Frelighsburg, Quebec

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WELCOME TO FESTIV'ART 2008!

Saturday, August 30: 11 AM - 6 PM
Sunday, August 31: 10 AM - 6 PM

The Festiv'Art 2008 organizing committee is pleased to invite Vermont and Upstate New York artists to apply to the 13th edition of Quebec's largest and oldest outdoor art festival. As always, Canadian artists are encouraged to apply and a special invitation is extended this year to artists of Amerindian origin.

This year's event will truly be a Festiv'Art sans frontières, an art festival without borders!

The Festiv'Art is a unique two-day event: outdoor, spacious, relaxed, set in a charming historic village in the scenic Pike River valley. What is more, the event attracts thousands of Montreal art lovers who enjoy meeting the painters and printmakers face to face before they make a purchase. In fact, a large number of Festiv'Art artists keep reapplying year after year because the festival works so well for them.

The information on this web page is organized under these headings:

     • VERSION FRANÇAIS
     • THEME, JURY AND PRIZES
     • ADMISSION CRITERIA
     • SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
     • DEADLINES
     • APPLICATION FORMS
     • CROSSING THE US/CANADA BORDER
     • ARTISTS' SPACES
     • GENERAL INFORMATION
     • ABOUT FRELIGHSBURG
     • CONTACT INFORMATION
     • SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER
     • ROAD MAP AND DIRECTIONS
     • PRESS RELEASE MAR. 14, 2008
     • PRESS RELEASE FEB. 12, 2008

A jury will judge each submission for its quality and originality. Artists whose applications are successful will be notified promptly. All materials submitted will be returned by mail.

The jury will award prizes with a total value of $3,300 to artwork that is related to this year's festival theme of "Boundaries" or "Frontières". During the event, each artist that wants to be eligible for prizes must display and identify one or two works that respond to the theme.

Winners will be posted on the Festiv'Art website and mentioned in our press releases. Canadian and American artists will compete for the same prizes. Prizes are in Canadian dollars.

$1,000 Grand prize
$750 Second Prize
$500 Third Prize
$300 Fourth Prize
$200 Fifth Prize
$150 Sixth Prize
plus 4 additional prizes of $100

Click to expand photos of Frelighsburg.

Only original artwork is accepted. Media permitted: Drawing, painting, print-making, mixed media and photography. No mechanical reproduction is allowed.

In general, electronic submission is preferred. Please be prepared to submit the following, or post the equivalent material online at an easily accessible website:

CV / artist's résumé - 2 page maximum
5 color photos representing your body of work. The photos should represent the style of work to be submitted to the Festiv'Art
alternative to the above: the web address of your online portfolio and CV
a non-refundable cheque for $25 US or CDN
a second, refundable cheque for $125 US or CDN (to be returned if you are not accepted)
a stamped return envelope (US stamps are OK)

NOTE: Please do not send original artwork or portfolios.

The normal application period is over, but please contact us anyway (if you have not already done so) in case any places open up at the last moment. For more information, please call or email:

If you have been accepted, but then decide to withdraw after July 1, 2008, any refunds will incur a $50 penalty.

The Festiv'Art 2008 application form is available either as a standard web page that you can print, or as a file in PDF format. Click to download whichever version is easiest for you to print out:

We have had discussions with both Canadian and American customs officials and they have been very helpful in suggesting how the border crossing can be handled efficiently and with only minor paperwork. All the details are being worked out now.

Selected artists will receive full details and paperwork as well as information about currency exchange, credit cards, and so on. Please call us if you want more details now on border issues.

During the Festiv'Art, about 150 artists set up their tables and display-tents at predetermined locations along the streets of the village. The spaces available on the street are typically 10' by 10'. Artists are responsible for providing and installing their own tables, tents, easels, etc. Spaces may not be shared with other artists.

Credit cards: A credit card and debit card service will be available for sales during the festival.

Parking: You will be able to drive right up to your location for setting up in the morning, but there is no parking near artists' displays during festival hours. Participants will be provided with designated parking spaces a short distance away.

Web link: Participants will be listed, with links to their web sites (if they provide a web address), on the festival web page.

Housing: Note that Frelighsburg is only two miles north of the VT border, and convenient to I89 and I87 for VT and NY residents. More details about local hotels, restaurants, B&Bs, and camping, will be posted here soon.

Weather: This is a rain or shine event, so make sure your tent doesn't leak!

Setting up: Artists are encouraged to arrive before 8 a.m. Saturday morning, August 30, 2008. Full details will be supplied to the selected artists.

A note on language: The Frelighsburg region was settled by New Englanders and still retains a significant Anglophone population. You will find that most Frelighsburg-area Francophones speak English as well. Language will not be a problem -- this is one of the most bilingual areas in Canada.

Special events: More to follow...

c Frelighsburg has many ties to the States. The village was founded in the 1790s by Dr. Abraham Freligh of Albany, NY, and was settled largely by United Empire Loyalists. During Prohibition, Frelighsburg had four taverns serving the brisk cross-border traffic. Today, wineries and cideries are springing up in the area's rolling hills, and the New England architectural influence is still strong.

For more information about the history and charms of Frelighsburg and its Festiv'Art, please follow thse links: