Ashe County Farmers Market Announces Date for Arts and Crafts Jurying for 2017 Market Season
(West Jefferson) The Ashe County Farmers Market’s (ACFM) annual arts and crafts jurying process is scheduled for Wednesday, February 22, 2017 at the Ashe County Cooperative Extension Office located at 134 Government Circle in Jefferson from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
Existing market vendors with new, previously unjuried crafts and potential new vendors interested in joining the Market for the purpose of selling any arts and crafts are asked to drop off samples of their finished crafts for review between 8:00 AM and 9:30 AM in the Extension Office Conference Room on the 1st Floor. No samples will be accepted for jurying after 9:30 am. Samples must be picked back up following the review process at 12:00 Noon the same day, at which time a determination will be available. All decisions are final.
According to Market Manager Lori Goodman, “The market may have a limited number of open spots for arts and crafts vendors from Ashe County this coming market season”. Getting arts and crafts juried is only the first step in the process of becoming a new market vendor and there is no guarantee of vendor membership at the market even if a craft is accepted during the jury process, according to Goodman. Once approved, new vendor applications and juried crafts are reviewed and considered by the Board of Directors, who reserve the right to make determinations on market membership based on the number of current craft vendors and market product mix to ensure product diversity.
The jury for this event includes non-vendor community volunteers who make their decision based on market policies and judge items based on craftsmanship, artistic merit, aesthetic value and market appeal. The jury process is anonymous and no names are associated with presented samples. All crafts must be hand crafted and be of excellent workmanship both in quality and design. Current policies don’t allow machine duplication, machine embroidery, or crafts made from commercial molds or kits, which don’t fall within hand-crafted guidelines. Craft vendors are only accepted from Ashe County.
New craft applicants may obtain a new vendor information packet, which includes a vendor application, at this event. Final determinations for new market memberships are expected in late March.
A snow date for this event is scheduled for February 27, 2017.
The Ashe County Farmers Market opens for the 2017 season on Saturday, April 15 at 8:00 AM. The market is open every Saturday from 8 am to 1 pm through the end of October on the Backstreet in West Jefferson.
For more information contact Market Manager Lori Goodman at (336) 877-5052.
