About This Call
Established in 1964, the East Lansing Art Festival is an evolving outdoor celebration of fine art and fine craft which has grown to include an interactive artist demonstration area, poetry and live music. The free festival opens on Saturday morning and runs through Sunday evening. This highly anticipated mid-Michigan festival attracted over 66,000 knowledgeable art patrons from around the region and country in 2026 and is consistently ranked in Sunshine Artist Magazine's annual best 100 shows listing.
General Information
The jury fee, before and on November 30, 2026, is $35.00. Beginning December 1, 2026, the fee is $45.00. The jury fee is nonrefundable. Deadline is midnight, January 31, 2027. The jury process takes place in February. Notifications will be sent to artists of status by the first week of March.
All booths, regardless of size, are assigned on a first paid, first served basis. There will be approximately 200 spots available in 2027, dependent on the number of exempt artists returning.
Artists wishing to jury in more than one category (i.e. glass and jewelry) are required to complete an application for each category.
Artist Amenities
- ~$6,000 in Artist Awards. All award winners are exempt from jury for the following three consecutive festivals.
- Award certificates are presented to winning artists.
- Complementary promotional postcards sent to exhibiting artists.
- Friday drive-up load-in at booth assignment.
- Booth sitters available for artists to take breaks. Saturday and Sunday only.
- Green room access with snacks, water and restroom.
- Free Artist parking.
- Security patrols Friday and Saturday nights.
Rules and Regulations
All work exhibited and sold at the ELAF must be original and of the artist's own creation. Applications must include a technical description of the artwork not to exceed 500 characters. Art that uses AI to create materials including, but not limited to graphics, pictures, art and images will not be accepted.
Buy/sell and manufactured items, representatives and large studio work, food items, beauty products, candles, T-shirts, tote bags and mass-produced reproductions are prohibited.
Digital and On-Site Jurying
The jury, a panel of experts, participates both digitally and on-site. Images and statements are reviewed by jurors objectively. Each application is given a score between 1 (low) and 7 (high) and the artists with the highest scores in each category are invited to exhibit. On-site jurors visit each booth on Saturday and score each booth; the highest scores receive cash prizes or purchased art.