Blue Genie Art Bazaar Fall 2026/Spring 2027

The Blue Genie Art Bazaar (BGAB) produces unique art shows featuring creative handmade gifts and art by local and regional artists. Rather than booths that are manned by the exhibitor, our show is likened to a pop-up gallery or retail store. Exhibitors are responsible for setting up their area, creating stock, and merchandising their work. Customers appreciate the centralized check out stations and low pressure sales environment, while the artists have more time to produce their work.

Our annual holiday Bazaar is open every day from November 13 to Christmas Eve. This is our most popular and well-known event and has become an Austin tradition over the past 25 years. 

The May Market began in 2021 and continues to grow each year. Like our holiday Bazaar, the May Market is a free, family-friendly experience showcasing the work of regional artists and artisans under one roof. The May Market is the ideal place to shop for one-of-a-kind gifts for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, graduations, and more. It is open weekends only throughout the month of May. 

BGAB also has an online shop which is open year-round. Acceptance into one of our shows does not guarantee participation in both events or the online shop. 

Visit bluegenieartbazaar.com or facebook.com/artbazaar for more information.

2026 Application Schedule

May 1 - July 31: Submissions Accepted, $45 application fee
(May 1 - June 30: Use coupon code EARLYBIRD to receive $10 off application fee.)

Sept 1: Artist Notifications Sent

Event Dates

2026 Holiday Bazaar: Open daily, November 13 - December 24
2027 May Market: Open Fridays-Sundays, plus Memorial Day, April 30 - May 30
 

To begin the online application, you will need the following:

1. Description of Materials/Technique: Brief artist's statement of 1,000 characters or less that describes the materials and techniques used to create your work and your artistic practice or business.
2. Description of Work: One sentence description of your work. This will be used by BGAB in marketing materials to represent your work to the public.
3. Prices: You will enter the prices when you submit your images. This is to give us a general idea of your pricing on various product types.
4. Booth type & electricity needs: Review the available display space types (see below) and indicate your preference. You will also be asked to indicate whether you require electrical access for your products (e.g. if you sell lamps or other items which require electricity to work).
5. Photos: Please prepare six (6) product photos which represent what you plan to sell. For best results, photos should be standard JPG format, 72 dpi, 1400-1920 px on the longest side, and no larger than 5MB each. See Image Preparation Tips. 
   ​​​These images will be used on the BGAB website and in promotional materials. We will only use images of your product, please do not submit artist photos, collages, or company logos.
6. Payment: Have a valid debit/credit card ready to pay the submission fee.

Requirements & Conditions
All artists must submit an application and all submissions are reviewed and selected through a jury process. Past participation does not guarantee a place in future shows. Only submissions completed by the final deadline will be considered for participation. Application fees are non-refundable regardless of acceptance.

All applicants will be notified of their jury status via email on September 1. Participating artists, or representatives, must be available for scheduled load-in. Exhibitors, or their representatives, must also be available for load-out or they can choose to pay BGAB a $100 fee to to have their items stored.

Shared Display or Multiple Artist Submissions

• A maximum of (3) artists are allowed to apply for a display space together, but it will remain within our standard size parameters. How the display space is shared is up to the group.
• Only (1) application is required per group. On your Zapplication My Profile page, select the Team button and fill out the names of your group members.
• There needs to be a primary contact that is responsible for receiving all BGAB communication for the group. 
• Each artist’s work must be represented on the application in the description and photos.
• The group will be juried and accepted or rejected as a whole, rather than as individual artists.
• The group with receive (1) PLU for the booth. We will not issue multiple PLUs for each artist.
• Only one (1) check will be issued to the group.

Jury Criteria

Each year we strive to include exhibitors with handmade, high quality, unique work in a wide variety of mediums. We select exhibitors whom we believe are capable of meeting the demands of the show in terms of style, volume, and affordability. These are subjective criterion that are at the exclusive discretion of the jurors. Our shop attracts a diverse audience, but for the purposes of selection our jurors have a target demographic that represents the majority of our clientele. The target audience is 25-60 years old with children. They live in Austin and appreciate the unique, creative, and relaxed style for which it is known. They like their gifts, attire, and home furnishings to reflect their personal style.
 

The Blue Genie Art Bazaar brand is about handmade, high quality, and unique art and gifts. To support this, we do not believe that AI generated content has a place at Blue Genie and will be rejecting content that appears to be AI generated. 

