Fairs/Festivals
Ridgway Rendezvous Arts & Craft Festival 2027, 42nd Annual
Contact Information
Requirement Overview
- Eligible Applicant Types: Artist
- Emerging Artists: Emerging artists may apply.
- Submission Limit: 3
Media Requirements
- Images | Min: 6, Max: 6
- Total | Max: 6
Opportunity Summary
42nd Annual Ridgway Rendezvous Arts & Craft Festival
2027 marks the 42nd Annual Ridgway Rendezvous Arts & Craft Festival, hosted by Weehawken Creative Arts. This juried show is dedicated to showcasing beautiful artwork, quality craftsmanship, and unique handmade items that are not easily found in our region. Many returning participants regard the Ridgway Rendezvous as “one of their best shows of the year" or "one of their favorite shows of the year."
The event attracts affluent clientele, including local and regional art collectors, second homeowners, and vacationers from across the United States. The weekend runs alongside Telluride Jazz Fest & captures traveling festival clientele as well.
This 2-day festival features live music, a beer, wine, and cocktail tent, and a variety of children's activities, creating a vibrant, community and family-friendly atmosphere.
Location:
Historic Downtown Ridgway's "Hartwell Town Park" offers a picturesque setting for the event, surrounded by the Cimarron & Sneffels Mountain Ranges. The park is situated at the junction of Highways 550 & 62 along the San Juan Scenic Byway, attracting travelers heading to and from Durango, Silverton, Ouray & Telluride.
Awards:
Best in Show, Best in Category, Best Booth Display, Best Festival Vibe, and the new "Double Take" award
-Previous Artist
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General Information
The 42nd Annual Ridgway Rendezvous Arts & Craft Festival
“We thought the Ridgway Rendezvous and your staff carried out the Festival at its best. Keep it all. Everything worked perfectly. It did for us.” - Previous Artist
“We thought the Ridgway Rendezvous and your staff carried out the Festival at its best. Keep it all. Everything worked perfectly. It did for us.” - Previous Artist
What makes Ridgway Rendezvous Special?
- Run by an arts organization for artists
- Extensive advertising - with over 10,000 in attendance
- LInks to artists' websites on the Festival website
- Qualified buyers
- Corner booths for everyone!
- Historic park & breathtaking mountains
- Friday set up
- Shortened Sunday hours (4 pm end)
- Family-friendly & kid's art area
- Dog-friendly
- No admission fee
- Quality live music run by our professional sound engineer
- Awards
- All proceeds fund children’s art programs
Friday, August 13, 2027
Set up & check in from 10 am to 4 pm
Saturday, August 14, 2027
Set up & check in from 7 am—9 am
The show is open to the public 9am—5 pm
ARTIST RECEPTION @ 5:30 pm
Sunday, August 15, 2027
Show is Open to the Public 10 am—4 pm
Take Down from 4 pm—7pm
"I kept hearing the advertisements for the Rendezvous on the radio this week when I was in my studio!"
- Prevous Artist
Brought to you by Weehawken Creative Arts
- Weehawken Creative Arts is a 501c3 Non-Profit Organization
- Weehawken Creative Arts provides high-quality adult & children arts education programs and has well-known community cultural events and full-scale ballets featuring over 400 youth in each production
- Programs located in Ouray, Ridgway & Montrose
- Weehawken is headquarted in the heart of the Ridgway Creative District where they operate a retail storefront called The 610 Arts Collective.
- All proceeds go to support Weehawken Creative Arts children's arts programs & scholarships
Jury into the Festival:
- Jury Members consists of an assortment of: professional artists & craftspeople, Weehawken Board Members, affluent buyers, collectors, staff and local store owners.
- Every year the jury changes.
- No past vendor is guranteed a space, every vendor must be juried on a yearly basis to ensure highest quality and large variety of works.
Specific Medium Categories:
- Bath, Skincare Wellness Products & Candles: Must be hand-made and of high quality.
