Artists Alley FAQ

WHERE IS THE ALLEY THIS YEAR? IS IT IN THE GWCC?

The Artist Alley will be located in one of the Exhibit Sections of Hall B alongside the Dealers. There is not physical divider between artists and dealers for optimal flow.

HOW BIG IS THE ARTIST ALLEY THIS YEAR? HOW MANY TABLES ARE THERE?

The Artists Alley for MomoCon 2024 will be about the same as the 2023 event.  We care about the variety and ability for sales for our Artists and thus always try to avoid overfilling the room.  Tables themselves are 6 foot long by 2 foot wide by 30 in. tall.

WHAT COMES WITH A TABLE PURCHASE?

As with the previous years, each table purchase comes with a 6-foot table, 2 chairs, and 2 memberships. If additional badges are needed for assistants, they may be purchased at regular con price, or obtained from other artists who do not need their second badge (either through purchase at a reasonable price or donation; more information available after application processing).

IS FANART ALLOWED?

Fanart is allowed unless we receive notification from copyright-holding parties to limit its presence. However, fanart is defined as merchandise and prints that include the likeness of a character, symbol, or other copyrighted property, not official goods. Any goods traditionally qualified as “bootleg” (manufactured in China, unofficial, intended to appear official or defraud) will not be allowed.

In previous years major anime companies have been present at MomoCon and are likely to be again, including Funimation, Crunchyroll, Sentai Filmworks, Viz Media.  Any requests that they have for copyright violations will be taken with utmost seriousness upon presentation.  Funimation has stipulated that any use of official names and/or logos (i.e. labeling things “Hetalia” or using Dragon Ball Z logos) will have a zero tolerance from the official company representatives.  MomoCon will comply with any requests from US licence holders.

IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN’T SELL?

The Artist Alley allows handmade, drawn, and printed crafts; food (including teas or dried foods), drinks, traced art from official or not original sources, and official merchandise are not allowed. As Momocon is an all-ages convention, we currently do not allow the sale of 18+ material or bladed weapons.  Because we receive many questions about it, we will reiterate that all foodstuffs are not allowed in the Artists Alley, especially hand-made foodstuffs. The Georgia World Congress Center has strict food rules and even approved vendors (such as the food carts you see in the hall set up by the venue) carry millions of dollars in insurance coverage.  This includes all food products, including dried foods or consumables. At this time, we do not permit AI-created art in the Alley or for sale that utilizes art samples not created by the applicant.

ARE THERE AGE REQUIREMENTS?

While we do not have a minimum age for Artists Alley participants, someone 18 or older must e-sign all AA contracts (parent, guardian, table partner, etc. for those under 18).

CAN I SHARE A TABLE WITH SOMEONE?

Artists may share their table with other artists who have been accepted to the artist alley, provided both artists (either together as a single portfolio or separately) have been accepted into the Alley. If the other artist was independently accepted, but you plan on sharing a table, please let us know via email. Only one artist will be the primary contact for the table and accept any and all legal responsibility for the space.

Artists may NOT share table space with artists who were rejected or waitlisted, this is a common tactic to avoid the jury process and cannot be used to subvert the process. If you would like to add another artist’s work to your submission during the jury period starting early Dec 2023 please contact our Artists Alley team. Artists may not send a proxy to sell their art for them as this is also used to avoid the jury process.

HOW ARE APPLICATIONS HANDLED? IS IT A JURIED PROCESS?

Based on feedback from artists and applicants in the past several years of MomoCon’s Artists Alley, we will be continuing with a jury system for the 2024 event.

The Jury Process will open December 2023 for applications.  The Jury System will be based on (in order of importance):

1. Adhering to Artists Alley rules/guidelines, removing incomplete applications
2. Variety of products/offerings/artwork (categories of many types)
3. Professionalism and completeness of portfolio

We are here to answer any questions about the process should you have them.  No system will be perfect for every artist, but we are built on feedback and will strive to improve with any system from year to year.  For more information, please see our The Jury Process section (below).

WHEN DOES REGISTRATION OPEN UP?

For 2024, MomoCon Artists Alley applications will open December 2023.

Applicants should take some time to fill out the form carefully, paying attention to the email field to make sure it is not misspelled (this is a common issue).  Studios/individuals who are applying can submit examples of their artwork through photos, videos, photos of booths at prior events (this is highly preferred), deviantart/youtube tutorial/websites with example art, or any online link that gives example of at least 10 pieces of work.  If you have a special exception for a specialty product, please let us know in the application.

When providing examples of your work, please do not link to sites that contain blog posts, cosplay photos, or many other things besides your work (like a facebook page or overly text heavy blog).  Our judges want to see your work, and not have to work to find pieces.

