--- title: Lakefront Festival of Art 2027 description: Juried outdoor art fair at Milwaukee Art Museum, June 18–20, 2027. 150 artists, 15 disciplines, $10,000 in awards. url: https://www.artsume.com/programs/395fc521-7c09-4a24-b3b6-be9dad37edc9 type: program status: open createdAt: "2026-10-24" updatedAt: "2026-10-24" programType: Festival/fair organization: Lakefront Festival of Art organizationUrl: https://www.artsume.com/o/lakefront-festival-of-art deadline: "2026-12-14" entryFee: 45 USD location: Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI, United States isOnline: false disciplines: - ceramics - digital - drawing / pastels - fiber decorative - fiber wearable - glass - jewelry - metal - mixed media 2d - mixed media 3d - painting - photography - printmaking - sculpture - wood --- # Lakefront Festival of Art 2027 **Hosted by:** Lakefront Festival of Art **Type:** Festival/fair | **Location:** Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI, United States | **Deadline:** December 14, 2026 | **Entry fee:** $45 ## About This Program ### Summary For over 60 years, the Lakefront Festival of Art has been one of the nation's premier outdoor art festivals, bringing together exceptional artists and art enthusiasts on the spectacular grounds of the Milwaukee Art Museum along the shores of Lake Michigan. The three-day festival showcases 150 professional fine artists across 15 disciplines and welcomes more than 16,000 attendees from throughout the region and beyond, rain or shine. In 2027, the festival calendar offers artists the opportunity to participate in both LFOA and Chicago's Old Town Art Fair, with no date overlap between the two events. New for 2027: A special VIP reception on Friday morning will welcome Museum patrons and collectors to the festival, creating additional opportunities for artists to connect with an engaged audience of art enthusiasts as the festival opens. Presented by Friends of Art (FOA), a support organization of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Milwaukee Art Museum, net proceeds from this event are used by FOA for exhibitions and the acquisition of art for the Milwaukee Art Museum; to cultivate leaders and volunteers in support of the Milwaukee Art Museum; and to promote awareness and appreciation of the Milwaukee Art Museum and the visual arts. 2027 Lakefront Festival of Art Friday, June 18 10 AM – 7 PM Saturday, June 19 10 AM – 7 PM Sunday, June 20 10 AM – 5 PM ### General information IMPORTANT DATES AND DEADLINES 1. Online Application Due: December 14, 2026 2. Jury Day: January 8, 2027 3. Notification to Artists: January 15, 2027 4. Registration and Fee Due: February 19, 2027 (Nonrefundable after March 12, 2027) 5. Booth Assignments Released: April 9, 2027 6. Artist Load-In and Set-Up: Thursday, June 17, 2027 ### FEES - Non-refundable Entry Fee -- $45 - Booth Fee -- $575 JURY PROCEDURE A panel of three jurors select the show in a "blind jurying" process. Applications are grouped by media category. Within each category, applications are shown in random order. Artists must submit a booth image along with their five art images. All six artist images are projected simultaneously onto a large wall screen three over three, and will be reviewed simultaneously three separate times. Each artist's Technical Description is read aloud as that artist's work is projected for the first time during the jurying process. Jurors also select alternates for the show. LFOA typically receives about 1,000 applications for up to 150 booth spaces. Approximately 15 of those spaces are reserved for artist advisors, past award winners, poster artist and design award competition winner. Decisions by the jury panel are final. ### AWARDS A total of $10,000 in awards will be presented. Ten awards of $1,000 each to be given where excellence is determined by the jurors. The award-winning artists are automatically invited back to LFOA for the following year without jurying and will receive a commemorative piece of artwork. Winners will be featured on the LFOA webpage and the 2027 festival program. DESIGN AWARD COMPETITION LFOA sponsors a competition for the design and execution of the award pieces. Any artist interested can indicate so on their Zapplication. The designing artist will receive a commission of $1,400 to cover the cost of the works, and will be exempt from the jury process for the 2027 Festival. ONLINE SILENT AUCTION DONATION The silent auction features works donated by LFOA exhibiting artists. Artists who contribute will be entered into a lottery, where one winner receives an exemption from the jury process and a waived booth fee for the 2028 Festival. ARTIST'S BENEFITS - Artist listing with image on LFOA website - Complimentary continental breakfast on Friday and Saturday mornings - Catered Artist Awards Celebration breakfast on Sunday morning - Free snacks and water throughout the three-day festival - 24-hour security patrolling the festival grounds - Free Milwaukee Art Museum admission - Load-in/out near booth space - Booth sitting available - Convenient parking options SALES AND TAX INFORMATION Artists retain all proceeds from their sales. Every exhibiting artist is required to obtain a WI sellers permit and is responsible for collecting and filing the appropriate sales tax (WI 7.9% sales tax). ### Eligible media categories - Ceramics - Digital - Drawing / Pastels - Fiber Decorative - Fiber Wearable - Glass - Jewelry - Metal - Mixed Media 2D - Mixed Media 3D - Painting - Photography - Printmaking - Sculpture - Wood ### Booth information and fees - Each exhibitor is provided a 10' x 10' space along with at least 2 ft of storage behind the assigned booth area. - Artists must provide or rent their own tent (must be white) and materials to display their work outdoors; must be commercial or professional grade and weighted with at least 40lbs on each corner. - Lightweight, accordion-style pop-up tents are not permitted. - Exhibit spaces are on concrete; no staking or drilling. - Double booths are offered only to artists invited to exhibit two separate mediums. - Set-up is Thursday, June 17, 2027 at an assigned time. Tear down is Sunday, June 20, 2027 and must be completed by 10PM. ### Refund and cancellation policy Booth Fees are due on February 19, 2027 and are nonrefundable after March 12, 2027. Violation of festival rules will result in immediate expulsion from the festival with no booth fee refunds or compensation. ## Eligibility & Requirements - **Disciplines:** ceramics, digital, drawing / pastels, fiber decorative, fiber wearable, glass, jewelry, metal, mixed media 2d, mixed media 3d, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, wood - **Note:** Each artist is limited to a maximum of two separate entries, in different and substantially contrasting media categories, each with its own application and fee. Only original artwork produced by the exhibiting artist's or co-artist's hands may be exhibited; no reproductions are allowed. All exhibiting artists, including collaborators, must check in and present valid ID prior to booth set-up, and must be present throughout the entire festival; spouses or other representatives cannot replace an artist. Collaborating artists are permitted when it is a true hands-on artistic collaboration (not assistants, partners, apprentices or employees), limited to two people, both of whom must be present for the duration of the festival. LFOA may disqualify any applicant or exhibitor whose artwork is made in a production studio. ### Additional Requirements - 6 images total: 5 art images plus 1 booth image - A Technical Description of 100 characters or less, to be read aloud during jurying - Non-refundable entry fee of $45 per application - Up to 2 applications allowed, in different, contrasting media categories ## Compensation & Benefits **Includes:** Prize, Commission fee A total of $10,000 in awards is presented: ten awards of $1,000 each, determined by jurors. Award-winning artists are automatically invited back the following year without jurying and receive a commemorative piece of artwork. A design award competition offers a $1,400 commission to the artist who designs and creates these award pieces, with jury exemption for that artist for the 2027 Festival. Artists who contribute to the silent auction are entered into a lottery for a jury exemption and waived booth fee for the 2028 Festival. ## Timeline - **Opens:** October 24, 2026 - **Deadline:** December 14, 2026 - **Program Start:** June 18, 2027 - **Program End:** June 20, 2027 ## Contact **Email:** lfoa@mam.org ## How to Apply Apply at: https://www.zapplication.org/event-info.php?ID=14971