Summer Show Exhibitor Info
Take part in Muskoka’s most popular, largest and longest running outdoor art and craft show with an anticipated audience of 18,000 people.
Each summer, exhibitors from Muskoka, Ontario and other regions of Canada display their work in a beautiful park setting to a keen audience who are enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the arts. Applications for the 2021 Summer Show will open in January 2021.
Dates & Hours
Friday, July 16, 2021
10 am–6 pm
Saturday, July 17, 2021
10 am–6 pm
Sunday, July 18, 2021
10 am–4 pm
Location
Costs
Regular Booth
10’w x 10’d: $463.33
Big MAC Booth
22’ w x 10’d: $682.52
Emerging Young Artists*
10’w x 10’d: $344.65
Prices include HST
*Muskoka Arts & Crafts believes in supporting the next generation of artists by offering a discount on booth fees. To be eligible for an Emerging Young Artist booth, you must be a student, thirty years of age or younger, and currently enrolled full-time at a recognized post secondary institution.
Eligibility Criteria
The reputation of the Summer Show has been built on selecting outstanding and quality handmade work. To be eligible to exhibit at the summer show, your work must meet the following criteria:
- The applicant must be the designer and maker of the work represented by his or her application. Agents or dealers are not eligible. All work must be made in Canada. If copyright images are used, you must include a copy of the permission agreement.
- No work produced or sourced by any commercial means will be accepted. Ceramics from commercial molds are disqualified. Any article in any media using a commercial kit or commercially available plans or patterns is not allowed. Ready-made components are acceptable only where their importance is subordinate to the skill and design contributed by the maker and where the use is clearly appropriate to the nature and design of the work.
- Articles made from molds are acceptable only where the mold is the design and product of the artist or craftsperson or where the mold is evidently subordinate to the maker’s creativity. Unfinished items, raw materials and other such items cannot be sold at the Summer Show. Soaps and body products as well as food products are ineligible.
How your work is assessed
Muskoka Arts & Crafts has deep respect for all who create. A jury assesses the applications and work is juried within a media category.
Originality in conception and execution, quality of workmanship and excellence of design are the primary criteria by which the submitted work is evaluated. Traditional items may have a greater emphasis on craftsmanship than on innovation and exploration of materials. Both approaches are equally valid.
The jury reserves the right to decide about the appropriateness of all work to be included in the show. Only work similar to that which was juried is allowed into the show. The decisions of the jury are final.
Insurance
You are responsible for your own liability insurance. A copy of your public liability certificate of insurance with a minimum amount of two million dollars must be submitted after you have been accepted. Failure to submit a certificate of insurance will result in forfeiting your booth. More information can be found in the Exhibitor Information Package that will be sent to you upon acceptance of your application.Application Details
Applications for the 2021 Summer Show will open in January 2021. In order to be considered, your application must include:
- A completed Application Form (either digital or mail-in).
- Ten recent images that represent the style and quality of work that will be exhibited and sold at the Summer Show, plus one image of your booth.
- If applicable, a copy of the permission agreement to use copyrighted images.
- Booth fees, payable online or by cheque.
- Emerging Young Artists must submit proof of post-secondary school enrollment and age.
- A stamped, self-addressed envelope if you want your materials returned or do not have email.
You will be notified of your application status in April. If your work has been accepted, your booth fee payment will be due at that time. You will be sent an Exhibitor Information Package, which includes pertinent information about the show and a receipt for your booth fees.
FAQs
How many booths are available?
Muskoka Arts & Crafts believes in hosting high quality shows and maximizing each exhibitor’s sales, therefore, a maximum of 200 booths are available. Muskoka Arts & Crafts reserves the right not to book all the booths.
What size are the booths?
There are two sizes of booths:
Regular Booths have a guaranteed measurement of a 10’ frontage with a 10’ depth. NOTE: Due to the Town of Bracebridge mandating a change in the layout of the show, extra space is no longer available for the majority of regular booths. The only exception will be those that must fit around a curve; these booths may have a wider front.
