The 57th Street Art Fair invites artists with high quality, handmade, original work to apply to be part of 67th annual event in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood, June 7-8, 2014. The fair features a range of glass, jewelry, leather, photography, printmaking, painting, sculpture, wood, ceramics and fiber art from artists around the country. The jury is seeking high-quality fine art, handmade by the artist, one piece at a time. Applications must be received by January 15, 2014 to be considered for the jury.

Considered the Midwest’s oldest juried art fair, The 57th Street Art Fair attracted 250 artists and 20,000 attendees to this premier art and cultural event in 2013. The upcoming two day fair is scheduled at the beginning of the Summer and headlines Chicago’s busiest festival season providing an outstanding opportunity for exhibiting artists to sell to tens of thousands of qualified and enthusiastic shoppers.

Artists interested in applying for the 67th annual 57th Street Art Fair are asked to visit https://www.zapplication.org/event-info-public.php?fair_id=2976. Artists may apply in more than one category, but must submit a separate application and separate images for each medium. If accepted, the artist may exhibit only in that category for which they have been juried in. Artists may not apply more than once in the same category.

A selection committee will jury applications. The jury comprised of professionals working within the art community review a set of three images provided by each artist. The process, materials, dimensions for each image and artist information statements are made available to the jury. Artistic excellence is the sole criteria for selection of exhibitors. The panel is convened to discuss their rankings and the artists with the top scores will receive invitations to exhibit. High-scoring artists who are not initially invited to exhibit will be added to a wait list and offered the opportunity to exhibit should an invited artist decline to participate in the Fair.

Medium Category Descriptions:

Ceramics
Original functional and non-functional work made of clay and porcelain by the potter’s hand are accepted. No machine made or mass produced work will be accepted. If multiple pieces of the same design are displayed each piece must be signed.

Fiber
Artwork crafted from fibers, including embroidery, weaving, and tapestry No machine-tooled work, machine-screen printing or other forms of mass production are accepted.

Glass
Functional and sculptural work made primarily by the hands of the applying artist, using kiln forming, blowing, molding or casting as well as cold working processes are permitted. No forms of mass production are permitted.

Jewelry
Jewelers must be the designers and hands-on makers of their work. No commercial casts, molds, or production studio work.

Leather
No machine tooled, machine-screen printed or other forms of mass production accepted. No factory-produced wearable items, regardless of additional modification or enhancement by the artist, allowed.

Mixed Media
This category includes collage, handmade paper, fiber that is not wearable and objects which are “decorative” rather than “useful.”

Painting/Drawing
Original compositions on a flat surface created by the artist’s hand using oils, acrylics, watercolors or dry media including chalk, charcoal, pastels, pencil, wax crayon or from the fluid medium of inks and washes applied by pen or brush are accepted.

Paper
Flat and three-dimensional works made with paper are accepted.

Photography
Photographs must be either printed by the hands and/or under the direction of the photographer. Work must be in signed and numbered editions, on archival papers using inks, and emulsions. Photographs may not be printed on canvas. Reproductions by any means are not allowed.

Printmaking
Only artist hand pulled original mono-print, serigraph, lithograph or similar prints in signed and numbered limited editions are allowed. No commercial or reproduction prints are allowed.

Sculpture
Art that is three-dimensionally sculptural and is original work done in any medium.

Wood Objects/Hand-Crafted Furniture
Original hand-tooled, machine worked or carved work.

To recognize artists of outstanding merit, the Committee distributes $5,000 in cash awards each year. Prizes include: 57th Street Art Fair Committee Award; Katrina Hadley Award for painting, sculpture or photography; Nettie Hart Award for crafts; Mary Louise Womer Award for excellence; Vi Uretz Award; Ruth Kaplan Award; Newcomer Awards; and Honorable Mention.

ABOUT 57TH STREET ART FAIR

The 57th Street Art Fair is a two-day outdoor celebration of the visual arts held in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, adjacent to the University of Chicago campus and President Barak Obama’s home. Considered the oldest juried art fair in the Midwest, the fair typically features the work of 250 exhibitors. Most are returning artists, but each year between 50 and 75 new exhibitors are invited to participate by a jury made up of collectors, critics, curators and artists. The goal of the 57th Street Art Fair is to provide a venue for creators of quality fine art and fine craft to meet with the art-buying public. The 57th Street Art Fair is an Illinois not for profit corporation organization and all proceeds are used to produce the annual Fair.

For more information, please visit www.57thsteetartfair.com.