The MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival opens in just a few weeks, and we are looking forward to seeing you.  As you prepare for your trip to Texas, please take a moment and read through this important email.  It contains important information on a number of different topics, and will help you plan for our show.

General Event and Set Up Information:

All Exhibitor set-up and show information is available on our private Artists’ Website:

http://www.mainstreetartsfest.org/ArtistWelcomePage.aspx 

Please check this website often as we will post updates and ongoing information about the event specifically for our Exhibiting Artists. 

Don’t forget to register to pay Texas sales tax – it’s 8.25% in Fort Worth. Complete information is available at www.window.state.tx.us (Form AP-201) or 1-800-252-5555 for the Texas State Comptroller's office.      

Exhibitor Information:

We’ve updated your specific Exhibitor Information at the end of this email, and have included your assigned load-in time.  We ask that you please make a note of it.  Check all information for accuracy and let us know of any concerns by filling out our Final Info Form.  Simply email it to kari@dfwi.org, or fax it back to us.

http://www.mainstreetartsfest.org/content/FinalInfoForm.doc

Lunch delivered to your booth by Chili’s or Central Market:

Back by popular demand, you’ll have the opportunity to pre-purchase lunch for all four days of the Festival, provided by Chili’s and Central Market and delivered right to your booth with a bottle of water.  Please review the menu and place your order on our Final Info Form:

http://www.mainstreetartsfest.org/content/LunchMenuFinal.pdf

Indicate on the Final Info Form your preferences for each day.  We’ll take care of the rest.  Note the price of any lunch is just $8, including delivery and gratuity.  The menus do indicate different prices (Central Market), but you only need to pay $8 – we’ll subsidize all additional costs.

Official Program, Exhibitor Directory Section:

Our 2008 Program Guide will be a four-color program produced by the Star-Telegram.  We will change the format of our Exhibitors’ Directory from previous years and provide a full contact listing for each artist.  Your listing information is shown below.  Please review this information – it should match the information we have for you on our online Artist’s Gallery.  Please note any corrections in an email back to us, or on the Final Info Form.  Our print deadline is Tuesday, March 25 – so don’t delay.

Enhance Your Listing - (Additional Fee to Participate):

To further enhance your Official Program directory listing, we’ll include a thumbnail image of your work.  These eye-catching image enhancements can be purchased for only $75, and will immediately draw patrons’ eyes to your listing.  Simply indicate your interest on the Final Info Form, and include your credit card information.  We’ll then place an image directly above your directory information in the printed program as per the example is to the right.  This is limited to the first 35 respondents due to space restrictions.

Display Ad Space Available:

We have quarter page, half page and even full page ads available in the program to bring your own design to our audience.  The deadline is March 26 for final art.  Please review the Rate Card information and contact the Star-Telegram directly for inclusion.

http://www.mainstreetartsfest.org/content/AdvSalesFlyer2K8.pdf

Visiting Artists Program:

We are still in need of Visiting Artists to visit the Fort Worth Independent School District and provide an opportunity for additional exposure to the arts exhibition world.  These visitation opportunities are available either Tuesday before the event, or Monday following the event.  We will provide a stipend of $150 to help cover expenses associated with this program.  We’ll handle all of the coordination – all you need to do is provide a valuable learning experience for youth.  We will match you up to a class, teacher and the grade level you prefer.  Please use the Final Info Form to sign up or go to:

http://mainstreetartsfest.org/content/artistoutreach08.pdf

Artist Awards:

We have increased our Artist Awards to $10,000 from $5,000 in 2007 – we’re heading in the right direction!  These awards will be presented at our Artist Awards Breakfast at Chili’s, 5^th Street and Main Street, at 8:30 AM on Friday, April 18.  The jury will review all Exhibitors on Thursday, April 17.

Art on Tour presented by Chesapeake Energy Corporation:

This exciting program, back for its second year, has eleven high school juniors and seniors curating an exhibit slated for future showings around Fort Worth.  This exhibit will consist entirely of art they will purchase from our 2008 Exhibiting Artists.  $10,000 will be spent this year, and the team is currently reviewing our online Artist’s Gallery to help them make their decisions as to what work to include.  Please give them your support if they call or stop by your booth!

NAIA Advocacies:

As you are aware, we support the Advocacies developed by the National Association of Independent Artists.  One of our remaining items was the development of an Artist Advisory Committee, which we are pleased to have been working with since last year.  We are pleased to welcome Raymond Rains, Pam Summers, Gregory Story and Michael Holloway as our founding members.  If you would like to participate on our committee going forward, please let Jay Downie know. Feel free to contact any one of them for advice and support either before, during or after the festival.

