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Very soon the Sweet Pea office will be filled with this year’s T-shirt and poster art entries!  Between the two contests we can receive between 200 and 300 entries.   It is one of our favorite times of the year as we marvel at people’s creativity and interpretation of the Festival.

With so many options to choose from how do we decide which pieces will represent the current year’s Festival?

While the artists are creating their work our Poster Chair and our T-shirt Chair are busy assembling juries of 5-10 community members to make the first cut for each contest.  The backgrounds of the juries are diverse – school teachers, art gallery owners, graphic designers, engineers, software developers, photographers, office managers, stay-at-home moms – you just never know who might be called upon to join the group!

The groups give up a Saturday morning to come review ALL the submissions for the particular contest they’ve been asked to jury.  They spend several hours weeding out entries based on how well they like the piece, how well it will reproduce on a T-shirt or into a poster, how well it represents the Festival, the sale-ability, and that it’s not too similar to a previously chosen design.  They work until 5-6 of their favorite pieces remain.  These are the entries that will be presented to the Sweet Pea Board of Directors for a final decision.

Once presented to the Board the final process of elimination begins.  First the Board is asked to choose their top three designs, then their top two of the remaining three, and finally their top choice out of the final two standing.  This same process is used for all three contests – poster art, adult T-shirt design and children’s T-shirt design.

Within a couple of days the winners are notified and Sweet Pea fame ensues!

Think you’ve got what it takes to win the top prize?  There’s still time to create your masterpiece!  Get all the details on the contests here.

Every year 100+ local, regional, and national artists are invited to sell their creations under the shade of the big pine trees in Lindley Park at the annual Sweet Pea Festival.  The show is a highlight of the Festival and if you enjoy shopping for unique, handmade items and having the opportunity to interact with the artists, it is not to be missed!

But how do we go about selecting the vendors for this show?

The Sweet Pea Arts & Crafts Show is a juried show.  As part of the application process (through online platform Zapplicaiton), the artist must submit four photos of their work.  Photos cannot reveal the artist’s name, business name, or where they reside.  An anonymous panel of 5-6 jurors blind evaluates each entry and looks for artwork that: 

1.) is well conceived and executed
2.) shows imagination and individuality
3.) demonstrates quality and craftsmanship   

“Blind” means our jurors don’t know whose work they are reviewing, allowing them to focus simply on the artwork itself.  Each year we recruit a new panel of jurors to aid in the diversity of the show.  Only handcrafted original work is accepted and the artist must be on hand, in their booth, throughout the course of the weekend.

By the nature of who applies, and as a testament to the caliber of artists in the state of Montana, 45-60% of the vendors in our show are from Montana, but we welcome all artists and enjoy being able to offer our Festival attendees a diverse variety of art to browse and purchase.  And purchase you do!  We repeatedly have vendors tell us this is their best show and they hope to be invited back.

This year’s Festival is August 2-4^th.  If you’re an artist, we encourage you to apply to the show.  If you’re a shopper – start fattening your piggy bank as there’s sure to be something you can’t live without!

If you are interested in applying visit Zapplication before April 7, 2013.

Have you ever wondered how the Sweet Pea Festival comes together year after year?

Have you ever thought it might be fun to help plan the event?

Well, here’s your chance!  You can check out the positions we currently have open on our Board of Directors at: https://sweetpeafestival.org/volunteering/  and if any them sound like fun, express your interest online and our Executive Director will contact you to discuss things in more detail.  Or you can call our office Tues-Fri between 10 and 3.

Our Annual Meeting will be held Wednesday, November 14^th at 6:30 p.m. at the Sweet Pea office, 448 E Main St, Ste 2B.  This is our only meeting during the year that is open to public so we invite you to come see how we conduct business and if you like what you see consider joining our board.  Returning board members and new recruits alike will be elected during the meeting, in addition to conducting normal business. 

Yes, we do indeed plan for this event year round and this is the kick-off for Sweet Pea 2013 so come get involved!

We hope to see you on November 14^th!

For the first time in its 35 year history, the Sweet Pea Board of Directors chose to offer a single day admission option for Sweet Pea 2012.  The new pricing structure also included a reduced price for children ages 7-12.

The day pass option was a resounding success from a PR perspective, with our Board of Directors receiving numerous positive comments and accolades.  But while the community was pleased with being given a choice, the fact of the matter is, the new structure resulted in lower revenue for the Festival.

Some folks feel that since Sweet Pea is a non-profit organization this decrease in income won’t adversely affect the Festival.  However, in reality it limits our ability to further our mission of promoting and cultivating the arts. 

Anytime the Festival experiences a net gain the money is given back to the community in the form of grants for art and art education.  Over the past 35 years numerous schools, cultural organizations, and various other non-profits with an arts promoting endeavor have benefited from the three quarters of a million dollars Sweet Pea has been able to give out in grant money.

In addition to not being able to fund grants in the near future, the Board of Directors will have to take a serious look at how Festival expenses can be cut to make up for the decrease in revenue.  Do we eliminate stages and offer less entertainment?  Do we look for lesser quality national acts?  Do we ask local groups to perform for free or a lower fee than what we are currently able to pay them?  Do we do away with the bus and shuttle service?  Do we offer fewer port-a-johns?  Should some events be eliminated entirely (i.e. the Ball or the Art Show)?

Like any business, the Festival has administrative expenses – rent, utilities, payroll, insurance, supplies, etc.  These expenses are watched closely to ensure we are maximizing our money to allow for as many dollars as possible to be spent on providing a quality festival for the community, but they will be scrutinized even more to see how we might cut costs while still protecting the future of the Festival.

The Sweet Pea Festival has been a Bozeman tradition for 35 years and is certainly not in jeopardy of going anywhere.  We just need to look at how we do business and, what one veteran Board member calls, “right-sizing” the Festival.

Being a non-profit doesn’t mean “no profit” it simply means our profits are reinvested into furthering our mission.  If you love the Festival and the arts in our community we encourage you to consider making a tax-deductible, in-kind donation to Sweet Pea to help us in continuing to promote and cultivate the arts.  Donations can be made online: https://sweetpeafestival.org/donate/ or mailed directly to our office at 448 E. Main St, Ste2B, Bozeman, MT  59715.

This year’s Sweet Pea Flower Show was a “sweet success.”  A Tropical Paradise theme brought curious Festival-goers by the Flower Show tent continuously to admire the winners, breathe in the fragrance, and get some tips on growing sweet peas for next year’s Flower Show. Winning entrants took home a ribbon and/or a gift certificate.   Judges for this year’s show were Billy McWilliams, Jan Cashman, and Barbara Rainey.

Grand Prize: Linda Lennon

Adult: (1)Mary Lassner, (2)Camille Jackson, (3)Claudia Foster

Young Adult: (1)Tel Toews, (2)Suzanna Smith, (3)Maya Moody

Child: (1)Jaci Toews, (2)Nick Toews, (3)Brooke Bothner

Perennial Sweet Pea: Margret Elson

Most Creative:  Mary Lassner

Youngest: Katey Dykstra (3 yrs)

Vintage: Barbara Edgmond (70 yrs)

People’s Choice: Cheryl Lanphear
Honorable Mention:  Linda Lennon

Congratulations gardeners!