Bewhiskered 2021: Artist Alley Rules and Policies

The Artist Alley will operate as first come, first served until all tables are filled at which point a waitlist will be utilized. All tables are free, however there are many requirements and restrictions to their use and what kind of business can be conducted at them. The Artist Alley will be operated by the Dealer Relations staff out of the Con-Store. The below are the rules and policies that govern the use of the Artist Alley tables.

All members that utilize a table in this area are considered an “Artist” according to the below and are held to the rules and policies found here. Ignorance of these rules, policies, and consequences is not a valid excuse and will not result in any leniency. Any violation of the below rules and policies will be handled according to the Penalties section below at the discretion of Dealer Relations staff.

Rules

  1. MEMBERSHIP: Artist Alley tables are restricted to use by current members in good standing. This basically means the artist must have a valid convention badge that was issued to them directly by the registration team and can be verified against their government issued photo ID and that has not been flagged by security as banned or restricted. Further, Dealers are not allowed to also hold an Artist Alley table. An exception is made for Dealer Assistants selling their own artworks and crafts pursuant to all rules found here.
  2. SALES: Sales are only permitted in the Artist Alley at a registered table by the Artist who’s signed-in.
  3. SIGN IN: Artists must sign in, to occupy space at the artists alley. In order to do this, go to the Con-Store which will have the Artist Alley sign-in.
  4. TAXES: Artists are required to comply with all state and federal tax law. Therefore All artists selling taxable goods will need a valid certificate of registration from the North Carolina Department of Revenue. It is the responsibility of the Artist to determine if their goods are taxable and to comply with tax regulations. IF an artist is selling taxable goods, they must obtain this certificate before the convention and display it prominently on the Artist Alley table as per NC General Statute § 66-255. They must also record the ID number from the certificate at the Artist sign-in. This number will be referred to as the NC DOR ID Number.
  5. SIGN OUT and INSPECTION: Artists must sign out of the alley when finished. Before signing out, please make sure to clear the section of all personal items and trash. Artists are responsible for anything left on, under, or behind their table section. After sign out, a table inspection may be made by staff to ensure it has been cleared off appropriately. A clean table is appreciated! Leaving a mess may result in being barred from the Artist Alley in the future. Failing to sign out properly will result in penalties.
  6. ARTWORK and CRAFTS: The purpose of the Artist Alley is to allow art and artists to flourish in our community. Therefore, artists must have the capability to, and be actively engaged in producing original artwork or crafts while using the artist alley. The sale of art prints and pre-made crafts is allowed within the Artist Alley, but is limited to those items made by the artist themselves. Sale of mass produced and wholesale items (otherwise known as merchandise) is strictly forbidden. Further details on what can and cannot be sold can be found in the “Rules Specific to Works” section. Content of such works and how they are displayed must follow the limitations and instructions within the “Ratings & Minors” section.
  7. ATTENDANCE: Artists must be at their table in order to retain it. Artists may have up to fifteen minutes of break time to go get food, use the bathroom, or other such errands, but in order to retain the table they must be there consistently. Dealer Relations staff will be keeping an eye on this. Leaving the table unattended for longer, or having someone else sit in who’s badge does not match the sign-in sheet, without first alerting Dealer Relations staff may result in penalties.
  8. TABLE SPACE: Artists are allotted half of an Artist Alley table, making a usable space of approximately 48” (width) by 18” (depth) with a maximum height of 20” above the table surface. Please keep in mind that any displays that encroach on neighbors’ spaces, or occupy any space in front, or beside the table, will be asked to be removed. Because of the limited space and for emergency egress, all items must be able to fit within this space on the table or under the table. There will be no space behind the artist, and the alleys and throughways must remain clear. Each of these spaces is allocated one chair behind the table. No additional chairs may be brought behind or beside the table. No additional attendees may sit behind or between the tables. Artists may display a banner or artwork over the front of their table, so long as it doesn’t interfere with attendee movement. No crafts or table displays may interfere with the prominent display of the NC DOR ID number.
  9. ELECTRICAL: The Artist Alley does not offer electrical connections. There may be outlets in the area, however Artists are not allowed to connect to them. As this could affect the relationship with our hotel or poses a risk to overloading circuits used elsewhere. For this reason, connecting to an outlet in the artist alley may result in severe penalties. A laminator will be available for use and laminating pouches will be for-sale at the Con-Store should an artist need one. Con staff will not be operating the laminator. Using the laminator is “At your own risk.” NCAS will not be held responsible for damaged artworks.
  10. NOISE and LIGHTS: Loud noise is prohibited in the artist alley. The artist alley is located in the main traveling halls of the convention. Music must be kept low enough that a normal volume conversation can be heard over it easily. We suggest use of headphones if you like to listen to music while working on art. Flashing light and distracting displays may not be used. Staff may issue a warning if we notice such distracting noise or lights, or receive a complaint. Repeated occurrences will result in penalties.

