2009 Salem Art Fair & Festival

Call for Applicants:  Visual Artists, Performing Artists, Artisan Groups and Local Nonprofits Encouraged to Apply

January 6, 2009, Salem OR - Applications are now being accepted for Salem Art Association’s (SAA) 60th Annual Salem Art Fair & Festival held July 17, 18 and 19, 2009. Visual artists, performing artists, artisan groups and local nonprofits are encouraged to apply.  Applications and information are available online at http://www.SalemArt.org.
Recognized as one of the west coast’s major cultural events, SAA’s annual Salem Art Fair & Festival is a lively three-day celebration that draws more than 100,000 visitors each year. Held in picturesque Bush’s Pasture Park, this event is the primary fundraiser for Salem Art Association and provides revenue to more than 60 community nonprofits and 200 visual artists.  SAA, one of Oregon’s largest nonprofit community arts organizations, operates the Bush House Museum, three galleries in the Bush Barn Art Center, and a wide range of Community Arts Education and School Programs that reach 10,000 school children each year. For more information, please visit http://www.SalemArt.org or call (503) 581-2228.
Visual Artists - SAA is accepting applications from visual artists who wish to sell their work in the Salem Art Fair & Festival’s Artist Marketplace. Fine art and craftspeople who work in any media are invited to apply. Two hundred artists will be selected by a jury process. Applications are available and will be accepted exclusively through http://www.zapplication.org. Application deadline is February 15, 2009.
Performance Artists - SAA is accepting applications from performing artists. All genres of high-quality music, theater and novelty performances are invited to apply.  Approximately 50 performing artists will be determined by jury for the Main Stage and the Family Stage. The application is available online in the Art Fair section of SAA’s Web site, http://www.SalemArt.org. The application deadline is March 31, 2009.
Artisan Guilds or Groups - Folk artists or artisan guilds and groups that would like to demonstrate their work may apply to be a part of Artisan Village. This is an opportunity for these groups and individuals to promote themselves and educate others on their craft. The application is available online in the Art Fair section of SAA’s Web site, http://www.SalemArt.org. The application deadline is March 31, 2009.
Local Nonprofits for Kids Court - SAA is accepting applications from educational organizations interested in leading Kids Court activities during the 2009 Salem Art Fair & Festival. All educational groups are invited to apply.
Selected groups will direct and staff an art activity booth during the three-day Festival. In past years activities have ranged from face-painting and button-making to newspaper hats and decorative picture frames. Funds earned from ticket sales will go back to the organization running the activity booths.

This is also an opportunity for organizations to raise their visibility among the more than 100,000 visitors expected to attend the 2008 Salem Art Fair & Festival. The application is available online in the Art Fair section of SAA’s Web site, http://www.SalemArt.org. The application deadline is March 31, 2009.

Nonprofit Arts and Arts-Related Organizations for Cultural Corridor - Nonprofit arts and arts-related organizations are invited to apply to be a part of Cultural Corridor. This is an opportunity for groups to promote themselves and their programs to an arts-centered audience. In order to apply, you must be registered as a charitable nonprofit corporation within the state of Oregon. The application is available online in the Art Fair section of SAA’s Web site, http://www.SalemArt.org. The application deadline is March 31, 2009.
Local Nonprofits for Food Court - Applications from community nonprofits that would like to raise money by operating food booths at the Salem Art Fair & Festival may apply before March 31, 2008. The application is available online in the Art Fair section of SAA’s Web site, http://www.SalemArt.org.

Founded in 1919, the Salem Art Association (SAA) is one of the largest and oldest community arts organizations in Oregon. SAA operates the Bush House Museum and the Bush Barn Art Center and Annex in historic Bush’s Pasture Park in Salem.

The Bush House Museum, an Italianate mansion containing an extensive collection of 19th century fine and decorative arts, is the former residence of pioneer businessman Asahel Bush II and his family.  The Bush Barn Art Center is home to three galleries run by SAA: the A.N. Bush Gallery and the Focus Gallery, both contemporary exhibition spaces, and the Camas Gallery, a sales gallery featuring Northwest arts and fine crafts. SAA also runs an extensive Community Arts Education program which provides art instruction to students in regional public schools and community arts classes for children and adults.

The Bush House Museum and the Bush Barn Art Center are located in Bush’s Pasture Park at 600 Mission Street, SE in Salem, OR. For more information about the Salem Art Association, call (503) 581-2228 or visit http://www.SalemArt.org.