Artist Application

Event Information

Date: Saturday July 19th, 2025

Time: 11am - 7pm, weather permitting

Location: Big Sky Town Center, Len Hill Park

Application Fee: $20, non-refundable

Event Contact

Artist Coordinator: Jesine Munson, jesine@bigskyarts.org. Contact Jesine with questions about applications, booths, and artist specific info.

Event Coordinator: Tamara Knappenberger tamara@bigskyarts.org. Contact Tamara with general questions about the event, venue, schedule, etc.

Application

One application per artist is accepted. All artists must apply individually.

A non-refundable application fee of $20 is required at the time of application.

Outdoor Booth Fee: $100 for a 10 x 10, $150 for a 10 x 20

Two artists may occupy one 10x10 booth space for an additional $50 fee, but both artists need to apply separately. Artists wishing to share a booth larger than 10x10 must purchase two booth spaces.

Shared Booths: Add $50 (two artist max per any size booth)

All booth fees support the Arts Council of Big Sky's Art Education programs.

Big Sky Artists Collective Members

Currently enrolled members of the Big Sky Artists Collective are eligible for 25% discounted booth fee. These artists must apply and may not be accepted if they apply late.

“Rolling Jury” Application Review and Notification

The applications will be reviewed at the end of every month beginning in March and ending on June 30th, 2025. Artists will be notified of their acceptance status on the following schedule. Artists should note that applications are reviewed on a first come first served basis and if capacity is reached later applicants may be at a disadvantage. Applications will not be accepted after June 23rd.

Review and notification will occur on the last Monday of the month, on the following dates

• March 31st

• April 28th

• May 26th

• June 30th - final acceptance notification

Upon acceptance, artists must confirm their participation and pay their booth fee. All artists must confirm and pay their booth fee no later than July 7th, 2025. Artists who confirm after this date may not be accepted.

Accepted Artwork Categories

All artists who create original, quality art are encouraged to apply for this festival. Only artisans selling visual art items will be accepted. All artisans are generally accepted, assuming we have not met capacity, their applications convey professionalism, and the artwork is deemed appropriate for an all ages, public event. For more specific information about artwork categories, please read below.

Artforms not accepted:

• Commercially produced/machine made items

• Secondary Sales

• Consumable items such as soaps, lotions, perfumes, etc

• Food and drink, if you want to apply to be a food vendor please contact tamara@bigskyarts.org

Artisans selling consumable products such as food, soap, lotion, oil, drinks, etc will not be accepted. There is a separate application for Food Trucks/Vendors for this event. Please contact tamara@bigskyarts.org for more information.

Accepted Art Forms:

Clay:  Three-dimensional clay and porcelain work created by the artist. Work may not be machine-made.

Drawings:  Two-dimensional works created by the artist using dry media including chalk, charcoal, pastels, pencils, wax crayon, and other 2D mediums.

Fiber:  Three-dimensional work, wearable and non-wearable, created from fibrous materials. This category includes but is not limited to baskets, books, embroidery, paper, quilts, weavings, felting, etc. All work must be designed and created by the artist. No commercial or mass production works are permitted.

Glass:  Three-dimensional work created by the artist in glass. No molds or other forms of mass production are permitted.

Jewelry:  Jewelry created by the artist without the use of commercial casts, molds, kits or a production studio, regardless of medium. 

Leather:  Handmade work designed by and created by the artist with leather.

Metal:  Artwork created by the artist through the fabrication of various metals.

Mixed Media 2D:  Two-dimensional and three-dimensional, one-of-a-kind works created by the artist in which the primary intent is the union of two (2) or more physical materials.

Painting:  Two-dimensional work created by the artist with pigment including oils, acrylics, watercolor, egg tempera, casein, alkyd, encaustic. 

Photography:  Two-dimensional work created by the artist that includes digital and film photography. Only the artist’s original source material is acceptable. 

Printmaking:  Two-dimensional printmaking is a transfer process of producing original art, usually in multiples. Printed original works are hand manipulated by the artist using etching, engraving, silk-screening, stone and plate lithography, linoleum block or woodcut, etc., which have been properly signed and numbered.

Sculpture:  Three-dimensional work created by the artist primarily in a single medium such as shaping figures or a design in the round or in relief, by chiseling marble, modeling clay, casting metal or other materials. No forms of commercial or mass-produced or enhanced items not made by the artist are permitted.

Wood:  Three-dimensional work created by the artist that is hand-tooled, machine-worked, built-up, turned or carved in wood.

Other: Other artforms not listed here may also be accepted, with the exception of artwork that is not original, is mass produced or a secondary sale or a food or consumable item.

Rules/Regulations

1. Resort Tax: Exhibitors are responsible to collect and remit 4% Big Sky Resort tax.  Visit https://resorttax.munirevs.com/ to register and manage payments. Artists are required to provide proof of their enrollment in the Big Sky Resort tax system to participate in the event and must provide this number to the Festival Coordinator before purchasing their booth. Failure to provide a valid Resort Tax member number prior to booth purchase will result in a denied application. Accepted artists will be required to display their Resort Tax Number visible from their booth at the Artisan Festival on Saturday, July 19th, 2025. 

2. Diversity, Inclusivity, and Equity: The Arts Council of Big Sky that values diversity, inclusivity, and equity. We expect that artists participating in the Artisan Festival will respect these values as well. Artists who are unable to meet this expectation should not apply to participate in the festival. Artists (or their on-site assistants) who demonstrate behavior that is opposed to this expectation will be asked to leave the event and will not be refunded.