Policies

Rules Specific to Works

Only works created by the artist present may be sold. The artist alley is not a free alternative to the Dealers Den. Artworks and crafts do not have to be furry specific or adjacent. All types of artwork and handmade crafts are allowed. However, this is a furry themed convention. If the artist has no furry related work offered for sale, staff reserves the right to terminate the artist’s possession of the table in favor of another artist who is selling works that will interest the convention attendees.

  1. ACCEPTABLE WORKS: The artist alley is a free space, made so those new to the fandom can learn the ropes! Because of this, the type of works being sold in this space is narrow.
    1. Original artwork: Artwork may be produced before, or during the convention by the artist sitting at the table. This includes sketchbook commissions.
    2. Prints: Prints of original work by the artist that the artist has printed themselves may be displayed and sold. Prints should be limited to two stacks or bins on the table at any time to reduce table clutter.
    3. Small Hand Crafts: Buttons, artist produced stickers, pins, small table swag, magnets and other small items that the Artist has made themselves.
    4. Portfolios of work: Portfolios of work are considered any medium which contains multiple artwork pieces for sale as a set. (Examples may be but are not limited to CDs, DVDs, Thumb Drives, etc…) These items are allowed to be sold only if the Portfolio is limited to works created by the artist AND has been produced by the artist themselves. The artist should only have two Portfolios displayed at any time to keep table clutter to a minimum. Keep in mind that all displayed artwork is subject to the terms of the Ratings & Minors section.
  2. NON-ACCEPTABLE WORKS: The following are items which are restricted from being sold within the Artist Alley. Each exists on this list for good reason so exceptions may not be made. If you are interested in selling items that fall under this list, ask one of our staff about how to become a Dealer at future NCAS events.
    1. Fursuit and costuming parts: This includes head, tails, paws, armor, parts, consumables, related accessories, and tools.
    2. Consumables: Food and drink may NOT be sold at the artist alley.
    3. Merchandise: Any commercially produced items including but not limited to: clothing, plushies, buttons, lanyards, patches, licenced stickers, mass produced stickers, and toys.
    4. Official trademarked intellectual property: While an artist may have obtained licensing to produce and sell intellectual property owned by someone else, such sales are limited to the Dealer Den. All works produced and sold by the artist must be created by that artist. In short: if a company holds the trademark or copyright to a work, it is not allowed to be sold.
    5. Works and products which are too large for the allotted display area.

Ratings & Minors

The Artist Alley is located in a commonly accessible convention space. Because of this, all displayed artwork must be appropriate for public viewing. This includes crafted items as well. It is the artist's responsibility to make sure they are not soliciting nor selling any adult works to minors. Convention badges will clearly display MINOR. An example of this can be found at the Con-Store for dealer and artist reference. Any artist found to be selling adult themed artwork or crafts to a minor will be ejected from the convention. This is not negotiable and cannot be appealed at the event where the ejection occurs. Further the artist will not be allowed to vend at future NCAS events, and may be subject to a full membership ban to attend future events at the discretion of the NCAS board of directors. Artists must keep all adult works within a closed binder or similarly blocked from view when not being viewed by an adult. Additionally, all artwork within the binder or crafts behind cover must be censored. The exception to this policy is when adult artwork is actively being created. The responsibility for how to keep the work discreet is up to the artist but it must not be visible to any minor that may approach or pass the table. Be aware of who is at your table to prevent purposeful viewing of adult works by minors. Underaged artists must be accompanied by a parent/guardian at all times or have discussed things with the artist alley staff beforehand. It is up to artist alley staff what is and isn’t allowed in the alley. Please be aware that they may ask to remove artwork or crafts from the space, even if you may think it’s acceptable.

Penalties & Appeals

The Artist Alley staff reserves all rights of interpretation of these rules and policies. Penalties for breaking or failing to follow these rules and policies may result in penalties ranging from a warning all the way to ejection from the convention and a recommendation to the NCAS board of directors for a full membership ban. Most commonly staff will give warnings and make requests to alter what is featured at the table to comply with these rules, but may escalate to ejection from the Artist Alley at any time without obtaining further approval from convention leadership. In the event of an ejection from the Artist Alley, staff may also elect to block the artist from vending at future NCAS events. Staff will inform the artist at the time of the ejection from the Artist Alley in person or later via the email that was used by the Artist for convention registration. Such a block may be appealed by emailing Dealer-Relations@BewhiskeredCon.org. (Please make sure to include all relevant details and evidence along with your badge information.) In the event of an ejection from the convention, notice and options for appeal will be communicated by security or leadership staff at the time of the ejection. In the event of a full membership ban, such details will be communicated via the email that was used by the Artist for convention registration and will include appeal options.

If there are any questions you may contact Dealer-Relations@BewhiskeredCon.org and we will respond as quickly as possible.