Greenwich Village Art Fair 2026

ACCEPTING ARTIST APPLICATIONS

The 78th Greenwich Village Art Fair is a two-day outdoor event at Rockford Art Museum that features up to 155 juried artists, live music by local musicians, children's art activities, a local marketplace, food and drink, and much more. Established in 1948, GVAF is the longest-running art fair of its kind in the Midwest. Admission proceeds support Rockford Art Museum, located at 711 North Main Street in downtown Rockford, Illinois. 

ARTIST PROSPECTUS AND APPLICATION

This Artist Prospectus and Application includes essential details on exhibitor participation and should be read carefully prior to application. Commitment to exhibit in the RAM Greenwich Village Art Fair are due upon invitation to participate.

IMPORTANT DATES | DEADLINES

September 19 + 20, 2026 | GVAF
Saturday | 10 am to 6 pm
Sunday | 10 am to 5 pm

June 21, 2026: midnight CDT | Application Deadline

June 22, 2026: Email notification of application status

August 10, 2026: Deadline for accepted artists to commit to exhibit and to remit booth fee.

August 23, 2026: Deadline to cancel participation and receive refund of booth fee, minus $50 processing fee.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Begun in 1948, the Rockford Art Museum Greenwich Village Art Fair is one of the oldest, continuous outdoor art fairs in the Midwest and combines juried fine art with family-friendly activities, live music, and an atmosphere that brings the community together in a vibrant, art-filled, setting.

The event takes place in Rockford, the third largest city in the State of Illinois, on smooth, level pavement at Riverfront Museum Park on the west bank of the Rock River and is always held on the second weekend after Labor Day.

The RAM Greenwich Village Art Fair is a fundraising event for the Rockford Art Museum with admission and food revenue benefiting the educational programs.  The event is limited to no more than 155 juried artists who compete for cash awards.

MEDIUM CATEGORIES
You may apply in more than one category, but you must submit a separate application and separate images with booth shot for each medium. Please see reproduction policy in the "rules and eligibility" section

Ceramics
Original clay and porcelain work, functional or sculptural. No artwork from mass-produced studios, collectives, or items made with commercial kits, molds, patterns, plans, or prefabricated pieces are allowed. Artists may not exhibit work purchased in part or in entirety from other artists for resale. No reproductions.

Drawing / Works on Paper
Work created using dry media including chalk, charcoal, pastels, pencil, wax, crayons, etc. or from a fluid medium of ink on archival material are accepted in this medium. 

Fiber
Unique, one of a kind artwork crafted from fibers, including embroidery, basketry, weaving, and tapestry created by the exhibiting artist alone are accepted. No machine-tooled work, machine-screen printing or other forms of mass production are accepted.
 
Furniture
Unique, original hand-tooled, single-molded, multi-medium, machine worked or carved work made entirely by the exhibiting artist is accepted. No reproductions.

Leather
One of a kind unique pieces created by the exhibiting artist are welcome.  No machine tooled, machine-screen printed or other forms of mass production accepted. No factory-produced wearable items, regardless of additional modification or enhancement by the artist, are allowed.
 
Glass
Functional and sculptural work using kiln forming, blowing, molding or casting as well as cold working processes are permitted.  
 
Jewelry
Jewelers must be the designers and hands-on makers of their one of a kind work. No commercial casts, molds, or production studio work. The Art Fair prefers that any beads used in jewelry-making be fabricated by the artist. No reproductions. 
 
Mixed Media
This category includes works, both 2 and 3-dimensional, that incorporate more than one type of physical material to produce. Includes non-sculptural work as determined by the artist.  
 
Painting
Acrylic, oil, gouache, and watercolors are accepted in this medium. 
 
Paper
Flat and three dimensional unique one of a kind works made with paper by the exhibiting artist are accepted. 
 
Photography
Includes traditional film photography, hand colored images, emulsion transfers, and digital photography that has not been manipulated to achieve results beyond what could be done in a traditional darkroom. Only artist's original source material is acceptable. Work must be in editions, signed and numbered on archival material and all work displayed in the booth must be for sale. Signage of an overtly commercial nature listing the availability of numerous sizes, print surfaces, and/or other framing options is prohibited.
 
Printmaking
Only hand pulled original mono-print, serigraph, lithograph, etching, woodcut or other relief techniques are allowed. Prints must be in limited editions, signed and numbered on archival material.
 
Sculpture
Unique, one of a kind, art that is 3-dimensionally sculptural and is original work done in any medium by the exhibiting artist is welcome. No reproductions or mass-produced work.
 
