Events
8th Annual Winter Arts + Crafts Expo
November 20 – December 19, 2010

The Evanston Art Center presents its 8th annual Winter Arts + Crafts Expo! We welcome handmade works of jewelry, ceramics, fiber, metal, glass, painting, photography, mixed-media, and more.

Application Deadline Postmarked by Monday, Sept 20, 2010 Inventory Drop-Off Nov 13 - 15 Expo Event Preview Party on Nov 19 General Shopping from Nov 20 - Dec 19 APPLY RIGHT NOW Online with Zapp Applications!! or Download and Mail an Application and CD to the EAC

The Evanston Art Center’s 8th Annual Winter Arts + Crafts Expo features original, handmade arts and crafts by over 100 selected artisans. We feature original, handmade works of jewelry, ceramics, fiber, metal, glass, painting, photography, mixed-media, and more. This month-long event attracts visitors all over the Midwest region.

Categories
Jewelry, ceramics, wood, glass, metal, fiber, leather, wearable textile accessories, mixed media, small 3-D sculpture, and small 2-D works including printmaking, photography and painting (must be ready to hang). Beautifully crafted ornaments or menorahs are deemed acceptable as long as the artistic quality is very high. Not To Be Included: Commercially oriented or mass produced holiday items. Please note: All work must be original and made by the artist within the last few years. Commercial items will not be accepted. The Expo Committee reserves the right to refuse exhibition of work not consistent with these guidelines.

Size/Weight Restrictions
3-D work: May not exceed 50 lbs and 50 in height. If work requires a base, you must provide it. Tabletop work is preferred due to limited floor space. Anything larger must receive special permission to be included in the show. 2-D work: May not exceed 36" in any dimension, unless given special permission. Must be framed or equivalent and ready to hang. There may be some space for smaller works to be shown in bins.

Acceptance information
Notification of the juror's decision will be emailed in early October. Upon acceptance to the Expo, an information packet containing inventory delivery and pick-up, pricing, volunteering and other pertinent show details will be sent to you. An inventory sheet will be mailed to you to fill out and return by October 20. This means that you will need to plan ahead and know how many pieces will be available to sell before the start of the Expo. As a guideline from last year's show, ceramics, jewelry, glass, and small mixed media artists inventoried approximately 25-50 items. 2-D and larger 3-D inventoried approximately 10 - 20 items. We encourage each selected artist to inventory a price range of pieces from $20 to $500, with a greater quantity priced below $100 to satisfy customer holiday gifts needs. Artists must drop off and pick up work in person, unless special arrangements are made.

Visual Display
The Evanston Art Center has three gallery spaces overlooking Lake Michigan available for this event. The Expo is a group show, and as such, there are no booth spaces. Each artist's inventory will be identified and displayed on an approximately 20x30 inches tabletop space or the equivalent area on the wall or floor. Extra inventory for each artist will be stored and then displayed as merchandise is sold. The Expo staff will make all decisions regarding placement and display. Since this is not a booth show, artists will not be required to be present to conduct sales. We will, however, encourage each participating artist to volunteer three half-day shifts to work during the show. The Expo relies on volunteers to run the show. We have found that the artists who are present during the show contribute greatly to the professional atmosphere of the galleries and increase the sales of their own work by being able to talk to customers about their craft and process.

Advertising and publicity
To ensure that the show be well attended, the Art Center will produce an attractive announcement card, which will be sent to EAC members and other Art Center mailing lists. All artists will also be given a supply of announcement cards and encouraged to mail them to their own customer lists. A combination of store posters, display advertising, print advertising and publicity will be used to promote the Expo in the surrounding area. Information and photos will be posted on our website at www.evanstonartcenter.org as well. The Art Center reserves the right to photograph or use artist provided images for publicity purposes.

Sales
All sales will be made through a central cashier at the Evanston Art Center: cash, check or charge. The commission to the Art Center is 40%. The retail price labeled on each item will include the commission. At the end of the Expo, the items sold will be noted on your inventory sheets, the commission deducted, unsold inventory returned and checks mailed in mid - January. Artists are required to supply the Art Center with their SS# so that 10-900s may be sent. Illinois sales tax will be added. All sales are final; the EAC will not refund money under any circumstances.

Security/insurance
Insurance will be provided at no additional fee. Artists who are selected must provide a full inventory list of works stating sale prices and insurance values of each item. Insurance will be valued at the retail price of each piece and cannot exceed $1,000 per piece. Artwork will be covered by EAC insurance once the work is checked in and included in our inventory through Monday, December 22. After December 22, artwork will not be insured. The Expo is not responsible for loss or damage to property over and above the insured value of each piece. All artwork must have an assigned value to be insured. Claims must be submitted in person to the Expo staff at the time of inventory pick-up.

Silent Auction
Artists are encouraged to donate items to a silent auction to be held during the preview party on November 19, 2010. The EAC greatly appreciates your generosity in this event. The auction will encourage customers to linger in the galleries and shop. All proceeds from the silent auction will go toward supporting the show's fund raising efforts for the Evanston Art Center. Please note that under current IRS regulations, the tax deductible amount of an auction item donated to the EAC by the artist who created the work, will generally be limited to out-of-pocket costs involved in creating the artwork, not its current value or the proceeds received at the auction. For more information regarding tax deductions, we suggest that you consult with your tax advisor. A silent auction will be held on November 20, featuring art works donated by participating Expo artists. All proceeds from the Expo benefit the ongoing exhibition, education, and outreach programs at the EAC.

All sales are final. Cash, checks and Visa / MasterCard are accepted.