Baton Rouge Arts Market OPEN Application

The Baton Rouge Arts Market (Arts Market) is an open-air market and cultural event held on the first Saturday of each month (except January) and the first 3 Saturdays in December.  The Market is open to the public from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and located at 5th and Main Streets in downtown Baton Rouge.  The Baton Rouge Arts Market is a program of the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge.    

Objectives

  • To provide entrepreneurial opportunities to artists
  • To encourage economic development
  • To create a sense of community by allowing artists to sell directly to the public
  • To encourage the production of high-quality, handmade objects of art/craft

 Eligibility

  • The Arts Market is a producer-only event (artists must create what they sell). Eligible items include, but are not limited to: jewelry, painting, ceramics, quilts, stained and blown glass, photography, woodwork, sculpture, printmaking, metalwork, leather, and mixed media.
  •  Offset printing, to include reproductions such as giclee, digital reproductions, postcards, calendars, and posters of the Artist’s originals must comprise 30% or less of the artwork in the booth and must be clearly identified as such.
  • Photography must be from original negatives or original digital images and produced or supervised by the photographer. The photographs must be archival quality.
  •  Printed works must be produced from hand-manipulated screens, plates, or stones by the Artist.
  • Two artists may apply together only if both artists collectively produce the artwork. Include a clear description of each artist’s involvement.
  • Ineligible items include: Arts/crafts made from store-bought kits or molds, manufactured items that have been assembled, t-shirts, phone covers, work of other artists/craftsmen. At this time the Baton Rouge Arts Market does not accept applications for food or spices. We are also closed in the candles and soap category until further notice.
  • We are a family-friendly market. As such, no products with foul language are accepted. 
  • One application per medium. You can submit up to 3 applications. 
  • The jury is comprised of master artists and artisans in their medium. They are an independent volunteer group, and their decisions are final. 
  • In addition to approving or declining your application, the jury will occasionally walk the market to make sure all standards remain in place and that you are only showing the medium(s) in which you were accepted.

 

Artist Responsibilities

  • Respond to monthly confirmation emails to reserve and pay for a booth space. If you do not reserve in advance, you are not guaranteed a space at the market. Any Artist arriving at the Arts Market without a reservation may be turned away.  
  •  Should circumstances arise that interfere with your ability to attend the market, you are required to contact the market manager to give notice of your absence by midnight on market day so that necessary changes may be made to the market map or a wait-listed artist can be added. Repeated no-shows without communication may result in suspension from market participation.
  •  Communicate directly with the market director if you experience any complications with the Arts Market.
  •  Artists who prefer to share a booth with another Artist may request it with the Arts Market manager. Each Artist must still pay the booth fee even in a shared space.
  •  Artists must comply with all Federal, State, and Local laws and ordinances. It is the Artist’s responsibility to be aware of such laws and ordinances. The Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge shall have the authority to warn, suspend, or expel an Artist based on unlawful activity or violation of the Artist Agreement.
  • Artists will operate as individual entities and will be responsible for collecting their own city and state sales taxes.
  •  Artists may not sell work that was not submitted and accepted by the jury, nor work that belongs to another artist, or commercially manufactured/retail items.
  • Any Artist perceived as exhibiting rude behavior and/or creating a hostile environment will be required to leave the market and forfeit their membership in the Arts Market program.
  • Custom orders or commissions are the sole responsibility of the Artist.
  • Artists are required to participate at least three (3) times per calendar year to participate in the November/December holiday markets. Consistent inactivity in the Arts Market may result in removal from the program. The artist may reapply through the jury process.
  • New Items/Mediums: A substantial change in items or medium requires re-application to the Arts Market before new items may be sold. In order to ensure quality, integrity, and the proper mix of artistic mediums, artists are only permitted to sell those items that the jury has approved. 
  • As a condition of participation, artists are expected to actively engage in the Baton Rouge Arts Market’s collective marketing efforts, including sharing provided content via social media, email, and/or text messaging when applicable. All promotional assets will be supplied in advance. Consistent participation helps strengthen market visibility, increase attendance, and support sales for all artists. A cohesive, collaborative marketing effort benefits the entire community. We are stronger together.

