The 2025 Webster Arts Fair
The Webster Arts Fair will be held June 6, 7 & 8, 2025. This fine arts fair is loved by artists and patrons alike for its commitment to high-quality art in a warm and friendly environment. The Fair is set on the grounds of Eden Theological Seminary in the heart of historic Webster Groves, Missouri (63119), just 10 minutes west of downtown St. Louis. Webster Groves is a charming, upscale community nestled among beautiful parks, public art installations, bistros, and boutiques. Supported by Webster Arts, a nonprofit organization, the Webster Arts Fair features top-quality original art from national and regional artists, on-site food from favorite local restaurants, non-stop live music performances, and creative activities that draw 15,000 visitors and buyers from around the region each year. The Webster Arts Fair prides itself on the hospitality shown to its artists and treating crowds to delicious food, top-notch music performances, and unique, creative activities for the whole family.
Artist Amenities
Top-Notch Artist Amenities include:
Complimentary artists meals delivered to your tent
Complimentary snacks, drinks and water delivered frequently to each booth
Booth sitters available for 15-minute breaks
Air-conditioned artist break area with flush toilets
Close, free parking
Affordable accommodations at Webster University dorms, within walking distance of the fair
24-hour security provided by Webster Groves Police Department
Easy load-in and load-out with volunteer assistance availble
150 committed volunteers
Application Details
Applications for the 2025 Webster Arts Fair will open November 8th, 2024. All artists must submit a separate application/agreement unless applying as a collaborative team. Each member of the team must be listed on the application. Each team member must be present at the show.
Important Dates:
Call for Entry deadline: 2/6/2025
Jury notifications made: 3/1/2025
Confirmation (booth fee) Deadline: 3/20/2025
Refund deadline: 4/15/2025
Set-up date: 6/6/2025
(Must be set up by 4:00 PM on 6/6/25 or forfeit space)
Show hours: Friday: 6:00 to 10:00 PM;
Saturday: 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM;
Sunday: 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Categories: Please read the category descriptions carefully. Jurors and/or the Executive Director reserve the right to reassign an artist’s chosen category. Please feel free to call or email Webster Arts with questions.
IMPORTANT: All work exhibited must be created by the applying artist in his or her own studio. Artists may ONLY exhibit work in the juried category. Jewelry may ONLY be exhibited by juried artists in the Jewelry category. You may jury in more than one category, with a separate fee for each application. Please, DO NOT jury the same work in different categories.
ALL ARTISTS: PLEASE READ THIS CAREFULLY TO AVOID MISUNDERSTANDING.
Email or call with questions.
Commercially-produced items bearing your art ARE NOT PERMITTED at the Webster Arts Fair. Examples include coasters, cutting boards, mousepads, drinking glasses or mugs, books, etc. If you have questions, please call the director for clarification.
Lab-produced note cards are permitted in limited amounts if the images reflect the photography, painting, drawing, etc., that was juried.
One card stand is permitted within the confines of the booth and must be shown in the booth image.
Webster Arts reserves the right to consult with the artist on fixtures in the booth before invitation acceptance.
Reproductions of paintings on canvas are not permitted. A limited number of lab-produced reproductions of original art are permitted. Work submitted for jury must be completed within the last 3 years.
Ceramics/Clay: All original clay and porcelain work other than jewelry. No machine-made or mass produced work is permitted. If multiple pieces of the same design are displayed, each piece must be signed.
Digital: Any original work for which the artist, using a computer, executed the original image or the manipulation of other original source material. Work must be in limited editions of 250 or less, signed and numbered on archival quality materials. Note: Traditional photographs taken through digital media should apply in the photography category.
Drawing and Pastels: Original drawings created with chalk, charcoal, pastels, pen or pencil. Prints should be properly signed in limited editions of no more than 250.
Fiber: All work crafted from fibers including basketry, embroidery, weaving, leatherwork, tapestry, and papermaking. No machine tooling, machine-screened patterns or other forms of mass production are permitted. No factory produced wearable items, regardless of additional modification or enhancement by the artist.
Glass: Hand-blown or fused. No forms of mass production are permitted. Jewelry must jury in the Jewelry category.
Jewelry: All jewelry, whether produced from metal, glass, clay, fiber, paper, plastic or other materials. No commercial casts, molds or production studio work. Work must be produced in the artist’s studio. Commercially purchased clasps or chains are acceptable.