Big MAC Booths have a guaranteed measurement of a 22’ frontage and a 10’ depth. Some Big MAC booths are corner booths. Big MAC booths are only located in the center aisles of the show.
What equipment am I required to provide for my booth?
This is an outdoor show and many locations are in direct sunlight. A canopy or shelter is recommended to provide protection from the sun and rain. You must provide your own equipment, including canopies, chairs, backdrops and display stands. Vehicles or trailers are not permitted to be part of your booth display.
Electricity is not available in the park.
How should booths be designed?
A flexible booth design is highly recommended as the ground for some booths may not be level and natural irregularities within the park ultimately affect the final layout of the booths. Bring shims to level your booth and/or display stands as well as suitable stakes to securely anchor your canopy to the ground.
All exhibits, display materials and chairs must remain within the assigned space. All demonstrations, signs and distribution of promotional materials must be confined to the limits of your booth.
At Muskoka Arts & Crafts, we believe in the value of handmade work. To maintain this integrity, signs offering Discounts, Sales, No HST, Show Specials, Reduced Prices or other signs of this nature are not permitted and you will be asked to remove the sign from your display. Any sign that is part of your display must be within the confines of your contracted space and must not obstruct other booths or come out into the aisles.
Can I share a booth?
While Muskoka Arts & Crafts strongly recommends that exhibitors apply with only one medium, two exhibitors working in the same or different media may apply to share a single booth. Exhibitors may choose to have their applications juried together (to be accepted into the Summer Show, the work of both exhibitors must be approved by the jury) or separately (if the work of one exhibitor is not accepted, the other exhibitor, if accepted, can continue as a solo exhibitor). Exhibitors who apply to have their work juried separately must each complete a separate application.
NOTE: Only Regular Booths can be shared.
When can I set up and take down?
Is security available?
What insurance do I need?
You are responsible for your own liability insurance. A copy of your public liability certificate of insurance, with a minimum amount of 2 million dollars must be submitted after you have been accepted. You must name Muskoka Arts & Crafts Inc. as an additional insured.
Muskoka Arts & Crafts, its employees, volunteers, directors, agents or representatives are not responsible for any damage, breakage or theft of your work, booth, display props or other business or personal property, personal injuries or expense of any nature whatsoever which may be suffered by you or any third party. May 31 is the deadline to send a copy of your public liability certificate of insurance to Muskoka Arts & Crafts. Failure to submit a certificate of insurance will result in forfeiting your booth.
What happens if I cancel or leave early?
If you cancel your application:
Ten percent of the booth fees are withheld if you cancel between March 1 and April 30. For cancellations received between May 1 and June 15, twenty-five percent of the booth fees are withheld. For cancellations received between June 16 and June 30, fifty percent of the booth fees are withheld. Booth fees will not be refunded for any cancellations received between July 1 and July 17. Booth fees are not refunded if an exhibitor fails to attend the show or leaves early.
If MAC cancels your application:
Muskoka Arts & Crafts reserves the right to cancel any exhibitor’s participation in the show in accordance with the Summer Show Policy. Refunds will not be issued for events beyond the control of Muskoka Arts & Crafts, for those exhibitors whose behaviour is detrimental or for those who fail to submit a valid public liability certificate of insurance.
If you leave before the show is over:
You must have your exhibit intact and open for all three days of the show. Under no circumstances should you close your booth early or take it down during show hours without first consulting the Executive Director who is present at the Information Booth from Thursday to Sunday. If you experience an illness or personal emergency that requires you to leave early, Muskoka Arts & Crafts will
assist in helping you leave as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Can I camp overnight?
No, overnight camping in the park is not permitted. Bracebridge has many options for overnight accommodation. Please visit Muskoka Tourism and the Bracebridge Chamber of Commerce for a list of hotels, motels, bed & breakfasts and campgrounds.
Become a Vendor
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