Lakewood Ranch Festival of the Arts March 2027

About This Call

Join us for the 9th Annual Lakewood Ranch Festival of the Arts, happening March 6 and 7, 2027, on charming Main Street in downtown Lakewood Ranch, Florida. Setup will take place on Saturday, March 7, from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Show hours are 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free and open to the public.

Summary

Join us for the 9th Annual Lakewood Ranch Festival of the Arts, happening March 6 and 7, 2027, on charming Main Street in downtown Lakewood Ranch, Florida.

Setup will take place on Saturday, March 7, from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Show hours are 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free and open to the public.

Lakewood Ranch is one of the most desirable communities in Florida, with residents enjoying a combined annual income of over $100,000. The event is located near the University Town Center shopping district, which features more than 200 stores and restaurants. Local attractions include the Sarasota Polo Club, the Sarasota International Cricket Club, eighteen tennis courts, and numerous golf courses. In addition, Lakewood Ranch is recognized as the largest certified green community in the United States, making it a perfect setting for a high-quality fine art festival that attracts a sophisticated and engaged audience.

Paragon Festivals: Original - Quality - Boutique!

Media Categories

• Ceramics: All original clay and porcelain work, other than jewelry, is accepted in this category. No machine-made or mass-produced work is permitted. Each piece must be signed if multiple pieces of the same design are displayed.
• Digital Art: Original works created or altered using a computer. Limited editions only, signed and numbered on archival materials. Digital photographs belong in the Photography category.
• Drawing: Work using dry media (e.g., pencil, charcoal, pastel) or ink-based techniques (e.g., washes, pens).
• Fiber: All work that is crafted from fibers, including basketry, embroidery, weaving, leatherwork, tapestry, and paper-making. No machine tooling, machine-screened patterns, or other forms of mass production are permitted. No factory-produced wearable items may be exhibited, regardless of additional modifications or enhancements by the artist.
• Glass: Original work created in glass by the artist. Pressed glass and mass production are not permitted.
• Graphic & Printmaking: Print works for which the artist hand manipulated the plates, stones, or screens, which have been signed and numbered as a limited edition. Offset reproductions are not allowed. Printmakers are required to disclose both their creative and printmaking processes.
• Jewelry: All jewelry, whether the work is produced from metal, glass, clay, fiber, paper, plastic, or other materials, must be entered in this category. No commercial casts, molds, or production studio work is allowed.
• Metalwork: Includes all non-sculptural, non-jewelry works crafted from metal. No production studio work is allowed.
• Mixed Media: This category includes 2D and 3D works that incorporate more than one type of physical material to produce. Includes non-sculptural work as determined by the artist. Jewelry and photography are not considered mixed media.
• Painting: Work created using such materials as oils, acrylics, and watercolor is in this category. Reproductions are allowed; however, they must be signed and in limited editions.
• Photography: Photographic prints made from the artist's original image (e.g., film or digital) processed by the artist or under their direct supervision are included in this category. Images printed through software such as Photoshop are to be entered in this category, not in mixed-media or digital. All images are to be editioned with editions of each image, not exceeding 250.
• Sculpture: Three-dimensional original work done in any medium (e.g., bronze, stone, acrylic).
• Wood: Original works that are hand-tooled, machine-worked, turned, or carved are accepted in the wood category.

Rules and Regulations

Jurying is conducted in-house by Paragon staff. This is a "blind" jury process, which means artist scoring is based solely on the images presented without consideration of the artist's name, artist location, or reference to additional information such as websites. Juror decisions are based 70% upon the quality of work portrayed in the artwork images submitted for the jury process, and 30% on your booth presentation image. A booth image is mandatory. No images, including the booth image, should have the artist or any signage with the artist's name or business name visible and should represent the setup we will actually see at the event. Images are viewed simultaneously in a horizontal format, grouped by media.

1. All work must be original handcrafted work created by the artist(s) present at the event. Each artist guarantees the accuracy of the description of the works presented and the authenticity of the work as the creation of their own hands.
2. Work done by a production studio is not accepted.
3. All work must be designed and executed by the accepted artist.
4. No more than two (2) artists may collaborate on work. Both must be included on the application. Both must be present at the festival for the duration of the event.
5. Artists must be present with the work for the entire duration of the arts festival. Representatives, including spouses and family members, may not attend in lieu of the artist(s).
6. Artists are required to show photo identification (in English) at check-in to ensure identity and compliance.
7. Artists may only show work in categories and bodies of work selected by the jury.
8. All work exhibited must be in the category applied to and exhibit the quality and body of work that was shown in the images used in the jury process.

No t-shirts, commercially manufactured items, items that employ the use of commercially available molds, velvet paintings, decoupage, or plants. Traditional crafts such as soaps, wax media (e.g., candles), scented oils, and homemade food items are not items juried into our fine art events. Please email us if you need clarification before applying. The Festival Committee reserves the right to exclude work that does not conform to show standards.

Booth Information and Fees

• Application fee: $30.00
• Single booth fee: $495.00 (paid directly to Paragon Festivals - NOT to ZAPP)
• Double booth fee: $990.00 (paid directly to Paragon Festivals - NOT to ZAPP)
• Corner fee: $100 (paid directly to Paragon Festivals - NOT to ZAPP)

Upon acceptance, artists desiring corner or double spaces must specify and pay any applicable fees at the time payment is submitted. We will attempt to accommodate all reasonable requests; however, it is not guaranteed. Please submit all requests on the online payment form.

Display surface is pavement/brick, no drilling into or anchoring to the pavement is allowed; tents must be anchored by free-standing weights only.

Jury Details

• Average number of applications submitted each year: 200
• Average number of artists selected from the jury to participate in the event: 70
• Average number of exempt from jury artists who are invited to participate in the event: 3
• How returning artists are selected: Selected by show director or board
• Vendors that are excluded/ineligible: No Buy Sell
• How images are viewed by jurors: Computer monitor
• Jurors score applications using the following scale: 1 - 10
• Number of jurors scoring applications: 3
• The show organizes the jurors for a: Single jury panel that scores applications for all medium categories
• Jurors score: Separately from various locations
• Am I allowed to observe the jury process?: Jury process is closed