A HUGE THANK-YOU to all Artists, Studios and Clubs who participated in the Artist Alley 2012!
~~ Artist Alley 2013~~
Artist Alley Table Request Application: May 1st 2013 at 9:00pm EST (or there about) through May 8th.
Link to table request form is: now closed
The Artist Alley is a showcase for amateur, hobbyist, and up-and-coming professional artists to promote and sell their work. It is not intended to be a way to make money off of mass production of other people’s intellectual property, this is more fitting for the Dealer’s Room side of the fence. Hence, artists and studios who have made the jump to become Venders at any conventions should no longer be applying for AA. You are now considered to be on a large enough scale to swim with the big fish: congratulations.
Rules are subject to change; advance notice of changes may not be possible.
Artists Set-up:
- Thursday: 7pm to 10pm
- Friday: 10am to 12am
- Saturday: 9am to 10am
- Sunday: 9am to 10am
Hall B – Hours of Operation:
- Friday: 12pm to 10pm
- Saturday: 10am to 10pm
- Sunday: 10am to 4pm
Artist Take-down:
- Friday: 10pm to 11pm
- Saturday: 10pm to 11pm
- Sunday: 4pm to 5pm
Check-in deadline: Saturday: NOON
Table Cost : 1 Full Table : $65
CLUB Table Cost: e-mail us! [email protected] (CLUB page is HERE)
Badge : Full Membership $40 (up to general membership DEADLINES)
Electricity to Table : N/A – Electricity will not be provided through the con. Applications for electricity is taken by the Hampton Roads Convention Center directly.
~ Additional AA full membership Badges at the Door are -VERY- limited. Preregister and save yourself time and aggravation!
~ ALL artists will need to come by AA Check-in (in Hall B) to retrieve their badges. Registration WILL NOT have these badges at their desks.
~ Your AA Badge is also your Con Membership Badge! This badge acts just like a regular weekend pass with same access to other Nekocon events.
~ Full tables come with 2 chairs.
Only Full tables are sold. If you want to split your table, that is up to you. Each table can have up to two artist/studio names noted on the AA map (EX: bunnyhop/cat scratch studio). Rules will regulate the TOTAL space as a whole and not by individual artists. The original person who submitted the request will be held responsible for all actions on their table(s). If a table mate, or vise versa owner, is found violating a rule, the table/space as a whole will be held accountable and possibly removed.
In order to participate in Artist Alley, artists will be required to purchase a full membership either prior to or during the Table Request submission. Only those with an Artist Alley badge are allowed to sell and sit behind tables at any given time during the Nekocon event. Each table has a max of two artist that can reside behind the space at any given time.
More than two artists?? ….. you can inquire about purchasing more than 1 table or you can take turns attending the table with your partners. To accommodate, artists/studios are limited to 2 full tables.
Friends are great, but not when it clogs up the inside of an already limited area. If your friend(s) do not possess an Artist Alley badge, they will be asked to move out from behind the tables. Whether they are extra help or just chit-chatting, any one without a AA badge CANNOT enter early or stay after hours in HALL B.
A website or online photo album with your work in it is a must once you apply for table space.
This is not a ‘First come, First served’ table request process. As with previous years, all Artist Alley Table Request submissions are juried by a committee. It is not soley based on how advance or amateur the artist technique is, everyone is more than welcome to apply (and we encourage it)! We are always on the look out for up and coming artists and studios.
What is a Juried Show?
The annotation ‘juried’ means you must submit website or image links which are reviewed by a jury (a knowledgeable committee) and your work will be accepted into the show based on technical skill, creativity, the medium, and/or other requirements worth recognizing. Hobbyists and Professional alike are welcome to submit once the table request forms are activated.
What does the AA Jury look for?
In the Table request form, there is a section that asks for 2 links: artist/studio website or portfolio, online gallery, picture-hosting gallery, online store / shop, etc… though applicants can add as many links they want to show. The AA Jury looks for many things (like what is stated above) as well as: what the table will have for sale (ex: table display photos, etsy, etc.), portfolio of original art and fan art (ex: DA, FB, art blogs, etc.). What the AA Jury would like to see is a healthy mix of the artist/studio creativity and show that they can stay within the rules set forth by the convention (ex: a link filled with only fan art isn’t the best foot forward in this case).
Age Requirement:
In order to purchase a table in the Artist Alley, the artist must be 18 years of age by the check-in date, Friday, Nov. 1st, 2012.
General Rules:
There is no selling merchandise outside of Artist Alley, CLUB tables or Dealer’s Room. NO SQUATTING! Do not assume you can set down in the middle of ANY open space and attempt to sell your artwork. This may cause your attendee badge to be revoked.
