Selling your Art at AWA

The AWA Artist Alley is a place for artists to sell their original, unique and handmade wares at AWA. If you are selling items of this nature, read on! If you are selling licensed or mass produced goods, please consider selling in the Dealer’s Room.

In addition to our usual Artist Alley table offerings, Anime Weekend Atlanta is excited to announce a limited number of Artist Alley Pro tables! We understand there are a few artists that may have need for a larger display space for a variety of reasons, so we have created a new space in our artist alley to help! The space includes the same 6-foot table, 2 chairs, and 2 exhibitor badges but also includes an 8×8 space total to set up extra displays.

Please email artistalley@awa-con.com if you have questions or need further assistance!

Closed for 2023

Important Dates

  • March 4, 2023 – Application Opens

  • NOW, 2023 – Applications are closed.

  • September 1, 2023 – Deadline to Withdraw

Sale

  • No food or drink of any kind is permitted to be sold at Artist Alley tables. Dealers and food trucks with the appropriate license may sell food, but Artists may not.
  • No equipment that will produce noxious fumes is allowed. This includes, but is not limited to, t-shirt presses, welding equipment, etc. (if you are unsure about a piece of equipment, contact us at artistalley@awa-con.com).
  • No open flames permitted, including candles.
  • No squatting. If you did not pay for the table, it is not yours and you will be asked to move. If you would like to purchase a vacant table, (though we try very hard not to have any of those), please see the Artist Alley Director during the convention.
  • Each table comes with 2 chairs. Please do not move provided chairs to other tables. No more than 2 Galleria-provided chairs should be behind a table at any given time (though artists may bring additional chairs from home if they wish).
  • No third party sales.
  • Each artist must be selling their own work, not that of other people. Collaborative works (where multiple artists worked on a single project) are acceptable, but must be noted beforehand.
  • Artist Helpers are permitted to assist in sales, but must note beforehand they are not the Artist.

Adult Materials for Sale

  • If your catalogue includes material that might be considered explicit, you must cover it from underage eyes and labeled the content as such.

Fun displays, not danger displays

  • All displays must be secured and stable. Artists with wobbling stands will be asked to take them down.
  • For safety, displays should be no more than eight feet in height when measured from the floor. This will be strictly enforced, artists with displays exceeding this height will be asked to lower/take down their display.
  • Displays should not exceed the six foot width of the table including supports.
  • The Galleria does not allow anything to be adhered to walls. Violation of this rule may result in your expulsion from the Alley.

The same rules apply to the artist alley as they do the regular convention

These rules will seem familiar from the dress code/code of conduct/prop policies. That’s cuz they are!

  • Please obey all local state and federal laws inside the Alley.
  • Please adhere to all convention rules, such as the dress code, weapons policy and code of conduct.
  • The Cobb Galleria is an alcohol and smoke-free facility. No smoking or drinking of alcohol will be permitted in the Artist Alley.
  • Professionalism is a must; no running, screaming, yelling, roughhousing, sparring, etc.

The following are not permitted in the Artist Alley:

  • Duplication/Reproduction of licensed material
  • Reselling of commercial products
  • Food or drink to be sold from table as product
  • Weapons
  • Bootlegs or pirated goods
  • Mass-produced prints or merchandise
  • Products that can be considered edited/altered for resell
  • Garage sale-like items. If you have such items that you wish to sell, try the SuperHappyFunSale on Thursday evening

Basic Portfolio Guidelines

Your portfolio should be YOUR portfolio

We allow for collaborations with other artists, but these should be clearly identified as such.

Your portfolio must consist of at least 12 pictures or examples of your art

These pieces should showcase your best work, and be representative of what you will display or sell at your table.

Your portfolio must include a picture/drawing of your display

Provide a photo from another convention or, if it is your first time vending at a convention, provide a mock-up drawing or photo of how you intend to display.

Your portfolio should be available at a single url.

The portfolio link you submit should NOT include extraneous content (such as random photos, shared/traced art, blog posts, etc)

Please make sure your portfolio stays online

Make sure your portfolio is accessible from the time you apply through May 1. If you have an issue with your site, please contact us so we don’t assume it’s down forever.

