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 (some exceptions apply) 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 and is held in conjunction with the weekly Red Stick Farmers Market.

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, pottery, quilts, stained and blown glass, heritage crafts, photography, woodwork, sculpture, and mixed media.
  •  Offset printing, to include reproductions such as giclee, digital reproductions, postcards, calendars, and posters of the Artist Vendor’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 Vendor.
  • 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, work of other artists/craftsmen. At this time the Baton Rouge Arts Market does not accept applications for food or spices.
  • One application per medium. You can submit up to 3 applications. 


Artist Vendor 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 Vendor 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 so that necessary changes may be made to the market map.
  •  Communicate directly with the market director if you experience any complications with the Arts Market.
  •  Artist Vendors who prefer to share a booth with another Artist Vendor may request it with the Arts Market manager. Each Artist Vendor must still pay the $30.00 booth fee.
  •  Artist Vendors must comply with all Federal, State, and Local laws and ordinances. It is the Artist Vendor’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 Vendor based on unlawful activity or violation of the Artist Vendor Agreement.
  • Artist Vendors will operate as individual entities and will be responsible for collecting their own city and state sales taxes.
  •  Artist Vendors may not sell work that was not submitted and juried into the Arts Market, work that belongs to another artist, or commercially manufactured/retail items.
  • Any Artist Vendor 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 Vendor.
  • Artist Vendors are required to participate at least three (3) times per calendar year. 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. 


Arts Market Guidelines and Procedures

  • Artist Vendors 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. Artist Vendors may set up in assigned locations only.
  • During load-in, Artist Vendors must unpack vehicle completely and park the vehicle off site before booth set up begins. All vehicles must be off the lot by 7:30am.
  •  Booths and displays must be completely ready for patronage by 8:00am.
  • Artist Vendors will provide their own white 10’ x 10’ tent, and all necessary display materials to properly showcase their work.
  •  Artist Vendors 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.
  •  Artist Vendors are responsible for disposing all trash in their area.
  • The following items are prohibited: amplified music, megaphones, pets (except assistance dogs), firearms, alcoholic beverages.
  • Booth assignments are first come first serve, and chosen by the Artist Vendor 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 Market Vendors 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 second week of the month.

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 a festival; 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 - 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 month 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 or makers 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 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 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 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 labelled appropriately. Image labelling is a part of the application process and is considered in assessing application completion.

If you have any questions, please contact:

Luke Lognion, Arts Market Manager
luke@brassbr.com // (337) 513-5526

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