Art Birmingham 2027 - 46th Year

46th Annual ART BIRMINGHAM

A Celebrated Mother’s Day Tradition

May 8–9, 2027 | Downtown Birmingham, Michigan

Produced by the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center in association with The Guild of Artists & Artisans

Be Part of One of Michigan’s Favorite Art Fair Traditions

Celebrate the start of Michigan’s outdoor art fair season at Art Birmingham, a highly regarded juried fine art and fine craft fair set in the heart of beautiful downtown Birmingham, Michigan.

Held in and around picturesque Shain Park, Art Birmingham brings together talented artists, enthusiastic collectors, and discerning shoppers for a memorable weekend of original art, creativity, and community. The elegant downtown setting, surrounded by distinctive boutiques, acclaimed restaurants, and convenient parking, offers an inviting experience for both artists and visitors.

A beloved Mother’s Day weekend destination, Art Birmingham offers participating artists the opportunity to showcase their work in a vibrant, upscale community with an appreciation for quality craftsmanship and original art.

Join us for a standout weekend and help kick off Michigan’s outdoor art fair season!

Important Show Information:  Please review the application procedures, the event calendar and the Exhibition Standards and Rules.  If you have any questions, please contact The Guild at 734.662.3382, ext. 301 or info@theguild.org. 

General Event Information

Art Birmingham | Mother’s Day Weekend

• Saturday, May 8, 2027: 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
• Sunday, May 9, 2027: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
• Location: Shain Park and surrounding streets, downtown Birmingham, Michigan
• Produced by: Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center, in association with The Guild of Artists & Artisans

Why Exhibit at Art Birmingham?

We’re committed to creating a professional, welcoming, and rewarding experience for participating artists.

Artist benefits include:

• Extensive advertising and promotion to help attract visitors to the fair.
• A professional, respectful team dedicated to supporting artists and delivering a well-organized event.
• Artist awards recognizing outstanding work.
• Artist hospitality featuring coffee, snacks, and refreshments throughout the fair.
• Friendly booth sitters to provide assistance when you need a break.
• Online artist exposure through the event website, including an artist image and link when provided.
• Social media spotlights featuring selected artists in the lead-up to the event.
• Professional overnight security on Friday and Saturday nights.

Artist Eligibility

Artists working in fine art and fine craft disciplines are invited to apply. All applications are subject to jury review.

Before applying, please review the Exhibition Standards to confirm that your work meets the eligibility requirements for your chosen category.

Security & Artist Parking

Professional overnight security will be provided Friday and Saturday nights.

Convenient artist parking is available near the fair site. Downtown Birmingham parking structures offer free parking on Sunday.

Electricity

Electricity is not available at the event. Generators are not permitted.

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Booth & Display Requirements

Tents and Weights

All tents must be professional-grade structures installed according to the manufacturer’s specifications. Each tent leg must be secured with a minimum of 50 pounds of weight.

Proper installation and adequate weighting are essential to protecting artists, artwork, and fairgoers.

Awnings

Front awnings are not permitted. Side and rear awnings are allowed provided they do not obstruct pedestrian traffic.

Insurance Requirements

All participating artists must provide proof of general liability insurance with coverage of at least $1 million, naming The Guild of Artists & Artisans as an additional insured.

Please email your certificate of insurance to Nicole at nicole@theguild.org at least one month before the fair.

Move-Out Procedures

Move-out begins Sunday, May 9, 2027, at 5 p.m., immediately following the close of the fair. Artists have a maximum of four hours to dismantle their displays and clear the site. All city streets must be reopened by 9 p.m.

Artists who exceed the four-hour move-out window may be assessed a $200 fee to cover additional costs incurred by The Guild.

Thank you for helping us maintain a safe, efficient move-out and return the streets to the community on time.

 

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Application Timeline

Please review the timeline carefully, as dates and procedures are subject to change.

Payment plans: Available to Guild members.

**Cancellation policy: Cancellations received by April 2, 2027, are eligible for a refund less a $50 administrative fee. No refunds will be issued for cancellations received after the deadline.

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How to Apply to Art Birmingham

Applications are submitted online through ZAPPlication.

To ensure your application is complete and eligible for jury review, please follow these requirements carefully.

