Art Market Rules and Regulations

Thank you for your interest in applying as a vendor for the Art Squared Arts Market. Please read the following Rules and Regulations thoroughly before you submit your application. The Art Squared Arts Market is held on the second Saturday of each month from 9am to 4pm from March through December (9am-2pm in July and August) at the historical Hays County Courthouse lawn located at 150 E. Hopkins St. All interested vendors must receive prior approval before participating.

Artwork

All art work for sale must be handcrafted by the vendor and must fall into the following categories: ceramics, glass, graphics/printmaking, metalwork, photography, wood, drawing/pastels, jewelry (ornamental/costume), jewelry (precious metals), sculpture, fiber/textiles/batik, fiber (wearables), leather, painting (oil/acrylic), painting watercolor), upcycle/recycle, and mixed media. No imports or resale items are allowed. All items to be sold must be pre-approved through the application and jury process. Please remember that Art Squared is a family market that strives to be a peaceful, communal experience for everyone. NO PROFANE OR OVERT, DIVISIVE POLITICAL STATEMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED INTO THE MARKET. If you apply and are accepted with one type of art, then bring another, offensive type of art to the market, you will be asked to leave and removed from the approved vendor list.

Jury Process

All submissions must be juried by a committee from images that are submitted by the vendor. The New Vendor Application asks for your art website or other social media that represents your art. This may be used instead of submitting images for our jury. If you do not have an online presence, you must email three (3) images to the Market Director at artsquared@artleaguesmtx.org. Images of work to be considered must be representative of the items that will be sold at the Arts Market. Certain criteria such as creativity and originality, popular and/or aesthetic appeal, and technical skill will be used in determining acceptance. Art Squared reserves the right to decline approval based on over-representation of one or more type of artwork already confirmed to be available at the Arts Market. If this occurs, the vendor will be placed on a waiting list.

Items that may not be sold include, but are not limited to, perfume, cosmetics, supplements, weight loss products, cleaning products, marketing products, and other items deemed inappropriate by the Art Squared Planning Committee. To sell t-shirts, the artwork on the shirts must be original, and vendors must have an array of products in addition to t-shirts, showing original artwork. Submission of an application does not guarantee acceptance. Art Squared reserves the right to refuse work that is not consistent with the submitted images and the vendor may be asked to leave the Arts Market with no refund.

Please note: if you participated prior to 2023, but have not participated in subsequent markets, you must re-apply and go through the jury process.

Art Squared is a fine arts and fine crafts market. The jury seeks artists and artisans who are accomplished in their medium, who are original and exciting in their ideas, and who will be an asset to the market overall. Originality and workmanship are highly favored, especially in over-represented categories such as jewelry. If you have questions on whether your product would be acceptable, you are encouraged to visit the Art Squared Facebook page to see pictures of past markets.

CLOSED CATEGORIES

NOTE: We reserve the right to close overly saturated categories from new applications at any point during the market season. Closed categories will be listed here. As of right now all categories of art are open for applications.

First Time Vendor

First Time Vendors must complete the New Vendor application and submit images of their work for review. If you have a website or social media presence that focuses on your art, then that is sufficient. Otherwise, new applicants must email three (3) images to the Market Director at artsquared@artleaguesmtx.org. A one-time, non-refundable application fee of $10 is required upon submission. Once approved by the jury committee, you will be added to the vendor mailing list, and will receive monthly emails in the weeks prior to each market asking for you to confirm your participation and pay the booth fee.  Booth fees are $45.

PLEASE NOTE: Fees paid online are subject to a small convenience fee to help cover costs.

Once accepted into the market, all booth payments must be received by the Wednesday prior to each month's market date.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a fine arts and fine crafts market. If you are not an artist or a fine artisan, your work may not be accepted into the market. You are encouraged to visit the Facebook page of Art Squared to see pictures of previous markets.

Privacy Policy

The San Marcos Art League collects names, email addresses and mailing addresses for the sole purpose of informing members and vendors about upcoming events.  If payments are made with a credit card, no account numbers are kept.  Information is only obtained for payment of vendor booth fees, membership fees, and date of event participation.

