Since 1966, Upper Arlington Labor Day Arts Festival has celebrated and shared the arts with the community. Each year, more than 15,000 visitors flock to UA on Labor Day. Visitors immerse themselves in hands-on art activities, live music as part of the UA Performance Series, and the opportunity to explore and purchase fine art and fine craft work. Around 120 artists will be there who work in a variety of media including paintings, photography, jewelry, pottery, sculptures and mixed media.
The Festival is made possible through the hard work of City Staff, a dedicated Coordinating Committee and a cadre of some 100 community volunteers. Interested in being a part of the Coordinating Committee? Reach out to Jodi Osborne, Arts Manager at [email protected].
2023 FESTIVAL DATE AND HOURS:
Monday, September 4 | 10 am – 6 pm
FREE Admission
LOCATION:
Northam Park/Tremont Road
2850 Tremont Road
Upper Arlington, Ohio 43221
HOW TO GET TO THE FESTIVAL
Shuttles: Park at the Wellington School (3650 Reed Road) and hop on a shuttle for an effortless ride to the Festival. Shuttles will be running about every 15 minutes from 9:30am-6:30pm.
Bike: Free bike valet service is offered for your convenience. The bike valet is located near the library of Tremont Road.
CoGo Bike Share: Don’t have a bike? Grab a bike at any of the CoGo Bike stations and ride to the Tremont Center station.
Ride Share: The best drop-off zones include the intersections of Tremont and Northam or Tremont and Ridgeview.
COTA Bus: Stop ID: 2853/3781 – Northwest Blvd & Northam Rd. Bus Line 3 – Approximately 10 minute walk down Northam Rd.
Handicap/Accessible Parking: Spots will be reserved at the Tremont Center (parking lot across from Northam Park). Patrons can access the lot from Redding Road.
Parking: Street parking available throughout the neighborhood.
Road Closures:
Tremont Road between Farleigh Road and Northam Road
Northam Road from Tremont Road to Coventry Road
EXHIBITING ARTIST
Coming soon!
Upper Arlington is a community that supports the arts and welcomes the Labor Day Arts Festival every year. Many attend the event annually as part of the community tradition. In addition to supportive residents, many travel from the Columbus and surrounding regions to attend the event and purchase art. Artists love this one day, well organized event with easy setup, teardown and friendly and helpful staff and volunteers.
NEW expanded hours! This year’s event will be extended from a 6-hour event to an 8-hour event in an effort to increase vendor sales and provide additional performing art opportunities. Booth fees will remain the same this year.
DATES
Festival – Monday, September 4, 2023 from 10 am-6 pm
Application Deadline: February 10 @ midnight EST
Jury Dates: February 27-March 13
Artists Notified: March 27
Full payment due through Zapplication.org: June 16 @ midnight EST
Deadline to cancel and receive full refund (minus jury application fee): August 1 @ midnight EST
HIGHLIGHTS:
- NEW! Extended hours – 8-hour event
- Average Sales: $3,000 (based on the 2022 Artist Survey)
- Over 15,000 visitors
- 120 Artists accepted with 44 corner booth spaces available
- 5 Emerging Artists accepted
- Free continental breakfast and coffee
- Boxed lunches available for purchase and delivered to tent
- Tent rentals available
- Booth sitting available
- Friendly volunteers and staff
- Drive up loading and unloading
- Optional setup Sunday before Festival
- Free Parking with shuttle to booth space
- Artist Awards – range from $200-$600 per artist in addition to automatic acceptance into next year’s show with waived booth space fees
The best thing about the Upper Arlington Arts Festival is the great reputation and history it has in being one of the best art festivals in Central Ohio – 2022 Artist
It is so well organized, the volunteers are amazing and the patrons are super nice – 2022 Artist
2023 LABOR DAY ARTS FESTIVAL JURORS
Michael Bush
Michael Bush was born in 1975 in Gary, Indiana and now lives in Columbus, OH. Michael is a self-taught abstract artist. He has taken part in many juried shows in Columbus including the Ohio State Fair professional division, Art for Life, and the Columbus Bicentennial. Michael has served as the Artistic director for Union Bar and Food, where he curated bi-monthly art shows. Michael currently serves as the board president of the Franklinton Arts District. Michael is represented by Hayley Gallery in New Albany, Ohio and Sarah Gormley Galley in the Short North. Michael has two pieces in Schumacher Museum permanent collection (2019 and 2020).
