Sanibel Captiva Rotary Arts and Crafts Festival 2027

Summary

This highly regarded juried festival offers you the opportunity to present your fine art and fine crafts in an idyllic setting during the busiest time of the winter season. President's Day weekend is the pinnacle of our busy winter tourist season. Visitors from all over the world crowd Sanibel's internationally famous pristine white sand beaches, including the affluent, sophisticated art buyers you will meet at the Art Festival. This is a great opportunity to share your art with folks who will truly value and treasure it for years to come. Sanibel and Captiva Islands rank among the nation's top destinations for upper-income visitors and seasonal residents. The consistently high quality of the work exhibited at the Art Festival attracts knowledgeable art lovers and buyers. This festival has all the characteristics for success: location, venue, audience and ambiance equal to the top-ranked outdoor shows nationwide!

This show is a fundraising project of the Rotary Club of Sanibel-Captiva. There are no professional promoters involved and is conducted by a 100% volunteer crew. ALL net proceeds go to charity.

General information

We also award cash prizes to artists in several categories, and we treat our artists like royalty! Refreshments, booth sitters, special artist parking, and unparalleled other amenities

Rules and regulations

Arts & Crafts Festival Standards and Rules

1. Exhibit spaces measure 10' x 10'. No awnings allowed by order of the Fire Marshal.

2. Spaces may not be shared unless the work is collaborative. Each artist will be allowed only one space per entry (double spaces granted at the discretion of the show committed due to space limitations). No guarantee is made for storage space behind or on side of booth.

3. All participants must provide their own display, sturdy enough to withstand crowds, winds and weather conditions.

4. Each artist is responsible for their own booth set-up and preparation.

5. All works of art must be ORIGINAL. Paintings reproduced from works of the Masters from advertisements and from widely circulated photographs are no considered original works of art and may not be displayed or sold. All work must be attributable solely to the displaying artist.

6. Objects assembled from commercially sold kits are not allowed.

7. Works exhibited and displayed must include works attributable in style and quality to those submitted for review by the Selection Jury. Sanibel-Captiva Rotary reserves the right to remove any exhibitor whose works differ significantly from their samples submitted with the online application.

8. Dealers or agents may not stand in proxy for artists. ID will be required at Check-in and Check-out.

9. Exhibitors not checked in before 8 a.m. Saturday will lose the right to their space.

10. Judging will begin 10 a.m. Saturday. Artists must be present with their displays during the judging. Artists must personally exhibit their work both days to be eligible for an award.

11. Artists must exhibit during the schedule show hours. Leaving early automatically forfeits eligibility for future shows. No Agents or Substitute/Stand-ins are permitted. YOU, the Artists, must be present at the show.

12. Ribbons from other shows may not be displayed.

13. Booth ID Placards must be displayed on front of booth and visible from pedestrian aisles.

14. An accepted application is a binding commitment to show and no refunds will be made for cancellation less than 30 days from show date (except for documented illness received up to 24 hours from show date).

15. No pets belonging to exhibitors are permitted on show grounds, except service animals.

16. No commissions will be taken on any sales. Artists are responsible for their Florida sales tax.

17. The Art Festival is a family-oriented outdoor show for spectators of all ages. Work exhibited must be in keeping with the atmosphere. In order to insure that all rules are being complied with, all displays will be viewed by the Viewing Committee throughout the show. The Viewing Committee has sole discretion to require removal of work(s) which violate any of the rules. Violations may result in an artitst being asked to remove his/her exhibit from the show.

ALL DECISIONS AND RULINGS BY THE JURY AND/OR COMMITTEE ARE FINAL

Booth information and fees

Booth Fees:

• Single -- $500
• Double -- $950

Setup is Friday February 12 from Noon until 6PM EST, Saturday 6.30AM until 8:00AM EST.

Refund and cancellation policy

Refunds only given if withdrawal more than 30 days before show date, or upon documented illness recieved up to 24 hours before show date. Should the show be cancelled in its entirety, all booth fees will be refunded.

Jury details

Average number of applications submitted each year: 200

Average number of artists selected from the jury to participate in the event: 90

Average number of exempt from jury artists who are invited to participate in the event: 12

Vendors that are excluded/ineligible: Machine made/manufactured

How images are viewed by jurors: Computer monitor

Jurors score applications using the following scale: 1 - 10

Number of jurors scoring applications: 3

Applications are reviewed by a Selection Jury based on submitted images. Average of about 200 applications are submitted each year, with about 90 artists selected by the jury and about 12 exempt from jury invited to participate. Jurors view images on a computer monitor and score applications on a scale of 1 to 10; there are 3 jurors per medium panel, scoring separately from various locations.

The jury process is open for observation at specific times. Returning artists may also be selected based on prior awards, on-site or peer juror selection, show director or board decision, history of participation, or local artist status.