Loring Park Art Festival 2026

Overview

The 26th annual Loring Park Art Festival invites juried fine artists and fine craftspeople to exhibit in a beautiful urban setting circling a large pond in Loring Park near downtown Minneapolis. The festival showcases quality and unique work in all media, from paintings and drawings to ceramics, jewelry, glass, and more.

Festival Dates & Hours

• Saturday, July 25, 2026: 10 am – 6 pm
• Sunday, July 26, 2026: 10 am – 5 pm

Application Timeline

• March 20, 2026: Artist Application Deadline
• March 30, 2026: Jury results e-mailed—First Round Invites and Wait List Notices. Subsequent invites April 6–20.
• April 20, 2026: Deadline to accept and purchase booth space.
• April 30, 2026: Last day for cancellation with 50% refund. Beginning May 1st there are no refunds.

What to Submit

Each artist must submit five images (four of individual current work pieces and one booth or display image showing continuity and presentation of your current body of work) along with a completed application and $35 non-refundable jury fee per medium entered.

Categories

• Ceramics: All original clay and porcelain work other than jewelry; no machine-made or mass-produced work.
• Painting and Drawing: Oils, acrylic, watercolor, gouache, chalk, charcoal, pastels, pencil, wax crayon, inks, and washes applied by pen or brush. Prints must be signed and numbered.
• Fiber: Leather, paper, basketry, embroidery, weaving, tapestry, sewing, papermaking, knitting, etc. No factory-produced wearable items.
• Fine Crafts: Collages, candles, body products, etc. No mass production permitted.
• Glass: Functional or decorative glass via glass blowing, molding, casting, or kiln forming.
• Jewelry: All jewelry from ceramic, metal, glass, fiber, paper, plastic, etc. No commercial casts, molds, or mass production.
• Metal Work: Non-sculptural, non-jewelry metal work; no production studio work.
• Mixed Media & Digital Art: Two or three-dimensional works incorporating more than one type of physical media.
• Printmaking: Signed and numbered limited edition prints where the artist hand-manipulated plates, stones, or screens. Photogravure, photocopy, and offset reproductions rejected.
• Photography: Photographic prints from the artist's original negative produced by the artist or under their supervision.
• Sculpture: Three-dimensional work using any materials excluding clay/ceramics.
• Wood: Original hand-tooled, turned, or carved wood works.
• Emerging Artist: For artists beginning their careers with minimal exhibition and sales experience. Must show proof of student status and/or first year of business. Lower booth fees available.

Jury Process & Awards

• Festival Favorite Award: Given in each medium with five or more artists. Prize includes $100 check, acceptance and jury fees waived for 2027 festival with automatic jury-in, standard booth fee waived for 2027 festival, Festival Favorite sign, and marketing and publicity.

Rules & Eligibility

All work must be handcrafted by the artist attending the festival. No sell-through items or mass-produced work allowed. Prints of photography, drawings, paintings, and printmaking may be sold if original work is also present. Artists may apply once per medium. Collaborating artists may apply but only joint work may be shown and sold, and both must be present the full event duration with both names on all materials.

Contact & More Information

Visual Artist Director: Heather Williams ([email protected]). Festival Director: Sara Collins ([email protected]). Culinary Arts Applications: [email protected]. Festival Business Office: 950 Wayzata Blvd, Suite #104, Wayzata, MN 55391. Phone: 952-473-6422. Website: www.loringparkartfestival.com.