Anthrocon Artists' Alley
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Notice to Artists Hanging Art in the Art Show on Friday Morning: Artists Alley Sign-Ups Anthropomorphics conventions are traditionally very art-intensive, and Anthrocon is no exception. In addition to our sizeable art show, each year we set aside a place for artists to show off their work, sell prints or just sit and draw in sketchbooks. Known as Artists Alley, this area is available to all artists on a first-come, first-served basis. Space is limited, but we do our best to accommodate as many artists as possible. This year, Artists Alley will once again be sharing space with the Art Show and the Dealers Room in Hall C of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. The following are the guidelines for artists who wish to display and sell their own work in Artists Alley. The opening and closing times of Artists Alley will be posted as the convention draws closer. Members are encouraged to check the master schedule at the convention in case it is necessary to change the opening and closing times. Although we are expanding the Artists Alley this year, we unfortunately still sometimes can have more artists than we have seats available. For this reason, seats will be allotted by lottery at the beginning of each day. Having a seat one day does not guarantee a seat the next. Seats may not be "reserved" from one day to the next by leaving belongings or signs. Artists Alley signups will take place each morning in rooms 303-305 in the Convention Center. Signups will be from 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM on Friday, and 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM on Saturday and Sunday. At the end of each day's signups, all artists who have signed up should gather back in rooms 303-305. If there are fewer artists in the lottery than there are seats available, then everyone gets a seat. If there are more artists signed up than there are seats available, names will be drawn at random to determine who will be placed on the Waiting List. We will then announce the names of the artists who will receive seats in the Alley that day. YOU MUST BE PRESENT IF YOUR NAME IS CALLED TO RECEIVE A SEAT IN THE ALLEY. "Proxies" are not allowed - you must claim your seat yourself. If your name is called and you are not present, you will be placed on the Waiting List and the artist at the top of the Waiting List will receive your seat. Artists who will be using Artists Alley are reminded that, due to union restrictions, they may bring in only what they can carry on their own, or in a small 2-wheeled luggage case such as one sees in airports. As a general rule: if the case will fit in an airplane's overhead bin, it is acceptable. Please bear in mind that this is standard practice for large venues such as this one. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Seats are available to artists wishing to display and sell their own artwork. For the purposes of of Anthrocon's Artists Alley, artwork is taken to include two-dimensional media (drawings, paintings, prints) as well as three-dimensional media (crafts, costuming, etc.). If you have any questions about whether your work is eligible to sell in the Alley, contact the Artists Alley Manager at . Please note that the sale of anything other than artwork of the artist's own creation is prohibited in Artists Alley. Each artist is allotted one-half of a table. If the Alley is not full, artists may spread into any unoccupied table space, but they must be prepared to surrender that space at any time. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate people acting as agents for artists, or people reselling other people's art. Such items are for the Art Show, not for Artists Alley. Likewise, only artwork created by the artist, not general merchandise, can be displayed. Artists Alley is meant to be a showcase for the artistic talent of our fandom; it is not an inexpensive alternative to the Dealers' Room. The table must be staffed by the artist for the majority of the time the table is held by that artist (We understand that artists, like other attendees, are here to enjoy the convention and need to eat, drink, and, well, you know...). Inquiries will be made if we notice that a seat is repeatedly left vacant for long periods of time, or if a substitute is in place for longer than is reasonable, and your seat may be given to another artist for whom we had not had room. If any seated artist chooses to leave before the end of the day, they must remove all of the Artist's Copy receipts from their receipt book and turn in their receipt book to the Artists Alley cashier. At that time the cashier will attempt to contact artists on the Waiting List; the first artist on that list who can be reached will receive the vacated seat. All materials must be removed from the table when the artist checks out. Anthrocon accepts no responsibility for materials left unattended. This includes artwork, personal items, etc. We also ask artists kindly to remove any garbage before leaving the area. Because Anthrocon is charged for any usage of electrical power in the Convention Center, ELECTRICAL POWER FOR ANY REASON IS NOT AVAILABLE IN ARTISTS ALLEY. Items generating an unacceptable noise-level are strongly discouraged. This includes portable stereos, computers, handheld game units, etc. Repeated complaints of excessive noise may result in loss of seat privileges. Finally, please note that because no money is permitted to change hands between artists and customers, tip jars are not permitted in Artists Alley. Ordinarily, each vendor (defined as a person collecting monies for the sale of merchandise or services) must have a Pennsylvania sales tax license, and additionally must be registered with the local authorities through the convention for a vendor's permit. The fees for these vendor's permits are charged to the convention and the permits are currently limited in number. There would not be enough for everyone, and the costs associated with obtaining additional permits would be prohibitive. We could not conduct Artists Alley in the traditional fashion without charging exorbitant fees to the artists and compelling them to register for a license and collect sales tax. In order to allow for sales in Artists Alley, we have devised the following system. We apologize if it seems inconvenient, but the alternative is to require all