1. Complete Your Online Application

Fill out the application form on ZAPPlication and select the appropriate medium category.

Artists applying in two or more categories must submit a separate application for each medium.

2. Submit Your Images

Each application must include:

• Four images of your artwork
• One booth image showing your work on display

Artwork image requirements: Visible signatures are not permitted in artwork images.

Booth image requirements: Show three walls of your booth. Remove artist names, business names, booth signage, booth tags, people, and animals from the image.

Artist statement requirements: Do not include artist names or business names in your artist statement.

Applications that do not comply with these jury image standards will be removed from consideration, and the jury fee will not be refunded.

3. Applying to Exhibit Jewelry

If you are applying in a non-jewelry category but would also like to display jewelry created in your medium, you must submit a separate jewelry application.

For example, a ceramic artist wishing to exhibit handmade ceramic jewelry must apply in both the ceramics and jewelry categories.

Please indicate in your artist statement that you are applying in a non-jewelry category and intend to display a limited amount of jewelry. If the jewelry does not pass jury review, it may not be displayed, even if your primary medium is accepted.

4. Pay the Jury Fee

A $40 non-refundable jury fee is required for each application.

5. Submit Before the Deadline

Application deadline: February 14, 2027, at midnight Eastern Time.

Applications received after the deadline will be subject to a $25 late fee.

If you are unable to apply online, please contact The Guild for information about alternative application options and any associated fees.

Booth Fees

$415, 10’ x 10’ booth fee; $65 corner fee

$830, double booth fee; $65 corner fee

(Note:  A limited number of double booths are available.  A booth corner allows for access to the either the right or left side of the booth and the open side is between eight and ten feet from the next booth; a corner may or may not be at the end of a row or street.)

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Questions?

We’re happy to help you navigate the application process.

The Guild of Artists & Artisans
Phone: 734-662-3382, ext. 2
Email: info@theguild.org
Website: www.theguild.org

We look forward to welcoming talented artists to downtown Birmingham for a wonderful weekend of art, community, and the start of Michigan’s outdoor art fair season!

Exhibition Standards

1)     All work must be the original design of the artist; the essential work required to make each finished piece must be done by the artist.  The artist is expected to be the major contributor of the time required in the essential production of the work. Helpers or assistants do not replace the artist in the production of a piece. They are permitted to assist in the non-essential and more mundane processes that go into the production of a finished piece. The only exceptions allowed are defined in Exhibition Standards #2. 

2)     No more than 25 percent of the work in an exhibitor’s booth may be reproductions; this policy applies to all media.  Each piece must be clearly marked with the word “reproduction.”  Exhibitors must use the word reproduction; other terms, including “print,” may not be used to refer to a reproduction.  The presentation of the reproductions must play a visually subordinate role to the entirety of the exhibitor’s display.  Reproductions of the artist’s own original work are the only reproductions allowed within the artist’s booth.  Determination of what constitutes an original or a reproduction is determined by The Guild of Artists & Artisans. The decision of The Guild is final.

3)    All novelty items such as stickers, buttons, magnets, coasters or notecards must be the original work of the artist and can only be 5% of the total display at any one time. 

4)     All work must be safe, non‑toxic, and fit for its intended use.  If any work requires special or limited use, this will be fully disclosed and explained to the public.

5)     Any commercially produced parts used in a work must play a subordinate role and may not be sold separately.   

6)     A mass‑produced, cluttered, or commercial appearance to an artist display is not permitted. Limited multiples of items may be displayed where color and size are varied and are required to show clearly the range of items available for sale to fair attendees.   However, if the display presents an overwhelming number of multiples resulting in a commercial appearance, as determined by the Standards Committee, on-site adjustments will be requested and compliance will be required.  

Note:  The Guild understands that small work can be an important and essential sale item for an artist, therefore, an artist may display up to 15 percent of small work without a separate review or jury image. The small work must be clearly shown in the artist’s booth image.  In addition, it is also understood (and encouraged) that experimentation with new work is part of the creative process. Ten percent of an artist’s display may be devoted to new work, without a separate review or jury image, if the new work is within the same medium and if the new work is of comparable quality to the artwork presented in the artist’s review or jury images. The exception to this is jewelry. If you wish to display jewelry as a second medium/small work in your booth, you must complete a separate application. You may only display jewelry if your jewelry jury application is accepted.

