Boston Mills Artfest 2027

The 53rd Annual Boston Mills Artfest is a nationally recognized, juried celebration of Fine Art and Contemporary Craft, attracting talented artists, collectors, and art enthusiasts from across Northeast Ohio and beyond. Hosted at the beautiful Boston Mills Ski Resort, a Vail Resort in Peninsula, Ohio, the festival is set against the stunning backdrop of Cuyahoga Valley National Park, conveniently located between Cleveland, Akron, and Canton.

Artfest features two exceptional summer weekends, each showcasing up to 150 talented artists creating an outstanding opportunities to sell original work, connect with collectors, and reach new audiences. A $45.00 nonrefundable application fee is required

Boston Mills I (AKA “The June Show”) opens with a special Friday Night Preview Party from 6:00–9:00 p.m., followed by a two-day weekend filled with art, music, wine, craft beer, and enthusiastic shoppers.

Boston Mills II (AKA “The July Show”) kicks off the July 4th weekend with an exciting three-day show, beginning Friday from 1:00–8:00 p.m. The extended weekend gives artists an additional day of selling and exposure, while visitors enjoy a lively summer atmosphere with art, music, wine, and craft beer into the evening.

For more than five decades, Boston Mills Artfest has remained one of Northeast Ohio’s premier summer art events, offering artists a distinctive opportunity to showcase their work and become part of the celebrated tradition.

All Boston Mills Artfest communication and correspondence will be by email from zapplication.org regarding acceptance and booth assignments. Booth fees cannot be paid until after you receive your acceptance and booth assignment. A $45.00 nonrefundable application fee is required

Two unique Artfest shows held on consecutive weekends.
The 2027 Boston Mills Artfest dates are as follows:

Boston Mills I (AKA “The June Show”)
Preview Night Party: Friday, June 25 (6 - 9 pm)  
Saturday, June 26, General Admission (10 am - 5 pm)
Sunday, June 27, General Admission (10 am - 5 pm) Move Out (5 - 8 pm)
Set-up Thursday June 24, & Friday June 25 (8 am - 5 pm) 
Artists Hospitality Food Friday, June 25 (3:00 pm - 4:30 pm)

Boston Mills II (AKA “The July Show”)
Friday, July 2, General Admission (1 pm - 8 pm)
Saturday, July 3, General Admission  (10 am - 5 pm)
Sunday, July 4 , General Admission (10 am - 5 pm) Move Out (5 pm - 8 pm)
Set-up Thursday, July 1 (8:00 am - 5 pm) & Friday, July 2 (7:00 am - 1:00 pm)
Artists Hospitality Food Friday, July 2 (4:00 pm - 5:30 pm)

Artfest 2027 Important Dates to Remember:
Applications Accepted 10/19/2026 A $45.00 nonrefundable application fee is required
Application Deadline 1/15/2027
Jury Start on 2/09/2027
Jury End on 2/10/2027
Jury Notification & Booth Assignment 3/22/2027
Booth Fee Purchase Deadline 4/23/2027
Full Booth Refund Until 5/07/2027
Partial Booth Refund Less $200 Processing Fee 5/21/2027
No Booth Refunds After 5/28/2027

Artist Liability Insurance Requirements 

Artists / Vendors are required to supply their own Liability Insurance. Copies must be emailed to BMArtfest@vailresorts.com prior to set-up.
Artists are responsible for proper insurance and protection of work and display. The Boston Mills Artfest will not be responsible for damage to work or display. Upon acceptance, exhibitors must provide Boston Mills Artfest with an appropriate Certificate of Insurance, naming the Boston Mills Artfest as an additional insured pursuant to a general liability insurance policy with a minimum coverage of $1,000,000. Artists will not be permitted to set up without the required insurance valid for the dates they are participating at Artfest.

Grounds and Security:
Artists must bring their own dollies or carts for transporting artwork and display to your booth. The festival grounds have sidewalks and mostly hardpack crushed limestone which are wheelchair assessable.
Boston Mills will provide overnight security during the show. Pets are not permitted on the grounds. Upon request, contact Boston Mills Guest Services for local kennels.  There is no driving and/or parking within the show grounds. All artists will need to dolly their display/artwork anywhere from 30ft to 200 ft depending on booth location and available unloading parking. 