artists to obtain sales tax licenses on their own, or to forbid any sales from taking place whatsoever. Anthrocon will be the centralized dealer for the entirety of Artists Alley, selling the items there on a consignment basis. We will collect the money and the necessary sales taxes, and will distribute the funds to the artists. Anthrocon is thus responsible for keeping the paperwork in order and for filing the tax forms, and everything is kept legal. The advantage to the artist is that Anthrocon is able to guarantee check payments, and is capable of accepting credit and debit cards for payment. At the end of each day, the artist walks away with cash in hand for all sales that day. Due to the strictness of the local and state laws regarding our merchants, we absolutely can not allow the direct exchange of cash for merchandise or services within the Artists Alley, or within any other area under the control of the convention. Anyone found in violation of this rule may be subject to losing Artists Alley seat privileges for a period of time. Further violations may result in expulsion from Artists Alley or from the entire convention. All decisions of this nature will be carried out by the Anthrocon Artists Alley/Con Store Manager or Artists Alley Staff as designated by the Manager. Additionally, if such a violation occurs in the presence of a state or local official who has come to monitor our activities, the guilty party will be solely responsible for fines or other legal penalties that may be imposed. Artists Alley is subject to the same rules regarding "appropriate display" as are all facets of the convention. The general rule here is that all artwork on public display must have a rating no greater than PG-13 except in clearly designated areas - and Artists Alley is not one of those clearly designated areas. If there are questions on suitability, or if discrepancies arise, the Artists Alley/Con Store Manager will have the final authority. Most artwork can be sold in the Artists Alley. Items with mature themes may be sold, provided that these items are not on public display. Adult-oriented materials must be either covered (such as with Post-it notes over the objectionable parts), or kept in a clearly marked binder that is not accessible to minors. You must also make sure that this material is discreetly handled when being viewed by customers. Please keep mature artwork in separate binders or places separated from your more "general-audience" art. Don't just have a tag between the regular and mature materials. The safe bet here is to remember that there are minors present at Anthrocon, and assuming that that little kid standing behind your "adult" customer is actually the son of the local police chief or the chairman's underaged nephew would be a sensible idea. Please remember also that there are other people out there, not just minors, that may not share your taste in art and who may be more easily offended by graphic works. Our goal is to keep the atmosphere comfortable for everyone. In case of a disagreement or problem that can not be resolved with the Artists Alley/Con Store Manager, an appeal may be made to the Convention Chair. No other person has the authority to handle an appeal, and the Chair's decision is final.
Because artists may sit in Artists Alley for all three or only one or two days of the convention, Artists Alley staff and Anthrocon cannot be held responsible for communications between artists and customers (i.e. for returning sketchbooks, commissions, etc.). We provide a small bulletin board for notes between artists and customers, but ultimately the responsibility lies on the artists and customers.
1) After yourname is called in the lottery, you will be issued a receipt book. This will be returned to us at the end of each day. Each receipt is in three parts -- white, yellow, and pink. There is a cardboard tab that you can place under each pink copy to keep the writing from going through to the next. 2) When a customer wishes to purchase a print or sketch, write out a receipt on the white copy, pressing hard enough to make sure the yellow and pink copies are made. Include YOUR NAME, the title or number of the piece(s) (or some other way by which you can identify it) and the sale price. Do not total the sale. Tear off the two copies. Keep the white one in the book and give the pink and yellow copies to the customer. Again, KEEP the white copy, GIVE the pink and yellow. 3) Send the customer to the cashier. We will total the purchase and add 7% tax. We will keep the pink slip and will give the customer a cash register sales slip. That slip will be stamped PAID and will have the number of your receipt on it. It will help to minimize lines if you suggest to the buyer that he make his rounds of the room and take all of his receipts to the sales table at one time. 4) The customer will give you the sales slip. The PAID stamp is your proof that the item was paid for. If the PAID stamp is missing, DO NOT give the customer his merchandise - there is a chance that we do not have record of the sale, and you will not receive payment from us if we do not have proof of sale. Keep that slip along with the white copy of the receipt. Give the customer his art, letting him keep the yellow slip. 1) Payments to artists will be made at the end of each day immediately after Artists Alley closes. If you wish to check out of the alley before that, you will have to wait until the end of the day to receive payment, although exceptions may be made for extenuating circumstances; contact the Artists Alley Manager if you have any questions. If you do check out early, we suggest that you check to make sure you have a "paid" sales slip for each white receipt; if not, you may still have a buyer waiting. No payments will be made in the 1-hour period prior to closing! 2) At checkout, bring your receipt book to the sales table. We will compare our pink copies against your white ones. If we are missing a receipt, your "paid" sales slip is proof that payment was made. Once all of your sales are added up we will pay you in cash for the total. Return your receipt book at this time. Congratulations, you have successfully participated in Anthrocon's Artists Alley! If you have any further questions, please e-mail the Artists' Alley staff at alley-2008(AT)anthrocon.org. Anthrocon Artists Alley rules version 5.2, June 2008 |
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