Metal: Non-sculptural and non-jewelry metal work. No production studio work is permitted. Jewelry must jury in the Jewelry category.
Mixed Media: Works that incorporate more than one type of physical material to produce. Includes non-sculptural work as determined by the artist.
Painting: (Oil, Watercolor, Acrylic): Works created in oils, acrylics, watercolor, etc., on paper, canvas, gesso board, etc. Reproductions on canvas are not permitted.
Photography: Photographic prints made from the artist's original image, which have been processed by that artist are included in this category. Prints produced through professional/commercial labs are permitted. Photographers are required to disclose both their creative and printing processes on any prints, which have been properly signed. Work must be in limited editions of 250 or signed and numbered on archival quality materials. Significantly digitally manipulated photography should apply in Digital.
Sculpture: Three-dimensional original work done in any medium, including built-up works in wood. Jewelry must jury in the Jewelry category.
Wood: Original hand-tooled, machine-worked, turned or carved work. Jewelry must jury in the Jewelry category.
Printmaking Printmaking includes prints hand-pulled from traditional methods including etching, engraving, silkscreen, stone and plate lithography, linoleum block or woodcut. Prints should be properly signed in limited editions of no more than 250.
DIGITAL IMAGES:
- Five (5) images must be submitted for each individual media category.
- Four (4) images must be of individual pieces of work, produced within the last 3 years. No signatures or marks that identify the artist should be visible on the artwork image.
- Image number #5 must be of the artist's booth set-up, showing overall continuity and presentation of the current body of work.
- Images must be in 1920 x 1920 pixel format. For information on image resolution, please access zapplication.org/imaging_tips.phtml.
The fifth image is mandatory. Images must accurately represent the body of artist's work to be exhibited. This is a blind-jury process, do not submit booth images with identifiable signage or photos of the artist. IMPORTANT: Your booth image MUST accurately reflect the work to be exhibited. If your booth image shows a completely different body of work than your 4 images, your application will not be considered. If accepted into the fair, you may not exhibit work that is different than what you submitted. If you do not have a booth shot, you may use create a mock up booth digitally and explain why you do not have a booth shot. Please provide a reasonable approximation of your set up if submitting a digital rendition. Booths that vary significantly from the booth image in quality of work, type of work, or set up may be asked to leave the fair and fees will not be refunded. Please call or email with any questions.
Jurors
Roger Rimel
Roger Rimel has been a goldsmith and jewelry designer for over 40 years. He exhibits his jewelry locally and nationally, teaches workshops, and maintains a studio in St. Louis, Missouri. Eroded landforms and aerial views of agricultural patterns inspire Roger's work. Gold and silver jewelry pieces are fabricated, accented with gemstones, using techniques of fusing, forging, chasing, and reticulation. Each piece is a small-scale reflection of vast and intimate eroded surfaces.
Noriko Yuasa
Noriko Yuasa was born and raised in Yokohama, Japan. Noriko holds a BFA in Visual Communication Design from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and an MFA in Visual Studies, emphasis in Graphic Design from Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Prior to teaching at Webster University, her professional experience includes working at Duffy, New York, a Fallon Company in New York City. Projects included branding, editorial design, package design, product design and advertising. Her recent work involves nonprofit based, culturally centered projects. Her work is devoted to the development of visual language and systems for effective communication.
Jury Process
Webster Arts respects the integrity of the jury panel review process and supports the decisions made by the jurors. Webster Arts, through the Executive Director and Jury Chair, do not tamper with the decisions of the jurors, but reserve the right to determine the final composition of the show and make adjustments as necessary. The Executive Director reserves the right to invite up to five artists at her discretion.
For 2025, 100 artists will be selected for invitation. A pool of alternates is selected by the jury to be invited if space becomes available. Vacancies are filled by category. The balance of the show determines the selection of an artist from the waitlist.
Awards
The Webster Arts Fair is proud to exhibit the high-quality work of the selected artists and will be awarding one Best in Show cash prize and multiple Awards of Excellence cash prizes. Jurors will be onsite to select award winners. Award winners are also invited back for the 2026 fair without going through the jury process.
