2025 Artist Application

36th FINE ART & FINE CRAFT EXHIBITION AND SALE
Sponsored by the Village of Schaumburg
Saturday, May 24 and Sunday, May 25, 2025
10 a.m. - 5 p.m. each day on the Municipal Center grounds

Please note we have developed a new layout for the art show this year due to the Village Hall construction that will begin in May and continue through 2026. Spaces 1-49 from last year's 2024 layout have been moved and the show has been renumbered.

Also featuring live entertainment, food truck vendors, and children’s activities on the grounds of the Robert O. Atcher Municipal Center adjacent to the Al Larson Prairie Center for the Arts in Schaumburg.

The Village of Schaumburg cordially invites you to display your fine work at our 36th annual Prairie Arts Festival Memorial Day weekend, May 24 and 25. It’s a juried art fair, both for entry and prizes. The site is beautiful, with clusters of display areas bordering a picturesque pond guarded by a pair of graceful mute swans named Louis and Serena. And possibly a knot of newly hatched cygnets. This is an electronic agreement and by selecting the booths, you are validating and approving this agreement electronically.

IMPORTANT DATES

March 2 - Deadline for application.
March 7 - Notification of jury results sent to artists. Booth fee charged upon acceptance; your booth space will not be reserved without payment.

May 2 - Set-up information sent to participants.  

ENTRY FEE
$130 entry fee for a 15’ x 10’ space and $235 for a 30’ x 10’ space. There is no jury fee and no commission will be charged for work sold. Payment due upon acceptance. Your booth space will not be reserved without payment by the deadline. There will be no refunds for cancellations. However, refunds would be made in the event of the Prairie Arts Festival completely being cancelled. 

AWARDS

A panel of judges will award the following cash prizes: 

• First Place: $500
• Second Place: $300
• Third Place: $200
• Eight Merit Awards: $100 each
• John F. Latko Award of Excellence: $250

AMENITIES

A complimentary continental breakfast with invited art patrons will be available to all artists both mornings in the Prairie Center lobby and convenient parking.

MEDIUM CATEGORIES

Clay/Pottery: Original clay and porcelain work, functional or sculptural.

Digital: Digital art refers to art made using software, computers, or other electronic devices.

Drawing: A picture or diagram made with a pencil, pen, or crayon rather than paint.

Fiber: Includes wearable and non-wearable. No machine-tooled, machine-screen printing, or other forms of mass production are accepted.

Furniture: Handmade objects such as tables, chairs, chests, and desks used in a home or business.

Glass: Functional and sculptural work is accepted. Kiln forming, blowing, molding, or casting, as well as all cold working processes are permitted.

Jewelry: Only those artists accepted in the jewelry category may display or sell jewelry. 

Leather: Sculptural or decorative work made from leather.

Metal: Sculptural or decorative work made from metal.

Mixed Media: Work which combines materials from two or more mediums in one piece (e.g. drawing, painting, digital works, etc.).

Musical Instruments: Handmade instruments.

Natural Materials: This includes basket weaving, chair caning, brooms, gourds, and other works made from materials found in nature.

Painting: Including acrylic, gouache, oil, pastel, and watercolor.

Paper: Sculptural or decorative work made from paper.

Photography: Includes traditional film photography, hand-colored images, emulsion transfers, and digital photography. Only artist’s original source material is acceptable.

Printmaking: Hand-pulled original prints. Prints should be in limited editions, signed, and numbered.

Sculpture: Three-dimensional work using additive or subtractive processes in a single medium.

Wood: Original works that are hand tooled, machine-worked, turned or carved.

JURY PROCEDURES

Entrants - including returning artists - must observe the following requirements:

• All work is to be original.
• Submit three images representative of your work in each medium in which you plan to exhibit (e.g. artists exhibiting oil paintings and watercolors need to submit six (6) images). When exhibiting more than one medium, please indicate the approximate percentage of each type to be exhibited at the Prairie Arts Festival (e.g. 25% oil and 75% watercolor).
• Provide a brief description of each work pictured in the images.
• All jewelry must be of original design and be handmade by the attending artist. On-site verification will be made.
• The sale of commercial reproductions of artists’ original work will be subject to the following restrictions:
  * No more than 25% of work displayed on booth (tent) walls can be commercial reproductions (i.e. 75% originals).
  * A majority of work offered for sale should be original.
  * All commercial reproductions should be labeled as such.
• Patrons should be advised if a work they are considering for purchase is an original or a commercial          reproduction.

DISPLAY SPECIFICATIONS

• Artists must supply their own tents, racks, tables, chairs, and other display equipment.
• All tents shall be securely weighted at each corner to withstand rainy or windy conditions. A 40 lb. minimum weight (unless the tent manufacturer’s specifications state otherwise) shall be secured to each tent leg unless staked. Most artists use white tents; however, we do not have any rules on tent color. 
• Booths must have a professional look.
• Artists must provide and display an identification sign listing their name. 
• Artists must be present both days and plan to exhibit rain or shine. No agents allowed.
• Artists shall only exhibit work typified by images submitted with the application.
• The Prairie Arts Festival Committee will screen booths during the weekend. If the work is not consistent with submitted images, or rules have not been followed, artists will be asked to leave. The committee’s judgment is final; no refunds will be given.
• Village ordinance prohibits dogs on the municipal grounds during festivals and concerts.

LIABILITY

Artists are fully responsible for the care, safety, and security of their work and property. The Village of Schaumburg assumes no liability for loss or damage to artwork or other property from any cause. Artists are required by the Illinois Department of Revenue to file a Special Event Tax Collection Report. More information and a link to the form will be available prior to the event. It should be completed and mailed to the address found on the payment coupon. If you have any questions, please call the phone number listed on the form.