Information For All Artists

General Information for the 2021 Virtual Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair and Market

New Terminology

Online applications and payments are now submitted at ZAPP® at www.zapplication.org  The ZAPP® online application system uses terminology which is slightly different from the terminology that long-time applicants may be used to. For consistency, the ZAPP® terms are used in all of the application documents.

Eligibility

• Adult artists must be 18 years of age or older at the time of application.
• All applicants are required to have a copy of a tribal enrollment form, tribal ID or artisan letter from a federally or officially State-recognized tribe on file with the Heard Museum Library.
• A copy of proof of tribal enrollment is required for all first-time applicants.

The Heard Museum and Heard Museum Guild comply with the requirements of the Indian Arts & Crafts Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-644) which makes it illegal to market an art or craft item in a manner that falsely suggests it is Indian-produced. Under the Act, an Indian is defined as a member of any federally or officially State recognized Indian Tribe, or an individual certified as an Indian by an Indian Tribe.

For information: U.S. Department of the Interior, Indian Arts and Crafts Board – www.doi.gov/iacb/act

Virtual Booth Information

A virtual booth consists of a landing page on the 2021 Virtual Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair and Market website. On this page you may include a short bio, a materials and technique statement, an image of yourself, 3 images of your work, a brief video clip, and a link to your website, Facebook page, or Instagram account. During the Virtual Fair, you may only sell art in the primary and secondary categories in which you were accepted.

Media Categories

Each artist may apply in up to two (2) categories. A separate application and processing fee is required for each category entered.

Primary Category – An artist must be juried and accepted in the first (primary) category to receive a booth assignment, sell artwork, and enter Juried Competition in that category.

Secondary Category -To sell art work and enter Juried Competition in a second (secondary) category, an artist must be juried and accepted in that category.

• 2-Dimensional Art
• Baskets
• Diverse Art Forms (includes beadwork and quillwork)
• Jewelry and Lapidary Work 
• Personal Attire and Accessories
• Pottery
• Pueblo Carvings
• Sculpture (includes fetish carvings)
• Weavings and Textiles

*Refer to Juried Competition Entry Guidelines below for specific information

Collaborating Artists Policy

All artists who collaborate on single pieces of art must be identified.  Each collaborator must be juried and invited to participate in the Fair, and must pay the virtual booth fee.

Youth Artists Policy

• Youth Artists, 17 years old and under, may apply to sell their work on their relatives’ website, Facebook page or Instagram account. Youth Artists do not have landing pages for security and safety reasons.
• All Youth Artists, ages twelve (12) to seventeen (17) years old, may enter Juried Competition.
• A separate application must be submitted for each youth artist.
• There is a $5.00 processing fee for each Youth Artist.
• A copy of proof of tribal enrollment is required for all first-time applicants.
• Youth artists may apply online at www.zapplication.org
• To request a paper application for a Youth Artist, or for questions, please contact the Exhibitors Committee.

Images Required of Applicants  (Does not apply to Artists Exempt From Jury)

Four (4) images are required of applicants, showing at least three (3) different pieces which are representative of what you will be selling at the Fair, plus a fourth image which is either a detail of a piece or a fourth piece. Do not include ANY identifying information in your images. See Rules/Regulations regarding possible disqualification.

Photographing Your Work

It’s important to show your work to its best advantage. While a professional photographer will provide you with beautiful images, you can still take great shots of your own work, if you remember a few basic practices:

• Bright, indirect or diffused light is best. Take advantage of a bright, overcast day to take shots outdoors.

• Make sure you angle the camera with respect to your art piece, so that there is no distortion.
• Practice holding steady or use a tripod. Use the focus function.
• Take multiple shots.
• A good photo editing app can fix some problems.

These two video tutorials are good starting points, showing how to use a smartphone and a free phone app to photograph your work. You will find many more on Youtube.
iPhone Photography: Documenting your 2D Art on a Budget – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0g4a1Ge-Ds
Photographing your 3D Art with an iPhone/Smartphone – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMaUhKJgQv0

How Artists Are Chosen to Participate

We maintain a “blind,” closed jury system. Jurors will be viewing the work on computer monitors. Each category is judged by three jurors with extensive expertise in the category. Scoring scale is from 1 to 10, with a minimum score of four (4) to be qualified. For this year’s Virtual Fair, any artist who receives a score of 4 or above will be invited to participate. Artists who won awards in 2020, and certain artists with a working relationship with the Museum are invited to participate and are exempt from the jury process.

Rules and Regulations

Download the 2021 Rules and Regulations here.

Juried Competition

General Information

All artists accepted in the 2021 Heard Museum Guild Virtual Indian Fair and Market may enter the Juried Competition. While the 2021 Fair is a virtual art market, we plan to host a live juried competition along with a live and virtual exhibition and sale (participation in the sale is optional). We are delighted that we already have pledges for over 90% of the $76,150 for awards. The Entry Guidelines will be updated to include instructions for shipping or delivering art to the Heard as well as details about the exhibition and sale once they are finalized. All artwork must be accompanied by the 2021 Juried Comp Entry Form, which will be posted as soon as it is ready. Artists must comply with the 2021 Classifications and Divisions document and the 2021 Standards document.

Judges are invited from a wide variety of fields and have in-depth experience in judging artwork. Judges may include experienced American Indian artists, curators, gallery directors, educators, and collectors.

Awards

The following documents give information about the:

• Special Awards: the Conrad House Innovation Award, Idyllwild Arts Imagination Award, and the Indian Arts and Crafts Association Commemorative Award as well as the definition of Classification XI: Open Standards.
• A Flowchart of award paths to Best of Show.
• A Special Awards list of award types and amounts.

All adult award winners will be invited to the next year’s Indian Fair & Market.

Questions? Email us at juriedcomp@heardguild.org.

Toby Schmich, Chair, Juried Competition

Native American Artists Resource Collection

The Heard Museum Library maintains the Native American Artists Resource Collection of biographical and professional information. Artists are the best source for accurate information.  Visit the Library’s website, where you can search the online collection and download an artist questionnaire.

back to the top