Hayley Deeter
Hayley Deeter is the owner and director of Hayley Gallery in New Albany, Ohio. A native New Yorker, Deeter started her career as the youngest and only female Vice President for a Chicago direct marketing agency. Hayley received a Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her 25 years of service. Having met this achievement at the height of her career, she followed her one true passion, art, and opened Hayley Gallery in November, 2007. Adding to her role of gallery owner, Deeter launched Deeter Design in 2014 to assist clients with incorporating art in their homes, adding color to their lives and re-designing interior spaces.
Rebecca Rea
Rebecca Rea is a multiple award winning ceramicist with over 25 years of experience. She founded Spinfire Studios in 2014 as she began to produce, sell and exhibit her works full-time. She has shown in countless fine art festivals and galleries regionally. Rebecca has also been a past juror for the UA Labor Day Arts Festival. She continues to develop her work in her home studio.
Thomas Yano
Sculptor and 2022 Best of Show Award Winner, Thomas Yano has been crafting and perfecting his metalsmithing skills since 1973. Thomas hand crafts each of his bronze, brass and copper sculptures. The theme of his works range from traditional to contemporary dynamic forms. Thomas has been exhibiting his work in fine art shows all over the country for over 25 years.
Judy Yesso
Judy Yesso is a resident of Upper Arlington and active member of the Labor Day Arts Festival Coordinating Committee. Past Chair and current member of the Cultural Arts Commission, Judy has led the Commission in creating a solid foundation for future work in developing and supporting the arts in Upper Arlington.
ZAPPLICATION APPLICATION
- Jury Application fee: $30 (non-refundable)
- Images: 4 images of individual artwork plus 1 booth image (without signs or identifying factors) – judging is based solely upon the quality of the work as illustrated in the submitted digital images.
- Images should be void of artist signature or any identifying marks; this will insure an anonymous and fair jury process.
- Jury images submitted should represent the artist’s original artwork and must be made by the exhibiting artist(s).
- COLLABORATING ARTISTS: Artists working in the same studio and using the studio name may request to exhibit in the same booth for one booth fee, with a maximum of three artists. Artists collaborating on the same work need not apply separately.
- Artists jurying more than one category of work may apply under the same name with a maximum of three mediums.
- Commercial studios involved in multiple or volume production should not apply to the show
JURORS & JURY INFORMATION
- Blind jury – images should not include signatures, identifying marks, name of the studio or face/identity of the artist
- Jurors: 4 experienced arts and industry professionals (paid) and 1 Cultural Arts Commissioner (unpaid)
- We try to have new jurors every year. Any repeat jurors will have at least one lapse year between shows.
- Juror’s biographies will be posted to our website at upperarlingtonoh.gov/LDAF
- Monitor jury – Jurors will view images from their own computers at their own pace from February 27-March 13.
- Accepted artists will be the top/highest scores in their respective mediums.
- Any artist with applications accepted in multiple mediums must select one to be exhibited.
- The Upper Arlington Labor Day Arts Festival may limit the number of artists accepted in some categories in order to present a balanced show.
- Decisions of the jury panel are final and artist scores will not be released.
A waitlist will be formed based on the scores and any vacancies will be filled from this list.
EMERGING ARTIST PROGRAM
EMERGING ARTISTS
Coming soon!
The Emerging Artist Program grew from the desire to be a more inclusive Festival and support artists looking to begin their art festival careers. This program is specifically for artists who have never exhibited their artwork in a juried arts festival. Interested artists must be a resident or student of Franklin County. The application procedure and jury process are the same as if you were applying to the standard show however the “Emerging Artist” category must be selected. See below for additional criteria:
- Up to 5 spaces will be available to emerging artists
- Emerging artist is defined as an artist that has never exhibited in a juried arts festival in the past
- Open to Franklin County residents and students
- Emerging artists should select “Emerging Artist” category when applying
- Images: 4 high quality images of artwork should be uploaded to application – Emerging artists are not required to provide an image of booth space
- Jury Application fee reduced by 50%. Emerging artists should contact Jodi Osborne at [email protected] to receive discount code.