Exemptions 

If an artist believes his or her work transcends these standards, the artist is welcomed to apply to The Guild’s Standards Committee for determination of eligibility.  The request must be made in writing at least 60 days prior to the fair for which the determination is requested.  There is no guarantee that an exemption will be granted.  The decision of The Guild is final.

Acceptability of Specific Work

In an effort to help artists determine whether their specific artwork complies with the event’s Exhibition Standards, the event has prepared the following list of artwork that does not meet the requirements. This list is a guideline to help artists determine whether or not their artwork is eligible; it is neither exhaustive, nor is unacceptable work limited to the items listed.

Ineligible work includes but is not limited to: 

Jewelry

 

• Cut coin jewelry
• Enamels on manufactured representational copper shapes
• Jewelry made of manufactured components

• Jewelry made from flatware
• Commercial chains sold separately
• Permanent jewelry
• Commercial beads.  Beads must be made by the artist.  There are only two exemptions to this rule:
• 1. If the beads are not made by the artist, they must clearly play a subordinate role in the finished piece; and,
• 2. The requirement that beads must be made by the artist does not apply in the technique known as bead weaving; however, commercial bead weaving kits are not permitted.
• Stud earrings in commercial settings
• No simple strung or knotted pearls or beads will be allowed unless they play a subordinate role in the piece.

Clothing

· T-shirts, sweat shirts, hats, and other commercially manufactured clothes, no matter how embellished by the artist

·    No manufactured seams allowed in clothing blanks and upcycled clothing, including ties, pillow covers, etc. Scarves made from scarf blanks are limited to 20% of the booth

· Manufactured belt buckles sold separately from the belts

Other

· Manufactured tiles with a design as a major component of the piece

· Enamels on manufactured representational copper shapes

· Commercially made glassware, flatware or serving pieces no matter how embellished by the artist

· Alphabet photography, i.e. photographs composed of images representing letters of the alphabet and using those images to spell out names, dates, birthday greetings, etc.

· Dried flowers, in groups, arrangements, or bouquets

· Wreaths

· Anything made in a commercial mold, in any medium

· Anything made using a commercial kit, in any medium

· Tole painting

· Dough art

· Country crafts

· CDs and tapes

· Food

· Henna

· Beauty Products

· Candles

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)

The Guild recognizes that Artificial Intelligence (AI) usage is a new technology and has many valid uses in the creation of original artwork. However, the Guild prohibits derivative artwork created by AI (or any other means) that relies solely on the work of others. This includes copying the original work of others in another medium. 

Standards and Requirements:

The Guild accepts only original artwork created by the submitting artist. Derivative works that are composed entirely by or rely on AI-generated imagery, text-to-image programs, or synthetic content created by artificial intelligence are not eligible for entry.

Digital tools such as Photoshop, Lightroom, or similar software may be used for editing, compositing, and color correction, provided that all imagery originates from the artist’s own creative source or is legally licensed. 

Artists must be able to provide documentation of their creative process and verify authorship, originality, and substantive creativity in their work products.

Exhibition Standards Violations 

Violations of the Exhibition Standards will be handled by the Standards Committee and designated Guild Staff. At all Guild fairs, every attempt will be made to inform artists as soon as possible of violations by issuing a Standards Warning. This warning gives the exhibiting artist a chance to correct the problem without penalty as long as the correction is immediate. If the problem is not corrected or if the violation is a continuing problem, the artist will be subject to stronger consequences that may include loss of exhibiting privileges and/or being required to close his or her booth immediately and vacate the booth space at the end of the event day. If the Committee is not able to resolve a problem during the fair, the Committee will review the situation and determine any necessary action following the event. 

The Standards Committee will make a good faith effort to inform artists of any potential standards problems and what steps to take to correct the problems following the Standards Review or the event jury.  However, it is the responsibility of the artists to comply with the Exhibition Standards. 

