Anthrocon Artists' Alley

Anthropomorphics conventions are traditionally very art-intensive, and Anthrocon is no exception. In addition to our sizeable art show, each year we set aside a place for artists to show off their work, sell prints or just sit and draw in sketchbooks. Known as Artists Alley, this area is available to all artists on a first-come, first-served basis. Space is limited, but we do our best to accommodate as many artists as possible. This year, Artists Alley will once again be sharing space with the Art Show and the Dealers Room in Hall B of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

The Artists Alley is not the Dealers Room. Important differences include:

• Artists do not pay to use the Artists Alley.
• Artists are not required to have a Pennsylvania Tax ID number.
• Seats in Artists Alley are chosen by lottery every morning. You must sign up for a seat in the Alley each morning.
• You must bring in your art materials/items to sell each day, and take them with you each evening.
• There is no electrical power available in Artists Alley.
• Artists may only sell work of their own creation.

Artists Alley General Rules

1. Seats are available to artists wishing to display and sell artwork of their own creation.
2. Artwork sold in the Alley must be relevant to furry fandom. Additional criteria for items to be sold in Artists Alley include:
1. Two-dimensional media (drawings, paintings, prints) on any non-living medium is permitted.
2. Three-dimensional media is permitted. This includes but is not limited to sculptures, carving, glasswork, woodwork, and costume crafts. Items which have been purchased as-is or "off the shelf" may not be sold in Artists Alley. Items which are copies (i.e. cast pewter or resin) are also not permitted.
3. Items which would be considered general merchandise without the artist's work (i.e. Wearables [clothing, buttons, etc.], personalized knick-knacks, etc.) are not permitted to be sold in Artists Alley.
4. Sales of anything other than artwork of the artist's own creation is prohibited in Artists Alley.
5. Items which are a collaboration between more than one artist (i.e. comic books, CD's) are not permitted to be sold in AA since artists are only permitted to sell their own work.
6. All artwork displayed must be no more mature than PG-13. If there are questions on suitability, or if discrepancies arise, the Artists Alley/Con Store Manager will have the final authority.
7. Items with mature themes may be sold, provided that these items are not on public display. Adult-oriented materials must be either covered (such as with Post-it notes over the objectionable parts), or kept in a clearly marked binder that is not accessible to minors.
8. It is the artist's responsibility to make sure that mature material is discreetly handled when being viewed by customers. Please keep mature artwork in separate binders or places separated from your more "general-audience" art. Don't just have a tag between the regular and mature materials. Likewise, please monitor your customers to make sure that they are not displaying mature artwork in an indiscreet manner.
9. If there are any questions about what items might be permissible, please contact the Artists Alley Manager at . AA Manager rulings may be appealed to the Convention Chairman, whose ruling shall be considered final.
3. Each artist is allotted one-half of a table, 48" x 30".
4. If the Alley is not full, artists may spread into any unoccupied table space, but they must be prepared to surrender that space at any time.
5. We cannot accommodate people acting as agents for artists, or people reselling other people's art. Such items are for the Art Show, not for Artists Alley.
6. The only people who should be sitting behind Artists Alley tables are artists who have participated in the Artists Alley lottery. At no time is it permissible for anyone to be sitting on the floor or behind the tables who have not participated in the lottery. This means that you may not invite friends to sit behind the table with you. Repeat offenders will be remanded to convention security.
7. The table must be staffed by the artist for the majority of the time the table is held by that artist (We understand that artists, like other attendees, are here to enjoy the convention and need to eat, drink, and, well, you know...). Inquiries will be made if we notice that a seat is repeatedly left vacant for long periods of time, or if a substitute is in place for longer than is reasonable, and your possessions will be moved to the cashier table and your seat may be given to another artist for whom we had not had room.
8. Leaving the Alley early
1. If any seated artist chooses to leave before the end of the day, they must remove all of the Artist's Copy receipts from their receipt book and turn in their receipt book to the Artists Alley cashier. Note that we are unable to pay artists until the end of each day. Exceptions will be made in the event of emergencies.
2. Should a seat become available, the supervisor on duty will attempt to contact artists on the Waiting List; the first artist on that list who can be contacted will receive the vacated seat.
9. All materials must be removed from the table when the artist checks out. Anthrocon accepts no responsibility for materials left unattended. This includes artwork, personal items, etc.
10. We also ask artists kindly to remove any garbage before leaving the area.
11. ELECTRICAL POWER FOR ANY REASON IS NOT AVAILABLE IN ARTISTS ALLEY. This is because Anthrocon is charged for any usage of electrical power in the Convention Center.
12. Items generating an unacceptable noise-level are strongly discouraged. This includes portable stereos, computers, handheld game units, etc. Repeated complaints of excessive noise may result in loss of seat privileges.
13. Due to union restrictions, they may bring in only what they can carry on their own, or in a small 2-wheeled luggage case such as one sees in airports. As a general rule: if the case will fit in an airplane's overhead bin, it is acceptable.
14. Please note that because no money is permitted to change hands between artists and customers, tip jars are not permitted in Artists Alley.
15. Anthrocon does not and can not become involved in disputes between buyers and sellers in Artists' Alley. Anthrocon's role is limited exclusively to processing payments on consignment. It does not imply endorsement of or responsibility for any party.
16. Anthrocon reserves the right to change, amend, or modify these rules at any time without prior notice.

Artists Alley Sign-Ups

Although we are expanding the Artists Alley this year, we unfortunately still sometimes can have more artists than we have seats available. For this reason, seats will be allotted by lottery at the beginning of each day. Having a seat one day does not guarantee a seat the next. Seats may not be "reserved" from one day to the next by leaving belongings or signs.