- Invited emerging artists will be provided a 10’ x 10’ tented space for a reduced cost of $75.
- Invited emerging artists will be required to attend 3 of the Arts and Crafts Entrepreneurship Workshop Series offered on Saturday mornings from 9am-11am in the spring. The workshop scheduled for Saturday, May 13 from 10am-12pm will be required for all invited emerging artists. Additional information will be sent on these workshops after the jury process and are open to everyone to attend.
MEDIUM DEFINITIONS
Media categories are used as a tool for organizing artists’ images into logical, related groups for the jury’s review.
2D Mixed Media – Works that incorporate more than one type of physical material in their production and is suitable for hanging.
3D Mixed Media – Works that incorporate more than one type of physical material in their production and is a 3D object suitable for standing or hanging.
Ceramics – All original clay and porcelain. Machine-made, mass-produced work is not permitted. Embellishment of manufactured materials is not permitted.
Digital Art – Original work utilizing computer software solely to create, design and produce work. Work must be properly signed and numbered as a limited edition of no more than 250.
Drawing & Pastels – Works created using dry media including chalk, charcoal, pastels, pencil, wax crayons, etc. or from fluid media including inks and washes applied by pen or brush.
Fiber – All work crafted from fibers, including basketry, embroidery, weaving, tapestry and papermaking. No commercially machine-tooled, machine-screened patterns or miscellaneous forms of mass production are permitted, including manufactured seams.
Glass – Glass works that are functional or decorative by design and are kiln-formed or have been crafted by glass blowing, fusing, staining, molding, or casting. Works may be etched or engraved. No forms of mass production are permitted.
Jewelry – ALL jewelry, whether produced from metal, glass, clay, fiber, paper, plastic or other materials. No commercial casts, molds or production studio work is allowed. Limited use of pre-made material such as beads* or small ornamental items is permitted.
*Beads must be made by the artist. There are only two exemptions to this rule:
- If the beads are not made by the artist, they must clearly play a subordinate role in the finished piece
- The requirement that beads must be made by the artist does not apply in the technique known as bead weaving; however, commercial bead weaving kits are not permitted.
Leather – Work where the primary material is leather including belts, handbags, wearables and sculptural work. All factory-produced items prohibited regardless of additional modification or enhancement by the artist.
Metal – Includes all non-sculptural, non-jewelry work crafted from metals. No production studio work is allowed.
Painting – The use of oils, acrylics, watercolors, and tempera suitable for hanging.
Photography and Digital Photography – The process of capturing images that begins with a camera, then printing the images, by chemical or digital means, onto a surface. This category includes traditional film photography and digital photography. All pieces must be signed, numbered and dated in limited editions of no more than 250.
Printmaking & Graphics – Printed works in which the artist hand-manipulated the plates, stones, or screens. Prints must be signed and numbered as a limited edition.
Sculpture – Three-dimensional original work created in any medium.
Wood – Original works that are hand-tooled, machine-worked, turned or carved. Embellished manufactured wood items and mass-production are not permitted.
Emerging Artist Program – The Emerging Artist Program provides the opportunity for residents or students of Franklin County who have never exhibited in a juried arts festival to participate in the Upper Arlington Labor Day Arts Festival. Please refer to the “Emerging Artist Program”
- 10’ x 10’ Booth Space – $150
- 10’ x 20’ Booth Space – $300
- Corner Booth – +$50 (in addition to booth space fee)
- Booths at the end of each row
- 44 available corner booth spaces
- First come first serve
- Tent Rentals
- We strongly encourage you to bring your own tent however we can provide a tent through our tent vendor at cost. Any issues with tents must be dealt with directly with tent vendor.
- 10’ x 10’ Tent Rental (basic frame tent)- +$225 (in addition to 10’x10’ booth space fee)
- Side wall for rented tent (all 4 sides) +$80
- Tent weights and setup provided by tent vendor
- All rented tents will be located in one area and corner booth spaces will be limited
General Guidelines
- All work must be the original, hand-produced work of the artists and representative of the work submitted to the festival jury.