Absolutely NO Use of Alcohol or Drugs in Artist Alley will be tolerated! Those caught doing such will have their attendee badge revoked and thrown out on the spot.
Absolutely NO smoking in the Alley or in the Convention Center.
Absolutely NO posting of any flyers anywhere in the hotel or in the Convention Center other than clearly marked posting areas
No running, screaming, yelling, use of obscene language, horseplay, “carrying-on” or blatant bashing on the convention will be tolerated in AA.
Bringing your own tables to set up in addition to your table space is NOT allowed.
Watch your table(s). Nekocon will not be held responsible for Lost or Stolen items. If you find the need to leave your table, either pack your belongings or find someone you trust to watch out for you wares in your absence..
Convention Participants are required to wear their badges visibly at all times.
Any issues or disputes should immediately be brought to the attention of the AA Dept. head or other AA staff members.
No third party sales are permitted in Artist Alley. Each artist should be selling their own work, not that of other people. Collaborative works, where multiple artists worked on a single project, are acceptable so long as the artist selling contributed to the final image being sold.
Artists may not resell their table to a third party. Sharing tables with another artist is acceptable, but is required to have them added to your table no later than 3 weeks prior to the convention.
While in Artist Alley, all convention, Local, State and Federal rules are in effect.
Table size :
Each table is 6 feet by 2 feet and comes with two chairs.
Artist Alley: Creativity at Work!:
Traditional Artist:
…are artists who predominately lean more towards traditional means of making their wonderful creation. If (but not limited to) prints, badges, buttons, hand drawn or digital renderings, etc. is your passion, this is the section for you.
Fiber Artist:
…are artists who predominately lean more towards hand-made unique and often limited 3D art forms. If (but not limited to) custom hats, cosplay props, lolita frilly, raver gear or kawaii outfits, etc. is your passion, this is the section for you. Tables for Fiber Artists/Studios are limited and very competitive.
Webcomic Artist:
…are artists who create and promote their own web-hosted comic (sometimes more than just one at a time!).
Clubs:
..are a group of enthusiasts who are promoting their club. Along with flyers, give-a-ways and membership sign-ups, these table are restricted to selling items (t-shirt, buttons, etc.) that DIRECTLY promote their club. Please e-mail AA for more info: [email protected] (CLUB page is HERE)
Nekocon is encouraging artists, studios & webcomic artists to display, create, and commission their own artwork in one form or another at their table(s). While we are not outright banning the sale of “fan art” the sale of such is restricted to 50% of your table display and will be strictly policed for copyright infringement. Please read below for more information on Fan Art. With proper proof, no tracing, copying, or duplication of other artists’ work will be tolerated.
NOTE: If you are (re)selling merchandise that can be bought in a store or in the Dealer’s Room you will be asked to leave. Judgment Calls are left to the discretion of the Artist Alley Dept head and the Con Chair.
NOTE: The artist may sell their own artwork and not those of anyone else not present at the convention or the table.
- up-cycle Art: if it uses COPYRIGHT images, symbols, icons (etc) and there is no written permission of free use by the copyright owner(s), it’s not allowed in the AA.
NOTE: Collaborations are traditionally done with more than one artist’s or a studio’s hand in creating it and… so long as one of the artist in the collaboration is present at the convention, is perfectly fine to sell in Artist Alley.
NOTE: There is NO item crossover between Dealers Room and Artist Alley allowed. You will need to pick which area your collaborations will be sold on and keep them there throughout the remaining weekend.
Copyright and Fair Use: Read up on Copyright and Fair Use: http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html
The Art of Fan Art:
The Artist Alley has adopted the 50/50 rule. This means 50% of your DISPLAY SPACE can be fan art! Fan art includes but not limited to prints, badges, buttons, plushies, cels, zines, parody, doujinshi, charms, etc… anything remotely fanart will count against the artist’s total display space. Commissions take at-con for fanart will not count against your total.
Fan art is defined as an interpretation of an existing character or based on any person(s), living or dead, in the artist’s own style, falling under fair use.
You may not solely display and sell fan art. It is strongly suggested that fan art should not take more that 50% of your items displayed on the table space. If we see that fan art is taking up too much of your display space you may be asked by the Director of AA or any of the AA staff to rectify the situation (I.E. displaying more of your original art). If the Director or any of the Staff deem something as a copyright infringement you will be asked to remove it once. If it becomes necessary to ask you to remove it a second time you will be ejected from the convention. If an Artist/Studio sells out of all their original items, it DOES NOT mean they are allowed to use said open space to display more fan art…it’ll just be an open area on your table.
