Visual Artist

Downtown South Bend, Inc. invites local artists to apply to Art Beat 2025 and share their artistic talents with the community! Blacksmiths, painters, weavers, sculptors, and more at all stages of their artistic career are invited to apply.

PARTICIPATION RULES

1. Eligibility: Artists living in the following counties are eligible for participation: St. Joseph, Elkhart, Kosciusko, LaPorte, Marshall and Starke counties in Indiana and Berrien, Cass, and St. Joseph counties in Michigan.
2. Application must be submitted before the deadline: May 9, 2025
3. Artwork will be juried by volunteer members of the Art Beat Visual Arts Committee and acceptance notifications will be emailed to applicants in June. For more details on the jury process please see the Jury section below.
4. Artwork must be designed and executed by the accepted artist.
5. Art Beat is an art festival and not a craft or artisan festival. The committee is looking for original artwork and not easily replicated items made by kits, Cricuts, etc.  The following items are not allowed for sale at Art Beat: soaps, plants, candles, cosmetics, lip balm, perfumes, lotions, essential oils, hair and nail products, or any other kind of health/beauty product. 
6. Artwork can be for sale. Artists should check local guidelines for collecting sales tax.
7. Artists must include up-to-date information in their application, including an email address that is checked on a regular basis and a mobile number for text updates. DTSB and Art Beat will not share contact information with other parties.
8. Artists must agree to the terms and conditions included in the Release of Liability Waiver
9. Artists must agree to all load-in/load-out policies as outlined below (See “Rules & Procedures for Set-up/Tear-down”) 
10. Artists are responsible for their own 10x10 tent, tables, chairs and tent weights (tent weights are mandatory for public safety.)
11. Artists are responsible for bringing any additional help they may need for the event for set-up/tear-down, and manning their booth.

FEES
All fees are non-refundable. A small credit card processing charge will be added to each fee. The Art Beat application fee is only $20. We will be offering a special reduced early application fee of just $15 for those applying prior to April 21. 
 
Payment is required at the time of application and can be done through Eventeny/Stripe. Applicants may also choose to pay an extra $30 to be juried into the Fine Arts Showcase at time of application. This special section of Art Beat is in a prime location at the center of the event. The $30 fee will be charged to the same credit card used for the application fee upon acceptance (on or before June 6.) You will not be charged if you are not accepted into Art Beat.  If not accepted into the Fine Arts Showcase, but accepted into Art Beat, participants may use this non-refundable fee to serve as payment for Early Bird Booth Selection (see "Booth Assignments" section for more details.)  Upon acceptance, artists will then need to pay a $50 fee for their booth space. 
 
Additional fees will be required if you choose any of the following:

• Early Bird Booth Selection: $30
• Extra booth space: $50 per extra space
• Electricity: $30 

JURY
All applications must be submitted on or before the final deadline of May 9, 2025.
 
A jury will be conducted for all entries that are received. The jury is comprised of volunteer members of the Art Beat Visual Arts Committee, who rate each submission on a scale of 1-5 (5 being best). An average is taken from all jury votes. All 4-5s are considered accepted, 2-3s will be waitlisted, and 1’s will not be accepted. The jury will be judging work based on the following criteria:

• Creativity/uniqueness of the work
• Variety within the body of work
• Skill level
• Aesthetics
• Inherent meaning

COMMUNICATIONS: 
Informational e-newsletters will be sent out to Art Beat applicants on a regular basis. Applicants are requested to include an email address that is checked frequently in their application so as not to miss important announcements and instructions. Applicants should also check their spam/junk folders to make sure that important Art Beat emails are not hidden. Additionally, the Facebook group "The Artists of Michiana...Unleashed!" is a helpful resource for local artists and event updates. Event info and a list of accepted artists will also be available at ArtBeatSouthBend.org. 

For in-person assistance, DTSB will be hosting an application assistance session at the downtown branch of the St. Joseph County Public Library. It will take place April 19 from 1 to 4 pm in Studio 304. No registration necessary - just walk in and members of the Art Beat committee will be there to help you out! Enter off Wayne Street through the Studio 304 doors. 

Art Beat participants are encouraged to share and post in the official Art Beat 2025 Facebook Event page. PLEASE DO NOT CREATE YOUR OWN ART BEAT FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE as it confuses visitors as to which is the real one, causing them to miss out on important event updates and announcements. Any questions, comments, issues, or suggestions regarding Art Beat can be directed to the following email address: ArtBeatDTSB@gmail.com.

NOTIFICATIONS:

DTSB depends on the jury selections to ensure the highest quality show each year and with the amount of applications on the rise, not all applicants will be accepted. Applicants who choose the Early Bird Booth Selection will be informed of their acceptance status on or before June 6. All other applicants will be notified by June 13.

