The 63rd Annual Bluff Park Art Show (2026)

The 63rd Annual Bluff Park Art Show -
Always the first Saturday in October

Always on the first Saturday in October, the 63rd Annual Bluff Park Art Show is Saturday, October 3, 2026. The locally heralded event hosts approximately 130 artists. The 2025 show included many first-time artists, as well as artists from 12 states.  We had a large crowd and beautiful weather. 

Bluff Park, located in Hoover, Alabama, is within the Birmingham MSA with 1.13 million residents. The park offers a neighborhood feel in a wooded and shady setting, which includes a children’s art area and musical performances. Patrons arrive by shuttle throughout the event, and the “art car” is available to take larger pieces of art directly to the buyer’s vehicle.

The Bluff Park Art Show is consistently included in the Alabama Tourism Department's Top Events each year. The funds earned from this one-day event enable the Bluff Park Art Association, a non-profit organization, to work towards our goal of promoting the arts in schools and in the community. For more information visit: www.bluffparkartassociation.org 
 

Show Hours: Saturday, October 3, 9 am to 5 pm
We look foward to the "First Saturday in October", locally recognized as THE day of the Bluff Park Art Show. If we are required to cancel the show, 100% of fees paid by artists will be refunded.

Media Categories

• 2-D and 3-D mixed Media
• Ceramics
• Drawings – graphite, pastels, charcoal, ink
• Fiber/Leather
• Glass
• Jewelry
• Metal
• Painting
• Photography / Digital Art
• Printmaking
• Sculpture
• Woodworking

Application Submission Requirements

• Application deadlines:  May 1 (early bird), May 15 (late entry deadline).
• Applications accepted only through Zapplication.org 
• Each application must include four digital photographs: three photographs must clearly show work the artist intends on exhibiting and one photo must be an image of the artist’s booth.
• Because the jury process is blind, make sure your name is blocked out on both art and booth pictures! 
• The ZAPP team is more than willing to assist with loading images. Press HELP on the ZAPP website.
• To present work in two mediums, you must complete and submit applications and pay the application fee for each category.  Each accepted category will need its own booth and booth fee.
• Collaborative teams of no more than two artists are welcome to apply.
• Applicants must be 18 years and older.
• If you have questions, contact:  bpaashowchair@gmail.com 

Admission
There is no admission charge. The show is free and open to the public. Patrons arrive by shuttle buses from lots with free parking.  

Important Dates -

• May 1, 2026 -  Early bird deadline for artists to submit applications. Fee: $40
• May 15, 2026 -  Late application deadline. Fee: $70
• June 1, 2026 - Artist notifications sent
• July 1, 2026 - Deadline for artists to accept invitation and pay booth fee through Zapplication.org.
• August 1, 2026 - Final date when artists can cancel and receive a refund of their booth fee minus a $50 administrative charge.
• October 2, 2026 – Show Set Up- Artist check-in/set up 9 am to 5 pm  Refreshments available
• October 3, 2026 - Show Day
  •  6:30 am to 8 am - Artist check-in and set up, breakfast available
  •  8:30 am -12 pm - Judge visits booths, judge decisions are final
  •  9 am - Public arrives 
  •  1 pm - Awards presented
  •  5 pm - Artists begin take down

Artist Communication
All artist communication will be by email. Add bpaashowchair@gmail.com to your safe sender list to ensure you receive all correspondence. 

***This is important***  Please verify that your profile in Zapp has your correct email address, phone number and website address. These are especially important for pre-show social media postings and advertisements.

Parking
After setup, artists must move their vehicles to the reserved artist parking area. There is no on-site parking. BPAA will provide a parking pass for one vehicle that artists should place inside their car on the driver’s side of the dashboard. Shuttles will be available from the artist parking areas to the park. Vehicles parked in ADA accessible spaces during Show hours that do not have official ADA tags will be towed at the owner's expense.

Sales and Sales Tax
All proceeds earned from sales belong to the artists.
All artists are responsible for complying with the state and local sales tax regulations.
 
Security
Exhibitors bear the responsibility for all setup and security needs for their exhibits. Exhibiting at the Show is at the discretion of the artist and every artist participates at his or her own risk. The Show does not require exhibitors to show proof of insurance; however, it is recommended that each exhibitor be covered under their own insurance.  The Show provides overnight security beginning Friday, Oct. 2 at 5 pm until the show opens on Saturday morning. 

 

Exhibiting Rules

• Limited signed/numbered 2D reproductions may be included as detailed in the Policy for Selling Reproductions.
• All items exhibited and/or offered for sale must be created, designed and executed entirely by the exhibiting artist(s). Your booth must be filled with your original work.
• All exhibited work must be human-made; images created in whole or in part by artifical intelligence (AI) are strictly prohibited.
• Artists may present only their own work in their assigned space.  Non-juried artists’ work being exhibited will be removed from the Show.
• Art teams and/or collaborators that produce a single product may qualify as a single exhibitor.  If you enter as an artist team or collaboration, it must be clearly stated on the application and also in the artist statement. 
• Commercially manufactured items or items made from commercial kits, molds or patterns are unacceptable. Artists cannot exhibit or sell copyrighted designs, imports, t-shirts, stationery, plants, velvet paintings, commercially or factory-produced merchandise, etc.

If you have any questions about whether or not a work may be displayed, please check with the bpaashowchair@gmail.com for clarification. In the case of ambiguity, the decision of the Show Chair is final.

Policy for Selling Reproductions
BPAA will allow artists to sell reproductions of original 2D artwork. The BPAA defines a reproduction as a machine-made, duplicate image of an original work. Machine-made reproductions are images produced on an off-set press or a serigraph press and/or images produced from a computer that prints using an ink-jet or electrostatic printer. This definition excludes giclées and reproductions that include additional enhancements.

• Artists reproductions must be in limited editions of 350pm or less, and artist must number and sign each image.
• Artists must reserve booth walls for the exhibition of original art. Reproductions must be sold in a browse bin located inside the artist’s booth. Only one browse bin for reproductions is allowed per booth.
• Artists will refrain from labeling reproductions as “prints”. The word 'print' references work created by traditional printmaking techniques.
• Artists must provide buyers with information that discloses the process used to create reproductions.
• BPAA will remove artists who disregard and/or violate this policy.

Booth Information and Set Up

• Booth Fee is $250
• Booth location assignments will be provided prior to the show date.
• Booth space is 12'x12'.  Tents must be 10'x10' maximum.  
• BPAA does not provide dollies, hand trucks, wagons, or other moving equipment. 
• Artists must furnish their own canopy and booth display, which includes tables, chairs, contents, etc.
• No electricity is available in the park for exhibiting artists 
• Exhibit spaces are in a park setting. The park is mountainous and uneven in terrain.  You should bring shims or levelers for your exhibit. If the weather forecast includes wind, please bring weights for your tent. Each artist is responsible for his/her own display and canopy.
• Artists can begin break down and load out at 5 pm on Saturday, October 3.

 

• Application fees are non-refundable unless the BPAA cancels the show
• Artists can cancel until August 1, 2026 and receive a refund of their booth fee minus a $50 administrative charge.
• If the artist cancels after August 1, 2026 or is a no-show at the event, there will be no refunds made.
• However, if the BPAA cancels, the artists will receive a 100% refund of applicaion and booth fees paid.
• The artist also understands that there will be a $50 service charge on returned checks.