2026 Modern Craft Market Application

DATES:

March 27-29, 2026 

HOURS:

Friday, March 27, 2026:

• 10 - 4 PM: Maker Load-In & Booth Set-Up
• 5 - 8 PM: Preview Party Shopping Event 

Saturday, March 28, 2026: 

• 9 AM - 11 AM: Early Bird Shopping Event 
• 11 AM - 6 PM: General Shopping 

Sunday, March 29, 2026: 

• 10 AM - 6 PM: General Shopping
• 6 - 8 PM: Maker Load-Out 

LOCATION:

David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Downtown Pittsburgh (1000 Fort Duquesne Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA 15222)

EVENT SIZE:

Exhibitors: 150+

Expected Attendees: 7,500+ 

Note: 2026 will be the first year of this event. Handmade Arcade's other large-scale market held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center brings in 10,000+ shoppers over two days. 

APPLICATION DATES & FEES:

Application Fee: $40

Application Deadline: November 5, 2026 at 11:59 PM (EST)

Notifications: No later than December 20, 2026 

Application fees are non-refundable and due online upon application submission. Late applications will not be considered.

GUEST JURORS: 

Jennifer-Navva Milliken, Executive Director and Chief Curator, Museum for Art in Wood

Jessica Tood, Curator, Tampa Arts Alliance

Angelik Vizcarrondo-Laboy, Independent Curator

BOOTH TYPES & FEES:

10 ft x 5 ft Booth: $575

10 ft x 10 ft Booth: $800

10 ft x 10 ft Corner Booth: $1,050

20 ft x 10 ft Booth: $1,250 

20 ft x 10 ft Corner Booth: $1,500

INCLUDED IN BOOTH FEE:

• Booth space rental 
• Back and side pipe and drape 
• 6' x 30" Skirted Tables 
• 2 Folding Chairs 
• Convenient load-in and load-out with ability to drive onto the Convention Center floor
• 24-hour security
• Listing in the printed & digital event program books
• Listing on the virtual event page on Handmade Arcade's website 
• Maker Media Kit for market promotion
• At least one product featured and maker tagged on Handmade Arcade's social media prior to the market

NOT INCLUDED IN BOOTH FEE: 

• Electricity
• Additional tables and chairs 
• Booth lighting
• Additional booth furnishings (carpets, shelves, etc.)

ELIGIBLE ARTISTIC CATEGORIES: 

• Accessories (Not Jewelry)
• Basketry 
• Ceramics 
• Fiber and Textiles (Not Wearable)
• Fiber and Textiles (Wearable)
• Furniture 
• Glass
• Jewelry 
• Leather
• Metal 
• Mixed Media
• Paper
• Wood
• Other (printmaking, beeswax work, etc.)

THE FOLLOWING ARTISTIC CATEGORIES ARE NOT ACCEPTED AT THE MODERN CRAFT MARKET:

• 2D Fine Arts (i.e paintings, photographs, drawings, graphic design, etc.)
• Soap and other bath & body products
• Candles

• Edible or ingestible products (includes food, tea, honey, and CBD/THC-based products)

• Dried floral arrangements or pressed floral artwork
• Products made from commercial kits 
• Commercially made products that have been embellished or decorated
• Products mass produced using 3D printing

MULTIPLE ENTRIES:

Artists wishing to enter in more than one medium must submit separate applications and application fees for each category in which they want to be considered. Artists may submit up to three applications. If only one of your applications is accepted into the Modern Craft Market, you may only sell work in that medium. 

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:

• Applicants must reside in the United States or U.S. territories
• Applicants must be 18 years of age or older at the time of the Modern Craft Market 
• Applications must align with Handmade Arcade's definition of a "handmade business"
  • Artist(s) created the original products 
  • No use of mass-produced, trademarked, or licensed items in work
  • No use of copyrighted designs artist(s) doesn't own in the work
  • No use of purchased, downloaded, or copied images or designs in work 

REQUIREMENTS: 

All accepted makers are required to: 

• Participate in the entirety of the event dates and hours listed above 
• Provide crafters liability insurance 
• Adhere to Handmade Arcade's Maker Terms & Conditions 

JURYING & ACCEPTANCE:

This is a juried market; however, Handmade Arcade reserves the right to curate the final accepted maker line-up in order to create a well-balanced show.

Handmade Arcade's 2026 Modern Craft Market is a juried event. All makers who fulfill Handmade Arcade's application requirements and are juried and accepted into the market will be known as "Accepted Makers." 

Payment of Booth Fees: 

• Accepted Maker booth fees will be charged to the credit card used for their application upon acceptance to the market. Accepted Makers will be notified when this charge will occur.

Cancellation & Refunds: 

• Accepted Makers who can no longer participate in the Modern Craft Market must notify the Handmade Arcade team via email (makers@handmadearcade.org) by the cancellation deadline of January 15, 2026 to receive a refund on booth fees, electricity, additional table and chair rentals, etc.
• Refunds are not available after the cancellation deadline of January 15, 2026. This includes extra fees for electricity, additional table and chair rentals, etc. 

