Finding Artists for Your Art Festival Beyond the Application Pile
Great shows are built, and they rarely fill themselves. Here is how to find artists for your festival, search the Brakebee artist directory and invite the ones you want straight onto your lineup.
Most art festivals are built from whoever applies. That works well until you notice the same gaps every year: not enough jewelry, no glass, nobody local, or a medium your guests keep asking about. The shows people remember usually have a promoter who went looking for the artists they wanted.
Brakebee is an art marketplace and event platform where independent artists sell their work and festival promoters run their shows from one dashboard.1 Because artists already have profiles on Brakebee, you can search them from your event, see their work and invite the ones you want straight onto your lineup.2 This guide covers that tool, plus other practical ways to find artists for your show.
How prospecting works on Brakebee
| Step | What you do | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Open Find Artists | Open it on your event or from the Applicants tab | The artist directory opens for that event |
| Search | Look nearby or nationally by name, business or medium | See each artist's photo, location, mediums, bio and portfolio |
| Invite | Send a VIP Invite with an optional note | The artist joins your lineup without the application and jury |
| Set the booth | Comp the booth or enter a booth fee | Confirmed right away, or invoiced like an accepted applicant |
Open Find Artists on your event
On your event, open Find Artists. You'll also find it as a tab on Applicants, right beside the people who applied. It's available once the event applications add-on is turned on for that event.2
Search near your venue or across the country
Find Artists gives you two ways to look. Nearby lists artists whose studio is in the same state as your venue, which is a good start for local talent and artists who can drive in. National search covers the rest of the directory.2 In either one, you can search by name, business name or medium.2
Each result shows the artist's photo, location, mediums, a short bio and a portfolio link when they have one.2 Anyone who has already applied to this event is left out of the results, so you only see artists who aren't in your pile yet.2
Invite an artist straight onto your lineup
When you find someone you want, send a VIP Invite. Brakebee asks you to confirm, then to acknowledge that the invite skips your application and jury. The artist goes straight onto your lineup.2 You can add a note, such as why you picked them or which booth you have in mind, and it's saved on their application.2
Because a VIP invite skips the jury, it works well for featured artists, a returning favorite or someone who fills a gap in your mix. Artists who apply the usual way still go through your call and jury, as described in our guide to artist applications and jurying.3
Comp the booth or charge a booth fee
You decide what each invited artist pays. Comp the booth and they're confirmed with nothing to pay. Enter a booth fee and they're accepted and invoiced for it, with the same invoice and payment link an accepted applicant gets.2 Paying confirms their spot, and you can follow it in the payment view with everyone else. Our guide to booth fee collection walks through invoices and reminders.4
Other places to find artists for your festival
- Your own past artists. Everyone who has applied to your shows on Brakebee is already in your contacts, tagged by event and year. Our guide to artist communications shows how to email them when your call opens.5
- Other shows. Walk nearby festivals and markets, and note artists whose work fits your guests.
- Local art groups. Guilds, co-ops, art schools and open studio tours often know artists who are ready to start doing shows.
- Social media. Search your region and medium, and share your call where artists already talk shop.
- Artist referrals. Ask the artists you love who they'd want as booth neighbors.
Tips for inviting artists who say yes
- Make it personal. Tell the artist what drew you to their work, in your note and in a direct message.
- Lead with the details artists care about, such as dates, location, expected crowd and booth size.
- Invite early, before their calendar fills with other shows.
- Balance your mix. Look at your lineup by medium before you invite, so invites fill real gaps.
- Follow up kindly if you haven't heard back within a week or two.
Who shows up in Find Artists?
Artists with profiles in the Brakebee directory. Nearby shows artists whose studio is in your venue's state, and national search covers everyone else.
Does a VIP invite skip my jury?
Yes. You confirm that the invite skips the application and jury, and the artist goes straight onto your lineup.
Can I invite an artist who already applied?
Artists who already have an application for your event are left out of Find Artists, and you handle them through your usual jury.
Do invited artists pay a booth fee?
You choose. Comp the booth so they're confirmed with nothing to pay, or enter a booth fee to send the same invoice an accepted applicant gets.
What do I need turned on to use it?
The event applications add-on has to be on for that event.
1 Source: Brakebee for Festival Promoters, brakebee.com/promoter.
2 Source: Brakebee Artist Prospecting feature overview, Brakebee promoter dashboard.
3 Source: Artist Applications and Jurying for Art Festivals, brakebee.com/articles/art-festival-artist-application-management.
4 Source: Collecting Booth Fees for Your Art Festival, brakebee.com/articles/art-festival-booth-fee-collection.
5 Source: Artist Communications for Art Festivals, brakebee.com/articles/art-festival-artist-communications-platform.