The 27th Annual Carmel International Arts Festival will be held on September 28 & 29, 2024 in Carmel, Indiana. Artists from around the world gather in the heart of Old Town Carmel's Arts & Design District at the intersection of Main Street and Rangeline Road. The Carmel International Arts Festival is a juried exhibition with prizes totaling $7,000. Annually, 30,000 festival goers enjoy an admission-free opportunity to view and purchase art, mingle with artists, tour local galleries, dine at fine restaurants in the area, and enjoy the Festival's entertainment on our multiple stages.
Mission Statement
The Mission of the Carmel International Arts Festival is to educate the public about art and artists from around the world; to provide scholarships to art students to further their education; and, to hold art festivals to promote and educate the public about art, all within the meaning of our 501(C)(3).
Important Dates
**ALL DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE**
Friday, May 31, 2024, 11:59 PM EDT: Application submission deadline
Sunday, June 30, 2024: Notification & invitation sent via Zapplication
Wednesday, July 31, 2024, 11:59 PM EDT: Deadline to accept invitation & submit payment for Booth Fee via Zapplication. Artists who miss the deadline will be moved to the waitlist, NO exceptions.
Carmel International Arts Festival Hours
Saturday, September 28th
Festival Hours 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM
Judging 11:30 AM
ART ROCKS! 7:00 PM - 10:30 PM
Sunday, September 29th
Festival Hours 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM
ART ROCKS!
Artists are invited to attend as guests or maintain open booth hours for our family-friendly event and street party. A dozen various food and beverage vendors will be present and the event will feature music performed by TBA.
Fees
Application & Jury Fee: $30 (non-refundable)
Booth Fee: $400
Corner Booth Additional Fee: $75 Corner booths are in high demand and limited in quantity therefore will be sold on a first come, first served basis.
Electricity Fee: $75 if paid before July 31, 2024, 11:59 PM; $100 if requested after August 1, 2024 through the day of the event. Due to our power limitations, only a total of 600 watts will be permitted.
All returned checks will result in a $50 fee in addition to any fees charged by the artist's bank.
Booth Space and Requirements
Artists will be located on Main Street and Rangeline Road in the Carmel Arts and Design District. Artists must supply or rent a 10' x 10' tent WITH WEIGHTS to protect against strong winds. No concrete nails or stakes of any kind are permitted.
Artists must bring their own booth display equipment including table and chairs. Aluminum-frame webbed lawn or beach chairs are not allowed. All artwork must be contained within the artist’s booth. AWNINGS THAT EXTEND OUTSIDE OF THE BOOTH SPACE ARE NOT PERMITTED. Please take care in setting up a professional display.
Artists are not allowed double booth spaces without prior authorization. Artists wishing to purchase a double booth should email requests to artistchair@carmelartsfestival.org
Artists who request an electrical hook-up must supply their own extension cords, lighting, etc. Due to our power limitations, only a total of 600 watts will be permitted.
Returning artists will be assigned booth spaces first on a seniority system, with new artists appointed generally by media category to maintain a distribution of categories in all areas. Every effort will be made to accommodate the requests of returning artists, but cannot be guaranteed.
Digital Images for Jury Process
Four images are to be submitted for each application entered by the artist. Three of these will be comprised of individual pieces of the artist's work, with the fourth image being of a booth or display of the artist’s work. Only artwork similar to the work in the three images of individual pieces may be exhibited at the Festival.
Because the artist’s work is being judged by the submitted images, it is highly recommended that professional quality photographs are submitted. All four submissions are reviewed and considered equally. Please note that you cannot apply with the same body of work in more than one category.
Waitlist Information and Policy
Artists will be notified of their waitlist status by Sunday, June 30, 2024. Our waitlist is organized based on media category to ensure a proper distribution of artists in every media.
Due to the fluid nature of the waitlist, artists will not receive a waitlist “number” and we cannot predict if or when a space will become available within a media category.
Beginning in mid-June through the first day of the festival, artists will be contacted through Zapplication as spaces become available and will have 24 hours to respond. Waitlist artists that are invited will receive a booth space based on what is currently available and cannot be guaranteed any particular booth.
Artist Awards
Prize money and an invitation to exhibit the following year jury-exempt are available to our award winners.
Judging will begin at 10:30 AM on Saturday and awards will be announced as soon as the judging is complete. All award monies will be mailed to the winners within one month of the conclusion of the festival.
Best of Show: $1,500
1st Place: $1,000
2nd Place: $750
3rd Place: $500
Best of Media (9 awards): $150 each
Honorable Mentions (9 awards): $100 each
Mayor’s Award: $250
Collaborative Work / Multiple Applications
All artists must submit separate applications, unless applying as a team. If artists are accepted as a team, they may only exhibit the collaborative work they were accepted for.
Artists wishing to exhibit work produced in more than one medium category must submit an additional application for each medium. Artists will need to provide a separate set of digital images and jury fee for each category. Only one application may be submitted per body of work represented. Multiple applications must represent either work in different media categories or distinctly separate bodies of work within one category. No advantage is gained by submitting multiple applications for the same body of work in multiple categories.