After your application is accepted, you will be contacted by the Artists Alley team to confirm your registration and arrange payment. Due to some extremely egregious abuses in the past, we will require upfront payment for the spaces when acceptances are sent/tables are assigned.  Cancellations and refunds will be available for 30 days after payment per our standard online payment processor procedure.  After 30 days, transfers (that will require MomoCon Artists Alley volunteer staff approval) are available, but the artist will need to arrange for any transfer/payments of money and to get approval and changes confirmed through the MomoCon Artists Alley volunteer staff themselves (MomoCon will not handle any refunds or money after the 30 day window).  No transfers can be made within 30 days before the event.  Transfers must involve an artist that is currently on the year’s wait list (to be arranged with the Artists Alley team).

Payments: Payments for Artists Alley tables may be made only via PayPal account or credit/debit card (the processor is PayPal but you can use any type of credit or debit card without a PayPal account).  We will not take checks or cash at any time, please make accommodations.

Why the strict rules about upfront payments, transfers, and refunds?  A very large number of artists reserved tables, passed many payment deadlines and were given accommodations and forgiveness from the Artists Alley volunteer staff, and still dropped their tables at a late date, causing much frustration for our room designers, Artists Alley volunteer staff, accounting, and many others.  This was also extremely disrespectful to those artists who were unable to secure a table during the initial reservation period due to the high number of applicants and demand, only to have that taken table be tossed aside at a late date when the original wait list artists (who were very interested) did not have time to make accommodations to sell.  We ask those who are interested in selling at the MomoCon Artists Alley make that decision before the refund deadline, to make the process smoother for everyone and allow those who would like to sell the opportunity to do so with enough time to craft product for the event.  Should emergencies occur, transfers of tables are available (with Artists Alley jury approval), but it is the responsibility of the confirmed artist to make the accommodations for the transfer.

TIPS FOR APPLICATIONS

In 2023, we received more than 5 times as many applications than we had spots in the Artists Alley, with the majority being in the 2-D/traditional art category.  We have moved to a juried process to improve based on prior year feedback from many artist participants and applicants.  We will be checking for violations on the first pass, including, but not limited to:

+People who violated the stated rules of the artists alley.  Notable rules that are more commonly pushed/broken include:

Logos of official licensed properties
Traced/copied official artwork, or very slightly altered work (splatter trace of official art)
Very slightly altered official merchandise
Food or beverage products (including dried food), due to stringent contracts with the GWCC that prohibit food sales

+Incomplete applications.  No names, no websites, no examples

+Scope.  MomoCon encompasses Animation, Gaming, and Comics, with a secondary focus on Physical Arts and Cosplay.  Some folks apply for the Artists Alley who are very talented authors, science fiction aficionados, fan groups/clubs, and charity groups.  These groups are not within the scope for the Artists Alley and will be rejected.  We have sections in the Exhibit Hall (while supplies last) for fan groups/clubs and charity groups elsewhere.

THE JURY PROCESS

Our Artist Alley Application Committee selects the artists for each year, based on the following criteria:

1. Following the Alley rules: Many applicants will be rejected for not reading and understanding the alley rules, see the section above for more details.

2. Differentiation of product: Our #1 goal is to have a diverse artists alley, with representation from crafts, 2-D art, clothing, trinkets, jewelry, photography, comic artists (as part of the Comic Artists Alley) and unique offerings. We look for a good mix of artists who have been a great part of the alley in the past and new artists (both new to MomoCon or selling in Alleys in general).  The highest concentration of applications comes from the 2-D prints art category and as such is one of the more competitive categories and many artists are wait listed in this designation..  This is not a reflection of the art itself, but the sheer number of these artists means that many will not make the first pass and may be wait listed.

3. Professionalism and Preparation: We love artists who are enthusiastic, bring a good amount of work, and are raring to go for the alley!  Applications with only a small few pieces of work or people who are unprepared and might only have a very sparse table at the event are less likely to be accepted.

The Artist Alley Application Committee consists of highly experienced Artists Alley former participants, professionals, artists, and crafters.  We have no preference at MomoCon for any style of artwork over another; 2-D prints, original art, painters, photographers, crafters, jewelry makers, trinket makers, and clothing craftspeople are all welcome in the alley and we take great care (it is in fact our #1 goal) to have a very balanced amount of each type of product in the alley, providing the best selection for our attendees!

WHY WAS I NOT ACCEPTED?

There are many many MANY reasons applications are not accepted, or are wait listed, for the alley, including (but not limited to) incomplete applications, breaking one or more of the stated rules, misspelled emails (if we can’t contact you, we can’t approve your application!), and more than anything a large number of qualified applicants in a specific category.  There are far too many artists for the spots available, and no decision is ever personal.  Our Artist Alley Application Committee members will recuse themselves for any applications of friends with close ties to ensure the best experience.