Exhibitor Eligibility
All active members in good standing are encouraged to apply to exhibit. An active member has attended at least two meetings or volunteered in the 12 months before the show. If you have not been able to attend due to pandemic restrictions, illness, schedule conflicts, or other extenuating circumstances, contact us and let us know. If you are a new member or have been an active member in past years, the Show Committee may be able to help make arrangements for you to participate in some of the volunteer opportunities related to the festival. This can help you meet the participation requirements.
Not a member yet? Join now and get involved to be eligible to apply. New members are invited to apply and will have their artwork juried by the Show Committee.
Artists exhibiting do not need to have a business license to participate in our shows.
Acceptable Artwork
We are an organization that strongly promotes and encourages hands-on artwork. Therefore, our shows only allow the display and sales of original two-dimensional art as described here. This is the niche that has characterized our organization and show, and is in accordance with our organization’s Bylaws.
This means art will be exclusively painting, drawing, mixed media or fine art collage.
All artwork exhibited should be executed in paint, dry, or mixed media using traditional painting or drawing materials on traditional grounds. Ground examples include: canvas, fabric, board, wood, paper, flat metal etc. The artwork should be appropriately equipped for professional display. For example, a canvas or wood panel should be wired or have D-rings, paper should be framed, frames should be able to hang on displays as needed.
All work displayed and sold at our events must be non-offensive and original, based on the artist’s imagination or interpreted from their own photographs, and untouched by an instructor. Selling a painting copied from another artist’s photograph or painting is unethical and illegal.
Refund Policy for 2023 Spring Show
Withdraw Deadline April 6th
Show date is Saturday May 6th, from 9 am – 5 pm.
Rain or shine! Refunds cannot be issued due to weather.
This year, our registration deadline is April 6th. The deadline to withdraw and receive a refund is also April 6th. This deadline to withdraw may be extended if there is a wait-list. The application will open on February 1st.
Refunds will be issued in the following three situations.
Artists who apply after the show is full will be placed on a wait list and refunded if a place does not become available.
Artist ineligibility is discovered after applying.
Artists unable to participate based on a jury decision after a portfolio review for first time exhibitors.
Exhibition Booth Spaces 2023
This year we have the opportunity return to our location from last year, the Mountain Brook City Hall. We will be providing more detailed information about the location as plans unfold, and we will make all this information available on the Spring Show Artist Prep Info page. You will know if that info has been updated for the current year when viewing it if it has the current year in the title. Many things will be the same as last year. We also will provide you with recommendations, tips, and advice to help make this process enjoyable and rewarding. That info can be found on the Spring Show Tips and Ideas page, which we will also plan to update annually as new tips or ideas are brought to our attention.
When we plan the placement of each artist on the map, placement priority will be given first to those with special needs and those who have dedicated the most time and effort to making this event possible. On the Show Form, please give us information about your preferred location based on last year’s Event Map. Let us know if you prefer the same spot as a previous year or a different spot and why. This feedback is helpful.
By signing up, each artist agrees that there is no guarantee about getting the specific location they prefer. After all known factors have been considered, choices will be made according to the order in which applications were received. Spaces are limited, so waiting too long to apply could impact whether or not you will be able to exhibit.
So get your application in as soon as you can!
Outdoor Tent Spaces
Each outdoor space includes a 10′ x 10′ space for a tent that each Artist will bring, or one provided by a 3rd party. This is a new option that we are making available to artists for the first time in 2023. Whether or not we will be able to use this service will depend on how many artists are interested in it. You will be given an opportunity to tell us if you are interested in renting a tent on the show form.
Tent Rental Details:
Fee per artist is approximately $ 90 – $ 110.
This will cover the cost of renting the tent and the cost of the company setting the tent up for you.
It will include a shared 10 x 20 tent, and will probably include a row of 2 or 3 10 x 20 tents all touching, so that there will not be space between booths, only behind them.
It includes slender tent water weights on all legs.
Includes protective tarps Velcro fastened around the whole row of tents.
See Example Images
Not included: display panels to hang artwork on.
This will be the sole responsibility of the artist.
Does not include securing display panels to the frame.
It does not include the individually ordered items as described below.
