Schaumburg, IL - Prairie Center
Home PrairieCenter Menu37th Prairie Arts Festival
Artist Application Information
The Prairie Arts Festival is an outdoor fine art & fine craft exhibition and sale featuring artists, live entertainment, food truck vendors, and children's activities on the grounds of the Al Larson Prairie Center for the Arts in Schaumburg.
IMPORTANT: MODIFICATIONS TO ART SHOW LAYOUT
Please note that the Art Show layout has been modified like last year due to the Municipal Center construction project continuing through 2026. We appreciate your understanding and flexibility.
The Village of Schaumburg cordially invites you to display your fine work at our 37th annual Prairie Arts Festival Memorial Day weekend, May 23 and 24. It’s a juried art fair, both for entry and prizes. The site is beautiful, with clusters of display areas bordering a picturesque pond guarded by a pair of graceful mute swans named Louis and Serena. And possibly a knot of newly hatched cygnets. This is an electronic agreement and by selecting the booths, you are validating and approving this agreement electronically.
Attendance
The Memorial Day weekend celebration historically draws 5-10,000 patrons with most festival attendees from Schaumburg and the surrounding communities. Our Memorial Day weekend celebration is rooted in strong support and patronage from residents of Schaumburg and the surrounding suburbs. We're delighted to also welcome attendees from across the greater Chicagoland area and beyond state lines, making the Prairie Arts Festival the destination to be for Memorial Day weekend.
Important Dates, Times & Deadlines
May 23 & 24, 2026
10 a.m. - 5 p.m. both days
Festival at the Al Larson Prairie Center for the Arts
- Application Deadline: Sunday, March 1, 2026
- Notification of Acceptance: Friday, March 6, 2026
Booth fee charged upon acceptance; your booth space will not be reserved without payment.
- Set-up Information Emailed to Paid Participants: Friday, May 8, 2026
Entry Fee
- $130 for the two-day event for a 15’ x 10’ space
- $235 for the two-day event for a 30' x 10' space ($260 value)
There is no jury fee and no commission will be charged for work sold. Payment charged upon acceptance. Your booth space will not be reserved without payment by the deadline. All payments are deemed final, and no refunds will be issued with the exception of the complete and total cancellation of the event.
Awards
A panel of judges will award the following cash prizes:
- First Place: $500
- Second Place: $300
- Third Place: $200
- Eight Merit Awards: $100 each
- John F. Latko Award of Excellence: $250
Amenities
A complimentary continental breakfast with invited art patrons will be available to all artists both mornings in the Prairie Center lobby and convenient parking.
Media Items
Clay/Pottery: Original clay and porcelain work, functional or sculptural.
Digital: Digital art refers to art made using software, computers, or other electronic devices.
Drawing: A picture or diagram made with a pencil, pen, or crayon rather than paint.
Fiber: Includes wearable and non-wearable. No machine-tooled, machine-screen printing, or other forms of mass production are accepted.
Furniture: Handmade objects such as tables, chairs, chests, and desks used in a home or business.
Glass: Functional and sculptural work is accepted. Kiln forming, blowing, molding, or casting, as well as all cold working processes are permitted.
Jewelry: Only those artists accepted in the jewelry category may display or sell jewelry.
Leather: Sculptural or decorative work made from leather.
Metal: Sculptural or decorative work made from metal.
Mixed Media: Work which combines materials from two or more mediums in one piece (e.g. drawing, painting, digital works, etc.).
Musical Instruments: Handmade instruments.
Natural Materials: This includes basket weaving, chair caning, brooms, gourds, and other works made from materials found in nature.
Painting: Including acrylic, gouache, oil, pastel, and watercolor.
Paper: Sculptural or decorative work made from paper.
Photography: Includes traditional film photography, hand-colored images, emulsion transfers, and digital photography. Only artist’s original source material is acceptable.
Printmaking: Hand-pulled original prints. Prints should be in limited editions, signed, and numbered.
Sculpture: Three-dimensional work using additive or subtractive processes in a single medium.
Wood: Original works that are hand tooled, machine-worked, turned or carved.
Please note edible packaged food/beverage items are not allowed in this fine art show.
Jury Procedures
Entrants - including returning artists - must observe the following requirements:
- All work is to be original.
- Submit three images representative of your work in each medium in which you plan to exhibit (e.g. artists exhibiting oil paintings and watercolors need to submit six (6) images). When exhibiting more than one medium, please indicate the approximate percentage of each type to be exhibited at the Prairie Arts Festival (e.g. 25% oil and 75% watercolor).
- The images you include with your application are samples of your work in the media category/categories you apply to participate (not all your work you plan to sell). It is not allowed to bring another media that you did not jury for to supplement your booth with another media that you did not jury to display and sell. For example, you are not able to bring a few jewelry pieces to add to your booth if you juried for another media and you did not jury for jewelry.
- Provide a brief description of each work pictured in the images.
- All jewelry must be of original design and be handmade by the attending artist. On-site verification will be made.
- The sale of commercial reproductions of artists’ original work will be subject to the following restrictions:
* No more than 25% of work displayed on booth (tent) walls can be commercial reproductions (i.e. 75% originals).
* A majority of work offered for sale should be original.
* All commercial reproductions should be labeled as such.
- Patrons should be advised if a work they are considering for purchase is an original or a commercial reproduction.
Display Specifications
- Artists must supply their own tents, racks, tables, chairs, and other display equipment.
- All tent canopies shall be securely weighted at each corner to withstand rainy or windy conditions. A 40 # minimum weight (unless the tent manufacturer’s specifications state otherwise) shall be secured to EACH tent leg. Most artists use white tents; however, we do not have any rules on tent color.
- Booths must have a professional look.
- Artists must provide and display an identification sign listing their name.
- Artists must be present both days and plan to exhibit rain or shine. No agents allowed.
- Artists shall only exhibit work typified by images submitted with the application.
- The Prairie Arts Festival Committee will screen booths during the weekend. If the work is not consistent with submitted images, or rules have not been followed, artists will be asked to leave. The committee’s judgment is final; no refunds will be given.
- Village ordinance prohibits dogs on the municipal grounds during festivals and concerts.
Security/Liability
Artists are fully responsible for the care, safety, and security of their work and property. The Village of Schaumburg assumes no liability for loss or damage to artwork or other property from any cause. The Village of Schaumburg has general security on-site all year round and on-site during the festival hours; however, they are not dedicated to just the artist tents. Artists leave their tents up Saturday night and close the side tent walls of the tents at the close of the show. Some artists leave their artwork in the tent Saturday night as well, while others (mostly glass and watercolor artists) remove their artwork from their tent Saturday night.
Tax Information
Artists are required by the Illinois Department of Revenue to file a Special Event Tax Collection Report. More information and a link to the form will be available prior to the event. It should be completed and mailed to the address found on the payment coupon. If you have any questions, please call the phone number listed on the form. If you do not have an IL Tax # put "none" or "will apply for upon acceptance" in this required field. Do NOT use your social security number. Please note all exhibitors making sales in IL are required to report and pay all tax due based on their total receipts within ten (10) days of the close of the exhibit. We are required to send the IL Department of Revenue a list of participants in our shows. It is free to obtain a tax ID #. If you have questions, call them directly at 847-294-4475.
Hotels
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