Although the 2016 Utah Arts Festival is still months away, literary artists interested in performing and getting paid for doing so at the weekend-long celebration of creative talent need to apply by Friday, Jan. 29, no later than 5 p.m.
There are no genre restrictions on submissions, but the Utah Arts Festival website lists that they are specifically looking for “professionalism, originality, creativity and suitability of materials” for the broad and varied crowd they receive, which does include children. Those interested should turn in applications to http://uaf.org/applications/literary-arts-application. The application includes sections to include links to published works and performances, but these aspects are merely ways to illustrate the submitters’ talent and are not required in order to be considered for the festival.
The festival will be held in downtown Salt Lake at Library Square and Washington Square from June 23 to 26. There are around 80,000 people in attendance each year, multiple performances, an art exhibit, and food and drinks from a variety of cultures.
The weekend is hosted by the Utah Arts Festival, a nonprofit foundation that aims to promote the arts in the state.
Artists will know if they are accepted by March 18, with signed contracts mailed out to the performers by March 25. This contract outlines how much the person is to be paid, any requirements they have to read their piece and the liability they carry. It also guarantees that the festival can use the work for “archival, publicity and web site purposes before, during and after” the weekend.
If poetry and prose readings aren’t your forte, submissions for dance and street theater performances are also due on Jan. 29. If you can’t make that tight of a deadline, there is still time to enter the categories of visual (March 3) and culinary arts (March 4) for this year’s festival.
Additionally, organizers are also looking for classical composer submissions to debut at the 2017 event, which will bring the winner a $3,000 award.
@Ehmannky