Display Spaces

Display space is different at the Bazaar than at other shows, please look over this information carefully.
 

Wall Construction

The booth layout is primarily comprised of 4′ wide x 8′ tall walls constructed from thin 1/4" plywood over a frame of 1" x 4" lumber. All walls are painted white.
 

Types and Sizes

There are five (5) types of display spaces available; please indicate your preference on your application. Indicating your preference does not guarantee you will be assigned that type of space. Final space assignments are at the discretion of BGAB Management.
 

1.) 8’ x 8’ Wall

The 8’ x 8’ Wall space is a wall space that is 8 feet wide by 8 feet tall with approximately 2 feet of floor space in front. Tables used in 8’ x 8’ space should be no more than 2 feet deep by 6 feet long. Shelves and brackets may be screwed to the walls. Some 8’ x 8’ wall spaces may not be flat, meaning 2 - 4'x8' walls are perpendicular to each other forming a corner.
 

2.) 4’ x 8’ Wall

The 4’ x 8’ Wall space is a wall space that is 4 feet wide by 8 feet tall with 1-2 feet of floor space in front. Although tables can work in half booths, shelving is often a more effective way to display in a small space. Shelves and brackets may be screwed to the walls.

3.) Shelving Space

Shelving space refers to spaces on shared shelving provided by BGAB positioned in prominent areas throughout the show. Artists with these spaces are given the equivalent of four levels of shelving, each about 2 feet long; however, actual assigned spaces may vary by number and size of shelves. Displays in these areas must be compact. Each shelf is about 10” deep and vertical space between shelves is about 14″. Dimensions may vary slightly.

4.) Jewelry Case
Enclosed wooden cabinet with a glass front and 2 shelves.

5.) Clothing Rack
Circular, stand-alone clothing rack with round glass shelf (36" diameter) on top.
 

Display Design Guidelines

• It’s a good idea to plan in advance for an attractive and well-merchandised display. However, changes to the space may arise at the last minute, so you must be flexible and ready to find creative solutions.
• You may cover walls with paper, fabric or anything removable. You may not paint the walls.
• You may use screws, tape, staples, and pins to attach things to display walls, but not nails. Hammering on the walls can cause work to fall off the opposite side of the wall.
• Shelves and brackets may be screwed to walls. Your shelves should be no more than 2 feet deep. If you plan to put significant weight on your shelves, it is a good idea to reinforce them with legs or extra plywood backing.
• You may store extra merchandise at your display for restocking, for example, concealed under a table or in a cabinet.
• Most walls share a corner with another space. Corners must be respected and you may not block any part of your neighbor’s space.
• Because walls meet at corners, the dimensions of your booth space may not be exactly 8'x8' or 4'x8'. Keep this in mind when planning your display.
• We encourage you to include signage or information regarding yourself, merchandise or business, however, we ask that you not display information promoting another store, gallery, or show.
• Your walls must be cleaned of all materials, including staples, at the time of load-out.

Product Pricing

• This is a gift show and people are primarily shopping for affordable gifts.
• By offering items at a variety of price points, you'll increase your chances of making a sale. While shoppers may be attracted by the expensive, eye-catching items, they often end up buying the more affordable items.
• It is a good idea to do some market reasearch to see if your pricing is in line with other people selling similar work at art fairs, in stores, or on Etsy and other sites. 
• You may offer quantity discounts (ex: 3 for $20); that information needs to be included on your price tag.
• You may change your pricing during the show, just make sure all tags are accurate!

Commissions & Fees

In addition to the application fee, exhibitors will pay a commission on sales.

Commissions for the holiday Bazaar are categorized into three tiers based on the artist’s total show sales:

    •    Tier 1: $0-3,500 = 45%

    •    Tier 2: $3,501-$9,000 = 40%

    •    Tier 3: $9,001 and up = 35%

The May Market operates with a flat commission of 40%.

All sales are handled by BGAB; including collection and payment of sales tax. After the commission is deducted, payment will be mailed to exhibitors within three weeks of the show's end. When you receive your check, you will also receive a statement showing your total number of sales, gross sales and net payment after commission. 

Security & Loss Prevention

Although we are committed to loss prevention, BGAB is ultimately not responsible for loss which can occur through unintentional damage, cashier mis-rings, or theft. BGAB cannot track inventory, though exhibitors may keep an inventory of the products they stock; however, BGAB cannot accept any exhibitor inventory reporting as a basis for claims of loss.