Guidelines for Participation

The following are the guidelines for participation in the Arts and Eats Rural Backroads Tour. Participants must meet the criteria stated below and return their completed application and payment by 5 pm on February 23, 2021.

For artists: All work must be original and handcrafted. No pieces created from commercial kits, stencils, molds, patterns, or prefabricated forms are acceptable. Participating galleries must represent a significant number of locally-based artists from within the tour region.

Participant Partner Guidelines: Tour sites must be within the designated areas of Allegan, Barry, Calhoun, Kalamazoo, and Van Buren Counties and are restricted to artists selected by the Arts and Eats Committee. Artist and farm sites agree to be open 10:00-5:00 on October 16 and 17, 2021.

Participation Fee:
Returning artists: $70
New artists: $85
Hosted artists: $30
Hosted artists with optional photo: $55*

*Hosted artists pay a significantly reduced fee for a smaller space in the Map and Guide. This space does not include a photo of their work. Hosted artists can elect to pay an additional $25 fee to have a photo of their work included in the Map and Guide.

If applicants are not accepted to Arts and Eats, the participation fee will be refunded. Accepted participants can withdraw from the tour for a refund until April 12th.

Tour Promotion: Each site/participant is expected to promote the Arts and Eats tour through its networks independently of the official tour promotions. Each participant will be provided with copies of the Map and Guide for distribution.

Signage: Each site will prominently display Arts and Eats signs during the tour to help direct visitors to the site. New participants will be provided with one large sign and two directional signs.

Map and Guide: The Map and Guide gives visitors information about tour locations and serves as a reference after the tour. The map is given out during the year to visitors through arts councils, chambers of commerce, and other partners. Participant Partners are responsible for distribution of the Maps they are given for the greatest promotional impact.

Other promotion: Arts and Eats promotion is year round. Participants may send business updates and special event info to the marketing coordinator, who will post throughout the year.