 Arts Market Guidelines and Procedures

  • Artists must enter the St. Joseph Cathedral parking lot from North Street and exit at Main Street.
  • Set up may begin at 6:00am on the day of the Market. Artists may set up in assigned locations only.
  • During load-in, Artists must unpack vehicle completely and park the vehicle off site before booth setup begins. All vehicles must be off the lot by 7:30 am.
  •  Booths and displays must be completely ready for patronage by 8:00am.
  • Artists will provide their own white 10’ x 10’ tent, 30 to 40 lbs weight per tent leg, and all necessary display materials to properly showcase their work.
  •  Artists will remain open to the public for the duration of the Arts Market, and promptly begin taking down and packing all art and display materials at noon.
  •  Breakdown and pack all items before bringing your vehicle onto the lot to load it.
  •  Artists are responsible to take care of grounds, clean up their area, and remove all trash at the end of the market. Failure to clean up trash may result in exhibitors losing the opportunity to participate in future markets.
  • The following items are prohibited: gas-powered generators, amplified music, megaphones, pets (except assistance dogs), firearms, and alcoholic beverages. No smoking is allowed within the arts market footprint.
  • Booth assignments are first come first serve, and chosen by the Artist at the time of purchase. Requests are accepted, but there is no guarantee that the space will be available.
  • The jury may reevaluate accepted artwork as they attend the Arts Market or on recommendation by Arts Council Staff. Reevaluation may be based on observations made at the Arts Market. The reevaluation process further requires adherence by Arts Market artists to the minimum participation rule. ALL Artists will be required to re-jury every 3 years.
  • The Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge reserves the right to alter the guidelines of the Arts Market at any time.

 Application and Jury Process      Complete the online application process.  Accepted applications will be reviewed every quarter.

You will be instructed to upload the following materials during this process:

  • 5 (five) Images of work, and 1 (one) image of your booth as it will be presented at BRAM; for a total of 6 (six) images. - Images should be JPGs of high quality, but not to exceed 150 dpi. Each image must be labeled in the following format: Lastname_Firstname_Title_number To rename a file, right or control click on the title choose "Rename" from the menu that appears.
  • (example) Loveland_William_Title_01.jpg 
  • Artist Process description - Describe the process involved in creating your artwork, including what materials are used, how much of your artwork is handmade, what parts are manufactured. Please be specific. You may include links to process videos in your descriptions. (One page limit)
  • Artist Resume or Bio - Should include training, education, awards, and employment specific to your work as an artist. Include your website and social media links. (One page limit)
  • Application Fee of $10 
  • The Arts Market jury meets quarterly to review and evaluate artist applications. The jury bases its decisions on the best interests of the Arts Market in accordance with the guidelines. Jurors may exclude artists in order to regulate the size of the Arts Market and to ensure the proper mix of mediums. In the event that an artist is not accepted into the Arts Market, reapplication may occur the following application time or as otherwise directed by the jury. The decisions of the jury are final as upheld by the Arts Council Board of Directors.
  • You MAY be asked for a physical sample of your work, especially if your work is scented, or is difficult to judge based on a digital photograph alone. This will be determined close to the jury date. 
  • You MUST agree to all Terms and Conditions of the BRAM.

 

*Incomplete applications will not be considered. If your application is considered incomplete, you may not get a notification. If you do, it will likely not occur until the applications are gathered during the jury process, and thus will likely not be able to be corrected in time for the current application cycle. For this reason, we strongly encourage you to read the guidelines and requests carefully to ensure your application is complete AND your images are sized and labeled appropriately. Image labeling is a part of the application process and is considered in assessing application completion.    

We use Submittable to accept and review our submissions.
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