
Fallasburg Arts Festival
Artist Application 2023

EVENT LOCATION
Fallasburg Park
1124 Fallasburg Park Drive
Lowell, MI 49331
EVENT DATES & TIMES
Sat, Sept 16, 10:00am-5:00pm
Sun, Sept 17, 10:00am-5:00pm
TIMELINE
Application Deadline May 1
Artist Notification E-mailed June 1
Acceptance Deadline July 1
Artist Set-up September 15 & 16
Show Dates September 16 & 17







Artist Application
Deadline May 1
Fine Art & Fine Craft Festival
September 16 & 17, 2023
Now in its 55th year, the LowellArts Fallasburg Arts Festival features 100 juried fine art and fine craft booths, food booths, a children’s craft area, craft demonstrations inside a large pavilion, and musicians performing on an outdoor stage. The two-day event is held in Fallasburg Park, one of Kent County’s most beautiful public parks, located north of Lowell, MI on the Flat River. Lowell is located 14 miles east of Grand Rapids and 1-hour from Lake Michigan and Lansing. Annual attendance estimates are 25,000.
About the Festival
The Fallasburg Arts Festival is a program of LowellArts, a non-profit arts organization with a gallery and classroom space in downtown Lowell. LowellArts presents programs in visual and performing arts throughout the year. The Fallasburg Arts Festival is a rain or shine event. It is a major annual fundraiser for LowellArts as well as for many other community non-profits who raise funds through food sales and donations in the children's area.
Jury Process
A jury made up of community arts professionals selects artists based on their submitted application and images using a blind jury process. The jury committee selects a diverse range of artists whose work is original, high-quality, and represents a variety of media and creative styles. Artist images should be representative of the work to be sold at the show. Prior acceptance to the festival does not guarantee future acceptance. A non-refundable $30 jury fee is required for application processing. Application fees can be paid by credit card on-line or by check. All applications are processed through the on-line website called Zapplication.
Event Features for Artists
-
Artists are provided free coffee, fruit, and refreshments Saturday and Sunday morning.
-
Booth sitters upon request.
-
Assistance with unloading and loading if needed.
-
Professional security overnight Friday and Saturday from 5pm to 7am.
-
Artists to receive a ticket to by-pass the lines to purchase food.
-
Booth signs with artist, category, location, and business name.
-
A printed visitors' guide with artist, category, location, and business name.
-
LowellArts promotes the festival on regional, state, and national websites, and advertises in several local publications, by direct mail, on social media, outdoor signs, and posters.
-
Artists retain all proceeds from sales.
Best of Show Award
Selected after an on-site review, one artist will be selected to receive a Best of Show Award of $500. The award will be announced during the festival, and the artist will be given a certificate to display in their booth. The award winner will also receive automatic acceptance to the festival the following year, (no application fee or jury) but must still reserve and pay booth fees. A panel of jury members will select the award based on the following criteria: originality and excellence of artwork, professional and attractive booth design, and positive customer interaction.
Standards for Fine Art and Fine Crafts
LowellArts is committed to displaying only high-caliber, original artwork at the Fallasburg Arts Festival. All artwork on display must be consistent with the images submitted, and be of original concept, design, and execution of the exhibiting artist. Artists must be 18 years of age or older.
Non-eligible artwork includes: commercially mass produced items, buy/sell merchandise, items made by embellishing commercially-made items (clothing, stencils, patterns, molds).
Examples of non-acceptable artwork includes: candles, food items, Henna, printed books, jewelry that uses purchased beads not crafted by the artist (exception to this is bead-weaving), commercially purchased t-shirts that are dyed or screen printed.
Original art in the following categories will be juried including: Basketry, Ceramics, Digital Art, Fiber (Wearable & Non-wearable), Floral, Glass, Jewelry, Leather, Metal, Mixed Media 2-D, Mixed Media 3-D, Painting/Drawing, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, Soap and Skin Care, and Wood.
