PROSPECTUS

Women & Textiles Expo   Saturday, March 23, 2019

Wearable Arts Runway Show and Makers Marketplace

(apply to one or both categories)

Call Type: Festival

Eligibility: Regional

State: Massachusetts

Festival date: March 23, 2019

Open:  10:00am – 8:00pm

Location: UTEC (United Teen Equality Center) 35 Warren St. Lowell, MA 01852

Entry Fee: $20 non-refundable fee to Makers’ Marketplace

                 $75 non-refundable booth fee for accepted marketplace makers

                 $20 non-refundable fee for Wearable Arts Runway Show

Applicants must be 18 years and older.

This is a Juried application process

Do Not Apply if you have conflicts with these dates.

CALENDAR

• Entry Submission deadline:   January 15, 2019

• Decision notification: January 20, 2019

• Confirmation Contract due:  January 31, 2019

• Wait List Status Change Notification begins February 1, 2019

• Mandatory Runway Show Dress Rehearsal: Friday, March 22, 6:00pm

• Wearable Arts Runway Show: 6:30 - 7:30 pm

ABOUT

Women & Textiles Expo Is a day-long event celebrating the many ways in which women are at the forefront of the handmade textile movement as leaders, designers, makers, textile engineers, authors, and purveyors of culture. The day includes presentations, hands-on workshops, installation art, a maker marketplace and an innovative wearable arts runway show.

We welcome women and those who identify as women to participate.

JURY

Jurors will be chosen from a pool of fiber / textile experts.

Work will be judged from digital images. Work which differs significantly from the image representing it will be disqualified.

SELECTION

Selection will be based on the overall quality of the work and its compliance with the standards stated in “Entry Requirements”.

PARTICIPANT NOTIFICATION

All participants including the Wait List will be notified of their status in email by January 20, 2019. Women and Textiles Expo 2019 will retain the submitted images (accepted and declined) and reserves the right to use the images in publicity.  Beyond such use, the designer / maker retains full copyright of submitted images.

WAIT LIST

Should any first round participant decline, cancel or not return the Confirmation Contract by January 31, the Expo Working Group will begin to notify the Wait List on February 1. Wait List status change notifications will occur on an ongoing basis.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Juried participants will be featured on the Expo’s social media including Facebook and Instagram. We encourage juried participants to provide a short video taken while creating / making their work for use on social media. In addition, we ask for bios for use in printed programs distributed during the expo.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS FOR MAKER'S MARKETPLACE

• All work must be handmade.

• Any and all materials are acceptable in the construction of the entry. We encourage the use of technology, slow cloth, traditional or non-traditional materials, and eco-friendly materials in the creation of entries.

• All work must be either fiber in content or executed in a fiber technique or inspired by fiber and textiles.

• Artist must be present, no representatives allowed.

• Artist provides a short bio for publication in our event program.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

• Entries must be original work.

• Works manufactured commercially, through commercial kits, or commercial patterns will not be allowed.

• Work must be tagged with thread content and size dimensions. Washing instructions provided by maker.

BOOTH SPECIFICATIONS

• There are 20 spaces available for booths.

• Our location, UTEC (United Teen Equality Center) at 35 Warren St. Lowell, MA provides 8’ x 5’ space, and electricity for lighting and electronic devices. UTEC has made available to us six (6) of the six (6) foot tables. Please let us know if you need a table and the number of chair(s).

• Participants may not extend beyond allotted space.

• Each participant is responsible for the décor and display materials for their booth. Lighting may be used, but there are no overhead structures to attach them. We recommend floor lamps, clamp lights, or LEDs strung across extended tripods.

• Booths (and therefore the booth fee) may be shared by two participants, both participants must be juried into the show. Please email us if this is your choice.

ENTRY REQURIEMENTS FOR WEARABLE ARTS RUNWAY SHOW DESIGNERS

• Wearable Art garments must be made for a human and the human model must be able to safely climb steps and walk on a runway

• Entries must be original work; please do not enter work previously shown in New England

• Any and all materials are acceptable in the construction of the entry. We encourage the use of technology, slow cloth, traditional or non-traditional materials, and eco-friendly materials in the creation of entries.

• All work must be either fiber in content or executed in a fiber technique or inspired by fiber and textiles.

• Works manufactured commercially, through commercial kits, or commercial patterns will not be allowed.

• Designers will be allowed between 1 – 5 garments.

• All accepted designers and their models are required to attend the Mandatory Dress Rehearsal on Friday, March 22, 6pm.

• Designers provide a short bio to be published in the event program.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Wearable Arts Runway Show Designers may submit up to five (5) works. The images you submit should be representative of the type of work you will be displaying on the runway. In the case of those designers that do not normally make wearable art, a combination of drawings, descriptions, and images of your current work will suffice.

For each work submitted, designers must provide a brief description including dimensions, materials, and techniques.

AWARD CATEGORIES

Professional: Career Designers who make garments, either one of a kind or production. This category will be judged on workmanship, creativity and design.

Experimental:  Open to all designers, including those who do not or have not ever made wearable art. This category will be judged on the creative use of materials both traditional and non-traditional.

Student:  This category is for current enrolled students either college or high school. This category will be judged on successful realization and execution of an idea.

CASH AWARDS

• Best in Show  $250

• Best Professional  $100

• Best Experimental Design  $100

• Best Student: $100

MODELS

Designers are expected to arrange for their own models. We encourage designers to design for models of various shapes and diverse heritage. If you have trouble arranging for a model, please contact us. women.textiles@gmail.com

Mandatory Dress Rehearsal

There are no exceptions to the following statement:  All designers, models, make-up and completed garments must be present for the Mandatory Dress Rehearsal at UTEC Lowell (44 Warren St. Lowell, MA) by 6pm on Friday night, March 22, 2019.  Lack of attendance at the dress rehearsal signals removal from the program.

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria