2024 Loop Music and Art Festvial - Artist Application

Welcome to the 3rd Annual Loop Music & Art Festival artist application! The Festival will be on Saturday, April 13, 2024, from 10 am - 4 pm in Downtown Dothan, Alabama. Browse through our application and let us know if you have any questions. Only ORIGINAL ART is accepted or exhibited at The Loop. 
Artists may apply in up to three categories and be accepted in only one category. You must submit a separate application for each category - paying a non-refundable application fee for each application. If only one application is accepted, only work in that medium may be exhibited. Application and Booth Fees:$25 Artist Early Bird Discount - Deadline: 10/31/23 11:59 PM CT
$35 Final Application - Deadline: 12/31/23 11:59 PM CT$40 Better Late Than Never Application - Deadline: 01/05/23 11:59 PM CT$50 for all booth fees - Deadline: 2/1/24 The Loop Festival's has eight visual art categories. Those categories are Two-Dimensional (drawing, painting, and digital), Three-Dimensional/Sculpture (wood, clay, metal, glass, etc.), Mixed Media, Jewelry, Fiber, Photography, Printmaking (letterpress, art books, etc.), and Natural Materials (basketweaving, furniture, etc.). Artists may apply in up to 3 categories. You must submit a separate application for each category. If you sell jewelry, you may apply in a category other than Jewelry if the jewelry is less than 10% of your items for sale. Otherwise, you must apply in Jewelry. All work displayed in the booth must be for sale. Categories: Two-Dimensional: 2D works include drawings, paintings, and digital works. Reproduction prints are not allowed. Three-Dimensional/Sculpture: This category encompasses original sculpture that is functional, decorative, or non-functional in clay, porcelain, glass, wood, or metal mediums, using additive or subtractive processes in a single medium. Kiln forming, blowing, molding, or casting, as well as all cold working processes, are permitted. Only wooden works that are hand-tooled, machine-worked, turned, or carved will be accepted. *no jewelry will be accepted in this category. Mixed Media: Work that combines materials from two or more mediums in one piece. Jewelry: Only those artists accepted in the jewelry category may display or sell jewelry. Items made from commercial parts may not be exhibited. If artists are found to be exhibiting items made from commercial parts, they will be asked to leave the Festival. Fiber: Includes wearable and non-wearable. No machine-tooled, machine-screen printing or other forms of mass production are accepted. Machine stitching is permissible. Photography: Includes traditional film photography, hand-colored images, emulsion transfers, and digital photography. Only the artist’s original source material is acceptable. Printmaking: Only hand-pulled original prints are allowed. Prints must be in limited editions, signed, and numbered.  Natural Materials: This includes basket weaving, chair caning, brooms, gourds, and other works made from materials found in nature. Leather items should be submitted under the fiber category. *Please direct all inquiries to theloopfestival@gmail.com Artist Check-In and Set-Up:
Saturday, April 13th, 7 am until 8 am. *artists must be set up by 9 am. *In case of inclement weather, set-up time will be re-evaluated and communicated 24 hours before check-in.
 
Important Dates:
• October 1, 2023 – Application available at Eventeny.com. Applications will only be accepted through EVENTENY.
• October 31, 2023 – Early Bird Deadline for discounted fee ends at 11:59 PM CDT.
• December 30, 2023 – The deadline for all applications is 11:59 PM CDT.• January 5, 2024 – The Better Late Than Never application deadline for all applications is January 5, 2024 at 11:59 PM CDT. • January 9, 2024 – Notifications of acceptance/declination emailed.
• February 1, 2024 – Deadline for booth fee payments ($50). No refund will be given to artists who cancel on or after this date.
• April 13, 20247 am - 8 am: Artist check-in
10 am: Gates open
4 pm - 5 pm: Artist booth clean up, patron buck payment, and sales tax exchange 
5:30 pm: Award Ceremony

The Loop Festival is a free annual event with live music performances and exhibiting visual artist vendors in Dothan, Alabama. Participating artists must create original works of fine art or traditional craft.

Artist Selection:
The Loop Music and Art Festival is a fine arts festival. Artists who apply are numerically scored on the basis of The Loop's standards of quality, originality, and creativity. The artist selection process is based on standards determined by the Loop's administration. A limited number of artists per category are accepted to provide a diverse and balanced show. Also, a score-based waiting list is maintained in each medium, and cancellations are filled with the highest-scoring artists in that medium. Artists will notified of their acceptance status on January 9, 2024, by 5:00 p.m. The Loop administrators have the option to leave comments on applications, and we can share them upon request. We cannot guarantee there will be comments on applications.
 
Regardless of how many times you have exhibited in the past, all artists must apply, as booth space is limited. Exceptions to the Application Process and Fees:Demonstrating Artists - Artists demonstrating their process at the Festival in their booth space. If you are interested in participating as a Demonstrating Artist, please indicate this in the application #11 question. 

• Artist Amenities:
• $1,500 in awards: Best of Show ($500), 2 Awards of Distinction ($250 each), and 5 Merit Awards ($100 each). Award winners are automatically invited to the 2025 Festival.
• Booth sitters.
• Bottled water is available at check-in.
• An artists' hospitality area 
• Flat booth rate (no commission).
• A Patron Program featuring pre-paid Patron Bucks that can only be used to purchase art from artists at the Festival.
• The Loop Festival administrators will work tirelessly on publicity and advertising (print, radio, TV, social media, and digital) for the Festival.

Operating Hours and Regulations:
The Festival opens to the public at 10 a.m. All artists are required to check-in between 7 AM and 8 AM on Saturday, April 13, 2024. All artists must open their booth and be on-site by 9:30 AM. All artists are required to keep their booths open until 4:00 PM. Exhibiting artists must be on-site for the duration of the show. Artist Assistants and booth sitters are only allowed as support staff. If you open late, close early, or leave early, you will be banned from participation in future Festivals. If the weather causes the Festival to close early, staff will inform all artists that they may leave early. Personal/individual music may not be played on Festival grounds.
 
Restrictions on Work That You May Display:
Up to 10% of your work may differ from what you sent for jurying. The remainder must be representative of what you sent in for jurying. Commercially manufactured items or items made from commercial molds or parts may not be exhibited. All items exhibited and/or offered for sale must be original works designed and executed by the exhibiting artist(s). Representatives of the Loop review displays throughout the Festival; we reserve the right to require the removal of any work that differs from the images submitted, as well as any inappropriate work or display. Failure to remove such work or abide by other rules set forth may result in the applicant’s removal from the Festival and/or the applicant being prohibited from future applications.
 
Reproductions of your original work may ONLY be displayed in a portfolio, with clear distinctions between originals and reproductions. Postcards and notecards bearing photo-offset reproductions of your work may be displayed and sold but not as primary items of display. T-shirts may not be displayed or sold except with prior approval by the Loop Administrators -- please email theloopfestival@gmail.com for approval. Your booth must be filled with your original work. If you have any questions about whether a work may be displayed, please check with us for clarification. The Loop Festival and Live at the Opera assumes no responsibility for damage or loss while at the Festival. Artists must be prepared to adequately secure their work and personal property.
 
Booth Sitters:
Volunteers are available to watch your booth so you can take a break. You can request a booth sitter by texting the number provided.
 
Collaborative Work:
Artists working together may apply as one if they collaborate on every piece of work. All co-artists must describe the collaboration.
 
Application Requirements:
1.  Fill out the online application completely. *By submitting this application, you consent to and authorize the use of any and/or all images of works in promotional literature and other promotional endeavors by the Loop Music and Art Festival and Live at the Opera, including but not limited to brochure, print, billboards, television advertisements, and internet display. We will keep all images of accepted work for publicity and Festival archival files.
2.  Pay the non-refundable application fee. $25 for "early bird" applications submitted before 11:59 PM CT on October 31, 2023. $35 for applications submitted from November 1 to December 30, 2023.
 
Entry Deadline & Acceptance Notification:
Entries must be received by 11:59 PM on the night of December 30, 2023. Artists will be notified of their acceptance status on January 9, 2024.
 
Cancellations:
Cancellations must be made in writing. Email to theloopfestival@gmail.com with the subject line ATTN: FESTIVAL CANCELLATION. No phone calls, please. After February 1, 2024, booth fees will not be refunded.
 
BOOTH INFORMATION
Booth Fees are a flat rate of $50 per booth fee plus processing fees. If you require two booth spaces, please make a request. Do you prefer to be indoors? We have limited indoor space for those with special needs and requirements. Others may request space inside, given at the discretion of the Loop Administrators. Please email theloopfestival@gmail.com for special booth requests.
 
At the time of acceptance, artists may pay for their booth fee of $50 through eventeny.com. All payments must be made by February 1, 2023. If you need special booth fee financial assistance, please email theloopfestival@gmail.com.
We recommend all artists plan on providing their own equipment.
 
Booth Particulars:
•  Limited storage space behind the booth.
•  Exhibitors must provide their own booth structures (if outdoors), which should be flexible to accommodate trees and irregularities in the terrain and must be properly anchored. We recommend 40 pounds of weight per leg. If the ground is wet, a stake will not hold. If the ground is dry, it's too hard for stakes. Please make sure your tent or display is secure. Safety first! *This is an electronic agreement, and by selecting, you are validating and approving this agreement electronically.