Riverdale ArtWalk – 2024

Submission & Details for Riverdale ArtWalk 2024

Jimmie Simpson Park: 872 Queen St E, Toronto

Saturday & Sunday – June 1 & 2, 2024

11:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Riverdale ArtWalk is a two-day, public fine art exhibition showcasing established and emerging artists in Jimmie Simpson Park, part of the flourishing Queen East arts district.  One of Toronto’s premier outdoor art exhibitions, participating artists are selected through an anonymous jury process, allowing for an opportunity to participate in an outdoor art show that focuses SOLELY on fine art. Not only a top rated show for art lovers and collectors, it has consistently been rated by local artists as one of the best organized shows in Toronto. With our intensive orientation session before the show and strong artists support, 96% of RAW artists indicated overall communications “Best Ever” or “Better than Average”, You don’t want to miss this show!

The Riverdale ArtWalk is an in-person show only this year. Due to changes and ongoing programming at the Community Center there will be no indoor spaces available for the Riverdale ArtWalk.

Submission Fee = $50 + HST

Please read our exhibition guidelines in detail before applying. The submission must be completed in full, including payment of the submission fee, to be considered.

Important Dates

  • Monday, January 8, 2024: Applications open
  • Monday, February 5, 2024: Early bird deadline
  • Monday, March 11, 2024: Applications close
  • Applications will continue to be accepted after March 11 for review / waitlisted if space is available
  • Week of April 1, 2024: Notice of acceptance (or wait list)
  • Friday, April 12, 2024: Full participation fee payment due
  • Thursday, April 18, 2024: Orientation (via Zoom, starts at 6:00 p.m.)
  • Friday, April 26, 2024: Signed contract and waiver due

It’s Even Better with Membership!

Membership has its benefits! Not only can you access our education programs and seminars for FREE, there is a discounted rate for all of our outdoor shows!

Participation Fee

Riverdale ArtWalk 2024 Member Non-Member
Early Bird
Deadline: 11:00pm, Monday, February 5, 2024
$395 +HST $495 + HST
Regular Submission
Deadline: 11:00pm, Monday, March 11, 2024
$445 + HST $545 + HST
Late Submission (if space allows) $545 + HST $645 +HST

IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING PAYMENTS, DEADLINES AND CANCELLATIONS:

  1. Please make note of when payment is due (see Important Dates above) – failure to pay by the deadline outlined will result in your spot being forfeited. Your submission and participation will be deemed cancelled and we will contact the next artist on the Wait List. No exceptions.
  2. We have moved the participation payment into one payment. You will be sent a PayPal invoice from the Artists’ Network which you can pay with credit card or your PayPal account.
  3. Artist cancellations must be made in writing to info@artistsnetwork.ca before payment due date. All fees are non-refundable.
  4. In order to qualify for the membership rate, you need to be a member AT THE TIME OF SUBMISSION and pay the full year submission membership fee. No exceptions.
  5. In the unlikely event the show is canceled your participation fee paid will be reimbursed.

Additional Fees

Artists’ Network does not take a commission on any sales. All sales are the responsibility of the artists. Credit card processing is available onsite as part of membership for a small fee to cover administration.

Other Costs

Artists are responsible for providing their own tent, grids etc. Rentals will be available. All booth spaces are 10’ x 10’. White tents are strongly encouraged. Collectives and shared booths are not permitted.

Cancellation Policy and Refunds

Fees are non-refundable. Cancellations must be made in writing to info@artistsnetwork.ca before payment due dates (See Above). Your participation is automatically considered confirmed unless we receive a request to cancel your submission in writing or you fail to pay the participation fees as outlined. No exceptions will be made as we expect a greater than normal waitlist this year.  In the event that the City of Toronto or the Artists’ Network feels it is unsafe to host the in-person show, your participation fee will be reimbursed.

Criteria

Please note that this is a Fine Art Show. One of the reasons that artists like participating in the Artists’ Network outdoor shows is that we are strict with regards to only accepting Fine Art. Over the years, technology and processes have changed and we have been asked by the artist community to outline our criteria. This is not intended to limit anyone’s ability to show and sell their work, only to ensure that the high standard of art showcased by all artists is what you expect.

Exhibited work must be consistent with the images submitted by the artist and must conform to the event guidelines.