Eligibility and Reproduction Policy
All work must be original and completed within the last two years. Signed and numbered prints of an artist’s work, offset lithographs, and giclees are permitted, but cannot comprise more than 50% of the displayed work, and must be signed and numbered by the artist. This 50% does not apply to the Photography medium.
The Festival Committee reserves the right to refuse exhibition of work not consistent with the quality of submitted photos and these guidelines. Artists may not exhibit work purchased from other artists for resale.
Artists can display only the category for which they were juried (items in 3 photos). Artists are not permitted to sell items they have not been juried in for.
Media Categories
2D, Original 2 Dimensional Design: Drawing, Collage, Etching, Mixed Media, Pastels, Wax Crayon. Works must be created by the Artist's hand or applied by pen or brush. No mass produced work is permitted.
3D, Original 3 Dimensional Design: Garden Art, Metal Work, Sculpture, Stone. No machine made or mass-produced work is permitted. If multiple pieces of the same design are displayed, each piece must be signed.
Ceramics: Original, one-of-a-kind functional work made of clay, porcelain, or raku. Works must be created by the artist's hand. No machine made or mass-produced work is permitted. Each piece must be signed.
Fiber: All work must be hand-made and original. Fiber sculptures, rugs, and tapestries are included and must be fabricated by the artist. No machine made or mass-produced work is permitted, regardless of additional modification or enhancement by the artist.
Glass: Three dimensional work in glass (non-jewelry) created by the artist's hand using blowing, casting, cold working processes, kiln forming, and molding. No mass-produced work is permitted.
Jewelry: Hand-made, original jewelry only, using precious metals and/or gem quality stones. Beads must be fabricated by the artist and photos of the process must be available upon request. No commercial casts or molds may be used. No machine made or mass-produced work is permitted. If multiple pieces of the same design are displayed, each piece must be signed by the artist.
Painting: Original, one-of-a-kind compositions using watercolor, oil or acrylic paints applied to canvas, paper, panel, or other 2 dimensional surfaces.
Photography: Includes all photographic prints made from the artist's original negative or digital image processing, which have been processed by the artist under his or her direct supervision. Photographers are required to disclose both their creative and printing processes. Work in this media category must be limited editions (less than 250), signed and numbered on archival quality materials.
Wood: Original, hand-crafted wood items that are functional, sculptural, and/or decorative of original design by the artist, created and hand crafted by the artist through carved, hand-tooled, machine-worked traditional and contemporary woodworking techniques.
RULES/REGULATIONS
Festival Rules and Regulations
1. All work must be original, handcrafted work produced within the last two years. Artists guarantee the accuracy of the description of the works presented and the authenticity of the work as the creation of their own hands.
2. Artists may only show work in categories and body of work selected by the jury. All work exhibited must be of the quality, category, and body of work of that shown in the images juried.
3. Work done by a production studio is not acceptable. All work must be designed and executed by the accepted artist.
4. All work must be a minimum of 90% handmade by the artist. Commercially manufactured materials such as bought beads are not permitted.
5. Buy/Sell items are not permitted at the Carmel International Arts Festival.
6. Collaborating artists are permitted, however no more than two artists may collaborate on work and only their joint work may be shown. Both must be included on the application and be present for the hours of the festival.
7. Only one artist will be permitted per booth, artists are not allowed to share their exhibit space.
8. Awnings are not permitted due to space limitations. Please ensure that your booth and artwork stays within the allocated booth area.
9. Artists must be present and must personally staff their exhibit space for both days of the Carmel International Arts Festival. Representatives may not attend in place of the artist. Photo identification will be required at check-in to ensure compliance.
Rule Violation Policy
To ensure fairness to all artists, policies detailed in the application will be strictly enforced. Artists not in compliance with the Carmel International Arts Festival rules and regulations will be asked to withdraw from the festival without refund. The Carmel International Arts Festival reserves the right to take action to ensure that all work is in compliance with the policies stated. The Carmel International Arts Festival also reserves the right to withhold invitation of those in violation of policy to future festivals.
BOOTH INFORMATION
Artists will be located on Main Street and Rangeline Road in Carmel's Arts and Design District. Artists must supply or rent a 10' x 10' tent WITH WEIGHTS to protect against strong winds. No concrete nails or stakes of any kind are permitted.
Artists must bring their own booth display equipment including table and chairs. Aluminum-frame webbed lawn or beach chairs are not allowed. All artwork must be contained within the artist’s booth. AWNINGS THAT EXTEND OUTSIDE OF THE BOOTH SPACE ARE NOT PERMITTED. Please take care in setting up a professional display.
Artists who request an electrical hook-up must supply their own extension cords, lighting, etc. Due to our power limitations, only a total of 600 watts will be permitted.
REFUND POLICY
We are unable to offer refunds.
JURY DETAILS
Average number of applications submitted each year:
350
Average number of artists selected from the jury to participate in the event:
130
Average number of exempt from jury artists who are invited to participate in the event:
24
How returning artists are selected:
Received an award
Selected by peer jurors
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
Comments for Scoring System.
no 4's
Number of jurors scoring applications:
10
The show organizes the jurors for a:
Multiple jury panels that score applications for specific medium categories that he/she has expertise
Jurors score
Separately from various locations
Am I allowed to observe the jury process?
Jury process is closed
