American Craft Fest St. Paul

Event information:

Event dates:
Saturday, June 28 & Sunday, June 29, 2025

Location:
Union Depot, 214 4th Street East Saint Paul, MN 55101

Hours:
11am – 5pm on Saturday
11am – 3pm on Sunday

VIP Preview: Saturday, June 28, 9:30 am – 11 am 

Admission:
Free and open to the Public 

Key Dates:

Application Open: October 25, 2024

Application Deadline:
January 6, 2025

Acceptance Notification:
February 14, 2024

Waitlist Invitations Begin:
Rolling

Move-In Dates:
June 27, 2025 

Show:
June 28–28, 2025

 

Standard Booth Fees: 

10×5 ft. booth = $300

Additional booth sizes are not available.

 

For Artists:

American Craft Fest St. Paul is the American Craft Council’s newest juried craft show, showcasing over 60 emerging artists and other regional creative businesses highlighting handmade craft in all its forms. In its second year, this celebratory event held at the historic Union Depot reflects the variety of cultures and crafts that make the Twin Cities and surrounding region a unique place to live and make. American Craft Fest features local food and drink, music, and live demonstrations and activities from organizations across the upper midwestern United States. This event attracts more than 3,000 craft enthusiasts who are excited to experience the joy of the handmade and take home something special. 

Participation is open to early-career artists and makers who create work that reflects the diversity of contemporary craft (please refer to our full list of eligibility requirements for more details). All exhibitors receive a 5’x10’ indoor space within the beautiful Union Depot, a six-foot-long table, two chairs, and free Wi-Fi. Electricity is available for some, but not all, exhibitor spaces. 

Apply now to participate in this opportunity to share your story and sell your work to the American Craft Council’s audience of craft enthusiasts and supporters. 

American Craft Fest is produced by the American Craft Council, one of the country’s leading non-profit organizations committed to supporting craft and its makers. The American Craft Council is a member-based nonprofit located in Minneapolis, MN. In addition to hosting craft events like American Craft Fest St. Paul and American Craft Made Baltimore, the American Craft Council also offers ongoing educational programs and events for artists and makers and publishes American Craft, one of the country’s leading magazines on the handcrafted.

Please review our  Zapplication Guide for Artists for instructions on completing your application.

Participating artists receive:

• One space — approximately 5’ x 10’
• One 6-foot table and 2 chairs
• Free WiFi
• Electricity (not available in all spaces)
• Booth sitters
• Promotional support, including a marketing toolkit, inclusion on ACC’s website, inclusion in a printed show guide, and more.

Additional Features:

• 10+ organizational partners and artists offering demonstrations, hands-on activities, and more.
  
• Local food and drink! Food trucks, coffee and pastries provided by Lowertown Bike Shop & Coffee, a bar with a variety of craft cocktails and local beers, and more.
• Live music 

Applicant Information Session:

2025 American Craft Fest applicant information session, scheduled for December 12, 6pm – 7pm CT. 

Applicants are invited to attend an information session before submitting their application to the event. A recording of the session will be available for viewing on our website.

Zoom Registration Link

Jury Process 

Applicants will be selected to participate in the 2025 American Craft Fest St.Paul by a jury of American Craft Council (ACC) staff. Jurors individually score each application based on work samples, application answers, quality of product images, brand, composition, and command of medium and technique. Each factor is graded on a scale from one to seven. Presentation, storytelling, and narrative also factor into selection. 

Once final jury scores are submitted and compiled, artists will be notified of the results and may be invited to participate or be placed on a waitlist based on the scores of their work and curatorial needs for a balanced show. The American Craft Council aims to include a mix of new, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA+ artists in the marketplace. 

Applicants who wish to apply for multiple media categories must submit an application for each medium, with a limit of three applications per artist. 

Waitlist Policy 

Artists are assigned wait list numbers by jury score and category. ACC will begin inviting artists from the waitlist as spaces open and will continue to invite waitlisted artists up to a week before the show as spaces open in their categories. ACC cannot predict when or if a space in a category will become available or guarantee that a waitlisted artist will receive their first choice of booth size or location. 

When a waitlist space becomes available, ACC will call and leave a message in addition to sending an email. Applicants have 48 hours (Monday through Friday) to respond whether they would like to take the space or not.

If an artist submits multiple applications, is accepted under one of them, and is waitlisted for the others, the waitlisted work may not represent more than one-third of the booth under the accepted application. However, if the artist’s number on the waitlist is reached, the artist may choose to include the waitlisted work in any proportion. 

Event Marketing

The American Craft Council promotes American Craft Fest regionally and nationwide through digital marketing, social media, email marketing, direct mail, and public relations activities. Particular emphasis is placed on promotion within the Twin Cities area.