Wood
Unique, one of a kind, original hand-tooled, machine worked or carved work made entirely by the exhibiting artist is accepted. No reproductions or mass-produced work.

COLLABORATIVE WORK AND MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS
If artists apply and are accepted as a team they may only exhibit the collaborative work they were accepted for. No more than two artists may collaborate on work. Both must be included on and sign the application. Both must be present at check in and throughout the Art Fair. A Collaborating Artist is defined as participating in the creation of artwork; not a business manager/partner, spouse, or assistant. Artists may not apply more than once in the same category. 


PRIZE MONEY AND JUDGING
The show is limited to no more than 155 artists representing a cross section of medias. Awards are presented to one Best of Show, Nancy Sauer Award, Judges Choice, and Honorable Mention. Award winners are notified on the Saturday afternoon of the fair and ribbons are presented. Award checks will be distributed on Sunday.

The judge is selected on an annual basis with a strong background in fine art, technique and education.

JURY PROCEDURE
A maximum of 155 artists representing all eligible medias will exhibit at the RAM Greenwich Village Art Fair. Each year the previous year's award recipients are invited to participate, and the jury process is waived. The jury committee views images simultaneously. Artists are selected based on criteria including the quality of work by media and the booth image showing display techniques. Artists not initially selected in their category may be considered for the wait list and offered show positions as they become available, up to and including the day of the show.

DIGITAL IMAGES
Please submit five images. Four showing current work in media category applied for and one image that shows typical booth set up. Images must show work that is less than 2 years old.

Images must meet specifications established by Zapp for the purpose of the projection jury process.

Please follow these specifications in order to attach images to your application successfully.

1. Recommended Dimensions: 1920 pixels on the longest side.
   Note: To assist artists who do not have images that are 1920 pixels or larger, the system will also accept images that are at least 1400 pixels on the longest side.
2. File Format: Save all images as Baseline Standard JPEG. Do not save as a Progressive JPEG.
3. File Size: JPEGs should be around 2.0 MB in size.
4. Resolution: 72 dpi
   Note: This resolution size will assist in lowering the file size
5. Color space: Save images in RGB color space, preferably sRGB."

• Deficiencies in images will put your work at a significant disadvantage in the jury process. Artists are encouraged to submit images of professional quality.
• Provide clear, sharply focused images of the full piece.
• Represent a coherent body of work, by form, technique, or concept.
• Show one piece of work per image. Do not show frames in the case of flat art and photograph without glass if possible.

Bolder colors will translate better than light or pastel ones.

By applying to RAM Greenwich Village Art Fair, you are consenting to allow any submitted image to be used for marketing or advertising purposes.

Artists may apply in as many categories as they wish, however each application must be for a single category and include all fees. All applications must include images. One image will be selected for publication in the full-color RAM Greenwich Village Art Fair Artist Directory and website.

APPLICATION FEE
Submit a non-refundable application fee of $30 with your application - Applicants may pay by Credit Card in the checkout section of Zapplication.

ACCEPTANCE OF OFFER TO EXHIBIT
Artists who are selected by the jury and all returning artists must notify RAM Greenwich Village Art Fair of intent to participate and submit all required fees by August 10, 2026. Failure to respond by the deadline may result in the revocation of the invitation and immediate invitation of an artist from the waitlist. The applicant must keep his/her Zapp profile up to date with accurate contact information, including mailing address, email address, and phone number. Notification and communication are generated by email through Zapplication and the event email address of saxelson@rockfordartmuseum.org. Please ensure your spam filter is set to accept all communication.

EXHIBIT FEE
Upon acceptance into the fair, all artists will be required to submit a $235 booth payment and all other associated fees.

REFUNDS
Application/jury fees are non-refundable in whole or part. All other fees may be eligible for a full refund of the amount received, minus a $50 processing fee. The request must be made in writing such as an email or certified mail on or before August 23. Refund requests made or received after August 23 will not be processed and are ineligible for a refund.

SALES
Artists retain all revenue from the sale of artwork. No commission on sales is due RAM Greenwich Village Art Fair. Artists are responsible for collecting and reporting the State of Illinois and City of Rockford combined sales tax on any sales. For more information, please visit the Illinois Department of Revenue website at http://tax.illinois.gov.

