NewBo Art Fest 2026

CALL FOR ARTISTS! The NewBo Art Fest 2026 will take place

Sunday, Labor Day Weekend, September 6, 2026

at the NewBo City Market lawn, 1100 3^rd Street SE, Cedar Rapids, IA

in the heart of the in the New Bohemia 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, coffee shops, local wine and beer bar, popcorn and ice cream, international music, art and performance venues. Specialty shops that include a book store, clothing stores, gift shops, guitar store, thrift furniture, yoga studios, a running shoe store, a record vinyl store, artists’ studios and art galleries.

 

• 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 at newboartfest@gmail.com

 

• 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

 

 

DATE	DESCRIPTION	DETAILS
FEBRUARY	OPEN CALL	$35.00  Early Bird
MARCH	OPEN CALL	$35.00  Early Bird
APRIL 30 -  MAY 31	OPEN CALL	Submission fee raise to $45.00 on April 30th
JUNE 1	SUBMISSION DEADLINE	Submissions close at midnight
JUNE 2-5	Artist selection by Jurors	JUNE 2, 3, 4, 5
JUNE 6	Artist Notification	June 6
JUNE 20	$100.00 Deposits due   Bios, head shots, art images due	June 20th
JULY	Get ready! Make art! Curate your booth!
AUGUST 1st	No refunds for cancellations
SEPTEMBER 6	NBAF	SEPTEMBER 6, 2026 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 newboartfest@gmail.com

 

AWARDS

Judges will determine 1st, 2nd and 3rd place at the festival.

The three judges are local art professionals.

 

Criteria for judging : quality and execution, 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 NewBo City Market parking and walkways so there is no staking available.

No electricity supplied for the booths.

No water is supplied to the booths.

No generators are accepted for booths – solar panels and batteries 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
• Iowa Ceramic Center activity
• Live music
• 2x2xU Outdoor art gallery
• Face Painting
• NextGen Artist Invitational – for emerging high school artists

 

SCHEDULE

6:30am September 6, 2026 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 Corridor 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 one block away from the NewBo City Market grounds. 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 newboartfest@gmail.com 319-431-2669.

 

FESTIVAL HOURS   9 AM - 4 PM,  SEPTEMBER 6, 2026

 

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, 2026, in order to have your $100.00 deposit returned.

Cancellations after August 1, 2026 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 newboartfest@gmail.com

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 newboartfest@gmail.com

 We look forward to seeing your applications and meeting many of you in September!

 

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