- Ceramics: Original, handmade functional pottery and ceramics/porcelain work OTHER THAN jewelry. No machine or mass-produced items will be accepted.
- Digital Art: Original works of digital art can be purely computer-generated, or achieved through the manipulation of other source materials or images by the artist using a computer. Work in this category must be in limited editions of 250 or less, signed, and numbered. Traditional photographs taken through a digital media should apply in the PHOTOGRAPHY CATEGORY.
- Fiber & Leather: Includes artwork from fibers such as hand-crafted wearable textitles, basketry, embroidery, weaving, tapestry, leatherwork, and papermaking. This work can be wearable or non-wearable. No mass or factory-produced work is allowed.
- Folk/Traditional Arts: Includes functional or decorative artwork such leatherwork, basketry, gourds, doll making, carvings.
- Glass: Blown, fused, gralss mosaic, or stained glass art OTHER THAN JEWELRY.
- Gourmet & Small Batch Foods: Homemade, pre-packed food items intended for home consumption off-site and/or gift giving. (Samples must be provided to Saturday judges Saturday AM)
- Jewelry: ANY & ALL JEWELRY, regardless of medium (clay, metal, paper, plastic, glass or fiber components) must be entered in this category. No commercial casts, molds, or mass produced items will be considered. Note: If you have jewelry plus another medium both must be indicated on the application.
- Metal: Includes all non-sculptural works crafted from metal OTHER THAN jewelry
- Mixed Media 3-D: 3-dimensional works that incorporate more than one type of physical material.
- Mixed Media 2-D: 2-dimensional works that incorporate more than one type of physical material, which are primarily intended for hanging on walls.
- Other: Ues this category if artwork isn't represented by other categories.
- Painting: Watercolors, acrylic, and oils -- including pastels.
- Photography: Photographic prints made from the artist's original image, including prints and fine art photography.
- Printmaking, Drawing & Graphic Arts: original prints, etchings, and drawings.Includes works created using dry media including pencil, chalk, charcoal, pastels, wax crayon, etc., or from the fluid medium of inks and washes applied by pen or brush. In addition, printed works, such as print making, in which the artist hand-manipulates the plates, stones or screens, and which have been signed and numbered as a limited edition (250 max), should be entered in this category.
- Sculpture: Original 3-dimensional standalone and wall sculptures in any medium.
- Wearable: Includes clothing items that are unique, sometimes made of unconventional materials, and generally one-of-a-kind. Should not include any mass produced garments.
- Wood: Original works in wood that are hand-tooled, machine worked, turned or carved. Includes home decor.
What do I need to apply?
- Description of material and technique.
- Description of your work & price range.
- Biography of yourself.
- Special requirements & booth requests.
- Vehicle license plate number, model & color.
- 4 images of work.
- Make your photos clear, cropped close to your work & professional.
- Only one piece of work per photo.
- 1 booth shot
- You will be disqualified if you do not have a booth shot
- If you have questions please Google “booth shot” and medium, set up your booth at home to photograph it.
- This is your "store;" make it look professional.
We Accept:
- Any artist or craftsperson exhibiting his or her own original works
- Handmade & handcrafted items ONLY
Disqualifications:
- Any manufactured items or mass produced items not limited to ceramics cast from commercial molds, promotional postcards, books, decoupage, kits, imported, resale or mass produced items, silk-screened T-shirts, corporate-produced gourmet products
- Buy / Sell
- Jewelry: No commercial casts, molds, or mass produced items
- Any extra medium the jury has not approved
- No booth shot.
- If a category is full.
- If a vendor was problematic for the organizers in a previous year.
- Non-payment of sales tax in a previous year.
Any exhibitor whose work does not meet these standards will be required to withdraw without refund
Waitlist Policy:
Waitlist Policy:
- If a category is full, there may be a waitlist. If you are placed on the waitlist you may pull yourself off of the waitlist at any time. We try to update waitlist status every 15 to 30 days as the Tfestival approaches.
