Questions
Prospective Exhibitors Ask
Where's Midway?
(If your question is not answered below, submit
it to artistsliaison@franciscosfarm.org
for a quick reply.)
Previous
exhibitors:
Are previous exhibitors automatically
accepted?
Are previous exhibitors given preference
in booth location?
I exhibited at Francisco's Farm in previous years, so I don't need to send images
of my work, right?
I applied and wasn't accepted last year - or some previous year. Why should I bother to apply this year?
Who can apply:
Do you accept any food vendors - funnel
cakes, barbecue, etc?
Do I have to be a resident of Kentucky
to apply?
Trouble with the application:
How can I save the application to my
computer so I can fill it out there and print it?
Can I submit photographs or slides with my application?
What are the specifications on
digital images?
How much money should I send with the application?
Eligibility of Art and Craft:
Are handcrafted soaps, bath products,
cosmetics, and candles eligible?
How about food products that are not to be
consumed on site - jams and jellies, sauces, mixes, etc?
I create beautiful, hand-painted silk
scarves. Is my work ineligible because I purchase the scarves
rather than make them myself?
Booth
layout:
Is the booth layout going to be similar
to last year?
Can two artists share one booth?
Marketing and Promotion:
Where do you market the event?
When will exhibitors receive promotional
materials? What are they?
Lodging:
We're driving from a great distance. Can we stay on campus on Thursday and Sunday nights?
Are
previous exhibitors automatically accepted?
Prior to the 2009 Festival, the Planning Committee decided on a change in policy to be instituted beginning with the 2010 Festival. Exhibitors winning Artist Awards and exhibitors who were given the highest scores by our on-site jurors are invited to exhibit at the next three annual events without being subject to the jury review. From the 2009 Festival, twenty-nine exhibitors were invited to return.
The organizers are committed to creating a new mix of exhibitors each year. This may not seem helpful or fair to artists who have exhibited in the past, as it isn't a show that an artist can continue to count on year to year. However, one of our primary goals is to increase the number of visitors who come and purchase art, and offering a new show each year helps to create a loyal following for the show - visitors who consider it a show they want to return to each year - a show with a reputation for excellence and freshness - a show that is lucrative for the artists.
Artistic excellence is the sole criteria for selection
of exhibitors. The top applicants will be accepted, and Francisco's
Farm Arts Festival establishes no quota or entitlement by media category.
Are previous exhibitors given
preference in booth location?
The Festival will attempt to honor all specific location requests,
but can make no guarantees. Applications are date-stamped when the application is Complete. Complete applications have all fields filled in and include images, artist statements, and payment of application fee. Accepted artists with specific space requests will be
assigned spaces on a first-come, first served basis per the date-stamp on their application.
I
exhibited at Francisco's Farm in the past, so I don't need to send images
of my work, right?
Every applicant (including those in the Emerging Artist category)
needs to submit three images with his or her application every year. Beginning in 2010 we also require an image of your booth. A new review panel is assembled each year,
so some reviewers may have never seen your work before. You may also have created new work and the reviewers are always interested in seeing your most recent work.
I applied and wasn't accepted in previous years. Why should I bother to apply this year?
Check out the images of the artwork that was accepted last year. If your work is as good as, or better, than the work represented, perhaps the images you submitted didn't accurately reflect the quality of your work. Perhaps you are doing new work, but submitted images of your old work. Another possibility is that the competition was particularly tough in your media category. There are often more applicants in some categories - usually Jewelry and Photography - and that varies from year to year. A new review panel is assembled each year,
so some reviewers may have never seen your work before.
Please also read the answer to "Are
previous exhibitors automatically accepted?", as it provides further information about our efforts to create a 'Not to Miss' show for visitors.
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Do
you accept any food vendors - funnel cakes, barbecue, etc?
Food service on campus is provided
by Midway College only, pursuant to our agreement with the College. Downtown Midway is filled
with wonderful restaurants, and visitors are also encouraged to visit them for lunch or dinner during the Festival.
Do
I have to be a resident of Kentucky to apply?
Artists from anywhere in the country are invited to
apply. Most of our exhibiting artists have been from the southeastern
United States, but our reputation for outstanding artist hospitality
services is drawing artists from other parts of the
country, as well.
How
can I save the application to my computer so I can fill it
out there and print it?