Additional Notes on Specific Art Media:
-
Traditional print media, photography, and digital art should be from a limited edition. Digital artwork and photographs must use artist's own images.
-
Artists in the Painting/Drawing category may sell reproductions of their own artwork, such as giclee prints, this product type should represent 20% or less of the total items for sale and must be labeled with the word “reproduction.”
-
Upcycled clothing is allowed but it should be significantly altered and have no manufactured seams.
-
The use of scarf blanks is allowed but this product type should represent 20% or less of the total items for sale in an artist’s booth and the artist must have applied in the Wearable Fibers category.
-
Artists selling jewelry must apply in the jewelry category. Artists in non-jewelry categories may sell a small amount of jewelry items only if the amount of this product represents 10% or less than the total items for sale in an artist’s booth, and the jewelry must be made with materials in the category in which they applied.
Rules / Regulations:
Only one artist (or artist collaboration) is allowed per booth. An artist collaboration is defined as two or more artists working together to create the same body of work – only the collaborative work submitted in the application may be displayed. A description of each of the collaborator’s involvement in the creation of the artwork should be noted in the artist statement.
Artists must be present in their booth for both days of the festival. Fallasburg Arts Festival is a “rain or shine” event. Exhibitors should be prepared for inclement weather. Each artist is responsible for collection and payment of 6% Michigan Sales Tax.
Artist images should be representative of the work to be sold at the show. We reserve the right to request removal of artwork from the show that is inconsistent with submitted art and implied quality of workmanship.
Artists may be juried on to a waitlist. Artists need to confirm that they would like to remain on the waitlist, and they will be contacted if a spot becomes available in their category. Artists will be notified of a space opening via email. Once contacted, the artist may accept or decline the invitation. Their spot will be reserved once the booth payment is received. The week prior to the festival, artists in any category may be contacted from the waitlist.
No early tear down is allowed. The event ends at 5:00pm on Sunday.
Pets are not allowed in artist booths. Fallasburg Park, a county park, does allow pets in the public areas of the park. The area in which the festival is held within the park, is rented for the festival. Festival organizers reserve the right to restrict participating artists from keeping their pets in their booth during the event.
Note about alcoholic beverages and smoking: Artists participating in the festival are asked to refrain from consuming alcoholic beverages during the event. Smoking is prohibited in booths, or in near proximity to booths, at all times – beginning with set-up and until the festival grounds are vacated at the end of the event.
The rules and regulations are in place to ensure a quality event that is fair for all artists involved. Rules and regulations are strictly enforced, and artists that are not in compliance will be asked to leave the festival, without a refund.
Booth Information
Single Booth - 12’ x 12’ (physical space of set-up) $245
Corner Booth - 12' x 12' (physical space of set-up with 2 sides open to public) $290
Double Booth - 12’ x 24’ (physical space of set-up) $490
-
Limited number of double booths and corner booths available.
-
Electricity and running water are not available at artist sites.
-
Generators are not allowed.
-
Artists are required to supply their own 10’ x 10’ tent with a white canopy that is well-secured in case of inclement weather.
-
Tents to be secured by weights. Tent stakes are NOT allowed.
Parking Options for Artists
-
Field Parking $0 - Located across the street from festival grounds, access to a Loading Zone will be assigned.
-
Artist Premium Parking - Arch Lot $25 - Located within festival grounds, advanced registration required. Once festival begins, vehicles cannot be moved.
-
Artist Disabled Parking (Permits Only) - Arch Lot $0 - Located within festival grounds, advanced registration required. Once festival begins, vehicles cannot be moved.
-
Overnight RV Parking - Field Lot $20 - Located across the street from festival grounds, access to a Loading Zone will be assigned.
Booth Fees
Booth fees can be paid by check or credit card on-line. Payment is required to reserve your spot in the festival.
Booth fee must be received by July 1. If the booth fee is not received by this date, the artist booth space will no longer be reserved.
Cancellations for a full refund will be allowed until July 1. After July 1, a partial refund of 1/2 of the booth fee will be granted. After August 1, no refund will be given for cancellations.