Black Swamp Arts Festival 2026

The Black Swamp Arts Festival (BSAF) is a free, outdoor art and music festival held annually in downtown Bowling Green, Ohio on the first weekend after Labor Day (September 11-13, 2026). BSAF is an all-volunteer, non-profit that celebrates the arts and was created to connect and promote art and the community. BSAF is known for its inclusive nature. The high quality of the visual arts, live music, and youth arts activities makes it one of the most well-attended events in NW Ohio. BSAF draws an estimated 40,000 area residents and visitors over the course of the weekend.

The Festival is often ranked among the top 200 festivals nationally by Sunshine Artist magazine. In 2023, BSAF was presented a very prestigious award from the Governor's Award for the Arts in Ohio for its sustained dedication to promoting artistic excellence.

The Festival's Juried Art Show is a quality-focused, fine arts and fine craft show comprised of 108 booths. The Juried Show typically receives 250+ applications. 

$8,000 in Artist Awards:
Best of Show $2,000
Best 2D $1,500
Best 3D $1,500
Judge's Award $1,000
Sustainability Award $500
Emerging Artist Award $500
Honorable Mention (3) $350 each

Visit our Website: http://www.blackswampfest.org
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/blackswampfest/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BlackSwampArtsFestival
Twitter: http://twitter.com/BlackSwampFest

BSAF is a three-day outdoor arts fair held on Main Street in downtown Bowling Green, Ohio. The festival is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization whose mission is to connect art and the Bowling Green community by providing programming that celebrates music and visual arts and provides opportunities for artists. 

The BSAF Juried Art Show includes these medium categories: Ceramics, Fiber & Leather, Glass, Jewelry, Mixed Media, Painting, Photography & Digital Art, Printmaking & Drawing, Sculpture, and Wood.

We invite you to submit an application to exhibit your works of art at the 33rd annual Black Swamp Arts Festival!

Application and Notification Calendar:
April 1           Application Deadline
May 16         Invitation to participate sent (on or before this date)
May 31        Acceptance and booth fee due
June 15     Last date for artists to cancel and receive booth fee refund
​​​

• We select artists for a waitlist from the highest scores remaining in their category after invited artists have been selected.

Set-up:
Friday daytime load-in

Exhibit Hours:
Friday September 11
5:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Saturday September 12
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Sunday September 13
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Take-down:
Sunday 5:00 – 7:15 PM

Main Street in Bowling Green is a state highway and will be closed from Friday morning through Sunday evening.
 

Rules and Regulations:

• The Black Swamp Arts Festival Juried Art Show is open to artists 18 years of age or older.
• Artwork shown must be of the artist’s own design and craftsmanship.
• Artwork exhibited must reflect style and genre of artwork submitted for jurying.
• Artists displaying work not consistent with Festival requirements or with submitted images will be asked to remove disputed work.
• Any collaboration must be stated at time of application.
• Commercially cast jewelry, molds and imported or commercially-made products (including fiber/wearables) are prohibited.
• Artists in the 2D and 3D categories are permitted to sell reproductions of their original work in limited, signed and numbered editions. Reproductions cannot represent the majority of work in the booth.
• Collaborating artists may apply jointly on one application; however, the primary artist of application MUST be present at check-in and for the duration of the Festival. (The primary artist is defined as the person whose signature appears on the application form.)
• The Festival is not responsible for any loss or damage to the property or person of the artist. While 24-hour security is provided, the Festival assumes no responsibility for loss or damage. It is the responsibility of the artists to provide insurance for their work and person.
• Artists must check in as soon as they arrive on location Friday.
• Artists must attend in person throughout the entire Festival.
• Artists who apply and are juried under multiple mediums will have to choose one medium to present during the Festival. Only one booth assignment per artist; a double booth must feature the medium of one application.
• The Festival will not be held responsible or financially liable in the unfortunate and unlikely event cancellations must be made due to forces of nature.

All exhibiting artists are expected to maintain a high level of professionalism. The Festival reserves the right to remove an artist if regulations stated in this prospectus and otherwise made contractually are not adhered to, or if an artist's conduct or merchandise is unacceptable.