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2026 Holiday Market
Call for Art

Looking for the perfect place to share your handmade goods this holiday season? ShenArts is excited to announce our second annual Holiday Market, a festive shopping experience featuring artwork, handcrafted gifts, and creative treasures made by local and regional artists.

Whether you create ceramics, fiber art, jewelry, wearable art, prints, postcards, greeting cards, ornaments, magnets, home décor, candles, woodworking, paper goods, or other handmade creations, we encourage you to apply. This market celebrates creativity in all its forms, and your work does not need to fit within a traditional fine art category to be considered.

As holiday shoppers often seek affordable and giftable items, artists are encouraged to include a range of price points whenever possible. Smaller works, functional pieces, and stocking-sized treasures are especially welcome.

To help keep the market fresh and varied, original wall art may not be duplicated. For all other accepted items, artists may submit up to five duplicates of each accepted design or product (for a total of six of any accepted item). All pieces must be clearly labeled, including edition or variation numbers when applicable (for example: Mug Design A – 1/6, 2/6, 3/6, etc.).

If a particular item sells out during the market, ShenArts may contact you to discuss restocking. Please do not bring additional inventory beyond your accepted work unless requested by gallery staff.

Join us in creating a warm, joyful shopping experience that supports artists while helping visitors find meaningful, handmade gifts for everyone on their list. We can't wait to see what you create!

Submission Requirements

  • Open to artists and makers working in all mediums.

  • Work does not need to be traditional fine art; handmade and artist-designed goods are encouraged.

  • Artists may submit original handmade items, small-batch artist-made products, and reproductions of their own original artwork.

  • All submitted work must be the original design and creation of the artist.

  • Submission images should accurately represent the items being entered.

  • Artists may submit multiple types of products.

  • ShenArts reserves the right to decline work that does not match submitted images, is not presentation-ready, or is deemed unsuitable for the market.

Accepted Work

We welcome a wide variety of handmade and artist-created goods, including:

  • Ceramics and pottery

  • Fiber art

  • Wearable art and accessories

  • Jewelry

  • Prints

  • Greeting cards

  • Postcards

  • Magnets

  • Stickers

  • Ornaments

  • Woodworking

  • Glass art

  • Mixed media work

  • Home décor

  • Small sculptures

  • Artist books and zines

  • Handmade paper goods

  • Candles

  • Holiday-themed items

  • Other handmade or artist-designed giftable products

Duplicate Policy

  • Original wall art may not be duplicated.

  • Non-wall-art items may include up to five duplicates of each accepted design or product (six total of any accepted item).

  • Each duplicate must be individually labeled.

  • Artists are encouraged to submit a variety of items rather than large quantities of a single product.

Pricing

  • Artists are encouraged to offer a range of price points suitable for holiday shoppers.

  • Smaller, giftable, and affordable items are strongly encouraged.

  • All work must be priced at the time of submission, no price changes may be made at the time of drop off. 

  • ShenArts handles all promotion and sales and takes a 30% commission of the retail price. No price changes will be accepted at drop off. Any price changes must be submitted and approved 7 days before drop off.

Labeling Requirements

All items must be clearly labeled and include:

  • Artist name

  • Title or item description

  • Retail price

  • Inventory number or variation number when applicable

Examples:

  • Blue Floral Mug 1/6

  • Blue Floral Mug 2/6

  • Winter Rabbit Ornament 1/6

  • Winter Rabbit Ornament 2/6

Items without proper labeling may not be accepted.

Drop-Off Requirements

  • All work must arrive clean, complete, and ready for display.

  • Packaging should be neat and appropriate for retail presentation.

  • Fragile items should be clearly identified.

  • Wall-hung artwork must arrive ready to hang with professional hanging hardware.

  • Sawtooth hangers are not accepted.

  • Artists must provide an inventory sheet matching all submitted items.

  • ShenArts reserves the right to adjust display arrangements based on space limitations and sales needs.

During the Market

  • Sold work may be taken home by buyers at the time of purchase.

  • If a product sells out, ShenArts may contact artists regarding replacement inventory.

  • Additional inventory should not be brought to the gallery unless requested by staff.

  • Artists are responsible for maintaining consistent quality between submitted samples and any replacement inventory.

 

Pick-Up Requirements

  • Unsold work must be picked up during the designated pickup period.

  • Work not collected by the pickup deadline may be subject to storage limitations.

  • ShenArts is not responsible for work left beyond the designated pickup period.

Submission Guidelines:

Artwork must be ready to hang with D-rings only. NO SAWTOOTH HANGERS OR EYEHOOKS. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO NOT ACCEPT ARTWORK UPON ARRIVAL.
 
SUBMITTING PHOTOS:

All photos must be cropped and labeled in the following format:
****(example: Van Gogh_Starry Night_oil painting)***
If they are not cropped, well lit and labeled properly, they will be disqualified.

 

 

Important Dates:

Call open: July 6

Submission Deadline: October 11

Notice of Acceptance: October 19

Drop off: November 16, 3 - 6:30 pm

Opening Reception: December 4, 5 - 7 pm

Exhibit Dates: November 19 - January 11

Pick up: January 11, 4 - 6:30 pm

Submission Fee:

Members - $35

Non-Members: $45

 

Not a member yet? Become a member today!

 

Learn more about ShenArts Memberships here.

Shenandoah Arts Council

ShenArts Gallery: 128 N. Loudoun St. Winchester, VA 22601  

Hours: Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday 12-5 PM

Friday & Saturday 12-8 PM

 540-667-5166  |  info@shenarts.org

 

 

Nonprofit 501(c)(3)

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