Images

All applicants are required to submit three (3) images of their artwork, unless their work is represented on a website or social media platform. Images must be representative of the items that will be sold at the Arts Market.

Fees

All Booth Fees MUST be received no later than the Wednesday prior to event indicated.

Booth fee is $45 per event;
(optional) San Marcos Art League Membership is $35 per year (www.artleaguesmtx.org)

Booth Requirements

All vendor spaces are approximately 10 ft. X 10 ft. and are located on a grassy surface. TENTS ARE REQUIRED; white is preferred.  All tents must be anchored with weights; stakes are not allowed. Entire display including ropes, supports, etc. must be within these boundaries. All vendors must bring their own supplies, including tables, chairs and table cloths. All tables must have a table covering and must be floor length to cover storage area under table. All vendors should display their name and/or business name at their booth. Electricity will not be provided. Generators are acceptable but must be quiet and as fume-free as possible. Please note that the market is held in a grassy area which may be uneven in places.

Cancellations & Refunds

Cancellations must be made as soon as possible to the market administrator by email (artsquared@artleaguesmtx.org).  Booth fees will be credited towards the NEXT market date ONLY; no refunds are given. No-shows forfeit their booth fees. Booth fees not used by December will NOT transfer to the following year.

If the Arts Market event is officially cancelled due to inclement weather, credits will be granted for the next scheduled event.

Texas Sales Tax Permits

It is the responsibility of the vendor to have a Texas Sales and Use Tax permit and have it available upon request. To obtain a permit visit the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts at https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/permit/. Please note that it may be very costly to operate without a permit. The Comptroller may assess daily penalties for operating without a permit.

Set-Up/Take-Down

Set-up is scheduled the morning of the event from 7:30am to 9am. Your booth must be completely set up by 9am, when the market starts. Take down may not begin until 4pm (or 2pm in July and August). All vendors are required to be present for the duration of the event, except in cases of medical emergency or if prior arrangements have been made with the Market Director. Vendors who set up late or take down early may not be approved for subsequent markets.

Restrooms/Use of Courthouse Building

Air-conditioned restrooms are located inside the Courthouse Building. The Courthouse is opened from 9am - 4pm only, and is patrolled by County Constables. Building access is strictly limited to first floor only; anyone entering the second floor will be banned from future markets.

Event Cancellation

Art Squared is an outdoor market, and all events will be held rain or shine. In the event of heavy rain, lightning or extreme weather conditions, the Arts Market will delay, reschedule, or cancel the event. Notices of changes will be posted on the Facebook event page and email notice will be sent out. Booth fees are non-refundable, but in the case of event cancellation, they will be CREDITED for participation in the next month’s market.

Smoking/Alcohol/Music

The consumption of alcohol and smoking or vaping are prohibited during all Art Squared Arts Market events.

Live music is provided throughout the day by the Farmer’s Market and the Art Squared Market. Therefore, no music is allowed inside individual vendor tents during market hours. Please respect the airspace that you share with fellow vendors. Vendors who do not comply with these rules will be asked not to return.

Parking

You can park around the Square when you are loading and unloading, but we ask that you move your vehicle to another spot away from the courthouse during the event. This will help to open up parking spaces for visitors to the market and surrounding businesses. After the event you can move back to the Square to load. Parking is on a "first come basis" downtown. Art Squared Arts Market does not have a designated parking area for vendors. For questions about parking, see Market Director or Art League assistant in the Information Booth.

Contact

For additional information or questions regarding the application process, please contact the market administrator at artsquared@artleaguesmtx.org.

Additional Terms and Conditions

Each vendor is responsible for cleaning up their space at the end of the market.·        

Each vendor is responsible for paying all sales tax collected from sales made at the market to the appropriate entities.

Neither the San Marcos Art League, Art Squared Arts Market, nor Hays County will be held responsible or liable for damage or theft to vendor’s property.

Pictures of vendors and/or vendor’s work may be used on social media to promote the Arts Market at any time.

As a participant of the Arts Market, each vendor agrees to contribute to marketing efforts by any means at their disposal, to include, but not be limited to, social media networks and email distribution lists.