FESTIVAL OF ARTS NOW ACCEPTING ARTISTS' APPLICATIONS FOR ITS SUMMER 2008 FINE ART EXHIBITION
Festival's Jurying Process Goes Digital - Free Seminar January 15

The Festival of Arts - California's Premier Fine Art Show is now accepting artists' applications for its summer 2008 exhibition in Laguna Beach. This year the Festival, a regional exhibit, expanded its outreach to artists living in the cities of Coto de Caza, Huntington Beach, Ladera Ranch, Modjeska Canyon, Portola Hills, Ranch Santa Margarita, Silverado Canyon. These cities are in addition to Aliso Viejo, Balboa, Balboa Island, Capistrano Beach, Corona del Mar, Costa Mesa, Dana Point, Irvine, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest (El Toro), Mission Viejo, Monarch Beach, Newport Beach, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano. Artists must be able to show that they have resided in one of the aforementioned cities for at least one year.

The selection process is made up of two phases. During phase one, the Festival now requires submission of digital images of the artist's work instead of the 35mm slides. These images will be processed through ZAPP™.

ZAPP™ enables individual artists to apply online to multiple art shows, either through a central web site, www.zapplication.org or through the Web sites of specific art shows. The online application process also allows artists to directly upload digital images of their artwork for jury review. The result is that all artwork in the system is in a consistent, high quality, digital format. The digital images are presented to the jurors of each show, and the system allows them to score online. The seven jurors will score the images on a Yes-No System.

Application deadline is February 15, 2008 at midnight PST. Application fees are $40 per medium submitted. To apply, go directly to ZAPPlication.org and search “participating shows” by show name: Festival of Arts of Laguna Beach. It is free to artists to register with ZAPP™.

Artists accepted in this first phase will be notified by mail and invited to submit three finished art pieces to a physical jurying in Laguna Beach on Saturday, March 22, 2008. According to Jack Archer, exhibit and artist activities director, "The art must be original, meaning done by the applicant and not reproduced, and meticulously crafted."


FREE SEMINAR FOR ARTISTS - JANUARY 15, 2008
Artists who would like to learn more about ZAPP™, the Festival of Arts jurying process, and how to photograph artwork effectively for submission to art shows, are invited to attend a FREE SEMINAR on January 15, 2008 (7 pm - 9:30 pm) at the Forum Theatre on the Festival of Arts grounds. Limited seating, first come first served.

“We encourage artists applying to attend this very informative seminar,” said Archer.

The Festival of Arts-California's Premier Fine Art Show will run from July 6 - August 30, 2008 in Laguna Beach. Artists and craftsmen of the area may display and sell only ORIGINAL works of art during this prestigious show. For general information, please call 949-464-4234 or visit the website at www.LagunaFestivalofArts.org.

The Festival of Arts is a non-profit organization whose proceeds go to support the arts in Orange County. The Festival was launched in 1932 by struggling local artists hoping to lure visitors from the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The Festival of Arts became a nonprofit corporation in 1934 with the goal to “encourage and promote all appropriate activities conducive to the artistic and cultural development of the community in and about the City of Laguna Beach, California.”

Prestigious awards and achievements are plentiful among the Festival's artists. Their artworks enrich the private collections of many celebrities, leading art collectors and museums around the world. Many Festival artists have Laguna Beach roots that reach as far and wide as the Festival of Arts itself. And each time they do, it reinforces the reputation of Laguna Beach as an arts capital in Southern California.