All decisions on the suitability of art to be displayed made by the Artists’ Network or its representatives are final. The accepted artists are expected to co-operate fully with the Network.  Exhibitors will be monitored by the Artists’ Network and its representatives and we reserve the right to remove any questionable or non-approved art from the show. Any artist who violates the rules, is uncooperative or who demonstrate abusive behaviour may be asked to leave the show and will forfeit their right to participate in any future shows.

All work must be original and executed by the accepted artist. No functional art; mugs, bowls, posters, pillows, books, jewellery, T-shirts or other clothing or home décor is permitted.

Photographs and digital works must be signed by the artist and appropriately numbered indicating a limited number of prints of no more than 100. Only two version of each image may be displayed at a time.

Reproductions of non-photographic or digital work (ie – reproductions or prints of original paintings) may occupy a maximum of 15% of booth area (approximately ½ wall). They are to be numbered and labelled as reproductions. Open Editions (not numbered) are permitted; however only 1 version of each reproduction may be shown at a time. Notecards may be shown in multiples and are included within the 15% limitation.

Artists are permitted to have non-conforming work in a portfolio to show to prospective buyers.

Jury Details

Riverdale ArtWalk is juried by arts professionals. They are looking for a consistent theme to the work, originality, and quality. Submitted images must be clear, sharp, and representative of what you will exhibit; rejected submissions are often due to poor quality images or photographs that have other elements (walls, frames) in the submission photo. Please ensure you crop images to edge of art not frame. Please be sure you follow all submission requirements.

Promotion

We heavily promote Riverdale ArtWalk – via social media, postcard dissemination to high income neighborhoods, a substantial digital ad campaign, online event calendars and distribute our event guide to local hotels, restaurants and retail locations. In addition, we provide artists with the tools they need to promote their participation in our shows.

Marketing packages may be available for purchase closer to the show.

Image Use

By completing a submission you are giving the Artists’ Network permission to use your images for marketing and promotion.

Booth Selection

Booth allocation will be drawn at random in 3 batches: Early Bird, Regular Submission and Late Submission. If you have a specific request, please let us know during submission and we will attempt to place you in the best available booth that most closely matches your request when your name is drawn. Please be specific as possible (ie East facing, close to Booth Ave  vs the same spot I had last year). No guarantees of location are made and all locations are subject to change due to park conditions and city guidelines. We will do our best to accommodate any medical restrictions.

Artist Gallery

All accepted artists and galleries will be featured in our Online Artists Gallery at RiverdaleArtWalk.ca.

If you are a new participant you will be sent an email asking you to create your profile.Please ensure you list artists.network.dev@gmail.com as a safe sender/add to your contacts list so you receive the email. 

If you are a returning participant or Artists’ Network member and have a profile, it will still be live and automatically show up on the ArtWalk Artist Gallery. You may log in at anytime and edit.

Please note that your profile is linked to the email you provided when you created your submission. Once you set your password you can use it to log in to the artist gallery site, where you can edit your profile and images whenever you like, so please make note of your password! Your profile can be used for other Artists’ Network events moving forward.

The Artist Gallery will reside on the top navigation bar of the event site: https://riverdaleartwalk.ca/ and at https://artists.artistsnetwork.ca. If you have any questions, please reach out to info@artistsnetwork.ca or call us at 416-465-0302.

As well, we may have an Onsite Gallery during the show to promote all participating artists. Each artist is encouraged to contribute a 12” x 12” piece for the gallery. This will provide another opportunity for visitors to navigate the park and find your booth.

Code of Conduct

Artists’ Network is committed to always act with fairness, honesty, integrity and openness; respect the opinions of others and treat all with equality and dignity without regard to gender, race, colour, creed, ancestry, place of origin, political beliefs, religion, marital status, disability, age, or sexual orientation. We expect the same from our artist members. We will not tolerate any abusive or threatening behaviour towards any member of our team. Refusal to comply with this policy may result in an artist being asked to leave the show.

COVID-19

We are optimistic that we will be able deliver an outdoor show that adheres to all COVID protocols and keeps both artists and art lovers safe.  If the City of Toronto imposes cancelation restrictions during these dates, the outdoors shows may be moved to an online version.

Questions

Please review our detailed Frequently Asked Questions document.

If you have further questions or need help with your application, please contact the Artists’ Network.

“Riverdale ArtWalk has a good reputation for excellence and variety which draws more experienced art collectors as well as giving new art collectors confidence to buy from artists that are in this show. Every year I have people come back to see me. When my work, the right price point and their circumstance, come together its usually a substantial sale. This show is an investment in new and long-term relationships.”

Elva Hook