Absolutely NO copyrighted material such as logos, symbols, or icons are allowed in any form to be sold in the AA.
Fan art prints should be kept to 20 or less copies per image. Celebrity likeness is considered to be fanart. Ginjinka (humanizing licensed characters-albeit original in design but still based on someone else’s copyright) are also considered to be fanart.
No more than 50% of your table display space can be fan art. Please keep in mind: If you are splitting your table with a table mate and they only bring fan art to sell, you would have to bring enough original art to satisfy the requirement.
Guidelines for Fanart as followed:
- It must not be a copy, either by hand or computer, of official licensed artwork.
- It must be an original design, drawn in the Artist’s own style & own poses.
Permitted in Artist Alley:
Items that include/imprinted with the artist’s own artwork: DVD, Calendars, Drawings, Watercolor, Paintings, Prints, Comics/Manga, doujinshi, .zines, sketches, cel art, pins, buttons, posters, CD’s, Books, T-Shirts and other clothing, Bags, Bookmarks, Cards, Games, Etched glass, Pins/buttons, Posters, Face painting, Models, ears/tails, Jewelry, Costumes, Custom plushies, Props, Gothic lolita, Origami …
NOT permitted in the Artist Alley :
No duplication/reproduction of licensed material.
No (re)selling of commercial products. (store bought merchandise)
No weapons. (metal or wooden : soft material cosplay props=ok)
No bootlegging or piracy.
No garage sale-like items.
No flamable items.
No convection ovens.
No airbrushes.
Hampton Roads Convention Center Prohibits:
No stickers – selling or distributing anything with an adhesive backing. it will be seen as potential vandalism
No food – selling or raffling off anything that is consumed (this also means no free candy at your table)
No attaching to the walls or columns – anything that leaves a mark will be considered potential vandalism
Adult Content :
Nekocon is a family-oriented Convention and no public display of Sexually Explicit or Suggestive material will be tolerated without the proper protocols.
- Adult material includes extreme violence and gore as well as sexually explicit content.
- Adult material must be covered and labeled as 18+. Covered means that the explicit bits are concealed behind some sort of blocker: stickers, Post-it notes, masking tape, sheets of paper, etc.
- Before the Artist can sell, show or be commissioned for adult material, the Artist MUST make sure the viewer shows proof of being 18 or older. This is solely the job of the Artist and, as such, will be held responsible if something should go awry.
Intellectual Property :
Nekocon’s title, logo, and mascots are TM Warui Neko Entertainment, LLC. No likenesses there of are permitted to be sold in Artist Alley.
Noise Restriction :
Be courteous to your fellow artists next to and nearby your table. Noise from music, videos, chatter, etc… should be kept at a reasonable level. Warnings will be issued but not limited to complete removal of artist without recompense at the AA Director’s and Con Chair’s discretion.
Display Height Restriction :
All displays must be secured and stable. For safety reasons, Artists with wobbling or falling displays will be asked to take them down. Likewise, displays that go beyond the horizontal/vertical boundaries of the table or impede on other artist’s space will be asked to be removed. Height restrictions are in place at the max of 5 feet off the top of the table(s).
Tables that form the corner can use the blank space between the two so long as both artists are in agreement. But be mindful, if there is a complaint, you will be asked to reduce or remove items from the corner space. Entrance/Exits into the Islands may NOT be blocked in any way. Tables flanking these areas cannot have anything protruding out from the open side of the display that may impede artist foot traffic.
Unclaimed tables, Refunds and Transfers :
If an Artist finds themselves unable to attend, they must make a request, via e-mail, for a table refund. A request made before 08.31.2013 will be refunded in full. A request made after 08.31.2013 and up to 09.30.2013, will be refunded by half. Any cancellations made after 09.30.2013 will not be refunded.
Any tables not claimed by NOON on Saturday will be sold at the Artist Alley Staff Table ($50), unless arrangements for late arrival have been made with the AA Director.
Tables are non-transferable.
Reminder…
If an Artist/Studio is found to have violated any of the AA rules or any convention rules, AA Staff reserves the right to remove said artist from their table without refund. Likewise, if an artist is found to have lied or misrepresented themselves during the application process, the artist may be denied a table/removed from their table without recompense at the AA Director’s & Con Chair’s discretion.
Contacting the Artist Alley Department :
Before contacting the AA Department, please check the F.A.Q. section and see if your question has been answered there already.
Through E-Mail: [email protected]
Through AOL Instant Messenger: NekoconAA