Mayfest Seeks Artists for 2009 Festival

Plans for the 37th annual Tulsa International Mayfest are under way

Although it’s hard to think about spring in January, plans for the 37th annual Tulsa International Mayfest, scheduled for May 14 through 17, 2009, are under way. Organizers are accepting artist applications for the 2009 festival. Applications are available for performing and visual artists at www.tulsamayfest.org.  

Mayfest features three outdoor stages, where performers have the opportunity to receive exposure and recognition from over 350,000 attendees during the four-day festival. Mayfest features a variety of music, so there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Genres featured at the festival include acoustic, blues, folk, jazz, rock, bluegrass and many more.  

In the past, Mayfest has asked performers to fill out a paper application and mail it in with their CD. New for Mayfest 2009 is the option of applying online at www.sonicbids.com. Bands create an electronic press kit connecting musicians and promoters. Over 14,000 promoters are using Sonicbids, including SXSW Music Conference and Festival, Lollapalooza and Warped Tour.

“The Performing Arts Committee is always looking for ways to make the process of applying faster and easier for performers, and we feel that Sonicbids does just that,” said Mary Jo Sartain, Mayfest festival chair. “We’ve had great success with our online application process for visual artists, and we think Sonicbids is the tool we need to do the same for our musicians.”

Performing artist applications are due January 12, and the application fee is $10.

Many participating visual artists in 2007 and 2008 saw record sales, and the same is expected in 2009. In 2008, Mayfest joined other nationally known art shows in utilizing a free, one-stop universal online application system, www.zapplication.org. The number of applicants is rising, and with it, the competition for a space at Tulsa’s renowned festival of the arts.

Created to promote the arts and humanities, this four-day Tulsa tradition invites approximately 100 fine artists and 20 craftspeople to exhibit their work. Entries are professionally judged according to strict guidelines. Visual artist applications are due January 15, and the application fee is $35.

Visual artists display work that encompasses a variety of mediums. Just a few include glass, leather, sculpture, jewelry, pottery, photography, watercolor paintings, oil paintings and much more.

For questions regarding the application process, please call the Mayfest office at (918) 582-6435 or email eat0@eau0eav0eaw0.

In addition, the 2009 Mayfest specialty gallery has been created to showcase the artwork of Tulsa’s most promising creative class: college students.

Mayfest is seeking entries from area college students to participate in the Mayfest Exhibition of College Artists. The visual arts exhibition will be held in the Park Centre lobby during Mayfest.

This year’s show is “The Urban Landscape,” which was chosen for its focus on Tulsa’s growing recognition of a strong core, an embracing of urbanity, and the way that Tulsa’s creative class views that space. Interpretations of this theme are left up to the artist, and creativity is both encouraged and expected. Submissions are due on April 7, 2009. Artists may submit works in the following mediums: ceramics, clay, digital art, drawing, fiber, glass, graphics/printmaking, metal, mixed media, painting, pastel, photography, sculpture and wood.

All artists submitting work must be currently enrolled as an undergraduate student of a Tulsa area college or university. All artwork submissions should be made via email, one image per email. Please put “Mayfest College Gallery Submission” as the subject and provide artist name, phone number, email, title, media and price (if applicable) in the body of the email with each submission. Then, attach the image of your artwork to the email, no larger than 1 MB, and send to eat1@eau1eav1eaw1. Please limit your submissions to two works. Artists whose work is selected will be notified by email by April 24.

MB, and send to
eat1@eau1eav1eaw1. Please limit your submissions to two works. Artists whose work is selected will be notified by email by April 24.
For more information, please contact Elizabeth Downing, college gallery chair, at (918) 277-3786 or eat1@eau1eav1eaw1.

For more information, contact

Tulsa International Mayfest

(918) 582-6435

www.tulsamayfest.org

eat0@eau0eav0eaw0