West Coast Artists
Southern California's Premier Art Shows
Booth set up:
Each exhibitor must provide their own display. Your canopy, if used, must be white. We are looking for a professional, appealing display. Your booth is your art gallery, and should be professional looking, reflecting the quality of your work and pride of ownership. Unprofessional or amateurish displays will not be tolerated. All tables must be covered to the ground. Boxes cannot be stored outside of your display and must be covered if kept inside of your display.
Tents and any extensions must have at least 7’ clearance, and be securely anchored/attached.
When setting up your display, do not block the aisles or access to your neighbors display.
Any temporary flooring must be secured on all sides by strong tape (i.e. Duct Tape), and fit within the confines of your tent.
Be prepared for wind. It is mandatory that you secure your display in an appropriate way. You must secure it with either weights (minimum of 40 lbs.) on each leg of your canopy or with stakes, if the show is on grass. Staking your tent into asphalt or concrete is not allowed. The tent stakes that come with your canopy are not adequate. ‘Spiral dog stakes’ (Pet and hardware stores carry them) along with tie down straps work better.
Booth set up is to be completed and vehicles moved prior to 9:45 am.
Break Down/ Load out:
Breakdown of your display cannot occur before the end of the show (unless notified differently by WCA). At the conclusion of the show, before you break down, please turn in your commission envelope. We need the envelope returned, even if you had no sales. We take cash, checks and credit cards and can give you a receipt if needed. You can also mail the commission in, if you need to, but let us know this and how much the commission will be. We will then expect to receive payment with 5 days of the event.
Once this has been taken care of, you are then able to take down your display. As in the set up at the beginning of the show, please be aware of and courteous to your neighbors. The best way is to pack all of your artwork, and then when this has been done, bring your vehicle in to load up. When parking your vehicle – do not take two spaces and allow passage of other traffic (don’t block the road).
Business Licenses:
Generally we will purchase a special event license/permit for the event that covers all of the participants. You will be notified if you need any other special license. You are required to have a Resale Permit for the State of California. You can download an application from the State Board of Equalization at www.boe.ca.gov.
Check In:
We generally do not have a check in process. If you know where your booth is, you are free to set up when you like, after the set up time noted on the confirmation letter. If you have any questions or cannot locate your space, please call us at 818-813-4478.
Clean up:
During the show, please make sure your display is kept clean and orderly. After the show, when you have loaded up all your display, please make sure that all debris and trash is picked up. Don’t leave anything behind (boxes, wrapping material, zip ties, etc.). Someone will have to pick it up, and most likely it will be one of us….
Commission:
There is a 10% commission on ALL gross sales generated from each event. All sales made during the event, resulting from the event as well as all commissioned work are eligible for the 10% commission. The commission is on the honor system. Each participant makes their own sales during the event. You will be given an envelope on the first day of the show and you must return the envelope with your commission to the West Coast Artists booth at the conclusion of the event. You are expected to return the envelope, even if you had no sales, to the WCA booth before you tear down your display. We take cash, checks and credit cards and can give you a receipt if needed. As a courtesy, you can also mail the commission in, if you need to, but let us know this and how much the commission will be. We will then expect to receive payment with 5 days of the event.
Confirmation Letter:
Once you are accepted into the show, you should receive your confirmation letter shortly thereafter, via email and/or postal mail. This will contain the instructions for set up (booth number, set up time, etc.). If you have not rec’d your confirmation letter by two weeks prior to the event, please call or email us ASAP. The site maps for each event can be found on our website. We also have a link to Google Maps showing where the show is located, as well as any parking instructions and camping/RV locations
Display Set-up:
We generally allow prior day set-up at the events that are located at a park. The spaces are usually marked by 3:00 pm and set up is acceptable after that time. However, we do not always have overnight security on the night prior to the event, so it is advisable to set up only your display. During loading or unloading, we are not allowed to park on the grass. No Exceptions! We cannot have prior day set-up on Street shows.
Electricity:
We do not provide electricity at any of our events. Some locations do have electricity available, but it is not guaranteed to be turned on, as it is out of our control. If you need electricity, please let us know and we will try to place you near it, if it is available. Any extension cords used must be safely secured, with duct tape or a cord cover (found at Home Depot or Lowes).
