the Sausalito Art Festival online Auction
No Travel Expenses. No Booth Fees. Exposure to Thousands of Art Buyers Across the U.S.
Deadline to enter: End of Day September 25.
Through more than 60 years, the iconic Sausalito Art Festival won countless awards and developed a loyal following of patrons and artists who remember it fondly and yearn for its return. In fact, rarely does a day go by when we’re not asked “when is the Sausalito Art Festival coming back?”
In 2021, a homeless encampment moved into Marinship Park, the location of the Sausalito Art Festival, and the Festival was canceled for obvious reasons. Although the encampment was removed in 2022, the park is still closed and in disrepair but there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel - the park is scheduled to be repaired and opened to the public.
While we are not sure when the park will be ready to host the Sausalito Art Festival, the Sausalito Art Festival Foundation is ready now to connect artists with patrons via our second online auction.
The auction is by design simple and straight forward, we want to offer our patrons the opportunity to purchase art from Sausalito Art Festival artists from the comfort of their homes. Likewise, we want to create an easy and inexpensive way for artists to exhibit their work to thousands of loyal art patrons.
Who Can Apply and Exhibit?
The application is open to all artists.
Artists are asked to apply with two art pieces available for purchase. The art you use to apply must be available for sale, if chosen to exhibit.
Artists may submit all media: painting, sculpture, glass, wood, drawing, photography, fiber, jewlery, etc.
All work must be original, handcrafted work. Artist guarantees the accuracy of the description of the works presented and the authenticity of the work as the creation of their own hands. Work done by a production studio is not acceptable. All work must be designed and executed by the accepted artist. Artwork produced with commercially acquired casts, molds, prefabricated forms, studio volume production or other commercial methods will not be permitted.
SAF judges will select 80-100 artists to participate in the auction.
Our previous online auction included 78 artists with great success.
Deadline to enter: End of Day September 25.
Judging Announcement: Saturday, September 30.
What Is The Auction Format?
The auction will take place over a seven-day period in a “silent auction” format. At the end of the bidding period, the highest bidder for the chosen piece will be the winner.
SAF will use an established auction platform that will keep track of all sale items, bids, and payment collection.
SAF will pay artists within two-weeks of the auction close.
Silent Auction Dates: Sunday, October 29 - Sunday, November 5.
How Will The Auction Be Promoted?
The auction will be promoted online using the extensive email lists of the Sausalito Art Festival. The lists contain thousands of email addresses of previous Festival ticket buyers, volunteers, community members, and others who have shown interest in the Festival.
The auction will be promoted through SAF social media channels.
The auction will be promoted through Google Keyword campaigns.
The auction will be promoted through press release.
We ask that each artist help promote the event by communicating to their patron base via their email lists, social media accounts and other possible venues.
SAF Online Auction Terms
The Application Fee is $25.00 and is due at time of application.
No refunds will be given to any artist not chosen to exhibit
Artists who chose to exhibit will be charge a $50.00 participation fee.
Fee will be collected once judging results have been announced, and artist accepts invitation to exhibit.
The Sausalito Art Festival Foundation will take a 25% commission for each piece sold.
For example, if an art piece is sold for $1,000, SAF will retain $250 and will compensate the artist $750.
There are no booth fees, advertising fees, travel fees or any other fees typically associated with a live festival.
Pricing and Sales
It is up to the artist to determine the reserve price, or minimum price they would accept for their work.
No artwork will sell below the reserve/minimum price set by the artist.
To be successful, it’s necessary to acknowledge that money is tight for many people and the purchase of art can be delayed to another time. Therefore, we ask each artist to place a reasonable opening bid/reserve price, knowing that the cost to participate in the Silent Auction is very low compared to live events.
For our 2021 auction:
The highest price for an item sold was $8,000.00
The lowest price for an item sold was $125.00
The average price for items sold was $1,100.00
SAF will handle all sales aspects but it will be the responsibility of the artist to ship the purchased piece to the winning bidder. SAF will provide the artist with the contact information of the winning bidder, and it will be the responsibility of the artist to pack and ship the piece within a week.
It will be the responsibility of the artist to charge the buyer for shipping.
We will clearly state on the bidding platform that shipping is not including in the winning price.
When applying, artists must write a description of each piece including material, edition size of any, etc. This will be used on the auction site.
What Is The Auction Timetable?
Deadline to enter: End of Day September 25
Judging Announcement: September 30
Silent Auction Dates: October 29 - November 5
About The Festival:
Prior to loosing its park location, the Sausalito Art Festival was:
Rated consistently in "America's Top Outdoor Fine Art Festivals" by Art Fair SourceBook
Rated in ArtFairCalendar.com's "America's Best Art Fairs - The Top 50"
Rated in Sunshine Artist's "Best of Shows" for over a decade
Winner of multiple Pinnacle Awards from the International Festival & Events Association
Attended by Art Collectors from around the world
Included participating artists from throughout the nation and world
How To Enter
To apply for the Sausalito Art Festival Online Auction, please fill out the application form below.
Questions? Please email us at: information@sausalitoartfestival.org