- You may be asked to participate in our Festival up until the week of our show. You will be notified by email or phone call about waitlist status.
Awards:
- Judges consist of professional artists, craftspeople, Weehawken Board Members, affluent buyers, and art collectors.
- Trophies for Best in Show, Best Booth Display, Best Festival Vibe, and Double-Take award.
- Ribbons for Best in in each Category. Some categories may be combined if it makes sense to the judges.
Application Requirements
- APPLICATION DEADLINE DETAILS: The first wave of applications has a deadline of February 14, 2027 Applications will close during the Jury Review process from Feb. 15 - March 15, 2027.. First wave of invitations will be emailed to artists by March 16, 2027.
- We will reopen the second wave of submissions on March 17, 2027 and this will include a late fee of $35 in addition to the regular Application and Jury Fee of $35. We will accept applications until July 31, 2027.
- Parking: Exhibitors MUST abide by the show parking regulations: Park during show hours in the provided vendor parking lot. Artist vehicles must be moved from the park permimeter during the show.
- Weather: The location is in the mountains and is outside. Artists must be prepared for any type of conditions including the wind. There are no rain (or snow!) dates & no refunds because of inclement weather
- Check-In & Set Up: No Cars on the Lawn! Check in at the Gazebo before setting up Friday 10 am to 4 pm or Saturday 7 am to 9 am
- Sales Tax: Bring your checkbook: all vendors must collect Town of Ridgway and State of Colorado Tax (Total 9.05%)
- Pets: Dogs are allowed and must be leashed. All vendor pets must be leashed and/or kenneled and must not impact neighbors and/or patrons in any way
- Giclee & Prints: Limited number of professional giclees, prints & other reproduced work are accepted, however, the majority of the work displayed must be originals.
- Security: The park is monitored overnight Friday and Saturday by volunteers; however, Ridgway Rendezvous, its affiliates, Directors, Staff, Volunteers and Town of Ridgway are not responsible for any loss or damage incurred.
- Take Down: Start taking down after 4 pm on Sunday.
Jury Details
Average number of applications submitted each year
200
Average number of artists selected from the jury to participate in the event
120
Booth Information
THE MAP MAY CHANGE YEAR TO YEAR.
BE SURE TO REFERENCE THE MAP WHEN MAKING BOOTH REQUESTS.
- Booth Sizes: Single 10'x10' and Double 10'x20'
- Booth Requirements: Booths must be free-standing, Tents must be properly weighted (at least 50lb per leg) and staked. Tents encouraged with weather conditions and white tent tops preferred, no tents or tables are provided, shade is NOT guaranteed, tablecloths MUST reach the ground, all mediums must be juried
- Booth Locations: ALL booths are outside. ALL BOOTHS ARE CORNER BOOTHS! Location requests may be made at the time of application, but requests are NOT guaranteed. Booth location assignments are NOT negotiable and no changes shall be made at registration or during the festival. Please trust us to place you in your best selling location. If you are making a booth request, please include your desired booth number from the current map. DO NOT REFERRENCE PREVIOUS YEAR(S) MAP as the map changes from year to year.
- Fees Due with Application: Jury & Application Fee: $35
- Fees: Due upon Acceptance of Invitation:
- 10'x10' Booth Fee: $425
- 10'x20' Booth Fee: $800
- Choice Electricity Fee (limited spaces & ONLY if you really need it): $50
- Dry Camping: We have a limited quantity of dry camping (no services; only porta-johns) spots available near the show on Friday and Saturday night (no camping Sunday). $50 per camp vehicle
Refund Policy
CANCELLATION DEADLINE: If you need to cancel, we must have your WRITTEN notice via email before July 1st. Any/All requests prior to July 1 have a $25 cancellation fee. After July 1, all fees are non-refundable.
Additional Fees
Early Bird Jury & Application Fee : $35