Exhibit your artwork at the 54th Kentuck Festival of the Arts

The Kentuck Festival of the Arts has a 54-year history as a hub of creativity nationally recognized for its quality, diversity, and celebration of artistic style ranging from folk to contemporary arts and traditional crafts. Every year, over 15,000 people travel from across the country to become immersed in a Southern experience of prolific creativity at the Kentuck Festival of the Arts. The Kentuck Festival of the Arts was ranked 5th in the nation by Sunshine Artist Magazine in the category of Classic & Contemporary Craft Show in 2018, has been recognized by Alabama Department of Tourism as one of the top-ten events to attend in Alabama in 2018, and was named in Alabama Magazine as one of the “Best of Bama" 2018, 2022, and 2024.This year's Kentuck Festival of the Arts will take place October 11-12, 2025, rain or shine, in Snow Hinton Park in Tuscaloosa, AL. 

The Festival is part of Kentuck Art Center's year-round programming & we are proud to invite you to our 54th annual to experience why so many call this festival “A Heaven of a Place."

How do I get a spot in the Kentuck Festival?

The Jury Process:

The Kentuck Festival of the Arts is a juried festival, which means all artists* fill out an application. After applications close June 1, applications are sent to our jury panel. Artists who apply are numerically scored by a jury panel of 4 arts professionals on the basis of Kentuck's standards of quality, originality, and creativity. Kentuck's jurors change yearly to maintain the anonymity of the jury process and to ensure a balanced breadth of artwork to keep our patrons coming back every year.

The Kentuck Staff has no influence on jury scoring or artist selection. Regardless of how many times you have exhibited in the past, all artists* must apply and jury into the ~250 available spots at the Kentuck Festival of the Arts.

What do you need to apply?

-Fill out the application on Zapplication. Questions on the application include basic questions like your name, your contact information, and your website/social media accounts (if you have them). There are also questions about your process and materials.

-4 professional quality images of your work. Images 1-3 show the range of the work you will be displaying. Image 4 is what we call a "booth shot," an image that shows how you plan to display your work at the festival. Please blur out/cover up all signatures or business names in the images when you submit them on Zapplication.

*The only artists who do not have to jury in are a few select Program Artists: Guest Artists, Demonstrating Artists, Back by Special Awards, or the previous year's award winners. Artists who do not jury in are not eligible for judges’ awards.