There are two exhibition standards that are considered to be inviolable under any circumstances:

1.   Engaging in “buy-sell” practices, that is, buying the work done by another and selling it as your own; or

2.   Selling commercially produced reproductions of the work of another artist.

If it is discovered that an artist has engaged in either of these practices, that artist will lose event exhibiting privileges immediately and permanently.

Exhibition Rules

RULE 1:  Exhibitors must comply with all local ordinances, regulations, and rules. These rules include but are not limited to:

o   Fire lanes shall not contain storage or any other obstructions.

o   Walk-through sidewalk-street connections shall not contain storage or any other obstructions.

o   Vehicles are not permitted within the barricades during fair hours. 

o   All booth material, tarps and other coverings shall be fire-retardant or fire resistant.  Open flames are not allowed.

o   No gasoline, kerosene or motor oils are permitted in the fair area.

RULE 2:  Picture I.D. is required for fair registration, and must be presented upon the request of Rules Committee members or Guild staff at any time during the fair.

RULE 3:  Booth spaces may not be transferred or otherwise reassigned by the artist.

RULE 4:  By one hour prior to fair opening on the fair’s first day, artists must have claimed (by their presence, or [if necessary] by phone) their booth space, otherwise their space may be resold with no refund issued.

RULE 5:  Exhibitors must be present at the fair no less than 60 percent of each day. If an exhibitor is found to be in violation of this rule, the exhibitor’s booth must close immediately and remain closed until the exhibitor returns to the booth.  In the case of a partnership, in which two artists work on one body-of-work, at least one member of the partnership must be present no less than 60 percent of each day.

RULE 6:  Unless artists are officially notified of a fair emergency, booths must be open at the fair starting time and not close before the fair closing time.  Artists concerned with their personal safety may close.  Artists are expected to reopen as soon as the dangerous situation has ended.

Rule 7:  Rude, obscene or abusive language and/or threatened, actual physical restraint and/or abuse of another Guild member, Guild staff or general public are prohibited.

RULE 8:  On-site consumption of alcoholic beverages during fair hours is prohibited.

RULE 9: Booth structure and display must not exceed the limits of the assigned space.  Artwork hanging from display panels will not obstruct, or block clear and free passage.  If your artwork is hazardous, or interferes with your neighbor you will be asked to remove it.  Booth substructure must not impede water flow.

RULE 10:  Booth holders may share their space with no more than one other artist, as long as that artist has participated in and passed the event jury.

RULE 11:  All Storage must be neatly concealed within the booth structure.  If the exhibitor is found to be in violation of this rule, the exhibitor’s booth will be required to close and remain closed until the storage issue is corrected.

RULE 12:  Signs advertising sales or markdowns are prohibited.

RULE 13:  Pets are prohibited on the fair site. Service animals are permitted.

RULE 14:  No debris may be left behind after tearing down.

Rule 15:  The rule regarding the placement of chairs and tables may vary in each Guild event and/or may vary throughout the layout of a specific event. Where allowed, overhangs may not exceed 30”, must be at least 80” above the curb and may not interfere with any other exhibitor’s booth or the traffic flow, or be used for display, signs, etc. Exhibitors are required to adhere to the chair and table regulations established for the Guild event in which they are participating. 

RULE 16:  Use of sidewalks and planters is strictly prohibited.  Booths, chairs, tables and storage must be contained within the artist’s assigned street space (see Rule 15).

RULE 17:  Demonstrations are allowed within the assigned booth space.  All other requests are decided on a case-by-case basis by the Rules Committee.

Rules Violations:  Violations of the Exhibition Rules will be handled by the Rules Committee and designated Guild Staff. At all Guild fairs, every attempt will be made to inform artists as soon as possible of violations by issuing a Rules Violation Warning. This warning gives the exhibiting artist a chance to correct the problem without penalty as long as the correction is immediate. If the problem is not corrected or if the violation is a continuing problem, the artist will be subject to stronger consequences that may include loss of exhibiting privileges and/or being requir

Booth Fees
$415, 10’ x 10’ booth fee; $65 corner fee
$830, double booth fee; $65 corner fee
(Note:  A limited number of double booths are available.  A booth corner allows for access to the either the right or left side of the booth and the open side is between eight and ten feet from the next booth; a corner may or may not be at the end of a row or street.)