Marketing & Promotions: 

• Handmade Arcade reserves the right to use the images and information provided in the maker application, from the maker's website, and/or from the maker's social media accounts for marketing and promotion purposes. Accepted Makers will be tagged and credited as much as possible.
• Accepted Makers consent to being photographed and recorded at the Modern Craft Market for Handmade Arcade publicity and promotional purposes. 
• Accepted Makers may not sell merchandise containing the words "Handmade Arcade" or "Handmade Arcade: The Cutting Edge of Craft" or depicting Handmade Arcade logos, graphics, slogans, or signage without the permission of Handmade Arcade's Executive Director. 

In-Person Market Terms: 

• Handmade Arcade and Handmade Arcade representatives and agents make no guarantees of any sort to Accepted Makers, including promises of Accepted Makers' profits, sales, business, promotion, or advertisement opportunities. 
• Accepted Makers may only sell, promote, or display original work as shown or described in their application.
• Accepted Makers are assigned a specific load-in time for the event and detailed instructions are provided for this procedure. To facilitate the load-in of multiple vendors, these instructions must be adhered to explicitly.
• Accepted Makers will be assigned a booth space prior to the event date. It is the responsibility of the vendor to review the event map and request changes before the specified date. Handmade Arcade will review requested changes and may accept or reject thee requested changes at its sole discretion. 
• Accepted Makers MUST comply with the parameters of their vendor space, including but not limited to the placement of tables, chairs, racks, signs, shelves, and personnel. 
• Accepted Makers must remain fully set up in their space until the close of the market. 
• Accepted Makers are responsible for the cleanup of their space following the event. 
• Accepted Makers will pack their displays and products and vacate their space and the Convention Center within the allotted load-out time and according to the provided load-out instructions.
• Music of any sort is prohibited at individual booths.
• Helium balloons are prohibited in the Convention Center. 
• Customer service matters are the sole responsibility of the Accepted Maker. Any reports to Handmade Arcade about a negative customer service may impact a maker's chance of participating in future Handmade Arcade markets. 
• Accepted Makers are expected to sell handmade, handcrafted products. Mass-produced merchandise is prohibited at all Handmade Arcade events. 
• Accepted Makers must adhere to Handmade Arcade's definition of a handmade business with the products they bring to the show. This means: 
  • Artist created the original products
  • No use of mass-produced, trademarked, or licensed items in work
  • No use of copyrighted designs artist(s) doesn't own in the work 
  • No use of purchased, downloaded, or copied images or designs in work 
  • At least 80% artist's original creation 
• Accepted Makers agree to reflect Handmade Arcade's core values of anti-racism, collaboration, equity, financial sustainability, and transparency. 
• Accepted Makers are expected to showcase respectful behavior to all event staff, venue staff, other makers, sponsors, shoppers, etc. The following behaviors are strictly prohibited: 
  • Allowing children that accompany you to the market to disturb/break products of neighboring makers and/or disrupt their sales
  • Telling shoppers that they should avoid the booths of sponsors, other makers, etc. 
  • Discrimination of any kind towards shoppers, makers, event staff, volunteers, etc. 
  • Harassing event staff, shoppers, other makers, volunteers, sponsors, etc. on social media or in-person

Indemnification & Liability: 

• Accepted Makers agree to accept full responsibility for any property damage or bodily injury in any way caused by the Accepted Maker, Accepted Maker family members, employees, or guests during event set-up, breakdown, or event hours. Accepted Maker responsibility includes payment of all damages.
• The Accepted Maker will indemnify, defend, and hole harmless Handmade Arcade, its directors, officers, employees, agents, representatives, successors, and assignees from and against all liabilities, expenses, suits, claims, actions, demands, judgements, settlements, costs, losses, fines, and penalties, including but not limited to attorney fees, costs, and expenses of litigation, that arise out of or are related to the aforementioned property damage or bodily injury
• Additionally, Handmade Arcade disclaims all liability for any bodily injury or property damage to Accepted Makers as a result of any negligence, gross negligence, or willful misconduct caused by the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and/or any DLCC employees and/or agents. 
• Handmade Arcade and Handmade Arcade representatives and agents shall not be responsible for or liable to Accepted Makers for any loss or damage that may occur to Accepted Makers or Accepted Makers' property from any source or any cause whatsoever. 
• Accepted Makers are required to provide a Certificate of Insurance to Handmade Arcade prior to the event.
• Accepted Makers are solely responsible for collecting and paying their taxes (all applicable city, county, state, and federal sales and other taxes), licenses, personal and business liabilities, and maintaining appropriate insurances in amounts commensurate with the liabilities presented. 
• Accepted Makers will indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Handmade Arcade from any claim of unpaid taxes. 

Any violation of these policies, before or during the event, gives Handmade Arcade the right to rescind the Accepted Maker's booth space for the event or remove the Accepted Maker during the event without refund of booth fee or any additional fees. Violations of these policies will be documented, shared with the Accepted Maker, and kept on file. Policy violations may prevent an Accepted Maker from being accepted into a future Handmade Arcade market or event.