Call for Artists: Gasparilla Open Call for Emerging Artists

Gasparilla Festival of the Arts Opens Call for Emerging Artists for 43rd Annual Event

Artists Nationwide Invited to Apply to Showcase Works at the 2013 Festival

TAMPA, Fla. (December 12, 2012) ― The Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts, one of the nation’s top-rated outdoor fine art shows, is now accepting applications from emerging artists interested in participating in the festival, which will return to Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park in downtown Tampa on March 2 - 3, 2013. The Gasparilla Festival of the Arts Emerging Artist Program will provide up-and-coming artists who are interested in pursuing a professional career in visual arts with the opportunity to showcase their work to the more than 100,000 art enthusiasts who are expected to attend.

Artists who are selected for the Emerging Artist Program will exhibit free of charge, and will be provided with an individual display tent as well as a $250 expense allowance. Emerging artists will not compete for prize money against artists in the main show. However, their artwork will be juried by a festival juror of national prominence, and each artist will be eligible to receive the $1,000 Robert and Elizabeth Sanchez Emerging Artist Award.

The winner of the 2013 Emerging Artist Program will also be exempt from the jury selection process for the 2014 festival and will receive an automatic invite to participate in the main show. 

An artist who has previously exhibited their art in museums or major galleries, or earned a substantial portion of their income through the sale of their work, will not qualify as an applicant for the Emerging Artist Program. The application deadline is January 2, 2013. For more information / rules and to submit an application, please visit www.gasparilla-arts.com/emerging.htm.

The Gasparilla Festival of the Arts is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation dedicated to producing an annual, premier juried outdoor art festival for the enjoyment and education of patrons, artists and guests as well as for the enhancement of the Tampa Bay area’s cultural arts. The non-profit organization relies on support from sponsorships, on-site retail sales and corporate and individual gifts to fund its programs and events. The Tampa-based organization is staffed entirely by volunteers.  For more information, visit www.gasparilla-arts.com, send email to emergingartists@gasparillaarts.com or call (813) 876-1747.

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