- Artist agrees that all work submitted to the jury process and displayed and represented for sale has been designed and executed by the artist(s).
- No mass-production, manufactured work, or work produced from kits is permitted. No work by apprentices, studios or employees will be accepted. Commercial agents, dealers, or manufacturers are not eligible to apply. No “buy/sell” items or prepared food items will be accepted.
- Artist must be present during the entire event and available to speak with attendees. Artists will be asked to show ID upon check-in.
- Booths may not be moved from the assigned space before 6:15pm on Monday.
- Electrical service is not available. Generators are not permitted.
- Artists retain 100% of their sales and are responsible for the collection and reporting of all applicable sales taxes. Franklin County sales tax is 7.50% (www.tax.ohio.gov). Artists shall be responsible for obtaining any required licenses, permits or approvals under state laws applicable to his/her activity at the Festival and for paying any taxes, sales taxes, fees or other charges that may be applicable to any exhibitor’s activity at the Festival.
- Artists will abide by load-in/load-out procedures monitored by City staff and volunteers. Capability to drive up to booth space for load in/out will be during scheduled hours only on Sunday from 12pm-6pm and Monday morning from 7am-8:30am. Arrival outside of these scheduled times will require the artists to cart their artwork and supplies from outside the festival area.
Tent/Canopy Guidelines
- This event is held on pavement – 40 lb. weights are required on EACH corner of your tent. Additional weight is highly encouraged.
- All fabric canopies must be securely fastened to the frame.
- All tents must be flame resistant. Documentation is required (typically there is a tag inside your tent with this information)
- UA Fire Prevention will be onsite the morning of the event to inspect all tents.
- All displays must be kept inside your allotted space. No additional tables or displays are permitted in the right-of-way.
- Responsibility of compliance rests with the artist. Fire Prevention Office personnel can be reached at 614-583-5119 and will answer any questions concerning the above guidelines.
- Why we are strict with these guidelines
Reproduction Guidelines:
- Please see Medium Definitions for category-specific restrictions on 2D reproductions.
- All reproductions must be signed and numbered in editions of no more than 250.
- All reproductions whether framed or unframed, must be clearly and individually labeled “REPRODUCTION.” No other terms may be used.
- Framed reproductions may be displayed on one wall of the booth, not to exceed ten (10) linear feet. All unframed reproductions must be displayed in browse bins.
- Unframed reproductions may not be displayed in the same browse bin with original artworks.

The Art Activities Area this year will be located in the Tremont Parking Lot near Tremont Elementary and next to the Main Performance Stage. Bring your whole family and get creative with a variety of hands on activities. No previous art experience required!
Are you interested in facilitating or providing an art activity for the community? Please contact Jodi Osborne, Arts Manager at [email protected].
Last year’s art activities included:
- Musical Instrument Craft provided by Musicologie
- Suncatchers provided by OSU Department of Arts Administration, Education and Policy
- Caricature Portraits
- Face Painting
- Henna
- Painting, drawing, ceramics and jewelry making experiences led by Upper Arlington High School art students

MAIN PERFORMANCE STAGE
10:30-11:30 am – Whirlybirds
12-1 pm – Roots Society
1:30-2:30 pm – Topher James and Biscuit Brigade
3-4 pm – Andy Shaw Band
4:30 – 6pm – The British Invasion
ADDITIONAL PERFORMANCES
10-10:30 am – UAHS Marching Band
11:15 am–12:15 pm – SupaFun Band
1:15-2:15 pm – Musicologie
3:15-4:15 pm – School of Rock Columbus
COMMUNITY GROUPS
Applications are now open for Non-Profit Organizations to purchase booth space for this event. Apply Here – deadline June 13, 2023 (or until spaces sell out). Limited 10’x10’ spaces available for non-profit and for-profit organizations.