You can save the application to your computer either by right-clicking on the link to the application, then clicking 'Save As' and saving it someplace where you can find it later, OR opening the application and selecting 'File', 'Save As'. You can then open it later, fill it out, and print it. You just can't save a 'filled-out' application, so remember to print
two copies and save one for your records.
Can I submit photographs with my
application?
Photographs and slides are accepted, however, there is a $25 fee (in addition to the application fee) for processing photographs and slides into digital images. In return for this fee, we will provide you with your digital images - either emailed to you or mailed on CD. Digital images are strongly preferred. As the industry is
phasing out slide projectors, digital images will become the
only acceptable submissions in future years, as they are now at many art shows. Artists are encouraged
to obtain professional quality digital images of their work for submission to art
shows and the media.
What are the specifications
on digital images?
Digital images must have a minimum resolution of 300 ppi. This will allow us to use your images
in print for publicity purposes. (Note: Digital images prepared for websites are often only 72ppi resolution - not high enough for print.) Minimum image size is 4"x4"
- 600x600pixels. Images may be burned to CD and mailed with
your application, or images may be emailed to artistsliaison@franciscosfarm.org.
You may need to send the images in three separate emails,
as many email clients are restricted to attaching files no
larger than 2MB.
How much money should I send with the application?
You'll need to send $30 (the application fee) with your application (or mail it separately if you've submitted your application electronically. Send no booth fee. Send no lodging fee or tent rental fee (if you reserve these). Accepted applicants will be invoiced for booth fees (and for lodging & tent rental fees if they reserve these services) along with their acceptance letter, in February. Fees are due March 1st.
- The only reason to send more than the $30 application fee -
If you are sending photographs or slides, we will need to scan them to create digital images for the jury panel. There is a $25.00 fee for this service, in addition to your application fee. We will email your digital images to you or mail them on a CD. If you send photographs or slides, include a check for $55.00.
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Are
handcrafted soaps, bath products, cosmetics, candles, or food
products eligible?
Although we recognize the craft and creativity involved
in producing these products, the organizers of the show have
decided not to accept 'consumable art and craft', which includes
soaps, lotions, bath products, cosmetics, candles, and food
products.
I
create beautiful, hand-painted silk scarves. I purchase the
scarves. Is my work ineligible because the scarves are purchased?
Items purchased and decorated, as well as work made from combining
purchased commercial objects, are generally not considered
to be handcrafted work; HOWEVER, strong overall design, interpretation,
and originality can obviously affect the end result.
The intent
of the rule is to promote original art and to exclude embellished
commercially-mass-produced items in which the commercially
mass produced element of the work dominates over the embellished
dimension of the work. The determination is to what extent
the purchased item itself is a "backdrop" for your original
art. Are the designs original? Do you create only multiples
of one design, or items that are unique? These questions/answers
help to make the determination. If you are uncertain as to
the eligibility of your artwork, please feel free to inquire
of artistsliaison@franciscosfarm.org
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Is
the booth layout going to be similar to last year? This
year's layout will change due to construction on the College campus. There will be no booths located west of Memorial Library, and the music stage will return to the Amphitheatre. Our plans call for a modified loop format, with an even visitor traffic flow for equal access to all artist booths.
For
a look at the venue, click
here to see the campus map.
Can two artists share one booth? Two artists may share one booth, but both must apply and be accepted individually.
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Where
do you market the event?
The Festival will be promoted in the Lexington, Louisville, and
Cincinnati print, radio, and television markets, as well as
through road signs and posters in the central Kentucky area. Exhibiting artists are strongly encouraged to promote the Festival, through press releases to their local media, distribution of postcards and hand-out cards, and through links from their web sites.
When will exhibitors receive promotional
materials? What are they? Promotional materials include
postcards with space for exhibitor notes and 'hand-out' cards to be distributed to your customers and at your local galleries and events. Accepted
exhibitors will receive hand-out cards along with their acceptance
letters. Additional postcards will be sent along with exhibitor
packets, and we will honor all requests for additional cards
while supplies last.
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We're driving from a great distance. Can we stay in the
dorms on Thursday night and Sunday night, too?
Of course
you may! However, you may not complete on-site registration and set up your tent before 1pm on Friday. Please also note that your lodging fees include complimentary breakfast at the College on Saturday and Sunday only. You'll have to get your own breakfast in town on Friday morning and Monday morning - there are several options available. More details on lodging and dining will be included in your acceptance
letter.
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