Show Awards:
All participating exhibitors are eligible for Artfest awards and will be asked to submit one original work from their display to the jury room for the Awards Judges to review. Judges will award $7500 each weekend: three Award of Excellence ($1000 each), and eighteen Best in Category awards ($250 each).  

Award of Excellence and Best in Category winners are automatically accepted into the following year's show. Honorable Mentions are given at the judges' discretion and those recipients have 3 points added to next year's jury score. All award-winning pieces will be displayed in our Awards Gallery for the remainder of the show and must be for sale. If an award piece sells, artists must replace sold work with another of their choice immediately.

For Boston Mills Artfest applications, apply here;  https://www.zapplication.org  Application deadline is  January 15, 2027
Application fees are nonrefundable.

Award Judges: The judges select not more than 150 artists for each weekend of the Boston Mills Artfest. Artists who are previous year award winners must apply, but our jewelry exempt. Standby exhibitors are selected during the jury process. The Director will add standby artists to the show by their medium to maintain balance when openings become available.

Jurors are changed annually and are chosen by the Director from past award-winning exhibitors, working artists, and art professionals.
Jurors are subject to change without notice for reasons beyond Artfest control. The jury foreman is George Whitten, Artfest Director. The jury dates are February 9 & 10th, 2027.  Acrylic Painting
Oil Painting
Watercolor Painting
Drawing 
Photography
Computer Art
Glass
Ceramics
Metal
Wood
Furniture
Jewelry   2D Mix-Media  
3D Mix-Media 
Wearable Fiber 
Fiber 
Leather

Image requirements:
Six images are required for the Artfest applicationare. Images are projected left to right in two rows of three images each. The first image in the top row will be used in advertising. The booth shot is the last image in the second row.
Applications are only accepted through Zapplication. No slides, CDs of images, or other envelopes, packages or boxes will be reviewed or returned. No late applications will be accepted.

Exempt artists will need to contact Boston Mills Artfest Director George Whitten via email at whitten@bright.net for directions on how to apply without paying the Jury fee. Exempt artists are the 2026 cash award winners.  Artists receiving honorable mentions from the previous year are not jury exempt but will have 3 points automatically added to their final jury score. 

Jury results are scheduled to be released on March 22, 2027.  Booth fees are due after artist invited / acceptance to exhibit.

Booth Purchase Deadline is April 23, 2027.  Artist who have not paid their booth fees by the deadline will be placed back on the waiting list and their booth will be reassigned.  Full booth refund for cancellations until May 7, 2027. Partial booth refund less $200 processing fee granted until May 21, 2027.  There are no booth refunds after May 28, 2027

Boston Mills Artfest Booth Payment Deadline is April 23, 2027
 

Artist Liability Insurance Requirements 

Vendors / Artists are required to supply their own Liability Insurance. Copies must be emailed to  BMArtfest@vailresorts.com prior to set-up.
Artists are responsible for proper insurance and protection of work and display. The Boston Mills Artfest will not be responsible for damage to work or display. Upon acceptance, exhibitors must provide Boston Mills Artfest with an appropriate Certificate of Insurance, naming the Boston Mills Artfest as an additional insured pursuant to a general liability insurance policy with a minimum coverage of $1,000,000. Artists will not be permitted to set up without the required insurance valid for the dates they are participating. Please do not send proof of insurance to Artfest Director

The Boston Township requires a Vendors Permit to exhibit at Boston Mills Artfest. The cost of the permit is $25 which is automatically added to the booth fee at Boston Mills. The township has requested that we write one check for all the artists who participate at Artfest. Just to be clear this permit has nothing to do with Ohio sales tax.

