Emerging Artist Program - Gasparilla Festival of the Arts 2024

EVENT INFORMATION

The Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts is proud to showcase the work of emerging artists representing a diversity of styles and media through the Festival’s Emerging Artists Program (EAP). The purpose of the Emerging Artists Program is to recognize and showcase the work of up-and-coming artists who wish to establish themselves in a professional visual arts career.  Fifteen emerging artists are selected to show in the Festival from the field of applicants through a collaborative selection process involving the EAP Juror and a special committee comprised of members of the Festival’s Board of Directors and Committee. Once selected, these artists are invited to participate in the Festival as “emerging artists” at no cost.  The Festival provides each emerging artist with a 10’x10′ display tent to showcase their work.  The emerging artist is responsible for everything inside of the tent.   In addition, each emerging artist receives a $375 stipend to reimburse expenses.  This stipend is paid on or just before Festival weekend.  Although emerging artists do not compete with the other Festival artists for prize money, their artwork is reviewed by the Festival Awards Juror who decides which emerging artist will receive the $1,500 Emerging Artist Award.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Applicants to the Emerging Artists Program must not have an established record as a professional artist showing their work in museums, art centers, major galleries or major juried art exhibitions. In addition, applicants must not make more than 25% of their total annual income from the sale of their artwork and must not be employed professionally as a visual artist working in the medium they intend to present at the festival. Artists must be at least 18 years of age by Festival weekend (March 2 and 3, 2024).  Applicants who fail to meet these requirements will be excluded from consideration.  We realize that situations vary.  If you have a question about eligibility, please email EmergingArtists@gasparillaarts.com.  Our Jury and Rules Committee will consider your situation and advise.

Emerging artists must abide by the same Festival rules governing other Festival artists.  Please review those rules here.  Each applicant must submit three digital images of artwork produced no earlier than three years prior to the year of application.  In applications for GFA 2024, work samples must not be completed before January 1, 2020.  All submitted images must include the date of completion, medium and dimensions.  A description of each piece is optional but recommended.  The images must represent the type of work that will be displayed in the booth and only work of the quality and type illustrated in the artist’s application may be exhibited in their booth at the Festival.  Applications must be submitted electronically through ZAPP by 11:59pm on November 26, 2023.  Gasparilla Festival of the Arts reserves the right to extend the application deadline, but will not shorten it.  Emails with the results of the jury process will be sent to all applicants in mid-December.

RULES/REGULATIONS

Please refer to the Festival website for complete rules and regulations at: https://gasparillaarts.com/application-rules

All application fees are non-refundable.

Artists who are selected for the Emerging Artists Program and participate in the Festival are not eligible to apply for the EAP in future years.  If an artist is selected but chooses to withdraw at least 28 days prior to the first day of the Festival, they are eligible to reapply for the EAP in future years but will not automatically be selected and will have to be selected by the juror.  If a selected artist chooses to withdraw with 27 or fewer days remaining before the first day of the Festival, they are no longer eligible to apply for the EAP.  In all of these cases, artists are welcomed and encouraged to apply for the main festival in the years after they have applied for the EAP.

The Festival is an outdoor festival and makes no representations or guaranties as to attendance, foot traffic, weather conditions, or the availability of the Festival site. The Festival site is a park owned by The City of Tampa, and in severe cases, the Festival site may be closed in whole or in part.  This is a risk assumed by each artist and there will be no refunds due to weather or other events that impact attendance at the Festival or cause a park closure.

Only work of the quality and type illustrated in the artist’s submitted images may be exhibited. The Festival Rules Committee may eject an artist from the Festival for exhibiting work not represented in their application.

Each artist is limited to one 10′ x 10′ space. Only one medium category may be exhibited in the artist’s booth.  An artist may not submit multiple applications in the same medium but may submit separate applications (and pay separate application fees) in up to 3 different media.  Each application should only include pieces of a single medium.  For example, if an artist is a painter and a sculptor, they should not include both paintings and sculptures in a single application.  However, they may submit an application with three images of the painting and a separate application with three images of their sculpture.

A two-person team or partnership collaborating on a single product may qualify as a single exhibitor if this is adequately explained in the application. Each artist’s name must appear on the completed application and both artists must be present for the entire Festival.

The City of Tampa requires proof of auto insurance for all vehicles accessing the Festival site. By submitting your application, you confirm that you will have a valid auto insurance policy for your vehicle for the duration of the Festival, including during load-in, setup, and load-out. If you do not have valid auto insurance, you must notify the Festival and your vehicle will not be allowed to access the Festival site.

BOOTH INFORMATION

The Festival provides each emerging artist with a 10’x10′ display tent to showcase their work. The tent will be supplied and installed by a tent company and will include weights necessary to hold down the tent in normal weather.  Artists should keep watch on the weather leading up to the Festival and may choose to bring extra supplies to protect their art/booth in the event of inclement weather.  The Festival will not have such supplies on hand for artists’ use.

Everything inside of the tent on which art is displayed for sale (tables, shelves, hanging systems) is the responsibility of the artist.

REFUND POLICY

Application fees are non-refundable.

JURY DETAILS

• Average number of applications submitted each year:
  150
• Average number of artists selected from the jury to participate in the event:
  15
• Average number of exempt from jury artists who are invited to participate in the event:
  0
• How images are viewed by jurors:
  Computer monitor
• Within a medium category, applications are sorted and viewed by:
  Application ID (number generated when application is started by artist)
• Jurors score applications using the following scale:
  1 – 10
• Number of jurors scoring applications:
  1
• 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

Find more information and apply here.