American Craft Made Baltimore Application

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 fair occurs.
• 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.
• ACC requires that the majority of the work the artist sells at the fair be produced in the United States by or under the artist’s direct supervision. ACC allows for international collaboration as long as the artist is present, making or directly supervising the work while it is being made in that country. No more than 30% of the work may be made outside of the United States.
• ACC requires that the majority of the work the artist sells at the fair be produced in the United States by or under the artist’s direct supervision. ACC allows for international collaboration as long as the artist is present, making or directly supervising the work while it is being made in that country. No more than 30% of the work may be made outside of the United States.

ACC reserves the right to require authentication of the production process at any time by requesting documentary evidence.

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

• Accessories (New!)
  • An accessory is an item that is added to an outfit to complement it, express personality, and complete a look, rather than being a primary piece of clothing. Handmade items, such as bags, purses, and belts, are suitable for this medium. 
  • Jackets and coats are accepted in the Fibers + Textiles Wearable category.
  • Accessories do not include jewelry, which is its own medium.
• Basketry
• Brooms 
• Ceramics 
• Fiber + Textiles: Non-wearable 
  • Non-wearable fiber-based creations, which include, but are not limited to, tapestries, wall hangings, upholstery, rugs, banners, and sculptures created using various techniques such as weaving, knitting, hand-dying, and embroidery.
• Fiber + Textiles: Wearable (New!)
  • Wearable items such as scarves, gloves, hats, ties/bow ties, jackets, coats, blazers, vests, sweaters, pants, skirts, dresses, and tops. If you also make either clothing and/or accessories, you will need to submit separate applications for each.
• Furniture 
• Glass 
• Jewelry – Enamel
• Jewelry – Metal
• Jewelry – Non-Metal
• Lighting 
• Metal 
  • Sculptural or decorative work made from metal. No jewelry will be accepted in this category.
• Mixed Media 
  • The combination of two or more eligible materials, as outlined in the approved mediums list, within a single piece. For example, a sculptural object made from wood and glass. 
  • Pieces made from found objects must result in a distinctive final product. 
  • The American Craft Council does not accept materials and processes related to painting, drawing, or photography. This includes encaustic painting techniques, collage, and other processes related to painting and drawing. 
  • We accept forms of printmaking – please see the medium definition below. 
• Paper 
  • Original works that use paper as the primary medium, including the traditional technique of book arts.
  • This does not include book authors or published books.
• Printmaking 
  • Original printed works in which the artist hand-manipulates prepared plates or blocks to create images or designs. It can be printed on various materials, including, but not limited to, paper, fabric, wood, and metal. Prints must be signed and numbered as a limited edition. Screen printing is accepted. Printmakers are required to disclose their printing process. 
  • The ACC does not accept embellished commercially-made objects like t-shirts, note cards, etc. Photography, digital printing, and other methods that primarily rely on technology are not accepted.
• Wood
  • Original works, whether functional or sculptural, that are primarily crafted from wood and do not include furniture, which is its own medium.

Exhibitors who wish to apply with multiple mediums 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 medium category, ACC will ask the applicant to resubmit with only one medium. For example: if an applicant intends to sell both sculptural glass and lighting made with glass, separate applications are needed for each: one application for the medium of Glass and one application for Lighting. If the booth will contain solely lighting products, apply under the Lighting medium. Or, if an applicant intends to sell both furniture and sculptural pieces from wood, separate applications are needed for each. Wooden jewelry falls under the medium of Jewelry Non-Metal.

ACC does not accept:

• Craft kits as a product type
• 2D work such as paintings, photographs, or graphics (including etchings and web- or sheet-fed offset printed matter). ACC does accept printmaking
• Manufactured work (work made by a machine rather than the human hand)
• Embellished commercially-made objects (e.g., T-shirts, note cards, etc.)
• Works assembled from commercially available kits
• Work that is not produced by the applicant or under the direct supervision of the applicant. 
• Consumables such as candles, apothecary, or food products. 
• Work that incorporates unsustainable and/or endangered species or materials.

