ARTIST RESOURCES

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How to Apply

Apply to participate in the Cottonwood Art Festival as an exhibiting artist.

Artist Host Hotel

Stay the night in Richardson at the official host hotel of Cottonwood.

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Festival Rules & Proceedures

View festival rules and proceedures including booth details, check-in, etc.

Since that first weekend, five decades later, Cottonwood has established itself as a signature national art event, become a tradition in the community and the home to the finest artists in the country. With the City of Richardson’s support, the Cottonwood Art Festival strives to deliver an experience for our patrons that allows them to engage, experience, and grow their appreciation of the arts.  We celebrate the inclusivity of our community, the originality and creativity of our artists, and value the quality in which we operate.

Cottonwood Art Festival is committed to enriching lives through arts education and experiences by continuing to engage, enhance, and inspire the creativity of Richardson and surrounding communities. Through local partnerships with the Richardson Independent School District, Cottonwood has the ability to inspire creativity and provide innovative support to young aspiring artists, via the Emerging Artist Program and Visiting Artist Program.     

How to Apply

Applications for the 2025 Spring Cottonwood Art Festival are now closed. Exhibiting Artist notifications will be sent by January 27, 2025. 

Applications for the 2025 Fall Cottonwood Art Festival will be avail;able through Zapplication starting January 27, 2025.

Application Fee

A non-refundable application and jury fee of $35 is required for each entry form/category submitted and payed through ZAPP.

Jury Process

Approximately 198 artists will exhibit at the Cottonwood Art Festival, and 188 spots will be available for applicants this year. These spots will be determined through a competitive monitor jury process, where each artist is scored by jury members on a scale of yes-no-maybe in the first round, creating a ranked group of artists in each category deemed qualified to advance to the second round after reviewing submitted images and Artist Statement. 

Booth Details

Each artist will be provided a 13” x 13” booth space for your tent. Artists are to provide their own display booth, racks, and/or tables in order to display their work in an outdoor environment. 

Single Booth:  $500
Double Booth:  $1,000 (first-come, first-served basis, with limited availability.)
Electricity: $100

Artist Amentities
  • Two-day set-up schedule for artists
  • Artist Set-up and Take-down assistance by local Boy Scout Troop
  • Exclusive Friday night invite to Artist and VIP dinner, including fully catered dinner, drinks, and entertainment.
  • Designated Artist Hospitality Area with continental breakfast, afternoon snacks, chilled water, and private restroom
  • Responsive website and integrated social media campaign with over 35,000+ followers
  • Event Guide for patrons with map, artists’ names and booth locations
  • Festival T-Shirt
  • Friendly volunteers to assist with booth sitting – available by cell throughout the festival weekend
  • Comprehensive emergency/evacuation plan with 24-hour weather monitoring
  • 24 Hour Security and the City of Richardson Police presence
  • Discounted hotel rates at designated hotel locations within Richardson
  • Extensive marketing campaign to include the entire DFW region and state of Texas
  • Free Admission and Free Parking for all attendees
Medium Categories

Ceramics:  All original clay and porcelain work other than jewelry is accepted in this category. No machine-made or mass-produced work is permitted. If multiple pieces of the same design are displayed, each must be signed.
Digital Art:  This category includes any original work for which the original image, or the manipulation of other source material, was executed by the artist using a computer. Work in this category must be in limited editions, signed and numbered on archival quality materials. Traditional photographs taken through digital media should apply in the photography category.  Work that starts with a photograph and is manipulated by digital means must be entered in either Mixed Media or Photography. 
Drawing/Pastels:  Works created using dry media including chalk, charcoal, pastels, pencil, wax crayon, etc., or from the fluid medium of inks and washes applied by pen or brush are to be entered in this category.
Fiber:  All work crafted from fibers including basketry, embroidery, weaving, leatherwork, tapestry, and papermaking. This can be wearable or non-wearable. No machine tooling, machine-screened patterns, or other forms of mass production are permitted. No factory-produced wearable items, regardless of additional modification or enhancement by the artist, may be exhibited.
Glass:  No forms of mass production are permitted
Jewelry:  All jewelry whether the work is produced from metal, glass, clay, fiber, paper, plastic, or other materials must be entered in this category. No commercial casts, molds, or production studio work is allowed.
Metal: Includes all non-sculptural, non-jewelry works crafted from metals. No production studio work is allowed.
Mixed Media:  Works that include both 2 and 3-dimensional, that incorporate more than one type of physical material in their production. Includes non-sculptural work as determined by the artist.
Painting – Oil/Acrylic: Works created in oil or acrylic
Painting – Watercolor:  Work created in watercolor
Photography:  Photographic prints made from the artist’s original image, which have been processed by that artist, or under his or her direct supervision, are included in this category. Photographers are required to disclose both their creative and printing processes on prints that have been properly signed and numbered as a limited edition.
Printmaking/Graphics:  Printed works for which the artist’s hand manipulated the plates, stones, or screens and which have been properly signed and numbered as a limited edition may be entered in this category. All photogravure, giclee, photocopy, and/or offset reproductions, will be rejected. Printmakers are encouraged to do their own printing which has been processed by the artist, or under his/her direct supervision.  Printmakers are required to disclose both their creative and printmaking processes.
Sculpture:  Three-dimensional works done in any medium.
Wood:  Original works in wood that are hand-tooled, machine-worked, turned, or carved are accepted in this category.
 

Artist Host Hotel

Cottonwood partners with Courtyard Dallas Richardson at Spring Valley to provide a discount rate for participating artists.  

Location: 1000 South Sherman Street, Richardson, TX  75081 
Rate: $124.00 per night
Available discount dates: October 3 – October 7, 2024
Last day to book: September 23, 2024

Visiting Artist Program

Cottonwood Art Festival invites you to participate in our Visiting Artist Program, designed to encourage school age children the opportunity to participate in the visual arts and interact with Cottonwood professional artist. Through this partnership with the Richardson Independent School District, students will gain valuable information, inspiration and encouragement from participating artist who have taken the time to share their passion and talent of the arts. For a young student who loves to draw it may be just what he or she needs to set them on a career path in art!

Participating artist receive additional perks such as front of the line passes for load-in and load-out, Cottonwood gift bag and our sincere appreciation. Cottonwood Art Festival is very grateful to all of the artists who have participated in this program and hope you will continue to support our efforts in art education by participating.

If you are interesting in visiting a classroom for a presentation or demonstration through the program,  email us at cottonwood@cor.gov.