Applications Open for 2024 Columbus Arts Festival on Sept. 18

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The nationally acclaimed Columbus Arts Festival, presented by the American Electric Power Foundation, opens applications for exhibiting visual artists; Emerging Festival Artists; performing artists; caricature, face and other body, portrait and henna artists; and food vendors on Monday, Sept. 18. The 62nd-annual festival will take place June 7-9, 2024 on Columbus’ downtown riverfront.

Visual Artists

Applications for exhibiting visual artists are accepted online in 16 categories: 2D Mixed Media, 3D Mixed Media, Ceramics, the Emerging Festival Artist Program, Digital Art (including Digital Photography), Drawing, Fiber, Glass, Jewelry, Leather, Metal (non-sculptural), Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture and Wood. Each year more than 800 artists apply for up to 225 booth spaces. Artists are chosen by a panel of experts in a blind jury process in early 2024.Central Ohio artists are encouraged to apply and, if they are new to exhibiting at large scale Festivals, to consider the Emerging Festival Artist Program, designed specifically for artists with extremely limited or no experience in exhibiting and selling their artwork at national arts festivals. This program is open to qualifying artists in Franklin and surrounding counties: Delaware, Fairfield, Fayette, Licking, Madison, Pickaway and Union. Artists applying for this program should select ‘Emerging Festival Artist Program’ as the category in their application.

Informational meetings for Columbus-area artists who are interested in applying to the Festival are scheduled for three dates this fall:

• Sept. 20, 6-7 p.m. at All People Arts (1865 Parsons Ave.)
• Oct. 18, 12:30-1:30 p.m. at 934 Gallery (934 Cleveland Ave.)
• Nov. 15, 6-7 p.m. at Columbus Metropolitan Library MLK Branch (1467 E. Long St.)

Spanish language services will be available at the Oct. 18 and Nov. 15 meetings. Artists that come from BIPOC communities, LGBTQIA+ communities, artists with disabilities and other historically underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply.

The deadline for visual artist and Emerging Festival Artist applications is 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 8, 2023.

Applications for portrait and body artists (caricature, charcoal, temporary tattoo and face painting) are also open and will be due in March 2024.

Big Local Arts Village participant applications will open in mid-February 2024.

For application links, specific deadlines and other details, visit columbusartsfestival.org/apply/visual-artists.

Performing Artists

Applications for performing artists (music, theater, dance, poets and storytellers) are also open and will be due Feb. 9, 2024. Applications and details can be found at columbusartsfestival.org/apply/performing-artists.

Food Vendors

Applications for food trucks and carts are open as well, and are due Feb. 23, 2024. Those applications can be found at columbusartsfestival.org/apply/food-vendors.

Each June, the Columbus Arts Festival, produced by the Greater Columbus Arts Council (GCAC) and consistently ranked nationally as one of the country’s best, brings the best in fine art and fine craft to Columbus. The Festival hosts hundreds of juried artists from across the United States, as well as a few international artists each year. Music, dance, spoken word, theater, hands-on arts activities for the entire family, as well as quality food and beverages, round out Columbus’ favorite outdoor summer event.

Festival Hours: Friday, June 7 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, June 8 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sunday, June 9 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Please note: on Friday and Saturday artists have the option to close at 9 p.m.)

To volunteer at the Columbus Arts Festival, please go to columbusartsfestival.org/engage/volunteer/.

For more information on the Columbus Arts Festival, call (614) 221-8625 or visit columbusartsfestival.org.

Download the Columbus Arts Festival app through the Apple app store or Google Play at guidebook.com/app/cafg/.

For a selection of high-res images, visit the Festival’s press media page.

The Columbus Arts Festival is produced by the Greater Columbus Arts Council.

The 2023 Columbus Arts Festival was presented by the American Electric Power Foundation. Additional sponsors and partners include Art for Life, Bank of America, Bath & Body Works, Battelle, Cardinal Health, Columbus Downtown Development Corporation, COSI, Deloitte, Encova, Graeter’s, High Bank Distillery, Holiday Inn Downtown, Hotel LeVeque, Huntington, IGS Energy, JP Morgan Chase, The Junto, King Business Interiors, ML Concessions, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, The Ohio State University, OSA Technology Partners, Paul-Henri and Erika Bourguignon Charitable Trust, Pepsi, Priscilla R. Tyson Cultural Arts Center, Rhinegeist, Toyota, The Westin Great Southern Columbus, White Castle and Whole World Lemonade. Media sponsors include ABC6/FOX28, CD92.9, Dispatch Media Group, Lamar Outdoor, Ohio Magazine, Orange Barrel Media, RSVP, WCBE, WOSU Public Media and WSNY/Mix 107.9.

Mission of the Greater Columbus Arts Council: To support and advance the arts and cultural fabric of Columbus. www.gcac.org

The Greater Columbus Arts Council receives major financial support from the city of Columbus, Franklin County Commissioners, Ohio Arts Council and The Ohio State University. There are no funds from the city of Columbus, Franklin County or Ohio Arts Council used to support the production of the Columbus Arts Festival.

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