M&T Bank Clothesline Art & Fine Craft Festival Artist Applications

Regular artist applications are online only, through the application links shared upon this page.

Early bird artist applications (distributed each year during the festival to current participating artists) are online and through the paper application distributed during the festival. The online early bird applications are accessible only via materials distributed at the festival.

For any questions about artist spaces, please email clothesline@mag.rochester.edu or call 585.276.8949.

All communication from the Memorial Art Gallery will come from email addresses ending in @mag.rochester.edu.

Online artist applications close on Sunday, August 16, 2026. If you don’t apply by Friday, July 31, 2026, your information will not appear on printed materials.

If you are a returning artist requesting the same space as last year, make sure to submit your application by April 30, 2026. If your application is received after this deadline, we cannot guarantee that you will get the same location.

The last day to withdraw without forfeiting the artist space fee is July 1, 2026.

Artist space assignments will not be made until the Clothesline team has received all fees from all artists. Artist space numbers and other pertinent information will be updated on the website starting in August.

The Memorial Art Gallery requires that all participating Clothesline artists and makers submit original work, whether one-of-a-kind or limited edition. The work must be conceived and designed solely by the artist or maker, and show vision, imagination, and originality.

Artists’ work should be in one of the following categories: painting, drawing, sculpting, ceramics, digital, mixed media, photography, fiber arts, jewelry, metal, glass, leather, wood, or printmaking.

Work cannot be:

• made from commercial kits, patterns, stencils, or molds
• bought and sold items
• personal care items, edible items, candles, plants, flowers (fresh, dried, silk), beaded jewelry made solely by restringing commercially produced or purchased beads
• work that is partisan in nature

Reprints of a singular design of the artist or maker’s own work are limited to 30% of the booth display.

In keeping with the Memorial Art Gallery’s commitment to present a high-standard show with quality work, all entrants are subject to Clothesline eligibility criteria. The vetting process does not provide individual critiques; all decisions are final.

All first-time applicants, or those who did not participate in last year’s festival, must send examples of their work and artist space layout to jury.clothesline@mag.rochester.edu for selection. If you have exhibited at the festival in the past, your work must be consistent in quality, style, and medium, as it has been in past years. If there have been any changes, please contact us at clothesline@mag.rochester.edu.

Materials for Vetting:

1. One (1) to three (3) JPEG images that show the quality and style of your current work
2. One (1) JPEG image of your current booth display, showing the overall presentation and variety of the work you plan to exhibit
3. A brief description (10-25 words) of your work, materials, and technique

Please name the image files in this format: lastname1, lastname2, lastname3, lastnamebooth.

If you are submitting work in two categories, please send one email with separate images and descriptions for each category. You may exhibit work only in categories that have been reviewed and accepted for the vetting process.

If you don’t have a photo of your artist space, please submit a photo showing all your work together. We would like to see the scope of your work, including the quantity, and how it would potentially look when exhibited.

Application Fees

• $35 for all applicants (with a waiver for winners of 3+ Clothesline Merit Awards)
• Double artist spaces require both artists to pay the application fee

NOTE: the application fee for each artist is non-refundable.

Artist Space Fees

• $330 for standard (10’ x 10’)
• $385 for a corner artist space
• $660 for double artist space (20’ x 10’)
• $770 for a endcap artist space
• $715 for a double artist space with the corner
• $565 for a standard indoor space (single only)
• $1165 for a double indoor space (single only)

NOTE: application fees are built into the prices for the single and shared artist spaces when applying online.

Artists are required to provide their own tent within their artist spaces. To ensure the safety for everyone, all tents must be secured and weighted.

Requests for accessible parking must be indicated on your application by including your NYS permit number. Your permit must be displayed at all times while on MAG grounds. No vehicles will be allowed off the grounds on Sunday until all pedestrians have cleared the premises. Please be mindful of this and plan accordingly.

Up to two artists may share an artist space. When applying online, artists have the choice to choose a single artist space (with one artist fee built into the price) or a shared artist space (with two artist fees built into the price) for each kind of artist space. If submitting a paper application, each artist must submit a separate application with the $35 application fee and the appropriate percentage of the artist space fee.

Each artist must submit the requested materials for the vetting process. If one artist is not accepted into the show, the other artist is responsible for the entire artist space fee. There is one parking space allotted per artist space.

Indoor booths are not eligible for sharing.

Vendor (artist and food truck) set-up begins at 10:00 am on Friday, August 28, and goes to 7:00 pm.

