Bar Harbor Fine Arts Festival 2026

SHOW IS SOLD OUT! (September show is still open for applications)
The Bar Harbor Fine Arts Festival--held on the grounds of one of Bar Harbor's premier luxury hotel; The Bar Harbor Inn--is strategically located in the middle of town on the harbor waterfront. Artists and patrons alike agree that the location is an ideal venue for this upscale arts event which attracts both wealthy visitors and locals. The show is held at the pinnacle of the tourist season in Bar Harbor.

FINE JEWELRY CATEGORY IS NOW CLOSED TO NEW APPLICATIONS!

1. This is a "boutique" size show of 45 artists +/-

2. About 50% of the artists return to repeat the show.

3. Based on interview statistics gathered at the shows, a majority of the artists make a profit above and beyond meeting expenses.

4. The show is on the private grounds of the Bar Harbor Inn, THE premier waterfront hotel in Bar Harbor.

5. Attendance for the 3 day shows average around 7,500 based on extrapolated head-counts.

7. Patrons enter at either end of the show, either from Maine Street or the Inn and the shore path—ensuring every booth space gets good customer flow.

8. In addition to the upscale summer clients—top international cruise line ships often make Bar Harbor a port of call during the shows and passengers are regular visitors to the shows.

 

SHOW IS SOLD OUT! (September show is still open for applications)

This annual show is held on the grounds of Bar Harbor's premier shore-front luxury hotel; The Bar Harbor Inn, strategically located in the middle of town on the harbor waterfront. The show has an established draw with both repeat customers and artists and features a balance of mediums exhibited.

Jurying is by periodic "rolling jury"

Artists will have 2 weeks upon invitation to confirm with payment of their booth space. This enables traveling artists to "lock-in" their space and plan for lodging in advance. After 2 weeks the invitation will be moved into "waiting list" after which artists will need to contact the director to confirm spaces are still available in their medium category. Medium categories are limited to provide a well-balanced show for both artists and customers--categories like jewelry tend to fill quickly.

Breaking News

FINE JEWELRY CATEGORY IS NOW CLOSED TO NEW APPLICATIONS!

Artists's Timeline

show dates
August 7 - 9  2026
set-up Friday 9:00 - 12:00
Show hours:
Friday 12:00 - 7:00
Saturday 9:00 - 7:00
Sunday 10:00 - 5:00

Application Requirements

Applications are accepted only on-line through Zapplication. 5 images of art and one of booth (showing actual shelter and representative art displayed) is required for each category submitted. Attention should be given to the artist's statement. Artists may apply in different media categories but can only exhibit artwork in the category for which they are accepted. Exhibited work must be substantively similar to works submitted for jurying.

Media Categories/Requirements

All artworks displayed and sold must be substantively produced by the hands (using traditional non-computer assisted or mechanical means that remove the actual guidance of the artist's hands) of the applying and participating artist. Participating artist must produce artwork alone; no production-work type operation involving multiple participants, family members etc are allowed. Individual artworks must contain at least 50% original work by the artist (no more than 50% may consist of repurposed or otherwise not made by the artist's hands components) No reproductions (other than those excepted in the policy below), digital output (except for digitally manipulated, limited-edition photography as noted below), mold-made or buy-sell art of any kind is  permitted. 2D works must be tastefully framed and hung on booth walls (indiividual panels seperate from shelter's sidewalls), with only 1 rack permitted for loose unframed items. Sculpture, 3D works and jewelry must be tastefully arranged on covered tables or pedestals. Loose artwork may not be displayed on the ground—whether free-standing or leaning up against props--except if it is approved ground sculpture.

Fine jewelry: All jewelry must be unique one-of-a-kind items hand-produced by the exhibiting artist. No mold-made or repeated items with only slight variations permitted.
Hand-pulled printmaking: Original hand-pulled prints, signed and numbered by the exhibiting artist. Acceptable techniques include intaglio, lithograph, monotype, collograph and other techniques. Please call if in doubt.
Graphics and 2D mixed-media: hand drawings, pastels and collages, 2d glass and mosaic work. Please call if in doubt.
Painting: Includes watercolor, oil, acrylic, gouache and other painting mediums.
Fine photography: True limited-edition photography of high quality. See below*.
Fine Wearables: Hand-made clothing items. These must be entirely hand-produced by the artist and not simply be variations on repeated items.
Sculpture, Glass & 3D work: Sculpture must be hand-produced by the artist from wood, stone, clay or other acceptable media. Loss-wax technique from a mold is permitted as long as the original sculpture was produced by the exhibiting artist and the mold was produced under the artist's direction. 3D assemblages from metal, wood and other materials are permitted, as well as original glass-work produced by the exhibiting artist.
Digital Art: Any art that uses computer files and/or a digital output device in it's creation. Digital art may not be represented as "limited-edition" and if more than one size are displayed the largest size must be framed and displayed on booth walls.

Artists found in violation of any of these requirements during the show may be asked to remove offending items or ejected from the show. No refund will be given an artist found in violation of show policies.

*Note about photography/digital art: Because of the spread of digital and other "mass produced" means, digitally-printed photography does not fall under the guidelines for original, one-of-a-kind or true limited edition art.  Any artform that is now printed using any digital file/printer/device is now categorized as digital art. Fine photography is hand-produced/manipulated photographs in the printing process. Digital artists must conform to the same regulations that govern 2d reproductions.

