Artists are asked to submit original fine art, folk art, fine crafts, or handmade items for a juried market, or handmade personal care items, live plants, pet items, consumables, or vintage items for a juried maker's market, to be exhibited and sold at the Virginia-Highland Summerfest 2027.
Join us for a celebration of summer in our Atlanta neighborhood, Virginia-Highland! Our festival is a 2-day event taking place along tree-lined Virginia Avenue, in the heart of our historic and charming neighborhood. Summerfest enjoys an educated audience, and last year 20,000+ attended Atlanta's favorite neighborhood arts festival. We host an Artists Market, Makers Market, Music Stages, a 5K run, and KidsFest. This event is heavily promoted in social media, local radio, and print. No buy/sell is allowed in either market.
Purpose
The Summerfest organization is staffed primarily by volunteers. 100% of net proceeds are donated to the preservation and improvement of our historic neighborhood. Summerfest supports such neighborhood initiatives as sidewalk improvements, lighting, crime prevention, and civic programs. It also financially supports local parks, schools, and libraries.
Festival Dates & Times
Saturday, June 5, 11am – 6pm
Sunday, June 6, 11am – 5pm
Application Process
Applicants may apply only once to a category/medium. No multiple applications under the same category/medium will be accepted. Applicants may apply for more than one category/medium, but a separate online application must be completed for each category/medium, including its own set of images and application fees by the required deadline.
Categories: Juried Art Market
CLAY: Original sculptural, decorative, or functional work in which the primary material used is clay. All artwork must be signed by the artist. No machine-made or mass-produced items.
DRAWING / GRAPHICS / PRINTMAKING: Original works made with pen, pencil, color pencil, charcoal or traditional printmaking techniques, including etching, engraving, lithography, serigraphy or woodcut. Combination techniques/collages are also included. Original prints must be signed and numbered. Reproduction policies are outlined under "STANDARDS."
FIBER / LEATHER: Original work created from fibers or leather which includes basketry, handmade paper, weavings, and other artistic, fabric-based work. All work must be designed and sewn by the artist. No commercial, mass-produced items permitted.
Every listing links to the organizer's official page. Always confirm deadlines, fees, and entry rules there before you apply.
GLASS: Original sculptural or decorative work created in glass. All work must be signed by the artist. No molds or other forms of mass production permitted.
JEWELRY: Original jewelry made from precious and non-precious metals, gemstones, enamel, glass, fiber, clay or other materials. No buy/sell, kit or costume jewelry, or mass-produced items. Jewelry may be exhibited ONLY if accepted under the jewelry category.
METAL: Original sculptural or decorative items created in metal. May be painted or unpainted. All work must be signed by the artist. No commercial or volume production items.
MIXED MEDIA: Original work of two or three dimensions which incorporates the union of two or more media or physical materials. All work must be signed by the artist. Use this category ONLY if work cannot be classified under another category.
PAINTING: Original work created using oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, egg tempera or similar materials on canvas, paper, or board. Combination techniques/collages of these materials are also included. All work must be signed by the artist. Reproduction policies are outlined under "STANDARDS".
PHOTOGRAPHY / DIGITAL ART: Original artwork created by the artist/photographer utilizing an SLR or Digital camera, or computer-generated image, and printed with either traditional darkroom, ink-jet, or laser printing technologies. No commercial photography. Original prints must be signed and numbered. Only one framed piece of each image may be hung on the walls of the booth. Reproduction policies are outlined under STANDARDS.
WOOD: Original sculptural or decorative work made primarily from wood which includes hand tooled, carved or machine worked items, with either natural or painted finish. All work must be signed by the artist. No commercial or volume production items.
Makers' Market
Items suitable for Makers' Market products are limited to handmade personal care items such as soaps, lotions, candles, live plants, pet items and consumables such as nuts, chocolate, honey, jam, popcorn, dog treats, and other unique or gourmet food items. The Maker's Market will NOT accept drinks, non-packaged food, commercial items, or any other items that fit categories in the Artist's Market. There are a limited number of Maker's Market spaces available and applications will be juried for entry. No awards will be given for the Maker's Market. Beginning in 2027 we will include Vintage in our Maker's Market. As with the Artist market, no Buy/Sell is allowed in the Maker's Market. This includes Vintage booths which must be actual vintage or antique items. The Virginia-Highland Summerfest reserves the rights to use submitted images for publicity and affirmation purposes before, during and after the event.
Jury Process
The jury panel will consist of experienced art professionals with knowledge and experience in multiple art disciplines. Applicants are juried by category, with each applicant's images viewed sequentially on a monitor. After all images are viewed, each applicant is then assigned a score. Those with the highest scores per category will be invited to participate. A limited number of applicants per category will be accepted to provide a balanced show. In addition, a score-based wait list will be maintained in each category with cancellations filled from that list. The jury process is done anonymously, and the decision of the jury is final. The total number of juried booths available is approximately 200.
Notifications
Notifications will be emailed to applicants or notified through Zapplications. Applicants who fail to meet payment deadlines will forfeit their space.
Awards
Best of Show - $500
Second place - $200
Third place - $100
Participant Amenities
24-hour security
Vehicle loading and unloading at booth space
Hospitality tent with Coffee/donuts/fruit during load-in plus water provided daily
Designated Festival Hotline available during event hours regarding assistance, emergencies, questions, concerns, etc.
Parking information will be forthcoming in the participants' acceptance packet and/or check-in packet
State Sales Tax
All applicants are responsible for collecting the 8.9% sales tax for the State of Georgia and Fulton County.