How To Apply for American Craft Fest St.Paul

1. Confirm your eligibility
2. Complete an application
3. Pay the application fee

Applicants must complete this application.

Applications open October 25, 2024. 

Applicants must submit five images, a short bio, and additional information. Images must be .jpg, .tiff, or .png high-resolution files (72 ppi – 300 ppi) and must be representative of the body of work that will be exhibited at the event. Ideally, images must be 1400 px on the longest side. Maximum file size is 5 MB. For more details on image requirements and uploading files, please visit this Zapplication page. The ACC Marketing Department may use images, bios, and Q&As within the application to promote artists, artists’ work, and/or American Craft Fest.

*The American Craft Fest application requests a booth image. If applicants do not have a booth image, an additional product image is a suitable replacement. 

Exhibitors who wish to apply with multiple media are required to submit a separate application for each one. ACC limits the number of applications to three per artist. If an applicant submits an application that includes more than one media category, ACC will ask the applicant to resubmit with only one medium. For example: All jewelry images must be submitted under the medium of Jewelry. If an applicant creates glass vessels and glass jewelry, they must submit them with separate applications and images, as Jewelry is considered a separate medium from the general Glass media category.

Eligibility Criteria and Exhibitor Requirements:

• Applicants must reside in the United States or U.S. territories 
• Applicants must be 18 years of age or older at the time the marketplace occurs.
• Identifies as early-career or emerging (see definition below)
• Submitted work must be small-studio production made under the direct supervision of the applicant. Direct supervision requires that the artist oversees production work as it occurs and provides constant direction, feedback, and assistance. ACC reserves the right to require authentication of the production process at any time by requesting documentary evidence.

Emerging Artists Definition

Based on the guidelines of the Jerome Foundation (St. Paul, Minnesota), ACC embraces a broad definition that supports artists early in their careers, regardless of age, who create new work and:

• Offer a distinct vision and authentic voice, and have a focused direction and goals
• Take risks and embrace challenges
• Show evidence of professional achievement but haven’t yet established a solid reputation as an artist/maker/business within their field, the media, funding circles, or the public at large

Artists working in the following media are eligible to apply and participate:

• Basketry 
• Ceramics 
• Clothing 
• Clothing – Accessories 
• Brooms (NEW!)
• Fiber and Textiles – Non-Wearable 
• Furniture 
• Glass 
• Jewelry – Enamel
• Jewelry – Metal
• Jewelry – Non-Metal
• Lighting 
• Metal 
• Mixed Media 
• Paper 
• Printmaking (NEW!)
• Wood
  

*Accepted printmaking methods must be done by the human hand. Photography, digital printing, and other methods that primarily rely on technology are not acceptable. Screen printing is accepted. 

ACC does not accept:

• 2D work such as paintings, photographs, or graphics (including web- or sheet-fed offset printed matter). 
• Manufactured work (work made by a machine rather than the human hand)
• Embellished commercially-made objects (e.g., tee shirts, note cards, etc.), and works assembled from commercially available kits.
• Work that is not produced by the applicant or under the direct supervision of the applicant. 
• Work that incorporates unsustainable and/or endangered species or materials.

Please note: Apothecary, packaged food products, and vendors providing creative activities are welcomed to apply by emailing shows@craftcouncil.org.

Exhibitor Requirements:

In addition to meeting all eligibility criteria, applicants must be able to meet the following requirements to participate in American Craft Made St.Paul:

• Exhibitors must present work consistent with the type and quality represented in the application submission. 
• Exhibitors must be present for the duration of the show. 
• Exhibitors must have a valid state sales tax permit from each state in which they are participating. Exhibitors are responsible for collecting and reporting sales tax where applicable.

Application Fees and Booth Fees

Application Fees: 

• $15 application fee
• All application fees are non-refundable and not transferable. The American Craft Council assumes no responsibility for incomplete or ineligible applications.

Standard Booth Fees: 

10×5 ft. booth = $300

Additional booth sizes are not available

Booth fees include the following:

• Floor space rental – approximately 5’ x 10’
• One 6-foot table and two chairs
• Wi-Fi (limited to checking emails and completing sales transactions) 
• Electricity (not available in all spaces)
• Booth sitters
• Booth sign 
• Exhibitor badge plus assistant badges 
• Stock storage (a small draped-off space on the floor of the waiting room)
• 24-hour security 
• Promotional support; marketing toolkit, inclusion on ACC’s website, inclusion in a printed show guide, and more.

Booth fees DO NOT include: 

• Furnishings and displays such as lighting, shelving, etc 
• Electricity
• Empty crate removal and storage
• Parking