Reproductions
An exhibiting artist in either painting, graphics or printmaking will be allowed to sell UNFRAMED reproductions of displayed work as an alternative to capture a sale from a framed original that a customer may otherwise find cost prohibitive. However, the artist MUST comply with all of the following conditions:
1. The reproduction must be of a framed available original on display in the booth. In other words, the reproduction image must be identical to that of the original on display in the booth. If the original is not on display, then the reproduction image may not be offered for sale.
2. The reproduction must be of equal size or less to that of the original, and available in only one size.
3. All reproductions are to be stored in ONE rack only in the display booth--and the reproductions must be clearly marked as "reproductions."
4. Reproductions MAY NOT be referred to as "limited editions prints"--even when numbered. This is a term of art which is reserved for true limited edition prints such as hand-pulled original etchings and lithographs.
5. 2D artists may display up to 1/3 of their total framed wall display with reproductions of the same media they juried in with. The framed prints must be clearly marked with pricing info as being "reproductions."

Jurying

Jury/application fee is a non-refundable $35.00. Jurying is on-going up to the final jury date. An artist may elect to "lock" their participation by confirming acceptance and payment within two weeks of invitation.

Display

Each regular space is 10 feet in front by 10 feet on the sides with some space for storage between and/or behind booths. Work must be contained within the assigned space and not impede foot traffic in front of booth. Only one artist permitted per space, unless a two-person team qualifies as a dual entry, in which case both artists must be present for the duration of the show. Artists are required to set-up in the designated space assigned to them by the show director. Failure to adhere to the designated space boundaries may result in the artist(s) being required to reset their display or required to leave the show. Please note that all spaces must have DURABLE (not a "cheapo" garden canopy) white, 10 x 10 shelters with matching 4 walls for protection as the weather can change quickly and to maintain a professional appearance. This is a weights-only show (minimum of 30 lbs weight on each corner)--absolutely no stakes, nails, screws or other devices may be used to secure anything to the show's driveway or other structures. ONLY booth spaces on grass areas (spaces with electricity) may use stakes. The drive and property have areas of gentle slope--be prepared to shim your display if necessary.

Artist's Responsibilities

Artists must exhibit and be present throughout the three days of the show as noted in the show schedule. Failure to comply with this rule may be grounds for dismissal from the show without any refund. Only artists displaying their own original work may participate. No stand-in or proxy exhibitors will be allowed to represent the artist. A driver’s license and/or additional photo identification may be required at check-in. Artists must comply with state law regarding collection of appropriate sales tax and file returns with the state of Maine. Consumption of alcohol is strictly prohibited in the artist's display area as it violates the zoning requirements for the Bar Harbor Inn. The Inn has it's own bar area--as well as several bars immediately across the street--for legal alcohol consumption.

Booth fees

Outdoor booth fees are $405 and a limited number of outdoor spaces with electricity are $430. Double spaces, corner and over-size valet area spaces are also availalible. No generators of any kind or artist's music are allowed—though battery packs with inverters are allowed. Payments are through Credit Card or Paypal only. 

Contact

Please submit questions to: in_a_cloud@hotmail.com or call 207 266-5884.

General Terms
Acceptance and payment of booth fees means that the artist has read, understands and agrees to comply with all the rules and conditions as described on this application and the show website.

Refund Policy:
Artists that cancel participation may receive receive credit towards the next year's show in the amount of the applied year's fee provided cancellation in received in writing or e-mail at least 60 days prior to the show. There are no refunds for cancelations made between 60 days prior to the show and the show dates. No exceptions. Weather events during the show can happen, but unless the entire 3 day show is cancelled there are no partial refunds for a portions of the show being cancelled.

Display Requirements
Stakes may be used ONLY on the grass spaces with electricity. All other spaces are weights-only, shelters must have a minimum of 30 lbs weight on each of ALL 4 corners of their booths. Shelters must be sturdy (able to withstand significant wind-loads) white tent or dome type shelters with 4 white walls. No generators are permitted or music sources that can be heard beyond the artist's space (except music provided by the show). Battery inverter packs are allowed to power lights. Some spaces may have a slight slope so artists may need to have shims to level their displays if they need to.

Artist Conduct
All artists are expected to conduct themselves in a professional and cordial manner at all times--we are all in this together and what you do affects your fellow artists! This includes prohibiting noises, smells, demonstrations and behavior that are disturbing to customers or other artists and disruptive to the conduct of the show. Artists must adhere to all parking regulations and restrictions during all hours of the show. 

Artist's Space Assignments
Artists may request specific space assignments and in most cases the show director will do his best to accomodate those requests. This is provided as a courtesy to the artist--buit is not a "gaurantee" that the artist will get the exact spot they request at the time of the show. Because of changing participant numbers, cancellations and other factors--the director may have to re-assign a space or move existing spaces around in order to adjust to the changes. Show director reserves the right to change participating artist space assignment if necessary with no compensation to the artist (howver, the artist will still receive the space type that they paid for).

Buy-Sell, Imported and Production line Arts and Crafts
Unfortunately, some artists and craftspeople are becoming more sophisticated in evading show requirements by deliberately ignoring show rules and requirements and bringing works that are not in fact substantively produced by just their hands as one-of-a-kind original works. This includes showing up with displays and works that do not comply with the rules and regulations. Artist's application photos and booth space photos MUST be representative of what they actually will have at the show. Any violation may be grounds for removal or ejection from the show. If your works are not original, unique and produced by your hands--this is not the show for you.

10' x 10' Booth space with electricity (on grass, stakes allowed) $430.00
10' x 10' Regular booth space (on pavement, weights only, no stakes allowed) $405.00
12' x 16' Valet booth space (on pavement, weights only, no stakes allowed. These spaces are much deeper than regular booth spaces) $405.00
10' x 10' Corner space (on pavement, weights only, no stakes allowed) $420.00
10' x 20' Double booth space on pavement (no stakes allowed) $670.00

Payments are through Credit Card or Paypal only.