Prospectus
PORTLAND FINE CRAFT SHOW
AUGUST 24, 2024 • PORTLAND, MAINE
Application Dates: Nov 07, 2023 - Jan 31, 2024
Application Fee: MCA Members $30; Non-members $35
Late App. Dates: Feb 1 - Feb 15, 2024
Late Application Fee: Members and Non-members $50.00,
Notification Date: Mar 1, 2024
DESCRIPTION:
The ninth annual PORTLAND FINE CRAFT SHOW, produced by Shop Maine Craft, will occur on Saturday, August 24th, 2024 in the Free Street Parking Area at 120 Free Street in the heart of Portland, Maine’s arts district.
The show features over 100 juried exhibitors from all over Maine and the greater Northeast exhibiting fine craft in 10 x 10 tents in the following media categories: basketry, ceramics, fiber-decorative, fiber-wearable, furniture, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media, paper, printmaking, stone, and wood as well as outreach booths featuring New England and Portland arts organizations, international artist new to Maine, guilds, and schools by special invitation.
The Portland Fine Craft Show remains one of the only Maine craft shows open to artists not living in Maine and has a reputation for being well-organized and high quality, with high attendance. The show is a one-day, rain-or-shine, outdoor event. Exhibitors are prepared for a relatively quick setup (3-4 hours) and take down (2 hours) with an advanced day load-in option for booth materials only.
SHOW GENERAL INFORMATION
When: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Saturday, August 24, 2024, rain or shine
Where: Free Street Parking Area | 120 Free Street, Portland, ME, 04101
What: Fine Craft Show featuring over 100 vendors in 10x10 tents selling handmade craft work
LOCATION:
120 Free St. Portland, ME 04101
For its fourth year in a row, the Portland Fine Craft Show will be located in a private parking lot at 120 Free Street. The location is attractive for its proximity to the Portland Arts District and attractions- the Portland Museum of Art, the Old Port, and the West End.
SHOW PRODUCER AND PARTNERSHIP WITH THE MAINE CRAFTS ASSOCIATION
The Portland Fine Craft Show is produced by Shop Maine Craft
(SMC) who provides Maine Crafts Association members and friends with opportunities to expand their economic resources through retail sales, fine craft shows and special events throughout the state of Maine.
An initiative originally created by the Maine Crafts Association, Portland Fine Craft Show launched 2015 and remains one of the only Maine craft shows open to artists not living in Maine. The MCA, A 501c3 nonprofit organization established in 1983, continues to offer craft-based educational, community-building, and outreach programs to its membership and the larger community.
Shop Maine Craft and the Maine Crafts Association work in partnership to support and expand Maine’s creative economy.
EXHIBITOR AMENITIES
- Professional show production services and full-time staff support
- Pre-show and day-of-show advertising opportunities for exhibitors
- Professionally developed Exhibitors Guide
- Listing in printed Show Program/Map, a collaboration with West End News
- Listing in online Show Directory
- Social media promotion by Shop Maine Craft
- Show marketing promotional materials provided
- Volunteer booth sitters
- Awards for Best Booth Design, Best of Show, and People’s Choice
- Lunch Delivery in compostable packaging- no plastic throwaway containers
- Water cart refill delivery and refill stations- no plastic throwaway bottles
ACCEPTED FINE CRAFT MEDIA
- Basketry
- Ceramics
- Fiber Decorative + Wearable
- Furniture
- Glass
- Jewelry
- Leather
- Metal
- Mixed Media
- Paper
- Printmaking (Handmade prints made using traditional analog techniques only) *please see the media/products not accepted for jury list below*
- Stone
- Wood
Contact the SMC staff directly if you have any questions about accepted/ not accepted media
MEDIA/ PRODUCTS NOT ACCEPTED FOR JURY PROCESS
- Commercial manufactured art.
- Work assembled (wholly or in part) from commercially available kits.
- Two-dimensional art such as paintings and photographs. The only exceptions to this exclusion are original handmade prints made using traditional analog techniques. Any digital or reproduction prints such as giclee are not accepted.
- Production work by third-party printers, commercially printed items, or embellished commercially made objects such as t-shirts, note cards etc.
- Mixed media work that uses paint and canvas as its primary medium.
- Screen printed material, commercial etchings, web or sheet-fed offset printed work.
- Works that use materials acquired from the killing of endangered species, elephant/mammoth ivory, including fossilized ivory.
- Dried or silk flower arrangements.
- Soaps, personal care, candles.
- Specialty foods.
- Buy-sell items.
- CDs, DVDs, Books.
Contact the SMC staff directly if you have any questions about accepted/ not accepted media
APPLICATION-
To apply, all applicants need to submit four images of their work as a representative sample of what will be exhibited in your booth and a booth image. Additionally, applicants will be required to submit an artist statement. The statement should include information about the artist's career, technical skill used to create the submitted artwork, or any information the applicant would like the jury to know.
2024 SHOW JURORS
- Patrick Coughlin | Professor & Program Chair of Ceramics at Maine College of Art & Design
- Tanya Crane | Professor of the Practice, Metal SMFA at Tufts
- Anthony Anderson | Founder, Maine Gallery + Studio Guide
BOOTH FEES
MCA Members rate for 10x10 in-line booth: $215
Non Member rate for 10x10 in-line booth: $245
BOOTH INFORMATION + REQUIREMENTS
- Exhibitors receive their booth assignments in early summer
- EZ-up (or equivalent) tents are required
- Tent weights required, 40lbs per corner
- 10ft x 10ft spaces
- Double or triple booths, and prime/corner booths are available
- No electricity or WIFI available
CANCELLATION / REFUND POLICY
If before Sunday, May 26th, 2024: Full Refund less $25
If before Monday, May 27th, 2024: Wednesday, July 24th : 50% refund
On or after Thursday, July 25th, 2024: No Refunds
*No refunds for unqualifying applications. Please contact the show director if you have any questions about your application.*
CONTACT INFORMATION
Simonne Feeney, Show Director
simonne@shopmainecraft.org | (207)-805-4918
Whitney Gill, Shop Maine Craft, Executive Director
whitney@shopmainecraft.com | (207)-205-0791
Shop Maine Craft Site:
www.shopmainecraft.com
PFCS Page on Site:
https://shopmainecraft.com/programs/portland-fine-craft-show/
TERMS & CONDITIONS STATEMENT:
Portland Fine Craft Show: Term and Conditions Portland Fine Craft Show Exhibitors must understand and agree to the following: Application fees are non-refundable. Applicants must apply with images or work that they made by hand, or with appropriate tools, alone or with a partner or small staff. The applicant must be present at the show for all show hours. Partner applicants may be represented by one member of the partnership. To set up and take down within the allotted time frame: 6 am - 10 am set-up, 5 pm - 7 pm take down. To move your car from the show zone to a parking lot by 9:15 am. To apply with a representative sample of what will be exhibited in your booth. To exhibit only work that was represented in your application. To only exhibit work in the following media categories: baskets, ceramics, fiber, furniture, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media, paper, printmaking, stone, and wood. The following Media/Products are not accepted: Specialty Foods, Personal Care, Candles, Books, CDs/DVDs, Cards, 2D Fine Art, Photography, flower arrangements, buy-sell items or any products made from commercially available kits. Standard 10×10 Ez-up (or equivalent) tents are required. No tarps are allowed, tent side flaps that came with the tent are acceptable. Tent weights are required. No electricity or wifi available.