Insurance
Webster Arts requires artists to have liability insurance. We recommend ACT Insurance if you are currently looking for a policy. https://www.actinsurance.com/
Criteria
Artist must be aged 18 or older.
Work must show an identity of design and be made by hand the hand of the artist submitting the application. All work must be the original work of the accepted artist. No artwork from molds, kits or other commercial methods is allowed. Collaborative Partners must be indicated on the application questionnaire or apply separately. Collaborative partners must be materially involved in the creation of the art, and must be present at the show.
Copies from the works of masters, advertisements, vintage art or photographs, and widely circulated photographs are not considered original works of art and will not be permitted.
Work submitted for jurying must accurately reflect the work to be displayed. Booth image must reflect the setup at the show. IMPORTANT: Your booth image MUST accurately reflect the work to be exhibited. If we don't see the type of work in your booth image, you may not exhibit it. Booths that vary significantly from the booth image in quality of work, type of work, or set up will be closed. Fees will not be refunded. Please call or email with any questions.
Work should be well conceived and expertly executed without technical faults.
Plagiarism, production line art or factory-reproduced items (other than noted below) are grounds for immediate removal from the show.
While the use of AI as a tool to enhance the artistic process is permissible, the submitted artwork must be primarily the product of human creativity and skill. AI-generated art, where the primary creative process is automated, will not be considered for acceptance.
A limited number of signed reproductions may be sold, but will be displayed in portfolios and bins, (not on panels or screens) and clearly labeled as reproductions.
All 2D work on panels must be original and in frames, gallery wrapped canvas or other appropriate, professional presentation.
Notecards should be limited to no more than 10% of the display.
Commercially-produced items bearing your art ARE NOT PERMITTED at the Webster Arts Fair. Examples include coasters, cutting boards, mouse pads, drinking glasses or mugs, books, etc. If you have questions, please call the director for clarification. Lab-produced note cards are permitted in limited amounts if the images reflect the photography, painting, drawing, etc., that was juried. One card stand is permitted within the confines of the booth and must be shown in the booth image. Webster Arts reserves the right to consult with the artist on fixtures in the booth before invitation acceptance. A limited number of lab-produced reproductions of original art on paper/metal are permitted.
Work on stretched canvas should be the original art of the painter. Canvas reproductions of paintings are not permitted.
Artists may exhibit artwork only in the ONE category in which accepted.
Artists may enter multiple categories for jurying. A separate jury/application fee of $35 is required for each category entered. If accepted in multiple categories, multiple booths must be purchased (only one category may be represented in each booth).
The accepted artist must be present all three days of the show and work all fair hours. If you have applied with a collaborative partner, you may rotate shifts during the fair. Representatives, spouses or children may not attend in the artist’s place. Business partners are not considered collaborators
The Executive Director reserves the right to ask that any work that is inconsistent with the juried subject be removed.
All artists must display an artist statement that discloses their process. Artists without statements may be ineligible for awards or re-invitation.
Booth Space and Conditions
Booth space is 10' x 10' with a minimum of 6' space behind. All booths will be located on a flat, grassy area. Artists must provide their own 10’x10’ white tents which must be weighted or tied down in case of wind, with a minimum of 40-pound weights per leg. Tents may be staked. Tents may also be rented through the Webster Arts Fair.
Electricity is provided at no cost to the artist. Artists must provide their own electrical cords, which must be UL-rated, for exterior use. Artists who bring non-outdoor rated cords will not be allowed to connect to electricity. There will be no exceptions. Artists who connect to electric with non-rated cords and cause the electric grid to go down will be asked to leave, all fees forfeited, and will not be invited to return. Artists are required to provide lighting for their booth location. We encourage the use of LED lights. You may bring a fan.
Fees
Application/Jury fee: $35 Standard Booth fee: $350 Double Booth fee: $700
The application/jury fee is non-refundable. Invited artists must purchase the booth fee on ZAPP via credit card after notifications are made on or before February 28, 2025, and before the confirmation deadline of March 20, 2025. All fees are due with confirmation.
These fees do not include tents (booth) or coverings. Artists must provide their own (or rent from Webster Arts Fair for a fee) white 10’ x 10’ tents and displays.
Cancellation Information:Absolutely no booth fee refunds will be made after April 15, 2025. Special circumstances may be reviewed by the show director. Refunds before that date will be made minus a $35 administrative fee.