1. Do the goods offered for sale meet our minimum requirements? Are they handmade, and the artist's own work? Do they show some element of artistry and creativity? Do they agree with the image we want for the Art Fair and the neighborhood?
2. How many other things in this category have we already accepted? We have a policy that we will not accept any more than 20 vendors in any category. This means that the competition for some popular categories, such as jewelry and pottery, is pretty fierce. It also means that some people whose work is certainly good enough for the SAP Arts Festival don't get in, because other people's applications either looked better or came in earlier.
Every year it gets harder to decide the answers to question two, because every year the offerings seem to get better. We rank the applications on quality (no matter what the price, is it well-made?) and originality (how much artistry can we see in the design and choice of materials? How much of this piece is original content, as opposed to assembled from mass-produced parts? Is each piece unique?) This is why we ask for pictures from almost everybody -because we need to be able to compare and choose between so many very good artists. This year we expect that jewelry will fill up in March or April, pottery in March or April, and clothing in early April.
No matter how much we may like them as individuals, we do not reserve spaces for returning vendors. However, a very few vendors are pre-approved, which means their work is unique enough that we can remember it, and they do not face stiff competition in their category. This does not guarantee them a spot, because if they apply very late, we may be completely full, nor does it guarantee them their choice of spots. All it means is that we do not need to see pictures from them. Space assignments are based on our own aesthetic considerations ( i.e., we try to put very attractive displays on the comers to draw shoppers to that row, and we try not to put two vendors of the same thing next to each other) and the written requests on applications, but the earliest applications get the first choice of spots. If you have a specific spot you have asked for, we will try to give it to you, unless it has already been given to someone with an earlier postmark. If you have asked for something like "shade," we try to find the best available spot with shade, which may be away from where you were last year. The best way to get the spot you want is to apply early, and spell out what you need, what you want, and what your priorities are. Use a separate sheet of paper, if necessary. Many vendors ask for the same spot year after year, and we are happy to oblige if we can.
In Summary: People who do St. Anthony Park year after year know that
they must get their applications
in by March to be assured of getting the space they want, because we
try very hard to be both fair and
flexible, so space allocations are first-come-first-served.
We appreciate your interest
in participating with us, and look forward to working with you. If you
have questions, please e-mail
artsfest@stanthonyparkartsfesti