies may be handed over the fence. Hand-trucks/dollies/wagons are permitted.
  • No electricity is available at the event, and no powered generators are permitted.
  • On-site set-up/strike requirements – All applicants are required to check in prior to setting up to receive their space assignment. Booths must be set-up by 9 a.m., open by 10 a.m. and remain open until the official close all three days. Applicants must claim their assigned booth space no later than 8 a.m. Friday or it may be forfeited.  Applicants are responsible for removing debris and ensuring the general cleanliness of the area surrounding their booths throughout the Festival and following its conclusion.
  • On-site safety & security – Applicants shall display all work at their own risk. PBSW EVENTS LLC and the City of Cottonwood are not responsible for damage, theft or loss of artwork or display furnishings. All participants are responsible for their own replacement, comprehensive and liability insurance. Proof of liability with the City of Cottonwood named as additionally insured will be required and booth assignment will not be given until it is provided. You will be notified if this pertains to you. Applicants must obey all pertinent safety codes and laws, including, but not limited to fire, safety and parking regulations.
  • No show – If an artist does not check-in and set up for the festival and does not contact the promoter, they are considered a ‘no-show.’  We understand that emergencies do happen and there will be latitude for such circumstances. However, an unexcused no-show will result in forfeiting any future participation in the festival. Should an emergency or last minute situation arise, contact the promoter immediately.
  • Canopies – Canopy tents must be fire retardant and must be secured with a minimum of 40 pounds of weight on each leg at all times. Absolutely no staking of canopies to the ground due to irrigation lines. Never leave your tent unattended, and lower your tent in the event of a wind or weather event.

GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS

All artists must have a valid, current Arizona Transaction Privilege Tax License; a valid, current Cottonwood Business License (fee is $50/yearly) and proof of a minimum of $1,000,000 liability insurance with the City of Cottonwood and PBSW Events, LLC named as additional co-insured. Local sales tax must be collected and reported on all cash transactions.

SALES TAX RATE – CITY OF COTTONWOOD, ARIZONA

9.850%

SALES TAX LICENSE/PERMITS

It is required that participants register for their tax license prior to the event.

The Arizona Department of Revenue (ADOR) and the City of Cottonwood Finance Division require contact information for everyone participating in the event, including artists, and sponsors. All participants are required to fulfill their legal, statutory obligations and will be contacted by the state and city for filing procedures and payment of all sales taxes and fees. Please be aware, there are different license requirements for the City of Cottonwood and State of Arizona.

JURY DETAILS

  • Average number of applications submitted each year: 100
  • Average number of artists selected from the jury to participate in the event: 35
  • Average number of exempt from jury artists who are invited to participate in the event: 0
  • How returning artists are selected: All artists are subject to blind jury process.
  • Vendors that are excluded/ineligible: Buy/Re-sell, Food & Beverage, Personal Care/Health & Beauty, Home Improvement, Travel
  • How images are viewed by jurors: Computer monitor
  • Within a medium category, applications are sorted and viewed by application ID (number generated when application is started by artist.)
  • Jurors score applications using the following scale: 1 – 7
  • Number of jurors scoring applications: 3
  • The show organizes the jurors for a single jury panel that scores applications for all medium categories.
  • Jurors score separately from various locations.
  • Am I allowed to observe the jury process? No, the jury process is closed.

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