Holiday Maker Mart & Open House

Artist must be able to attend the entirety of the in-person event, detailed below:

• Set up: 2pm-4pm
• Open House Event: 4pm-8pm
• Breakdown: 8pm-9pm

• All forms of media are eligible to apply (painting, printmaking, jewelry, glass, fiber art, photography, quilts, greeting cards, wearable art, woodworking, sculpture, ceramics, etc.)
• Artists must be aged 18 or over and must live, work, or study in Howard County.
• Artists must be a current member of the Howard County Arts Council at the time of the application deadline. Call 410-313-2787 or email visitorservices@hocoarts.org if you are unsure of your status. Visit www.hocoarts.org to become a member at the individual level.
• Artists must be selling actual handmade goods. Classes and services may be promoted but cannot be the sole product offered.
• Applications must be electronically received by the deadline date. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered for the Juried event. 
• HCAC AAO’s must apply for the juried market as individual artists.  
• You or your representative must be present at your table for the duration of the Open House from 4-8pm.  
• Upon selection, the Howard County Arts Council will require a flat fee of $30 from each Juried Artist for participation in the Extended Market.  
• Juried Artists must help facilitate sales and be present in the gallery for  supervising and supporting staff with sales. Exact amount of hours is to be determined.  A sign-up sheet will be available after the selection is complete.  
• Juried Artists will be required to pick up their work at the end of the Open House event.
• Applications for the Open House will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis providing the requirements above are met.

Interested artists must complete the online entry form. The Holiday Maker-Mart & Open House entry form will ask for the following information:

• Contact Information
  • Artist’s name
  • Artist/Organization/Business Name
  • Phone
  • Email
• Which portion of the event are you interested in applying for? 
  • You will need to indicate whether you are entering the Juried Maker-Mart or the non-juried Holiday Open House.
• Gallery Monitoring Availability
  • If you are interested in the juried Maker-Mart, you will need to select all the shifts that you are available to work.
• Artist Bio
  • Provide a short narrative description of your artwork and your background.
• Description of Items for Sale
  • Provide a short, general description of the items you will be selling to be used in the event guide for patrons.
• Images
• Juried Maker-Mart 
  • Artists interested in entering the juried Maker-Mart must submit up to four images that showcase the artwork to be included in the pop-up gallery shop. 
• Holiday Open House
  • Artists interested in entering the non-juried Holiday Open House must submit up to two images that showcase the artwork you will have for sale. 
  • All images must be individual files in jpg format. Label each file with the artist’s Last Name_First Name_Title_Media_Dimension. Each file should be less than 1MB.

Artist participation is free and open to Arts Council members. If you’re not a current member, now is a great time to join!

All work is insured against physical damage or loss, from time of receipt by HoCo Arts through the designated date and time of pick-up. A $25 per day late fee will be charged for any work left after the specified date.

Exhibited work may not be removed before the close of the Maker-Mart. HoCo Arts reserves the right to photograph any accepted work for publicity or educational purposes. HoCo Arts reserves the right of final editorial review of all exhibitions and their contents, and work may be withdrawn by HoCo Arts.

Submission of work constitutes an understanding of an agreement with all of the conditions outlined in this prospectus.

• September
  • Online registration opens for submissions.
• November
  • Artwork drop-off at the Center for the Arts. Artists are required to sign up for a drop-off timeslot in advance. Instructions to sign up for a timeslot will be shared after artists are accepted.
  • Exhibit opens to the public
  • Reception; free and open to the public.
• December
  • Exhibit closes
  • Pick-up artwork

The Holiday Maker Mart and Open House will not take place in 2025 as we prepare for our move to our new location. 

The Center for the Arts at 8510 High Ridge Road will close after November 17, 2025. More information about the relocation can be found here.