Exhibitor requirements.

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

• Exhibitors must present work consistent with the type and quality represented in the application submission. 
• All booths must have 8-foot tall “walls” that cover the interior of the entire booth. Exhibitors must either rent pipe and drape or hard walls from the general contractor or provide their own 8-foot “wall” structures. If the artist does not meet this requirement, drape will be provided at the artist’s expense. 
• Tents with ceilings are not permitted; the exhibitor must have an open-air ceiling.
• Exhibitors must be present for the duration of the fair. Exhibitors’ employees or sales representatives may not substitute for the exhibitor. 
• 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.

Standard Booth fees include the following:

• Floor space rental 
• Booth sign 
• Ability to unload and load vehicles (in a union-contracted convention center)
• Artist support calls led by ACC staff
• Access to ACC’s Peer Support Program
• Booth sitting services  
• Wi-Fi (limited to checking emails and completing sales transactions) 
• Exhibitor and assistant badges 
• Stock storage 
• 24-hour security 
• Listing in the printed fair guide available on-site
• Listing on the fair page on craftcouncil.org
• Free and discounted guest passes 
• Invitation to the Artist’s Reception and Awards Ceremony
• Digital promotional kit

Standard Booth fees DO NOT include: 

• Furnishings such as pipe and drape, carpet, shipping, etc. 
• Electricity
• Empty crate removal and storage
• Shipping and dryage

Early Career Artist Booth Fee: 

• 10w x 5d inline: $400 (no other booth size available)

Early Career Artist Booth fees include the following:

• Floor space rental 
• Electricity
• White Pipe & Drape
• One 6’ table
• One chair
• Booth sign 
• Ability to unload and load vehicles (in a union-contracted convention center)
• Artist support calls led by ACC staff
• Access to ACC’s Peer Support Program
• Booth sitting services  
• Wi-Fi (limited to checking emails and completing sales transactions) 
• Exhibitor and assistant badges 
• Stock storage 
• 24-hour security 
• Listing in the printed fair guide available on-site
• Listing on the fair page on craftcouncil.org
• Free and discounted guest passes 
• Invitation to the Artist’s Reception and Awards Ceremony
• Digital promotional kit

Early Career Artist Booth fees DO NOT include: 

• Furnishings such as displays, carpet, shipping, etc. 
• Empty crate removal and storage
• Shipping and dryage

Jury process.

Applicants are selected to participate in American Craft Made Baltimore by a jury of outside professionals in the field. 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 listed below is graded on a scale from 1 (low) to 7 (high). 

• Imagery, Brand, Originality: Be clear and concise, with no extra background noise. The work should showcase the artist’s individual voice, feature high-quality images, and form a cohesive body of work.
• Craftsmanship, Composition, Command of Medium and Technique: Demonstrates a high degree of difficulty, elements flow together, outstanding mastery of medium and its uses, and the composition works as a whole.
• Presentation, Storytelling, Narrative: Mastery of presentation context, understands and communicates their work through a clear and concise narrative, and can identify their market and customer base.

Once final jury scores are submitted and compiled, ACC staff will invite artists to participate or be placed on a waitlist based on the scores of their work and curatorial needs for a balanced fair. Applicants who wish to apply for multiple medium categories must submit an application for each medium. ACC limits the number of applications to three per artist.

Waitlist policy.

Artists are assigned waitlist numbers based on jury score and category. ACC will continue to invite waitlisted artists up to a week before the fair 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 booth size or location choice.

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.

Refund policy.

If an artist withdraws (cancels) from the event, all fees are nonrefundable except in a handful of cases (please see below).

Exceptions for refunds:

• Bodily harm resulting in an inability to exhibit
• Unexpected death in the family/close relations
• Act of god (accidents, natural disaster)
• Testing positive for coronavirus
• All cancellations must be made in writing to [email protected], ACC Programs & Events Staff