Individually ordered additional items:
6′ Table $ 8
Table Linen – Black Stretch $ 15
Black Folding Chair – $ 3
White Folding Chair – $ 6
At the expected maximum capacity, we may need to have the spaces quite tight. Some booths won’t have any space between them and the tent next to them. However, most tents will have ample space behind them, although some may not have secluded space behind the tent. While the space for storage around tents may be limited, we plan to designate some areas inside for storage of additional paintings and boxes.
Indoor Panel Spaces
Each indoor panel display space is a total of 6′ high x 12′ wide. This is 1 side of Four 3′ wide panels provided and set up by the MBAA. Artists will also have some floor space for a small table or portfolio display. There will be space for some chairs as well. Indoor exhibitors will have access to electricity, a temperature controlled environment, as well as close access to facilities and inside designated storage areas. Artists will provide their own additional lighting where they see it is needed. This is highly recommended as we cannot guarantee that the room will be properly lighted throughout the show in the case of a bulb burning out or a malfunction that could take place.
Both indoor and outdoor spaces have their own unique set of advantages, so the pricing for each space is $80. If you are sharing a space with another artist, each artist pays only $45.
Gift and Reproduction Items
We allow a variety of gift and reproduction items to be sold at our shows. However, these types of items should be only derived from artist’s original artworks that meet the above criteria. All prints or reproductions must be clearly identified as such. These will not be included in judging. Ideally, mark a designated area for reproductions such as one panel, one table, or one section of your tent.
The majority of display space must be original work. The proportion of reproduction type items should be 1/4 or less of your total exhibition space.
We allow books, calendars, cards, gift tags, ornaments, magnets, coasters, totes, tea towels, scarves, and canvas printed reproductions of the artwork. Items cannot include digitally enhanced or heavily edited images of your art. For any items not listed here or questions on the specifics, please contact the Show Committee to ask about it before the festival.
Artwork Not Accepted for Our Shows
We recognize there are vast forms of art. All these art forms our beautiful in their own right. However, the following do not conform with the primary purpose of our organization as described in the “Acceptable Artwork” section of this page. Photography is not accepted. This also means that no visible photography can be included in collage or incorporated into paintings. No printmaking such as screen-printing, mono-types, digital art prints, etchings, lithographs, etc.
No three-dimensional or crafts are to be included. This means no sculpture, pottery, ceramics, wood carvings, toy making, weaving, quilting, or jewelry will be allowed at our shows. Our focus is only two-dimensional hand made art. The MBAA Show Chair and/or Committee reserves the right to exclude any work not following the above guidelines and any work deemed offensive or inappropriate for our family-oriented art shows.
Juried Process For New Show Applicants Only
If you are a new member, you will need to attend at least one meeting before the show. If there is not a meeting between the time you are applying and the show, and there are still available spaces in the show, you can contact the Show Committee for alternate volunteer opportunities. You can sign up to help out with some of the tasks in preparation of the Show, or choose from a list of volunteer opportunities related to the show.
Once the eligibility requirement has been met or arranged, you will need to complete the other steps in the application process. In your application form, please write that you are a new exhibitor and intend to undergo the jury process in the “Additional Comments or Questions” field. Then you will need to send a portfolio to the Show Committee. This can be in whatever format is best for you, although the simplest solution could be simply to send a link to your website or other public portfolio.
If you don’t have any public portfolio of your work, then send in at least 5 good quality images (minimum of 800 pixels on large side) of your work. Also include any descriptive detail about your artistic process, artistic experience, or some description of where you are in your journey as an artist so that we can get to know you as a new member and participant in the show. You can also let us know if there is a particular image of your work that you would like used for membership or promotional purposes. By sending us images you are agreeing that we can use them for promotional purposes if you are accepted into the show.
The Show Committee will ask for any additional information needed to determine your place in the show. Space is limited, and if we know that all spaces are already full, you will be notified as soon as that is known. If for any reason your application is rejected, your show application fee will be refunded. You are welcome to apply again in the following years. In the meantime, you should participate in meetings and other volunteer opportunities with our organization to maintain eligibility.
The MBAA is an equal opportunity organization. Decisions about artwork and eligibility in our shows will never be based on any features of a persons identity, such as race, ethnicity, age, gender, religion or personal beliefs.
Mountain Brook Art Association 
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