Fees
Upper Arlington Based Non-Profit Organization: $75*
Non-Profit Organization: $100*
For Profit Organization: $500
10’x10’ tent rentals are available for an additional $225
*A copy of the organization’s 501 c3 must be attached to application to receive the non-profit rate

Taesty’s: Southern, American, Comfort Food
Explorers Club: Eclectic, Comfort Food, Latin American
Fancy Feeding You: American, Sandwiches, Salads
Guelaguetza Street Food: Mexican Street Food & Ice Cream
Big Bite: Burgers, American, Comfort Food
Schmidt’s Sausage Truck: German
Hibachi Run: Asian Fusion, Japanese
Broke Johnny: Breakfast, Brunch
Tortilla Street Food: Mexican Street Food
Cupzilla: Korean
The Coffee Co: Coffee, Desserts, Shaved Ice
Little Ladies Soft Serve: Ice Cream
Holy Crepes: French, Comfort Food, Desserts
Chilljoy: Hawaiian Shaved Ice and Ice Cream
Drank Tank: Coffee and Tea

Be a part of the art in Upper Arlington and help make this year’s event possible! Earn community service hours (if needed), meet new friends and receive a fashionable Labor Day Arts Festival t-shirt. Various shifts available. Check back in August for a link to sign up for a volunteer shift. See below 2022’s volunteer opportunities.
OPPORTUNITY | DESCRIPTION | SHIFTS AVAILABLE |
Artist Check-In | Help artists check in as they arrive to setup and direct them to their booth space. Give artists a warm welcome, hand them their packet, and run through a checklist of things they should know. | Sunday: 11:45 am–3 pm 2:45-6 pm Monday: 6:45–10 am |
Artist Breakfast | Greet artists and make them feel welcome as you help distribute packed breakfast and coffee before the start of Festival. Help tear down breakfast items before the start of the event. | Monday: 6:45–10 am |
Artist Booth Sitter and General Volunteer | Check in on artists and give breaks as needed. No sale transactions will take place during booth sitting. Simply inform visitors that artist will be back shortly. These volunteers will also assist with a wide range of tasks including keeping the festival grounds clean, clearing and cleaning tables and anything else that might be needed throughout the event! | Monday: 10 am–1 pm 1–4:30 pm |
Art Pick-Up | When purchasing a large work of art, attendees can utilize this service to pick up their artwork after they are finished enjoying Festival. Staff members will deliver purchased artwork to a tent setup near Tremont Road where volunteers will monitor the artwork, check purchase tickets, and help customers load the artwork in their vehicles upon pickup. | Monday: 10 am–1:30 pm 1:30-4:30 pm |
Festival Greeter | Greeters to be stationed at shuttle stops offsite to welcome attendees, count shuttle users, and pass out festival maps. | Monday: 9:30 am–12:30 pm 12:30-3:30 pm |
Art Activities | Assist with Art Activities Area. Clean tables and restock art supplies. Engage with children and families to insure they have an experience of a lifetime creating one of a kind works of art! | Monday: 9:30 am-1 pm 1-5 pm |
Festival Setup and Teardown | Festival would not be possible without a strong setup and tear down crew! Help distribute and setup tables and chairs and distribute supplies. This opportunity does require lifting heavy objects and walking a lot. | Sunday: 12 pm – 3 pm (set-up) Monday: 7 am – 10 am (set-up) 3:45 pm – 6 pm (teardown) |
The Labor Day Arts Festival would not be possible without a dynamic team of staff and volunteers. The Coordinating Committee begins work on planning Festival months in advance and put many hours into making sure the event runs smoothly. THANK YOU to the Coordinating Committee and volunteers for their generous donation of time and talents! For more information on volunteering for the Labor Day Arts Festival, please contact Jodi Osborne at [email protected] or 614-583-5312.
2022 Coordinating Committee Members
Arts Activities Area:
Shannon Guy, Amelia Pearson
Artist Management:
Emily Hutlock, Diane Haddad, Judy Yesso
Logistics:
Amy DiFrischia, Matt Stewart, Sam Simmons, TJ Putnam
Performance:
Martin Spencer, Ron Johnson
Refreshments:
Sarah Krosse
Volunteers:
Eliese Kendrick, Trudy Krisher
Accessibility:
Patrick Monaghan