3. Professional Conduct: The Big Sky Artisan Festival is a family oriented event and exhibits must be in keeping with this atmosphere. The ACBS staff reserves the right to reject items during the show which are in poor taste or not the quality or media category submitted for review. 

4. Photography Release: Big Sky Artisan Festival reserves the right to photograph and record video during the art show to be used for marketing purposes. As a participating artist, you are agreeing to the release of your photograph or likeness. 

5. Insurance and Liability: All work is exhibited at the artist’s own risk. The Arts Council of Big Sky is not responsible for exhibit damages, bodily harm, or theft. Artists can be held liable should they or any of their property cause damage to the space or neighboring exhibitors and neighboring space. Exhibitors must abide by, and displays must be in accordance with local fire and venue regulations.

6. Cancellations: Artists may cancel their participation in the festival by July 7th for a full refund of their booth fee, excluding the non-refundable application fee. Cancellations after July 7th will not be refunded.

Exhibitors not in compliance with the rules and regulations will be asked to leave the show immediately without a refund. Unprofessional conduct, failure to abide by the Rules of Participation or General Policies or abuse of volunteers is cause for immediate dismissal and those dismissed will not receive a refund.

If you need to cancel and have an extenuating circumstance, please contact the Artist Coordinator, Jesine Munson at 406-995-2742 or jesine@bigskyarts.org

If the Arts Council determines it is necessary to cancel the event due to circumstances beyond our control, artists will be issued a full refund, excluding the application fee.

Event Timing

Date: Saturday July 19th, 2025

Check-In: Artists may check in at the Arts Council Tent between 7 - 10am at Len Hill Park

Set-up: Set up will take place on Saturday, July 19th between 7 - 10:30am. Artists must check in and verify booth location before setting up. Set up should be complete by 11am 

Break-Down: Saturday, July 19th at 7, but dependent on weather!  In the case of afternoon thunderstorms, breakdown may be allowed sooner by the Big Sky Artisan Festival staff. Artists needing to break down before 7pm must obtain approval from the Arts Council staff.

About the Venue

Len Hill park is a popular pedestrian park in Big Sky Town Center. The park is a well maintained grass area and is adjacent to the BASE community center. All booths will be on the grass or on the concrete sport pad. There are no electrical outlets available for artists and limited water supply, so plan accordingly. 

Booth Information

If you have any special request or booth accommodations - please make note in your application or email Jesine. Once artists have been accepted and purchased their booths, Jesine will map accordingly. The Arts Council will make every effort to assign booths to accommodate artists needs, but final assignments will be made in the best interest of the festival as a whole. Priority will  be made in order of booth purchases. 

Booth Requirements

Tent Display: White EZup style tents are recommended but not required. Booths should have a professional appearance. ALL TENTS MUST BE WEIGHTED DOWN. If stakes are used, they may not impede the flow of traffic. We recommend at least 50 lb weights per tent or 4 five gallon buckets of water to weigh down tents.

Booths should have a professional appearance and access to outlets may also be limited. Please note that the ground may be uneven and plan your display tables, shelving, etc. accordingly.

Size & Price: 10’ x 10’ space: $100 and 10’ x 20’  space: $150 (limited on a first-come-first-come basis)

Booth Supervision

Artists are responsible for the supervision of their booths.

In the event that the artist utilizes any Big Sky Artisan Festival staff member or volunteer for booth relief, Big Sky Artisan Festival shall not be held responsible for any theft, loss or damage to the artist’s work, booth or goods.

Staff or volunteers shall not handle any sales or cash transactions or be asked to offer their relief services for more than 15 minutes at any one time. Volunteers may not be available to supervise booths for any period of time.

Accessibility

Artists who require a wheelchair or otherwise accessible booth may inquire with jesine@bigskyarts.org. The facility and venue are ADA accessible.

Weather

The event is “rain or shine” unless a severe weather condition exists. Artists should come prepared to stabilize their booths and exhibits in an outdoor setting. We recommend weights for the tents, tables, table cloths, and anything else that could potentially blow away.

Big Sky tends to have pleasant summer weather but there are frequent and sometimes strong summer storms in the afternoons.

High winds are often present.

Please check the weather in advance of the event and come prepared.

Artist Parking

Parking is available in the adjacent parking areas and is first come first served.

Cancellations

Artists may cancel their participation in the festival by July 7th for a full refund of their booth fee, excluding the non-refundable application fee. Cancellations after July 7th will not be refunded.

If you need to cancel and have an extenuating circumstance, please contact , Jesine Munson at 406-995-2742 or jesine@bigskyarts.org

If the Arts Council determines it is necessary to cancel the event due to circumstances beyond our control, artists will be issued a full refund, excluding the application fee.

Resort Tax Reminder

Please note that you are required to register for the Big Sky Resort Tax in order to participate in this event. If you are already registered, please provide your resort tax ID number. If you have not registered, please do so at https://resorttax.org/. You will be required to provide your Resort Tax ID when purchasing your booth if you do not provide it in the application. Those not willing to register will not be permitted to participate in the Artisan Festival. If you have outstanding resort tax information due, we will not accept your application until you are in good standing.

The application takes around 10 minutes to complete and requires very basic information. In layman's terms, the resort tax is a service tax applied in the Big Sky area. The funds from resort tax help support local nonprofits, including the Arts Council and other charitable causes such as affordable housing and the food bank. Registering for Resort Tax will not impact your end of year tax statements - for example if you are from out of state, you won't need to file any out of state taxes for this event. If you have further questions about resort tax please contact them here: 

Telephone: (406) 995-3234

E-mail: info@resorttax.org