Desert Art Festival - February 12 - 14, 2027

Summary

The Desert Art Festival, on President's Weekend, a three-day Holiday event. The Desert Art Festival will be held at The River at Rancho Mirage.

One hundred of the finest artists will display their original work in all mediums of fine art and fine craft.

The Desert Art Festival is a three-day outdoor celebration of the visual arts. This event typically features the work of 100 exhibitors. Our goal is to provide a venue for creators of quality fine art and fine craft to meet with the art-buying public.

This show has large established patronage from Canada and the Eastern States (snowbirds) as well as California.

There is a prior day set up and overnight security. Overnight parking is available at the venue.

Admission and parking are free to the public.

General Information

You are invited to submit your application for admission to the Desert Art Festival, President's Weekend. This Artist Prospectus and Exhibitor Application includes essential details on exhibitor participation and should be read carefully before applying.

Jury Procedure

A maximum of 100 artists will exhibit at the 2027 event.

The jury is comprised of professionals working within the art community. The panel uses a blinded jury process to review a set of four 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 criterion for the 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 waitlist and offered the opportunity to exhibit should an invited artist decline to participate in the Festival.

Rules and Regulations

Booth Space and Regulations:

• All booth spaces are sized to accommodate display tents measuring 10' X 10' for $400.00 + 10% commission or 10' X 20' for $550.00 + 10% commission with a $50 corner request fee. If you do not agree to pay a commission, please reconsider and do not apply.
• Canopies must be white.
• Electricity is not available.
• Display arrangements must meet with the approval of the committee. The committee is looking for a balance of the variety of artwork and how it is displayed.
• Artists must exhibit work on Friday and Saturday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and Sunday from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm.

Overnight Parking/camping is acceptable at The River in the parking lot.

Sales

Artists will pay a 10% commission on all sales made at and generated from the festival. If you disagree with paying a commission, please reconsider and do not apply. The commission on sales is due at the close of the festival on Sunday at 4:00 pm. Artists are responsible for their sales and collecting and reporting the State of California sales tax on any sales.

The jury is comprised of professionals working within the art community. The panel uses a blinded jury process to review a set of four images provided by each artist, along with process, materials, dimensions and artist information statements. Artistic excellence is the sole criterion for selection. The panel convenes to discuss rankings, and artists with the top scores receive invitations to exhibit. High-scoring artists not initially invited are added to a waitlist and offered the opportunity to exhibit if an invited artist declines.

Average number of applications submitted each year: 150. Average number of artists selected from the jury: 80. Average number exempt from jury: 20. Two jurors score applications on a 1-5 scale, separately from various locations, in a single jury panel scoring all medium categories. The jury process is closed to observers.