A Fair of the Arts

A Fair of the Arts

Shop for hand made art and fine crafts! Bloomington Parks and Recreation hosts a celebration of art and community with the sales, demonstrations, and displays of art and fine crafts by local and regional artists.

2026 A Fair of the Arts

A Fair of the Arts takes place on the second Saturdays of the summer season, May through October, in conjunction with the Bloomington Community Farmers' Market at

Bloomington Community Farmers' Market vendor application information, directions, and hours of operation.

Directions and accessibility information for Fernandez Plaza.

• Saturday, May 9, 2026
• Saturday, June 13, 2026
• Saturday, July 11, 2026
• Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026
• Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026
• Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026

Parks and Recreation is accepting applications for vendor spaces for the 2026 season

The City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department invites local and regional artists to apply to participate in A Fair of the Arts, a juried arts and fine crafts fair. Accepted artists display, demonstrate, and sell their art during the monthly events.

There is a non-refundable $20 annual application fee in addition to a $60 booth fee per Fair. Artists are selected through a competitive jury process, and acceptance is not guaranteed.

Call Crystal Ritter at 812-349-3725 or send an email to Crystal Ritter to request a hard copy of the A Fair of the Arts vendor space application.

2026 Timeline

• Feb. 13-Application deadline at 11:59 p.m. to receive full consideration. All applicants applying after this date will be waitlisted only. We will contact artists from the waitlist as space becomes available.
• March 20-Accepted artists announced.
• April 17-Booth payment and signed contract due.

Product Guidelines

• All work must be original and made by the applicant.
• Significant alteration of commercial components in any work is required.
• Work must be safe, be a durable (not consumable) good, and exhibit quality of craftsmanship.
• If work is made from or includes dried flowers, the flowers must be grown by applicant.

Unacceptable work includes:

• Work made from kits.
• Work made from molds not made by applicant.
• Work made by someone other than applicant, including commercially made products, imports and products bought for resale.
• Work that would be considered drug paraphernalia.
• Reproductions of artwork not made by applicant.
• Artificial intelligence (AI)-generated artwork.

Criteria for selecting artists

• Product meets guidelines established above.
• Quality of work: Work will be juried based on application materials submitted.
• Price range: Pieces available for sale should be reasonably priced.
• Applications will be divided into 10 categories:
  • clay
  • drawing/painting/photography
  • fiber arts
  • glass
  • jewelry
  • metalwork/woodwork
  • natural materials
  • personal care, including candles and soap
  • recycled arts
  • surface decoration
• Artists must choose ONE category which best represents the majority of product created and sold. This is the category in which artwork will be juried. Provide images of sample products only in this category. A minimum of 80% of the product to be sold must be within this category. If applicant wishes to sell equally in multiple categories, submit a separate application for each including separate photos and application fee.
• Artists are selected through a jury process. The jury is comprised of local individuals who have a vested interest in A Fair of the Arts and/or local arts. The jury will select artists based on the following criteria:
  • product guidelines
  • style of work
  • quality of work
  • price range
  • variety of artists

Site information

• Fernandez Plaza is located at 8th and Morton Streets in Bloomington, Ind.
• Water is available at the site.
• Electricity is not available.
• A Parks and Recreation staff member who is certified in CPR/AED and first aid will be available on site to answer questions, assist with traffic control, and ensure the smooth operation of the Fair.

Booth and sales information

• Booth spaces are 10' x 10'.
• Cost is $60 per Saturday.
• Accepted artists will be placed in up to four Fairs.
• Commissions are not collected on sales.
• Although exhibitors are required to be present in their booths, booth sitters are available for restroom breaks.
• Demonstrations by exhibitors are encouraged with prior approval.
• Exhibitors wishing to share a booth must submit separate applications, noting that they wish to share one booth.
• All displays must be set up by 7:30 a.m. (8:30 a.m. in October) and exhibitors may not tear down until 12:30 p.m.