If you don’t have a portfolio yet, you can set up a free portfolio/webpage at eventeny.com which you can use to sell your wares online as well as automatically fill out your application for the AWA Artist Alley.

Additional free options can be found at wix.com, wordpress.com, or deviantart.com.

We will no longer accept portfolios on Tumblr, Facebook, or Photobucket.

Application Information

Please read through the following information thoroughly. There are certain responsibilities that come with having your name be on the application, and we don’t want you to be surprised!

The primary applicant (Artist) is legally responsible for the table.

  • The primary applicant must sign the contract
  • The name on their application must match their legal ID.
  • Please let us know in advance for exceptions, such as name changes.

The Studio/Artist name is the publicly listed name for each Artist’s table.

  • This will be listed by in the con guide, website and Artist Alley map.
  • The Studio/Artist name must be unique to each application.
  • If several members of the same studio are applying, they should differentiate somehow (e.g. “Dreams by Kelsey” and “Dreams by Mark” instead of just Dreams Studio.)

The email address used on the application must be current and checked often.

  • We will not accept communication on the artist’s behalf from any other email address.
  • Please note that email is our primary form of communication for status updates on applications and important updates.
  • If you would like to change the email address associated with your application, you must email us from the original email address requesting this change.
  • Please remember to set your email filters to accept all emails from @awa-con.com email addresses.

The primary applicant must be the one to check-in to receive their table at the convention.

  • The primary artist must sign in during load-in hours at the loading dock at the back of the dealer’s hall.
  • The Primary Applicant is the ONLY person who can pick up the table and are required to show ID.
  • Table assistants, spouses, family members, etc. will NOT be able to check-in without prior approval.

Table Check-In & Staffing

  • Tables not claimed by 9:30am on Friday will be given to another artist and payment will not be refunded or transferred.
  • Tables MUST be manned during all hours the Artist Alley is open to attendees. If you cannot meet this requirement, please do not apply. Leaving early will hurt your chances of being approved for a table in the future. (If you run out of merchandise, you can share pictures of your work, take commissions, and otherwise socialize with attendees).

Exhibitor Badges

  • Only those with an exhibitor’s badge may run a table. People with a regular attendee badge may assist, but there must be someone with an Exhibitor’s badge at the table at all times.
  • No one without an Exhibitor’s badge is permitted in the exhibit hall during load-in and load-out hours.
  • Artists may purchase one additional exhibitor’s badge in addition to the 2 provided with the cost of the table by marking it so on their application.
  • Artists can give the second and third exhibitor badges to either a secondary collaborating artist or a table assistant.
  • A table assistant is someone you trust to help you set up, man your table and sell your artwork while you are not there who uses one of your exhibitor’s badges.

Table Sharing

  • Artists may share their table with another artist, but both artists must apply together under one name and portfolio.
  • In order to share a table, you must have included the other artist’s work as part of your portfolio submission.
  • Artists may NOT share table space with artists who were rejected, waitlisted, or whose work our Portfolio Committee did not approve.
  • To add another artist to your table that was not listed on your original application, you will need to withdraw your initial application and reapply with their information included. This option is not available after applications close.

Table Placement

  • Table placements are assigned in random order, unless otherwise specified.
  • Artists may request specific table locations.
  • Specific table requests must be made via email prior to the convention.
  • Artists may request to be placed next to other specific Artists, please include both your trade name and legal name.
  • Artists may also request to Not be placed near a specific artist.

Cancellation

  • If circumstances arise where you cannot attend the convention or attend your table for the entirety of the convention, you must email us before the withdraw deadline.
  • If you have already paid for your table, you can transfer your table to the next year.
  • No refunds are available.
  • If you inform us you will not be able to attend after the deadline, you likely will not be able to transfer your table.
  • Emergencies situations will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Two types of works may be brought to the convention: Sale and Display Items

  • Items for Sale – 2D or 3D artwork that you have brought to sell.
  • Display Only – artwork that you are not selling. For example, original pieces to serve as examples for commissions or of which you are selling prints