Columbus Arts Festival Launches New Website and Opens Visual Artist Applications for 2022 Festival

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The nationally acclaimed Columbus Arts Festival, presented by the American Electric Power Foundation, is now accepting visual artist applications. The 60th annual festival will take place June 10-12, 2022 on the downtown riverfront. Performer and food vendor applications will open Sept. 27.

Today, the Arts Festival also launched a newly redesigned columbusartsfestival.org, which offers a more responsive design, improved user navigation and easier-to-use application process for artists, performers and other vendors.

Applications for exhibiting visual artists are accepted online in 15 categories: 2D Mixed Media, 3D Mixed Media, Ceramics, Digital Art, Drawing, Fiber, Glass, Jewelry, Leather, Metal (non-sculptural), Painting, Photography & Digital Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture and Wood.

Central Ohio artists are encouraged to apply, and if they are new to exhibiting in Festivals to look into the Festival’s Emerging 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 emerging artists in Franklin and surrounding counties: Delaware, Fairfield, Fayette, Licking, Madison, Pickaway and Union.

The deadline for visual artist applications is 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 17, 2021.

Each year nearly 1,000 artists apply for up to 270 booth spaces. Artists are chosen by a panel of experts in a blind jury process.

Applications for performing artists (music, theater, dance, poets and authors), food vendors and portrait artists (caricature, charcoal, temporary tattoo and face painting) will open Sept. 27 and will be due in February and March, 2022. For specific deadlines and specifics regarding all applications, visit http://www.columbusartsfestival.org/apply/.

Each June, the Columbus Arts Festival, produced by the Greater Columbus Arts Council 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, poets & authors, 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 10 from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.; Saturday, June 11 from 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.; and Sunday, June 12 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Please note: on Friday and Saturday artist booths close at 9 p.m.; artists have the option to stay open later.)

To volunteer at the Columbus Arts Festival, please go to columbusartsfestival.org/get-involved/volunteer.

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

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 2022 Columbus Arts Festival is presented by the American Electric Power Foundation. Additional sponsors and partners include Bank of America, Bath & Body Works, Battelle, Cardinal Health, CDDC, CoverMyMeds, Gateway Film Center, Huntington National Bank, IGS Energy, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., King Business Interiors, Maker’s Mark, The Ohio State University, OSA Technology Partners, Paul-Henri Bourguignon Foundation, PNC, Rhinegeist, Toyota, White Castle, Whole World Lemonade and Worthington Industries Foundation. Media sponsors include ABC6/FOX28, CD92.9, Lamar Outdoor, Ohio Magazine, Orange Barrel Media, RSVP, WCBE, WOSU Public Media and WSNY.

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 and the Ohio Arts Council. None of these funds are used for the production of the Columbus Arts Festival.

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