Artists Alley signups will take place each morning Room 303-305 in the Convention Center. Signups will be from 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM on Friday, and 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM on Saturday and Sunday. At the end of each day's signups, all artists who have signed up must gather back in Signup Room. If there are fewer artists in the lottery than there are seats available, then everyone gets a seat.

If there are more artists signed up than there are seats available, names will be drawn at random to determine who will be placed on the Waiting List. We will then announce the names of the artists who will receive seats in the Alley that day. YOU MUST BE PRESENT IF YOUR NAME IS CALLED TO RECEIVE A SEAT IN THE ALLEY. "Proxies" are not allowed - you must claim your seat yourself. If your name is called and you are not present, you will be placed on the Waiting List and the artist at the top of the Waiting List will receive your seat.

Communications Between Artists and Customers

Because artists may sit in Artists Alley for all three or only one or two days of the convention, Artists Alley staff and Anthrocon cannot be held responsible for communications between artists and customers (i.e. for returning sketchbooks, commissions, etc.). We provide a small bulletin board for notes between artists and customers, but ultimately the responsibility lies on the artists and customers.

If artists leave their cell phone numbers with Artists Alley staff, if a customer is seeking an artist, Artists Alley staff will contact the artist with the customer's contact information. Anthrocon's Artists Alley staff will never give out an artists' contact information without the express permission of the artist.

Sales of Artwork

Ordinarily, each vendor (defined as a person collecting monies for the sale of merchandise or services) must have a Pennsylvania sales tax license, and additionally must be registered with the local authorities through the convention for a vendor's permit. The fees for these vendor's permits are charged to the convention and the permits are currently limited in number. There would not be enough for everyone, and the costs associated with obtaining additional permits would be prohibitive. We could not conduct Artists Alley in the traditional fashion without charging exorbitant fees to the artists and compelling them to register for a license and collect sales tax. In order to allow for sales in Artists Alley, we have devised the following system. We apologize if it seems inconvenient, but the alternative is to require all artists to obtain sales tax licenses on their own, or to forbid any sales from taking place whatsoever.

Anthrocon will be the centralized dealer for the entirety of Artists Alley, selling the items there on a consignment basis. We will collect the money and the necessary sales taxes, and will distribute the funds to the artists. Anthrocon is thus responsible for keeping the paperwork in order and for filing the tax forms, and everything is kept legal. The advantage to the artist is that Anthrocon is able to guarantee check payments, and is capable of accepting credit and debit cards for payment. At the end of each day, the artist walks away with cash in hand for all sales that day.

Due to the strictness of the local and state laws regarding our merchants, we absolutely can not allow the direct exchange of cash for merchandise or services within the Artists Alley, or within any other area under the control of the convention. Anyone found in violation of this rule may be subject to losing Artists Alley seat privileges for a period of time. Further violations may result in expulsion from Artists Alley or from the entire convention. All decisions of this nature will be carried out by the Anthrocon Artists Alley/Con Store Manager or Artists Alley Staff as designated by the Manager. Additionally, if such a violation occurs in the presence of a state or local official who has come to monitor our activities, the guilty party will be solely responsible for fines or other legal penalties that may be imposed.

The Sales Procedure, Step by Step

1) After your name is called in the lottery, you will be issued a receipt book. This will be returned to us at the end of each day. Each receipt is in three parts -- white, yellow, and pink. There is a cardboard tab that you can place under each pink copy to keep the writing from going through to the next.

2) When a customer wishes to purchase a print or sketch, write out a receipt on the white copy, pressing hard enough to make sure the yellow and pink copies are made. Include YOUR NAME, the title or number of the piece(s) (or some other way by which you can identify it) and the sale price. Do not total the sale. Tear off the two copies. Keep the white one in the book and give the pink and yellow copies to the customer. Again, KEEP the white copy, GIVE the pink and yellow.

3) Send the customer to the cashier. We will total the purchase and add 7% tax. We will keep the pink slip and will give the customer a cash register sales slip. That slip will be stamped PAID and will have the number of your receipt on it. It will help to minimize lines if you suggest to the buyer that he make his rounds of the room and take all of his receipts to the sales table at one time.

4) The customer will give you the sales slip. The PAID stamp is your proof that the item was paid for. If the PAID stamp is missing, DO NOT give the customer his merchandise - there is a chance that we do not have record of the sale, and you will not receive payment from us if we do not have proof of sale. Keep that slip along with the white copy of the receipt. Give the customer his art, letting him keep the yellow slip.

Now to get paid!

1) Payments to artists will be made at the end of each day immediately after Artists Alley closes (5 PM on Friday and Saturday, 4 PM on Sunday). If you wish to check out of the alley before that, you will have to wait until the end of the day to receive payment, although exceptions may be made for extenuating circumstances; contact the Artists Alley Manager if you have any questions. If you do check out early, we suggest that you check to make sure you have a "paid" sales slip for each white receipt; if not, you may still have a buyer waiting. No payments can be made in the 1-hour period prior to closing!

2) At checkout, bring your receipt book to the sales table. We will compare our pink copies against your white ones. If we are missing a receipt, your "paid" sales slip is proof that payment was made. Once all of your sales are added up we will pay you in cash for the total. Return your receipt book at this time. Congratulations, you have successfully participated in Anthrocon's Artists Alley!

If you have any further questions, please e-mail the Artists' Alley Manager at .

Anthrocon Artists Alley rules version 6.0, May 2009