RAIN POLICY:
In case of severe weather, the event will be delayed 24 hours until Sunday, August 10, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. Event organizers will make this call by 5 noon on Friday, August 8 and notify all participating artists by email as well as post information on the Art Beat website, and DTSB's social media.

NO-SHOW POLICY:
Art Beat organizers must receive notice of your inability to attend the event at least 4 weeks prior to the event so the space can be reassigned to another artist. Please note that application processing fees cannot be refunded. Extenuating circumstances will be reviewed by the Art Beat Committee. All participants must arrive prior to 9:30 a.m. on the event date. Participants failing to arrive by 9:30 a.m. will be declared a No Show and their booth space will be forfeited. Event staff will allow artists from end booths to fill in their place to eliminate gaps in the festival. Participants classified as No Shows will jeopardize their future participation in Art Beat. 

BOOTH SPACE
Accepted artists will be able to purchase a 10'x10' booth space for $50. Artists can request more than one booth space, for an additional $50 fee per extra space.  Artists are responsible for bringing: 

• Their own tents, tables, chairs, and tent weights (required).
• Their own helpers to assist them with set-up, tear-down, and manning their booth should they need a break. Art Beat Volunteers may NOT be used for these purposes.  

BOOTH ASSIGNMENTS
DTSB switched to a new application platform called Eventeny last year which enables accepted artists to choose their own booth spaces!

• The booth spaces will open up for selection in early June. We will be allowing a special Early Bird Booth Selection a week prior to general selection for $30. Early Bird Selection applications will also get to know the status of their acceptance one week prior to other applicants - by June 6.
• NOTE - Early Bird Booth Selection does NOT include the booth fee of $50/booth, it is just an optional choice for applicants who want first dibs at choosing their booth.
• Other applicants will be notified as to the status of their acceptance by June 13 and will have between then and July 1 to choose their booth.
• After July 1, if artists have not chosen and paid for their booth, waitlisted artists will be able to select from available booths. 
• If electricity is required by the artists, locations with electricity will be available for an additional fee of $30.

RULES & PROCEDURES FOR SET-UP/TEAR-DOWN
Participants who fail to abide by the following rules & procedures will jeopardize their future participation in Art Beat.

1. Booths will be available for selection in June. Participants are required to know their booth number prior to arrival. Booth numbers will be marked before the event, and participants are encouraged to locate their booth space in advance in order to create a smoother set-up experience for the entire event. In the past, several participants have arrived to the event not knowing their booth number or location, creating added strain on event staff and volunteers.
2. To aid in the flow of traffic during set-up and tear-down, one-way traffic patterns will be established that participants will be required to follow. Information on which streets will be one-way in which direction will be posted on the Art Beat website and will also be distributed in e-newsletters to participants.
3. Set-up Information
   1. Set-up times will be staggered between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. based on booth numbers.
   2. Even number booths may come at 8 a.m. to set up
   3. Odd number booths may come at 9 a.m. to set up
   4. At 7 a.m. there will be a special "Early Bird Set-up" for anyone who needs more than 3 hours to get their booth just right.
   5. Arrival deadline is 9:30 a.m. Any participant not arriving by 9:30 a.m. forfeits their booth space, and event staff will allow artists from end booths to fill in their place to eliminate gaps in the festival.
   6. Participants will NOT be allowed to leave their vehicle in the street during set-up.
4. Required Set-up Procedure
   1. Find your booth location.
   2. Park your vehicle in (or as close as possible to) your booth spot.
   3. Unload everything onto the sidewalk at your booth location.
   4. Park your vehicle in one of the nearby parking garages or street parking spaces, which are both free on weekends (NOTE – this is where having a booth helper is extremely important – to move and park your vehicle or to watch your items while you park; and also to help you set up your booth.)
   5. Set up your booth within the boundaries marked on the curb/pavement at the location assigned to you.
   6. All vehicles need to be removed from the streets of the event space prior to 9:30 a.m. 
   7. Set-up needs to be completed by 10:30 a.m. We do get many early shoppers so being set up by 10 a.m. is recommended.
5. Tear-down Information
   1. Early tear-down is not permitted, in order to ensure a consistent experience for visitors. Participants may not begin tear-down until 7 p.m. unless otherwise indicated by event staff (such as in the event of a weather emergency.)
   2. Participants will NOT be allowed to leave their vehicle in the street during tear-down.
6. Required Tear-down Procedure
   1. Tear-down will be executed in the reverse order of set-up:
   2. Participants need to have their booth items packed away and their tent disassembled, with all items on the sidewalk by their booth BEFORE retrieving their vehicle.
   3. No vehicles will be permitted in the event space prior to 7:30 p.m. to ensure the safety of our guests.
   4. Once a participant's items are out of the booth space and packed on the sidewalk, vehicles can then be retrieved, and should follow the established one-way traffic rules.
   5. Participants need to park in (or as close as possible to) their booth space, and then load their items.
   6. Depart using the same one-way traffic rules.