Storage:

We have arranged for a limited number of portable, secure, lockable storage units to be placed on side streets to help artists with their storage needs since space is at a premium.  The size of the typical storage area is 8’ x 12’, and can be shared with another artist.  You must provide your own lock.  The total cost of the rental for the four days is $75 per person, based on double occupancy (sounds like a hotel room…).  We will only order units based on reservations/payments we receive (use our Final Info Form to reserve your space).  We encourage artists to contact each other in advance to share a space as we are limited in terms of the number of these units we can place. These will be located on the following streets:

·         2^nd Street, between Main Street and Commerce Street

·         6^th Street, between Main Street and Commerce Street

·         7^th Street, between Main Street and Commerce Street

Google “Street View”:

Definitely a tremendous help for those who haven’t visited MAIN ST. before.  The address to use is:  www.maps.google.com.  Enter 601 Main Street, Fort Worth, TX  76102 in the look-up box.  This address gets you to the center of the event site and from there you can literally take a look. around.  Artists are located from the 300 block of Main Street to the 800 block of Main Street. Just about the entire street can be viewed from ground level on this site.  It’s pretty cool!

1. Please visit your Zapplication account and ACCEPT our INVITATION, if you have not already done so
2. Pay for your Booth Fee ($430, discounted $15 due to the increased number of applications this year).  Fees are due by December 17, 2007.
   
3. If you would like to request a corner space, please pay for it as well ($100 - there are 109 corner spaces in the show).
4. Fill out the Visual Artist's Agreement (this is for Non-Emerging Artists Only!)and send it in by mail, email or fax.  This is due December 17, 2007. 
   
1. PLEASE NOTE: If you are an EMERGING ARTIST, please click here for the Emerging Artist's Agreement.
   
5. Fill out the Information Form and send it in to us by mail, email or fax.  This is due December 17, 2007.
   
1. Provide us with your top three Booth Location choices after reviewing our Site Map.
1. Note that award winners will be accommodated first in terms of booth placement.
2. Note that Emerging Artists will be placed on 3rd Street at the Festival's discretion based on balance.
2. Send via email an Artist's Statement and a Head Shot (or Studio Shot)
   

1. Renaissance Worthington Hotel  The artist's rate is $159 - please call the hotel directly to obtain the rate.
   
2. Courtyard by Marriott/Blackstone Hotel The artist's rate is $139 - please call the hotel directly to obtain the rate.
   
3. The Hilton Fort Worth The artist's rate is $149 - please click here to go to their Artist's Rate booking website or call the hotel directly to obtain the rate.
   
4. Park Central Hotel The artist's rate is $79 - please call the hotel directly to obtain the rate.
   
5. Embassy Suites Fort Worth The artist's rate is $159 - please click here to go to their Artist's Rate booking website or call the hotel directly to obtain the rate.

The festival site is located on Main Street in downtown Fort Worth between the Fort Worth Convention Center (9th street on the southeast) and the Tarrant County Courthouse (Weatherford Street on the northwest). Artists utilize 5 of the 9 blocks dedicated to the festival. “Artist Square” is located in a parking lot on the east side of Main Street in the middle of the festival site (between 3rd and 4th streets).  Here's the general site map to obtain references.

Main Street Locations – The festival will supply each artist located on the street a 10’ x 10’ space, located under large, open, tented pavilions.  These open, tented pavilions are all 20’ wide, and range in length from 20’ to 40’.

• Please note these pavilions are used to protect artists from the wind, and are directly anchored to the street.  We will be adding leg extenders to boost the height of the pavilion edges to better accommodate artists’ internal exhibit/tent structures. Each artist must work within the perimeters of their assigned space.
• Artists are required to provide their own internal structures, including lights, sidewalls or draping (if you wish to separate your space from your neighbor’s), weights (for your own internal structure as the festival provides weights only for the pavilion), and front flaps to close your booth at night. 
• There are no sidewalls on the pavilions!
  
• If you plan to erect any form of tent under the pavilion, you must consider the poles of the pavilion which are 3” in diameter. We recommend an internal structure that you can adjust (does not have to snap into place) or simply walls.
  

Artist Square Locations – Artist Square is located in the parking lot bordered by Main Street, Commerce Street, 3^rd Street and 4^th Street. If you are assigned to booth numbers 401 – 444, you must provide your own white top 10’ x 10’ pavilion and sufficient weights. Artists will be placed next to each other. There is room behind a majority of these spaces for storage, but it must be shared with other artists in this area.  There is a stage to the west of Artist Square.  Please note that audio levels are monitored during the day, and kept at no more than 85 db during the day and 100 db after 8:00 PM.

The following policies apply regarding booth space assignments:

        1. The enclosed Artist Booth Preference Form is the only form of reference this office will use to determine your choice of booth space and must be completed for your request to be considered.

        2. Decisions for booth assignments are made based on the time and date stamp of your payment through Zapplication.

        3. Invited Artists from 2007 will be given first priority for space requests.

        4. Media/category balance is a high priority.

        5. An artist who does not own their own tent is not disqualified from being assigned to Artist Square.  We have tents for rental.  You may pay for the rental of a frame tent either in Artist Square or as a frame under the larger pavilions on Main Street.

6. All assignments are made at the discretion of the Director and are final.

        7. Every effort will be made to accommodate every artist’s request. In exchange for this effort, artists should be understanding towards the show when 150 of 200 artists request the same corner booth.

Our offices will not issue booth assignments by phone. Booth assignments will be sent to you via email in February and listed on our website and will be noted on your Zapplication account.

Representation (please read)

Festival Info for Artists (please read)