Upon arrival, all artists must check in at Headquarters and pick up their Artist Packet, which contains their parking pass, coffee coupons, name badge, and other important information. Headquarters has moved under the portico and is marked on our grounds map. At the start of the festival, please post the provided booth card on your tent. Clothespins will be provided in your Artist Packet to meet this requirement. Please ensure your booth is weighted down, for safety concerns.

Upon arrival, food trucks check in with festival staff, and will be directed to their parking spot for the duration of the festival.

When artists arrive on Saturday and Sunday morning, please enter MAG’s grounds from Goodman Street, at the Northeast corner of MAG property. If you must go to your tent before the start of the festival, you may do so, but one-way traffic will be maintained and will flow from Goodman Street to Prince Street only (east to west). You may see any parking attendant for directions. Artists with tents in Zone G can enter through the gate at University Avenue but must also exit there and enter parking in the northeast corner. We will have cones and signs for directions to help.

All vehicles must be parked or off MAG grounds by 9:00 am on festival days. On Sunday evening, artist vehicles will be allowed on the grounds once all pedestrians have been cleared. This procedure is for the safety of all. Please follow the instructions from MAG traffic staff.

Vendors (artists and food trucks) can park at the United Way on College Avenue or MAG grounds. Park in the lot of your choice (first come, first served). A walk-through gate in the back of the parking lots for the United Way directly accesses MAG grounds. Artists with special accessible parking/behind booth parking will have parking passes that note this and will be directed by our traffic staff to their location.

Some restrictions to note: anyone parked on MAG grounds must remain parked until the close of the festival on both days. United Way allows for entry/exit at any time. Trailers are not permitted to be parked on MAG grounds and must go to United Way. The only exception is if your trailer can fit in your behind-booth parking without blocking your neighbors. You will be able to seek traffic staff for assistance at the festival.

Security will secure and monitor the property on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday overnight. The grounds will lock at 7:00 pm each night. All vendors must exit the grounds at night; no overnight stays will be allowed. Artist vehicle traffic is allowed on the MAG grounds through the Goodman Gate from 7:00 am to 9:00 am on the Saturday and Sunday of the festival. Vendor foot traffic will be permitted starting at 6:00 am on both days through the Goodman Street gate.

Food trucks will offer lunch and snacks for purchase, and Brown Hound Downtown will serve beer and wine to the 21+ guests. Brown Hound will also be open through the day for coffee and take-out and will take artists’ coffee coupons at any of their locations.

We will offer “Booth Breaks” for artists who need a moment away. Details will be in the information packet given to you when you check in at the festival.

We’ve created a toolkit with shareable social media graphics to make it easy for you to share festival details with your audiences. Let your followers know where they can shop your work at the festival, and make sure to tag the Memorial Art Gallery (@magrochester) so that we can share and further boost your message!

Looking for another easy way to spread the word to your audiences? Simply copy and paste the text below into a social media post or email campaign.

I’m excited to share that I’ll be at the M&T Bank Clothesline Art & Fine Craft Festival at the Memorial Art Gallery (@magrochester) August 29 & 30! This art festival has been Rochester’s biggest celebration of the arts for nearly 70 years—featuring work for sale by 300+ artists, live music, food trucks, hands-on family activities, and access to the museum. Come see me (and 300+ other talented artists!) on the MAG grounds from 10:00 am–5:00 pm each day. And don’t forget, early shopping for MAG Members starts at 9:30 am! Plan your visit and get tickets here: mag.rochester.edu/clothesline. #ClotheslineArtFestival #MemorialArtGallery #RochesterNY #ROC #ArtFestival #Festival #SupportLocalArt #RochesterArt #MAG

Each year, MAG places ads across our social media platforms (Instagram and Facebook), your favorite local news sites, in publications like CITY Magazine, and beyond. We engage our local, regional, and national media to drive excitement about the festival.

Our goal is to offer an excellent Clothesline experience for all while making safety a primary consideration. As such, we ask that the following guidelines are followed:

• Service animals are always welcome. Emotional support animals and pets will not be allowed.
• No bicycles. Bikes can be parked at the bicycle parking at Goodman or Prince Street Admission Gates.
• No skates or skateboards.
• Political or religious promoting or campaigning is prohibited.

Early shopping for MAG Members begins at 9:30 am on both days. The admission gates will open to the public at 10:00 am.

For festival attendees, tickets can be purchased in advance online or walk up with a credit card during the weekend. Tickets are available online and in person at the festival admission gates and can be purchased in person at the museum Admissions Desk through the Thursday before the festival.