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 2-4th. 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.