01/19/2025
Here it is! NewBo Art Fest 2025
CALL FOR ARTISTS! The NewBo Art Fest 2025 will take place Sunday, Labor Day Weekend, August 31, 2025, in the heart of Cedar Rapids, IA, in the New Bohemia Arts & Entertainment District.
To submit click https://client.smarterentry.com/NBAF
The New Bohemia District is a Mainstreet historical area that includes : local food vendors and restaurants serving Mexican, Indian, Korean, hamburgers, grilled cheese, a bakery, pizza, chocolates, coffee shop, juice bar, local wine and beer bar, popcorn and ice cream, international music, art and performance venues. Specialty shops that include a book store, bicycle store, clothing stores, gift shops, guitar store, skateboard shop, second hand furniture, yoga studios, a running shoe store, a record vinyl store, artists’ studios and art galleries. See a complete list of businesses, restaurants, bars and attractions at https://crmainstreet.org/
- The NewBo Art Fest is a juried show.
- Space is limited to only 40 Openings
- The submission fee is $35.00 Early Bird and then $45.00 after the early bird deadline (all submission fees are non-refundable)
- Booth Fee : FREE….Yes, FREE!
Our sponsors have made it a priority to support the arts in Cedar Rapids and feel that FREE artist booths makes our fest unique and exemplifies our true bohemian spirit.
SUBMISSIONS
- Any problems submitting contact Anne Stamats @ [email protected]
- Artists may share a booth but must submit separately for judging. If both artists wanting to share a booth are both invited to participate, please tell the fest committee so that the booth count and parking spaces are correct.
IMPORTANT DATES
JANUARY 13, 2025
OPEN CALL $35.00 Early Bird
FEBRUARY
OPEN CALL $35.00 Early Bird
MARCH
OPEN CALL $35.00 Early Bird
Early Bird submission fee ends April 18th
APRIL
OPEN CALL
Submission fee raises to $45.00 on April 19th
MAY 15th
SUBMISSION DEADLINE Submissions close
May 15th at midnight
MAY Artist selection by Jurors
May 16th, 17th 18th
Artist Notification May 19th
JUNE $100.00 Deposits due
Bios, head shots, art images due June 1th
JULY Get ready! Make art! Curate your booth!
AUGUST 1st No refunds for cancellations
AUGUST 31th, 2025 NBAF AUGUST 31, 2025
9am to 4pm
DEPOSIT
For artists who are invited to participate in the fest, there will be a $100.00 deposit required to hold your space. Your original deposit check will be returned when you arrive at the fest. It will not be cashed unless you do not show up.
ACCEPTABLE WORK
- Original work created by you.
- 2D, 3D, paintings, sculpture, fabric, clay, glass, metal, paper, multimedia, photography, wood, stone, precious stones, digital/graphics. (Did we forget anything? 😊)
- Limited editions are preferred in photography, etching, lithography, etc.
- An artist may submit more than one medium, but each medium must be submitted separately and juried separately.
No Commercial products or products from a commercial kit are allowed.
Past participation in the festival does not guarantee participation from year to year.
5 photos will be required for submission. One photo must be of your booth set-up. If you do not have a photo of your booth, please contact Anne Stamats at [email protected]
AWARDS
Judges will determine 1st, 2nd and 3rd place at the festival.
The three judges are local art professionals.
Criteria for judging : quality and ex*****on, uniqueness of your art and booth design
1st Place = $500.00
2nd Place = $250.00
3rd Place = $150.00
TENTS
A single space is 10’x10’
The booths are set up on the street so there is no staking.
There is no electricity supplied for the booths.
No water is supplied to the booths.
No generators are accepted for booths – solar panels are fine.
Artists MUST provide their own tent, tables, chairs, and display materials.
Each tent will be required to have tent weights. 60-80 lbs. per pole is recommended in case of wind and to prevent injury and/or damage to other booths and the crowd.
Tent sides are recommended in case of rain. There is no rain date.
EVENTS AT THE FEST
- Artist Booths
- Sculpture Invitational in the Cherry Building
- Iowa Ceramic Center activity for attendees
- Live music
- 2x2xU Outdoor art gallery
- Kid Discovery Zone
- Face Painting
- NextGen Artist Invitational – for emerging high school artists
SCHEDULE
6:30am August 31, 2025 Check-in and set up begins
Please note : artists will have a “staggered check in time and entrance” to improve the flow of setting up and exiting the booth/tent area.
The NewBo Corroidor Running event will be the same day.
Entrance and exit to and from tent locations TBD
Participants will receive a map showing entrance and exit to the festival, booth spaces and parking location.
Artists will have reserved parking spaces. Each space will be marked with your booth number and name. Your booth number and parking space number will be the same.
NO cars are allowed to be parked within the festival grounds. Volunteers will be available to help unload and load if needed. Please unload your car and remove your vehicles from the fest area before setting up. There will be volunteers to watch your booth materials while you park your car.
Artists MUST HAVE THEIR DISPLAY SET UP COMPLETED NO LATER THAN 8:45am.
If you need additional time to set up, please make arrangements with Anne Stamats at [email protected] 319-431-2669.
FESTIVAL HOURS 9 AM - 4 PM, AUGUST 31, 2025
6:30 AM Check-in begins
Artists are allowed to start set-up. Artists should check in, locate their space, unload and remove vehicles from the street before setting up.
Artists should check-in no later than 7:30am, and MUST HAVE THEIR DISPLAY SET NO LATER THAN 8:45 AM.
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM NEWBO ART FESTIVAL
4:00 PM Breakdown
starts at 4pm and must be completed by 6:00pm.
Artists should NOT start booth breakdown prior to 4pm.
Artists are required to remove all equipment: tent, tables, chairs, displays, art.
All garbage should be removed with your booth.
VOLUNTEERS
Volunteers will be on site to answer questions and assist artists as needed throughout the day.
CUSTOMER PAYMENT OPTIONS
Please be prepared to accept payments with Apple Pay, Venmo, Credit Cards, PayPal, Square, cash etc. Just remember there is no electricity supplied to the booths.
SALES TAX
Each artist is personally responsible for the collection and reporting of Iowa State and Linn County Tax (7.0%).
LIABILITY
The NewBo Art Festival, New Bohemia Group, LLC, NewBo City Market nor the City of Cedar Rapids is responsible or liable for any loss, theft or injury incurred by any artist.
ARTIST RESPONSIBILITIES
Artists are responsible for keeping their area presentable and clean, and not allowing trash or debris to accumulate throughout the day.
CANCELLATIONS POLICY
All cancellations should be made in writing or by email, and must be received by Saturday, August 1, 2025, in order to have your $100.00 deposit returned.
Cancellations after August 1, 2025 will not be refunded.
Note : only artists invited to participate in the fest will be required to send in a $100.00 deposit to hold their space. The NewBo Art Fest will return the artists’ deposit check when they show up for the fest after your tent is set up. Checks will not be cashed ahead of time.
ALTERNATES
Yes, there will be an alternate list organized by medium.
SPECIAL NEEDS Please indicate any special needs, such as wheelchair access, etc. in an email to [email protected] Any other needs related to the display of art are the responsibility of the artist.
This letter and application outline our policies and expectations.
If you have additional questions, please email us at [email protected]. We look forward to seeing your applications and meeting many of you in August!
Follow us at
NewBo Art Festival on FB
Newboartfest.org
