Fairs/Festivals
Art Fair on the Square 2026 - Lake Forest
Contact Information
Requirement Overview
- Eligible Applicant Types: Artist
- Submission Limit: 3
Media Requirements
- Images | Min: 4, Max: 4
- Total | Max: 4
Opportunity Summary
Join us for the Deer Path Art League’s 71st Annual Art Fair on the Square, held in the picturesque and historic Market Square in Lake Forest, Illinois. This well-attended, highly rated Fine Arts Fair is a long-standing tradition and the Deer Path Art League’s signature event. Proceeds from booth fees and sponsorships help support and fulfill our mission to bring the visual arts to the community.
General Information
General Information
This prospectus provides essential information, rules, and requirements for the festival. Additional details will be shared with artists upon acceptance.
Visit Our Website: www.deerpathartleague.org
Application Procedure & Exhibit Requirements
Artists must submit four (4) images: three (3) showcasing their work, and one (1) displaying their booth. New artists without a booth image may submit a photo of their work collection. Identifying information must be hidden to maintain the double-blind jury process. If you don't follow this criteria then you will be removed from consideration for the show. Artist may apply for more than once but not for the same category more than once.
Artists are responsible for their own 10’ x 10’ or 10’ x 20’ white canopy tent. Displays must remain within the booth space, and all browse bins must be aesthetically pleasing. Electricity and generators are not permitted.
Categories
Jury Procedure
A panel of jurors will select artists through a double-blind jury process to ensure impartiality. Artists must submit applications with any identifying information (names, studio logos, etc.) hidden. Any artist submitting photos with identifying information will need to be resubmitted.
Notification
Accepted artists will be notified of their selection via email and Zapplication by 5/10/26 Corner and double booths are limited and will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority for returning artists. Booth fees are due by 6/19/26. Booth fees are non-refundable unless the event is cancelled. Further details will be provided upon acceptance.
Fees
Sales
Artists retain all proceeds from their sales. Lake County sales tax (8%) must be collected and reported by the artists.
Awards
Important Dates for Artists
Amenities
This prospectus provides essential information, rules, and requirements for the festival. Additional details will be shared with artists upon acceptance.
Visit Our Website: www.deerpathartleague.org
Artists must submit four (4) images: three (3) showcasing their work, and one (1) displaying their booth. New artists without a booth image may submit a photo of their work collection. Identifying information must be hidden to maintain the double-blind jury process. If you don't follow this criteria then you will be removed from consideration for the show. Artist may apply for more than once but not for the same category more than once.
Artists are responsible for their own 10’ x 10’ or 10’ x 20’ white canopy tent. Displays must remain within the booth space, and all browse bins must be aesthetically pleasing. Electricity and generators are not permitted.
- Ceramics: Clay-based works, including functional pottery, sculptures, and decorative objects.
- Digital: Artworks produced or enhanced through digital means, including digital painting, graphic design, and digitally manipulated imagery (excluding photography).
- Drawing/Pastels: Artwork created using dry mediums such as pencil, charcoal, ink, or pastel, with a focus on: line, form, and shading. This category includes calligraphy.
- Fiber: Textile-based art including weaving, embroidery, felting, quilting, and other fiber works.
- Glass: Art formed from glass, including blown, fused, cast, and stained glass.
- Jewelry Precious: Wearable art crafted from high-value materials such as gold, platinum, and rare gemstones like diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and sapphires. *Please see Festival Rules for additional information regarding jewelry.
- Jewelry Semi-Precious: Jewelry made from semi-precious materials such as silver, copper, and stones like amethyst. *Please see Festival Rules for additional information regarding jewelry.
- Mixed Media: Art that combines two or more distinct mediums in a single piece, blending materials and techniques for unique textures and effects.
- Painting Oil: Oil-based paintings on canvas, panel, or other surfaces.
- Painting Acrylic: Acrylic paintings using versatile, fast-drying paints, applied to a variety of surfaces such as canvas, wood, or paper.
- Painting Watercolor/Gouache: Water-based paintings, typically created on paper, emphasizing fluidity and transparency (watercolor) or opacity (gouache).
- Photography: Traditional or digital photographic art, including both unaltered images and those that are digitally manipulated for artistic effect.
- Printmaking: Handcrafted prints created through techniques like etching, woodcut, lithography, and screen printing, where each print is an original work of art.
- Sculpture: Three-dimensional artworks constructed from materials such as metal, stone, wood, or clay, with a focus on form and space.
- Wood: Wood-based art, including furniture and sculpture.
