New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell - Contemporary Crafts 2027

Juried Contemporary Crafts Fair at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, held in Heritage Square at Fair Grounds Race Course. Artists exhibit and sell gallery-quality fine art and fine crafts, including original handmade one-of-a-kind and limited-edition works. Approximately sixty different artists participate each weekend. The festival runs April 22–25 and April 29–May 2, 2027; artists may rent a booth for only one weekend. Contemporary Crafts presents Best of Show, Most Unique Work, and Best Display awards each weekend.

Applicants must be at least 18. Only individual artists may apply; no galleries, cooperatives or groups. The application does not accept emerging artists. Joint applicants must both contribute to creating the work and be listed on the application. Work must be original handmade, gallery-quality fine art or crafts created by the applicant, one-of-a-kind and/or limited edition. Most of each piece must consist of handmade components; commercially produced parts must be subordinate. No embellishment or modification of manufactured products, upcycled or recycled work, 3D-printed or AI-related work, or work generated with AI assistance. Prohibited merchandise includes commercial kits, t-shirts, night lights, magnets, edibles/consumables including candles, incense, oils, lotions, henna, soap and bath salts; CDs, DVDs, audio/video tapes, books, catalogs, poster graphics, postcards/note cards, imports, mass-distributed products, manufactured goods, buy/sell merchandise, factory-sewn work, strung beads/assembled work, commercially cast plaster or clay objects, and premanufactured or commercially made clothing.

Submit five digital images: four of current artwork and one of a booth display, all 1920 pixels horizontal by 1920 pixels vertical. This is a blind jury: no identifiable signatures, signage or photos of the artist; identifying information results in score deductions. Artwork images must proportionally represent production and one-of-a-kind work to be sold. The booth image must show a full, artwork-filled display consistent with the submitted work and its production-work proportions; if unavailable, a grouping of representative works may substitute. Only the body of work represented in the four artwork images is accepted, not everything visible in the booth image. Supply an Artist Information Statement; process, materials and dimensions for each image are available to jurors. Selection considers creativity, uniqueness, concept, craftsmanship and balance of media. Previous participation does not guarantee acceptance.

A separate application is required for each medium/category, with no more than three applications per crafts area. Each application costs $35, nonrefundable, payable through ZAPP by Visa or Mastercard; money orders and cashier, personal or business checks are not accepted. Applications to different crafts areas require separate applications and five-image sets. Artists accepted in multiple areas must choose one area for the annual event.

Media-specific rules: Mixed media combines two or more media categories; 2D work is wall-mounted and 3D work freestanding, with no prints on canvas or stretched fabric. Graphics/printmaking must be original handpulled prints from hand-manipulated screens, plates or stones, editions of 250 or fewer, signed and numbered on archival materials; no commercial/mechanical reproductions, photocopies, giclée or offset prints. Disclose printmaking processes in the artist statement. Painting must be original; reproductions are prohibited, and painters selling prints must separately apply in Graphics/Printmaking and meet its criteria. Photography must use the photographer's own original images, printed personally or under direct supervision; editions of 250 or fewer, signed and numbered on archival materials; no photocopies, offset prints, canvas or stretched-fabric prints. Disclose the printing process. Digital art must be original wall-mounted computer-executed imagery or manipulation, with prints limited to 250 or fewer, signed and numbered on archival materials; no canvas/stretched-fabric prints or AI assistance. Traditional digital photographs belong in Photography. Fiber excludes factory-produced wearables even if modified and excludes upcycled/recycled work; framed wall-mounted fiber belongs in Fiber 2D. Jewelry requires a separate jewelry-category application and selection; no strung beads or assembled work, handmade components must predominate, and all-cast work must be poured in the artist's studio; disclose casting processes. Glass must be handblown, cast or lampworked, not decorated or embellished manufactured glass. Wood includes original freestanding hand-tooled, machine-worked, turned or carved work; wall-mounted wood must be represented in the artwork images or have a separate Wood application. The Crafts Manager may reclassify submissions.

Notifications are January 19, 2027. Signed agreement, booth fee and auto insurance are due March 9. Selection is preliminary and may be rejected at the Foundation's discretion; no obligation arises until the booth fee is paid and the Crafts Agreement is signed, initialed and countersigned. For either weekend, booth fees are $2,020 standard/one artist, $2,145 corner/one artist, $1,270 each for a shared corner/two artists, or $1,545 demo corner. Only two artists may share, only in a corner booth; demonstrators may not share. Artists may rent for only one weekend; preferred weekend/type is not guaranteed, and shared-space requests receive corner priority. Booth fees include product liability insurance and amenities, payable by Visa or Mastercard through ZAPP. Booth refunds are available until March 16, 2027; none for later cancellations, rain or other events beyond the producer's reasonable control.

Set-up is April 21 for the first weekend or April 28 for the second. Festival hours are 11 AM–7 PM daily; there are no substitute rain dates. The applicant must attend check-in/set-up and personally staff the assigned booth throughout official hours; representatives cannot substitute. Booths cannot be transferred or reassigned. Spaces are approximately 10 by 10 feet with approximately 8-foot front openings, inside larger tents. Artists provide back and side walls; corners must remain open on two sides and have only two walls. No exterior signage or decor; tables, chairs and electricity are not provided. Displays must be professional and ADA-compliant, with an Artist's Statement prominently displayed. Artists must describe and, in some cases, demonstrate their craft process. Onsite evaluations compare exhibited work with submitted images; noncompliance can cause removal of objects, booth closure, fee forfeiture or affect future applications.

Vehicles entering the site require valid automobile insurance. Artists must obtain necessary tax permits/licenses and comply with Louisiana, New Orleans and federal laws; officials collect applicable fees and taxes onsite. Submit daily sales totals on the last event day, Sunday, or become ineligible the following year/next application. Festival trademarks and their imitations cannot be used on merchandise or advertising without a Foundation license. Three awards are presented each weekend: Best of Show, Most Unique Work and Best Display.