Ohio Sales Tax requires each artist to purchase a $25 Transient Vendor's license for sales tax purposes. Artist will need to obtain his/her own license directly,  https://tax.ohio.gov/business/ohio-business-taxes/sales-and-use/registration

Reproductions Policy:
Painting, Watercolor, Drawing, Pastels and 2D Mix-media: A copy of an original art works by digital or photographic means and printed on an offset press, a serigraph press, or through a computer by means of an ink jet or electrostatic printer is a reproduction.  This includes giclees and reproductions with an additional enhancement by the artist. Exhibitors will be permitted to exhibit only the specific type of work accepted by the jury. For example, Jewelry cannot be exhibited with another medium without being screened and accepted by the jury of selection.

Unacceptable items are imported work of any type, any work created by a person other than the exhibitor, greenware pottery, sculpture from molds, mass-produced factory art and jewelry, and any other items deemed by the Director to not fall within the spirit of our requirements.

Exhibitor Presence at the Show:
Each exhibitor must be present for the entire show, including Preview Night. If accepted as a collaboration, both artists must be present.  

Selling Your Work:
All artwork exhibited must be for sale. Each exhibitor is responsible for the sale of his/her work. No agents are permitted. Prices must be clearly displayed on all items. Sale/discount signs are not permitted. There are no commissions charged by the organizers on any sales.

Final interpretation of Artfest rules and requirements will be at the discretion of the Director.

Booth Spaces for Artists:
The majority of the booth spaces are located inside three large, clear-span tents.  Outside spaces are positioned in the center of show. Those artists in the outside area need to bring their entire outdoor tent setup with weights. Artists inside the three large inside booths can bring as much or as little of a display as they choose.  All artist must have a backdrop to block the view into the storage area behind thier booth.

How do we set the show and decide which artists go in which spaces? Jury score is the most important factor in determining booth assignments. We try to accommodate all artist requests for specific spaces and and weekend however, booth request are not guaranteed.  Artfest.reserve the right to place applicants where needed to maintain a balanced show.

Booth dimensions and pricing vary depending on location. Artists will not be permitted to expand past those specified dimensions. Only the indoor booths have access to electricity, which is limited to 400 watts per booth. LED lights are recommended. Outside booths do not have access to electricity. Personal generators are not permitted. Below is a listing of booth prices broken down by show weekend, space size and location.  You may request two or more 10' x 10' booths in a row to make one large booth. There will be space in your application to request this double space. Booth prices are the same for each weekend. When purchasing your booth, be sure to choose the June or July show. 

Boston Mills I (AKA “The June Show”)
Outside Space 10' x10' $525
Outside Corner 10' x 10' $600
Outside 10'X15' opening $775
Outside 10' x 20' opening $1050

Tent Space 10' x 10' $625
Tent Corner 10' x 10' $700
Tent Spaces 10' x 15' /10' opening $875
Tent Spaces 10' x 15' /15' opening $925
Tent Space 10' x 20' / 10' opening $1025
Tent Space 10' x 20' / 20' opening $1,200

Boston Mills II (AKA “The July Show”)
Outside Space 10' x10' $625
Outside Corner 10' x 10' $700
Outside 10' x 15' / 15' opening $875
Outside 10' x 20' / 20' opening $1125

Tent Space 10' x 10' $725
Tent Corner 10' x 10' $825
Tent Spaces 10' x 15' /10' opening $975
Tent Spaces 10' x 15' / 15' opening $1025
Tent Space 10' x 20' / 10' opening $1125
Tent Space 10' x 20' / 20' opening $1,325

A $25 Township Vendor’s fee is included in your booth fee.  Your display cannot touch the top of the tent, be flexible with your booth set-up.

Booth fees are due April 23, 2027



 

Refund Policy:
Application fees are nonrefundable.

To cancel or withdraw contact the Director of Boston Mills Artfest by email:  whitten@bright.net  

Friday May 7, 2027  is the last day to receive a full refund for withdrawals and cancellations.

Partial booth refund until Friday May 21, 2027 less a $200 processing fee.

No booth refunds after Friday May 28, 2027.  This includes artist called off of the waitlist, regardless of the date of invitation.

Artfest is a rain or shine festival.  Therefore, no refunds will be issued for weather, or other unforeseen circumstances.