A panel of jurors will select artists through a double-blind jury process to ensure impartiality. Artists must submit applications with any identifying information (names, studio logos, etc.) hidden. Any artist submitting photos with identifying information will need to be resubmitted.
Accepted artists will be notified of their selection via email and Zapplication by 5/10/26 Corner and double booths are limited and will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority for returning artists. Booth fees are due by 6/19/26. Booth fees are non-refundable unless the event is cancelled. Further details will be provided upon acceptance.
- Non-Refundable Application Fee: $35
- Non-Refundable Booth Fee: $450
- Non-Refundable Corner Booth Fee: $100 (if selected)
- Non-Refundable Double Booth Fee: $900 (if selected)
Artists retain all proceeds from their sales. Lake County sales tax (8%) must be collected and reported by the artists.
- Monetary awards will be presented to artists in various categories. While the festival’s categories help maintain a balanced show, they are not reflective of award categories. Award Categories are decided by art fair committee discretion and reviewed often. Memorial Awards may also be granted based on availability. The Best in Show and category winners will be selected by independent judges. Any artist found in violation of festival rules will be ineligible for awards and may not be re-invited.
- Award-winning artists receive an automatic invitation to return the following year, exempt from the jury process, though they must still register on Zapplication.org.
- April 4, 2026: Application deadline (midnight CST)
- May 10, 2026: Notification to artists
- June 19, 2026: Booth fee due
- Aug. 9, 2026: Artist Information Package emailed
- Sept 6 & Sept. 7, 2026: 71th Annual Art Fair on the Square
- Complimentary artist Grab 'n Go lunch
- Booth Sitters
- Bottled water
- Convenient parking
- Corner booth option
- Night security patrols
- Volunteer staff to assist with setup and tear-down
- Complimentary Pizza at tear-down on Monday
Application Requirements
Festival Rules
- Eligibility: Artists must be 18 years old or older to apply.
- Artwork Display: The artwork you exhibit must match the images submitted in your application.
- Artist Presence: Artists are required to be present during the festival to showcase their work. Family members or friends cannot take their place. A photo ID must be shown before setting up your booth.
- Artist Statement: All artists must display an Artist Statement prominently in their booth.
- Collaboration: Artists can collaborate if they are genuinely working together, not just one person assisting the other. Both artists must agree to the rules, be listed in the application, and be present for the entire festival.
- Original Work: All artwork must be created by the artist exhibiting it. This means no commercially made items, kits, molds, or products from mass production are allowed.
- Photography Guidelines: Photographers are encouraged to print their own work. They should explain their creative process in their Artist Statement. The photography category includes hand-colored prints, Polaroid transfers, and emulsion transfers, which should not be submitted as Mixed Media. Digital photos should be entered in the Photography category, not Digital Art. All photographs must be signed by the artist.
- Reproductions: Copies of original works, like giclées, must be labeled, signed, and numbered as part of a limited edition. Reproductions should be unframed and displayed in browse bins. Only original artwork can be framed and displayed on booth walls. Artists may only show work in the category for which they were accepted (e.g., if you were accepted for oil painting, you cannot display watercolor or acrylic works).
- Artist Statement for Reproductions: Artists must clearly define "reproduction" or "limited edition" in their Artist Statement and provide this information on individual pieces.
- Jewelry: Only artists who applied to the Jewelry category can exhibit or sell jewelry. All jewelry must be juried within this category, and no mass-produced or studio-made jewelry is permitted.
- No Buy/Sell Items: Commercially produced items or products not made by the artist are not allowed.
- Medium Selection: Artists must choose the medium they wish to be juried in. Applications that do not specify a medium will not be processed.
- Rule Violations: The Deer Path Art League reserves the right to remove any artist found in violation of these rules. Artists who violate the rules will be ineligible to participate for the next three years.
- No-Show Policy: Accepted artists who fail to appear without proper notice will be marked as a “No Show” and will not be eligible to apply the following year. Artists must check in by 8:00 AM on Sunday. After that time, empty spaces may be reassigned to artists on the waiting list on a first-come, first-served basis.
Jury Details
Average number of applications submitted each year
300
Average number of artists selected from the jury to participate in the event
135
Average number of exempt from jury artists who are invited to participate in the event
20
Refund Policy
Refund Policy
All application and booth fees are non-refundable, unless the event is cancelled by the Deer Path Art League.
All application and booth fees are non-refundable, unless the event is cancelled by the Deer Path Art League.
Additional Fees
Double Booth Fee: $900
Booth Fee: $450
Corner Booth Fee: $100
Called off the Bench Fee: $35
Terms to Apply
Application Fee: $35
