APPLICATION GUIDELINES
Online Application Form Access: Monday Feb 13, 2023
Application Deadline: Friday March 31, 2023, 11pm

The 15th Annual Newmarket Art Walk & Studio Tour (AWST), organized by the Newmarket Group of Artists (NGA), is a juried event featuring the work of a maximum of 35 artists.

 Ideally all home studios or public venues will be located within 1 kilometre of historic downtown Main Street. We will have multiple venues with small groupings of artists showing at each location, making access to the event a relaxing experience for our visitors. After jurying, we carefully place the selected artists in studios, in a business or in a community venue.

​Who can apply?

Visual Artists of all mediums with a current membership to the NGA are welcome to apply. Not a paid-up member?   Click here to join.  Non-Newmarket residents may apply but must pay the non-resident fee. Of the artists juried into the AW&ST, at least 80% will be Newmarket residents.
An Artist Collective is a group of 4 or more artists working together and united by a defining theme. The majority (at least 75%) of the members of the collective must reside in Newmarket. A collective can display a maximum of 20 pieces of art, maximum 5 pieces per artist. Work that is sold may be replaced with another piece of artwork by that artist. One representative will submit one application on behalf of the group, submitting 1 image of art for each member.
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An artist may apply as a Host Artist with a studio location in downtown Newmarket, OR as a Guest Artist. Once accepted, a guest artist will complete a survey to help determine where they will be placed.
Locations- Expect to provide a support (i.e. grids) and/or a display for your work.

Studio Locations- To ensure the best success for our artists in terms of potential visitors, we recommend that all Host Artists be located within a 1 kilometre
Local Businesses- Many local businesses generously volunteer to host artists.  Artists who have shown in a space previously will be given the opportunity to request that business again.
Newmarket Community Centre Location- Artists chosen to exhibit in the Community Centre will be allocated a 10’ x 10’ space. The Community Centre walls may not be used for display (no nails, tape, etc.).
Old Town Hall Location- Artists chosen to exhibit in the Old Town Hall will either be able to hang within the gallery space (2 dimensional works) or will be allocated a 10’x10’ space. The Old Town Hall artists will be decided by lottery. Artists who have not shown there the previous tour will be given preference.

Artists' Responsibilities

Artists are required to:
  • Distribute brochures/posters/postcards and promote the AW&ST through their social media, website, email/mail contacts and at shows they are participating in. Failure to promote the AWST in this way will be taken into consideration should you apply to the tour another year. 
  • Select and perform at least one duty from a list that will be provided upon acceptance to the tour. Duties may include: manning an NGA booth at the Farmers’ Market, putting out and collecting tour signs, soliciting sponsorship, etc. Failure to select and perform a duty will be taken into consideration should you apply to the tour another year.​
  • Be present during the AWST to meet with the public personally to discuss, promote and sell their artwork.
  • Artists are expected to attend the Artist Information Meeting Wed. June 14, 2023 at 7:30
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Artist and Artwork Requirements

  • ALL artwork at AWST locations must be that of the juried artist(s). Display of artwork by non-juried artists is NOT PERMITTED.
  • Applicants must be the designer, creator and producer of the artwork sold during the tour. Kit works, ceramics from commercial molds and factory or mass-produced articles are not permitted. Ready-made components may be used where appropriate but these must be secondary to the nature and design of the work and not the primary components. Reproductions (i.e. giclee prints) of original works must be to professional standards and clearly identified as reproductions to the public. 
  • Work offered for sale must be very similar to the work shown in the photos accompanying your application. Tour representatives will visit your venue to ensure compliance and reserve the right to ask you to remove from display items that differ significantly from those in your application. Artists who do not comply with these guidelines will not be considered for future shows.
  • Work must be displayed in a professional manner.  Each artist is responsible for displaying and pricing their own artwork.
  • Artists are responsible for any insurance, vendor’s permits, liabilities and costs incurred for their location.

Note: The NGA appreciates the value of fine art and craftsmanship and expects participating artists to price their work accordingly. To maintain the integrity of all artists, signs offering pricing discounts and sales will not be permitted to be displayed at your location. 


Application Process

You must be a paid-up member to apply.  If your membership has lapsed, Click here to renew it before beginning the application process.
  • Application Form: To be completed online.  You will need to provide a 12-word description of your artwork for promotional purposes. ALL of the artwork mentioned in the 12-word description must be represented by the photos in your submission. 
  • Photos of Artwork: Upload 5 photographs of recent work (2019-2023) representative of ALL the types of artwork that you intend to show during the tour (jpeg images with 900 pixels along the short dimension). Each image must show one piece of artwork only. Exceptions would be pieces sold as a set (i.e. a triptych, cream & sugar set).  Images cannot have overt signatures or watermarks as the submissions to the jury are anonymous.
  • ​Please note: that images that are overly long or wide do not show well within our jurying format. Images that are close to square work best. This will also work best for both future promotion within our brochures and on social media.

VERY IMPORTANT: name your files with your surname, first initial, and number 1 to 5. For example, if your name is John Doe, your file names would be: DoeJ1.jpg, DoeJ2.jpg, DoeJ3.jpg etc.  Failure to name your images properly could result in applications not being accepted. 

Payment of Fees:
  1. E-transfer
  2. Credit Card 

NOTE: Incomplete applications will not be considered. 

Promotional Material

The NGA reserves the right to use the images and promotional material submitted by the artist in his/her application for any and all promotional purposes without notice or payment to the artists.
  AWST Fees

All applicants to the tour must be members of the Newmarket Group of Artists. For membership details click here. Applicants who are not residents of Newmarket must pay the Non-Resident Fee.

Newmarket Resident     $ 130.00
Non-Resident                $ 200.00
Newmarket Collective    $205.00
(Non-Newmarket Collectives are not eligible at this time)
            

Should your application not be accepted, AWST Fees will be refunded less the $30 Application Fee. Membership fees are non-refundable.
Cancellation Policy

  • A $30.00 administration fee will be charged if the artist chooses to cancel up to and including June 14, 2022. After June 14, 2023, all fees are non-refundable. 
  • If the NGA cancels the show due to COVID-19 restrictions, the AWST fee will be refunded less a $5.00 administration fee.
  • Applications from artists who have outstanding fees or bank charges in arrears will not be considered.
  • The AWST will go ahead rain or shine.
 The Selection Process
  • In order to maintain a high quality of artwork and to ensure that it is possible for visitors to see all of the locations, participation is limited to 35 artists.  If the quality of the applications, or other logistical circumstances dictate, fewer than 35 artists may be selected. 
  • Of the accepted artists, 80% will be Newmarket residents.
  • Previous acceptance to the tour is not a guarantee of admission as the jury process takes place annually. Photos submitted for jurying must be of recent works (2019-2023) and represent the complete range of artwork intended for show/sale, even if the artist has applied previously. A committee member will visit locations during the tour to confirm compliance.
  • Submissions are juried blind (i.e. the jury members see only the images provided; names of applicants are not disclosed to the jury). The jury consists of professional artists and educators, none of whom are applying to the AWST or are members of the NGA or its Board.
  • The selection by the jury is based solely on the quality of the work as shown in your photographs. Attention will be paid to the excellence of design and/or function of the work and the overall impression of the work. Good quality images are critical. (Tip: for 2d artwork you should crop out frame and just focus on artwork. 3D artwork should be a professional, neutral background.)​​
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Notification of Jury Decision
Notification will be sent out via email on May 15, 2023.
Decisions of the Jury is final.


We look forward to receiving your application

Questions?

Please contact Robin Burnett at tour@newmarketgroupofartists.org