Artisphere 2027

2027 marks the 23nd annual event for the top ranking Artisphere festival in Greenville, SC. Despite its short history, Artisphere has distinguished itself as both a regional and national highlight. A supportive, art-loving community, beautiful setting, notable on-site artist amenities and hospitality, and over 500 volunteers make the three-day event an enjoyable experience for exhibiting artists and the public alike. Renowned artist hospitality includes complimentary daily meals, snacks & beverages, convenient set-up, parking, security, booth sitters, and reduced hotel rates. Artisphere is a 501(c)(3) non-profit art organization. Proceeds are used to produce the annual arts festival and are distributed back to local non-profit arts organizations as part of Artisphere's Volunteer Arts Partnership Program.

Established in 2005, Artisphere is a signature event on Greenville's busy cultural calendar that draws both locals and art buying tourists to its dynamic downtown. Artisphere has been ranked a TOP 10 Fine Art and Fine Craft festival by the Art Fair Sourcebook and #1 USA Today's Reader's Choice Award for Best Art Festival.

General information

KEY DEADLINES November 21-22 2026: Jury Review December 12, 2026: Artist Notification January 11, 2027: Acceptance of Festival Participation and Booth Fees Due February 26, 2027: Final Date for Cancellation and Receipt of Refund May 7-9, 2027: Festival Dates

LOCATION The Artisphere outdoor festival takes place in Downtown Greenville, SC on Main Street and throughout Falls Park on the Reedy River. Exhibitor booths are located along Main Street.

Greenville is located among the Blue Ridge Mountains in the northwest corner of South Carolina, about halfway between Atlanta and Charlotte in one of the fastest growing areas of the country.

EVENT DATES AND TIMES Limited Artist Check-In: Thursday, May 6 TBD Artist Check-In: Friday, May 7 (6am – 11am) Festival Hours: Friday, May 7 (NOON – 8pm), Saturday, May 8 (10am – 8pm), Sunday, May 9 (11am – 6pm) Artist Load-Out: Sunday, May 9 (6pm – until)

AWARDS $15,000 in prize money will be distributed at the festival. Awards will be given to Best in Show, 1st Place 2D, 2nd Place 2D, 1st Place 3D, 2nd Place 3D, and four Awards of Excellence. All awards are distributed at the discretion of the onsite judges. Artisphere jurors who are not exhibitors serve as on-site judges. Awards are determined by consensus. Award winners are invited to exhibit the following year and are exempt from jury.

JURY PROCESS Each exhibiting artist must complete an online application with only one artist per entry, unless entering as a team in collaboration. Artists may apply in more than one medium category, but a separate online application must be filled out for each category. Each application must include a jury fee and its own set of images. Artists applying in more than one medium category may repeat the booth image only.

Five jurors and a representative from the Artisphere Board of Directors are selected to jury visual artist applications. The jury consists of a range of experienced art professionals including, but not limited to, professors, gallery owners, museum administrators, and practicing visual artists. Jurors are instructed to score ARTISTIC EXCELLENCE using the following criteria: Artistic Merit, Technical Competence, Overall Quality of Work, and Booth Presentation.

Artisphere uses Zapplication to administer its entire application and jury process. Artist images are reviewed by the jury review panel in a blind jury process. The identities of artists are not disclosed to jurors. Please do not submit booth images with any signage that could give away your identity. Please do not submit a booth image with you in it.

Applicants are asked to submit an artist statement of two hundred (200) characters or less to be read aloud by an Artisphere staff member during the jury review. The artist statement should describe materials and technique rather than meaning behind the work or inspiration.

Rules and regulations

Artists must be present and must personally staff their exhibit space during the entire event. No agents, dealers, or representatives may attend the event in place of the artist. Each exhibiting artist must personally check in at registration and present photo identification.

All work exhibited must be original, handcrafted work produced by the artist and may not be the result of work from commercial kits, molds, patterns, or plans. The artist guarantees the accuracy of the description of the work presented and the authenticity of the work as their creation. Work must have been created in the last four years.

Exhibitor agrees to open and close to the public at published festival hours. For the safety of our artists and patrons, no popup tents will be allowed on the festival site. Artists must have 40lb weights for each tent leg in the event of strong winds.

Per the City of Greenville Public Event Ordinance: No animals are allowed on the Festival site. Smoking is strictly prohibited within the festival site. No vendors, artists, or volunteers may consume alcohol while working on the festival site.

Booth information and fees

• Standard Booth Fee: $600
• Corner Booth Fee: $725
• Double Booth Fee: $1,200
• Electricity Fee: $75 (limited amount of electricity available – first come, first served)

Artists who are selected by the jury panel and who accept the invitation to exhibit, must return the signed Artist Acceptance of Festival Participation Form and Booth Fees to Artisphere by January 11, 2027.

Jury details

• Average number of applications submitted each year: 1100
• Average number of artists selected from the jury to participate in the event: 140
• Average number of exempt from jury artists who are invited to participate in the event: 10
• Number of jurors scoring applications: 6
• Jurors score applications on a scale of 1-7 (no 4)