SAACA FESTIVAL & EVENT ARTIST JURY PROCESS & QUALIFICATIONS

Over 500 artists will exhibit in SAACA's 2024-2025 Festival Season. Images submitted by applications will be reviewed by a panel in a blind review jury process. ALL artwork must be handmade by the artist presenting and selling the materials or must directly supervise the production of the art by a limited number of assistants or employees. Applications will not be considered complete if an image of the artist producing their work studio is not attached.  
Vendors that buy/sell goods or mass-produced items are ineligible to apply as an artist and must apply under the exhibitor application. Exhibitor applications are in limited quantities and not subject to the formal artist jury process but will be evaluated on a case by case application. 
SAACA has the final authority to determine if the artist applicant meets these guidelines. 
Vendors will be juried based on: 1) the creativity and craftsmanship of the work, 2) the quality of images attached, 3) the representation of diverse art styles and techniques, and 4) how the work will add to the value of the overall festival. 
Artwork is considered solely on the merit of the work projected. The better the image presented, the better your opportunity for this highly competitive jury process. 
The jury is comprised of anonymous art and event professionals. The jury will be provided with the artist statement and submitted photography. A well-balanced show of artistic excellence, quality, creativity, and overall impression of work are the criteria for the selection of exhibitors, SAACA does not have any quotas for category mediums. The top applicant scores receive invitations based on jury dates; the balance of artists in the final round is retained to comprise a waiting list of alternates. Decisions of the jury panel are final. 
The following guidance is given to the jurors: 
  • Selection criteria are based on ARTISTIC EXCELLENCE of the quality, creativity and overall impression of original hand-crafted work created by the artist. The ideal work will be well conceived and expertly executed. 
  • There is no entitlement given to any artist. 
  • Due to the high demand of vendors in select categories, no more than 20% of each category will be represented at an event. 
  • We are looking for a show representative of diverse styles and techniques. We are also looking to include a broad range of pricing. 
  • We are asking jurors to utilize their areas of expertise in their decision-making and look beyond their area of expertise, keeping in mind that we aim for a diverse, well-balanced show formed by consensus. 
  • Jurors should look beyond their own personal taste and help us provide critical and honest observations and assessments. 
  • We will encourage and emphasize the expression of artistic knowledge in the scoring process. We ask that jurors do this in the spirit of respect and understanding. We will function in the arena of consensus and recognize that while jurors will have diverse opinions, in the end, it will balance out amongst the viewpoints. 
 
JURY PROCESS FAQ 
Number of jurors scoring applications: 
3-5 depending on the size of the festival 
Jurors score applications using the following scale: 
1-5 
How are artists selected: 
Quality of artwork 
Quality of images 
Representation of diverse art style and technique 
Overall value to festival 
How images are viewed by jurors: 
TV Screen and/or computer monitor 
Vendors that are excluded/ineligible: 
Mass-produced or Buy/Sell 
How will applications be presented to jurors: 
In a single panel that scores applications across all mediums  
Images: 
Five images are to be submitted for each application entered by the artist. Three images must be of individual pieces of work. The fourth image must be of the artist creating work. The fifth image must be of a booth or display of the artist’s work, showing overall continuity and presentation of your current body of work.   
Appeal Process: 
Decisions of the jury panel may be appealed within 7 days of notification.