AMENITIES
Security will patrol the fairgrounds overnight Friday and Saturday and committee will patrol during open hours both days. It is the responsibility of the artist to secure their own booth space. RAM Greenwich Village Art Fair, Riverfront Museum Park, and Rockford Park District are not responsible for loss, theft, damage, or acts of nature.
Designated free parking is reserved for artists within walking distance of the Rockford Art Museum. Parking is not allowed on the grounds of Riverfront Museum Park except for designated handicap parking area.
WIFI access is not reliable in the parking lot. Please make other arrangements if you need the internet. 
Electricity is not available for every booth. If you have a need you may make a request and we'll do our best to accommodate.

ADVERTISING & PROMOTION
- Greenwich Village Art Fair is the oldest art fair of its kind in the Midwest.
- Rockford Art Museum employs professional marketing strategies on behalf of Greenwich Village Art Fair, including:
            - PR and online media platforms
            - Print and online media ads
            - Radio
            - Banners, and posters
            - Extensive business partner collaboration
            - Social media
            - Regional and Local online calendar entries

All advertising messages and media will be targeted toward bringing art buyers to you! Drawing in art lovers, experienced and new collectors and buyers, is our primary goal.

Advertising and publicity promote and encourage the event's attendance and sales with regional, multi-county, demographics of nearly 400,000 people. A full-color Artist Directory including one image of artist's work, name, city/State is distributed the weekend of the event.

EMAIL NOTIFICATION
Notification and communication is generated by email through Zapplication and the event email address of saxelson@rockfordartmuseum.org. Please ensure your spam filter is set to accept all communication.

All rules contained in this prospectus are strictly enforced. Artists and their staff who do not comply with RAM Greenwich Village Art Fair policies may be asked to leave the fair without a refund.

RULES AND ELIGIBILITY

The RAM Greenwich Village Art Fair reserves the right to reject or relocate any and all vendors.

The RAM Greenwich Village Art Fair presents artists' original work, not the work of mass production studios. majority of 2-D pieces should be framed or the equivalent. No work that utilizes commercial kits, molds, patterns, plans or prefabricated pieces is allowed. The RAM Greenwich Village Art Fair reserves the right to refuse exhibition of work not consistent with submitted images and these guidelines.

Exhibition of work purchased from other artists for resale is strictly prohibited.
 

REPRODUCTION POLICY

All graphic reproductions of original work must be properly signed and numbered. The originals must be on display and properly noted. Reproductions must be displayed apart from originals and clearly identified as such with a prominently displayed sign. Stickers, cards, calendars, etc of original works are allowed. Reproductions must constitute less than one third of total display. Browse boxes must be similarly limited. 

  

RULE VIOLATION POLICY

To insure fairness for every artist, the rules contained in this application will be strictly enforced. Artists not complying with the Greenwich Village Art Fair policies will be asked to leave the fair, without refund. GVAF reserves the right to advise artists of any work that does not meet art fair standards and may take any action deemed necessary for compliance, and reserves the right to not invite violators to future fairs.

 

REFUND AND CANCELLATION POLICY

The Application Fee is non-refundable. Booth Fees will be refunded in full minus $50 processing fee until August 23, 2026. After that, there is no refund of Booth Fees.

BOOTH SPACE AND REGULATIONS
 

• The standard booth space is sized to accommodate a white, 10 ft wide by 10 ft deep, display tent with walk around space and rear storage. 
• Limited double booth space is available at double the standard fee.
• Additional surcharges apply to corners.
• No electricity is provided.
• WiFi is not reliable and is not accessible by all booths in the Fair.
• Artists must exhibit work from 10 am to 6 pm on Saturday and 10 am to 5 pm on Sunday.
• Booths are assigned in order of seniority, media needs, and receipt of request. If a special location cannot be accommodated the additional fees will be refunded.
• Artists are required to furnish their own white, fire retardant, 10 ft wide x 10 ft deep tent with canopy, sides, and adequate pole weights. The tent and all artwork must be exhibited within the clearly defined limits of the designated booth space with the front of the tent at the outermost edge.
• All artwork and property must remain on the paved surfaces and must not be displayed or stored on any green space.
• Check-in/set-up is permitted 3 pm to 8 pm on Friday and 6 am to 9:45 am on Saturday. All vehicles must be removed from the event area by 9 am and parked in designated artist parking only.

Applicant understands that any and all application fees are non-refundable in whole or part. All other fees may be eligible for a full refund of the amount received, minus a $50 processing fee. The request must be made in writing such as an email or certified mail on or before August 23, 2026. Refund requests made or received after August 23 will not be processed and are ineligible for a refund.