Kenan Center American Craftsmen Call for Artists

Artisan Information and Application
The Kenan Center is happy to announce that American Craftsmen is taking place in 2022 on Saturday, June 4 and Sunday, June 5, 2022! Celebrating American Craftsmen 50th anniversary, 2021 was one of the most successful selling shows the event has had. Due to the pandemic and ever-changing regulations we are narrowing our artisan selection to 75 artisans to provide a safer and more comfortable shopping environment. Our artisan application has opened and we are excited to begin this exciting process.

Link to Application

AMERICAN CRAFTSMEN RULES & GUIDELINES

FEES
A $25 application fee, paid with your application submission, is required. Checks can be mailed with your application to Kenan Center or you may call us at 716-433-2617 to pay by credit card over the phone. The application is non-refundable and will NOT be able to be put towards you r booth fee if accepted into the show.

JURYING PROCESS
Jurors view the submissions at separate locations and score each submission on a scale of 1-4. Jurors are selected for their knowledge and experience in the craft art field and have included artisans, gallery owners, curators, and faculty from university studio art programs. We use their cumulative score to determine Artisan acceptance.

Regarding jewelry: Due to the high volume of jewelry Artisans who apply, the Kenan Center limits the number of all jewelry exhibitors to 1/3 of the accepted Artisans. If you intend to show jewelry in your booth, and it is not your primary category, you must submit a second application with 3 separate images.

REFUNDS
Full booth refunds will be made if you notify the Kenan Center in writing that you are cancelling by March 31. AFTER THAT DATE, NO REFUNDS WILL BE ISSUED. JURY FEES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE

RULES/REGULATIONS
Only original craft art, made by hand, or with the appropriate tools, by the artisan who is submitting the application, is eligible.

Work must comply with the defined categories in this application and with the standards statement of the American Craft Enterprises, Inc. as a guide:  “Whether produced in quantity or as an individual piece, the idea work reflects excellence. The work should be well conceived, expertly executed without technical faults, and should show an identity of design.”

If your primary medium is anything other than jewelry, you may not sell jewelry of any kind in your booth. To show jewelry in your booth you MUST SUBMIT JEWELRY AS A SEPARATE APPLICATION. Please be sure to answer YES to the question if you need to apply twice when filling out your artisan information. You will be emailed a coupon code that exempts you from paying a second jury fee at check-out.  As with your original application, you must submit 3 images of your jewelry; you may submit the same booth shot. Artisans whose jewelry is not accepted into the show may not carry jewelry in their booths. No exceptions. DO NOT SUBMIT A SECOND APPLICATION UNLESS YOU PLAN TO SHOW JEWELRY IN YOUR BOOTH.

The artisan whose work is represented in your application images must be present at the show. No exceptions.

Kenan Center reserves the right to determine the eligibility of all work submitted for jurying as well as the right to ask an artisan to leave the show, without expectation of refund of any fees, if it is determined any of the above requirements have not been met. Signing the application form is an agreement that you, the artisan, are meeting all of the eligibility requirements stated above. If it is determined that you have misrepresented the origin of your work, you will be excluded from future consideration

Absolutely no buy and sell items, imports, or work that is commercially manufactured will be accepted. Commercial manufacturing is defined as any process by which the artisan consigns the majority of the artisan’s designs to assistants or contracted workers to produce/construct rather than hand-crafting each piece him or herself.

Work we do not accept: floral arrangements, edible items, any work on manufactured apparel including tee shirts, items that consist entirely of manufactured parts and are only assembled by the artisan, items created from kits, folk art.

Past acceptance is not a guarantee of acceptance to future shows. As with all juries, each one is different, and how you are scored by one jury may differ from how you are scored by the next. Within a category such as jewelry, where there are a high number of submissions, some artisans may not be accepted simply because we must limit the number of exhibitors. The decision of the jurors is final.

BOOTHS
All booths are 10’ x 10’. All booths are $200 each. Two Artisans may share one booth—if you plan to do so, please note this in your application form. Both Artisans must be accepted by jury score. A higher fee applies for two Artisans sharing a booth (you will be notified in your acceptance letter of the fee). Electricity provided free of charge. Tents, pipe and drape, and custom walls are permitted; all booths must have backs. Artisans are responsible for chairs, tables and booth lighting. No signage offering discounts, sales, 2 for 1 or other deals are permitted in booths.

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

American Craftsmen Artisan Applications due February 25, 2022. You can print this form out and send it via mail to Kenan Center 433 Locust St, Lockport, NY 14094 or email it to info@kenancenter.org.
American Craftsmen is a juried show. Jurors will be reviewing applications the week of February 28, 2022. Acceptances will be sent out beginning the week of March 7, 2022 through email. Please be sure to check your email on a regular basis.
American Craftsmen Weekend will be held on Saturday, June 4 and Sunday, June 5. The show will be from 10:00am – 5:00pm both Saturday & Sunday at the Kenan Center Arena at 195 Beattie Ave, Lockport, NY.
A number of other activities will be taking place on the Kenan Center campus the weekend of American Craftsmen including a Beer & Wine event, Music in the Gardens and Herb Club Plant Sale.
Social distance guidelines will apply along with masked requirements for all artists, attendees, staff & volunteers depending on CDC and government guidelines at the time of the show.