The other option is to use deep cycle marine batteries. No fume producing generators are allowed at any of our events, unless proper distance for noise and ventilation can be maintained, and their use is approved by West Coast Artists.
Inclement Weather:
Each participant must be prepared for rain and wind. We do not cancel the event in the case of rain or wind. We do not give credit or have a rain date. It is often the case that it may be raining at your location, but not at the location of the event , therefore you are expected to arrive on time and set up your display . It is not acceptable to tear down your booth during an event and it is not acceptable to come late and set up during an event. Please be prepared. We do however reserve the right to cancel the event in extreme conditions.
Insurance Requirements:
Each exhibitor is responsible for the safety and Liability Insurance of their own display. Artists bear all risk and expense for any damage, loss, or theft of their own or others artwork or personal property or injury to any person, regardless of cause. West Coast Artists' Insurance does not cover your display, merchandise or any injuries/damage that your display may cause. We do not ask for a Copy of your Policy, although you should have a copy on hand. Some Homeowners Insurance policies will cover your display and merchandise; check with your agent to be sure. Also check our “Helpful Hints” and “Links” pages for insurance vendors.
Marketing:
As part of our marketing campaign, we may use one or more of your images in our advertising and/or postcards.
Medium of Work:
You are only to submit one medium of work per booth space. You cannot combine two mediums into one display, such as having both Jewelry and Photography in the same booth. You are only able to display the work for which you were accepted into the show.
Original Work:
We do not accept commercial, manufactured, mass produced, imported or purchased for resale work. We are looking for original artwork and require that at least 50% of your display be original work. We do accept limited edition prints and giclees. West Coast Artists reserves the right to refuse participation in the event if the work on display is not consistent with these guidelines, or with the work submitted with the application. No refunds will be made in these instances. Artists assume all risks and liability for claims alleging copyright or trademark infringement or the misappropriation of images or ideas.
Parking:
Participants, their staff, and family members are NOT allowed to park near the event, leaving the area free for event attendees (also known as ‘your customers’). We have designated parking areas during each event for participant’s vehicles and participants must park in these areas. The parking space you take could have been used by that one customer who ‘makes’ your show! Any participant found parked near the event will be asked to leave and forfeit all entry fees. If you are not sure where to park, please ask. For those artists with an official handicap parking emblem, please let us know and we will do our best to allow you to park near the event, and try to arrange for a booth near that parking area.
Pets and Children:
We discourage artists from bringing pets or children to the events.
Postcards:
For each show we make available postcards for you to send to your clients. We have both hard copy (sent by USPS) and an email version. To receive a quantity of hard copy postcards, specify on the application how many you want. If you are late applying to the show, there may not be enough time for us to send them to you, and for you to then send them out. Or, because we order them in limited quantities, we may be out. In this case, we will not be sending them out.
As for the email versions, I will send a copy of that out to all artists approx. 2-3 weeks before the event. And as a reminder, when sending out multiple emails, please be sure to use the BCC feature of your email program. For more info about BCC emails, the how and why to use it, can be found at bccplease.com.
Problems, questions or concerns:
If you have a legitimate and valid problem or concern, please let us know. We are here to try and rectify the problem, if we can. We want to help you have a successful show! Or maybe you have a suggestion, let us know that as well. We may not be able to implement it at that show, but we can look into it.
Refunds:
Entry fees are non-refundable once you have been accepted into the event. If you have been accepted into the show that is when we charge your credit card or cash your check, usually 10-12 weeks or so before the event. Once you are accepted, you will receive a confirmation letter. If you are not accepted into the event for any reason, we will not cash your check or charge your credit card. Your check will be returned to you. In the case of your cancellation, you may have credit to use toward another event if you cancel at least two weeks prior to the date of the event. If you cancel within two weeks of the event, your entry fee will be forfeited.
Security:
We do have overnight security for all events, unless noted differently in the confirmation letter. In any case, even though security is provided, West Coast Artists is not responsible for any losses or damage. We recommend securing your tents by closing up the booth using the side curtains, or placing all items under cover (using a tarp secured with zip ties.
Wait List:
For some shows we do maintain a wait list. If you opt to be placed on this list, you will be contacted if we have a cancellation in your medium. Once contacted, you will have 24 hours to respond before we go the next artist on the list.