Art Show
Minicon's art show features Science Fiction/Fantasy related art from local and regional artists. We display original and print art, and offer art for purchase by auction or direct sale.
Art Show hours/activities
- Thursday: Setup, 6pm-10pm. Artists may begin hanging once the panels/tables are ready.
- Friday: Opening, 6pm-10pm. Artists may continue to hang art until 10pm.
- Saturday: 10am-6pm. All auction bidding ends at 6pm. Direct Sales continue through Sunday.
- Sunday: 10am-4pm. Artists may begin art pick up at 10am if no bids. Direct sale ends at 4pm.
- Final Auction: Sunday 12noon-1:00pm. for all eligible art.
As always, volunteers are needed! The Art Show and auction are run entirely by volunteers, and anything you can do is greatly appreciated.
We mostly just need people to give short lunch breaks to the art show staff.
Artists Wanted
Regardless of what media you work in — traditional, digital, fiber, sculpture, etc. - you are welcome. You may offer prints and/or original art for sale to attendees directly or by auction.
Minicon is a science fiction /fantasy oriented convention, so please keep this in mind when submitting your work for sale.
We are a family attended convention so please consider your visual and themed content carefully.
No artist registration or pre-registration is required.
There is a $0.50 per piece hanging fee for each piece of art entered in the Art Show.
No hanging fee is charged for print shop items or for submitting artists under age 20.
Minicon collects a 10% commission on all artwork sold through the Art Show and Print Shop.
There will be a Print Shop area for prints and reproductions. No more than 5 copies of any one work of art may be submitted, please.
Art that is not for sale may be entered.
If you are unable to attend the con, you may mail your artwork. See Mail-in Art below.
Walk-in artists are accepted and encouraged.
Permission to use copyrighted characters, when required, is the responsibility of the artist, not of Minicon or the Minicon Art Show staff.
Minicon will cooperate with legitimate efforts to enforce copyrights.
Security will be provided by Minicon staff while the Art Show is open, and will be secured in a locked hall by hotel staff at night.
Minicon and Minicon art show staff will not be responsible for theft or accidental damage to artwork or artist’s property.
Set up:
Artists who actively help set up the art show on Thursday may reserve their first choice of hanging space.
Hanging space for artists not helping with set up on Thursday cannot be reserved and is first come-first served on Thursday and Friday during Set-up and Pre-show.
8X10 ft. pegboard panels and 3X12 ft. tables will be provided for art presentation. Pegboard hooks and clips will be provided free of charge. Vertical panel space will be lit with incandescent bulbs.
You may use your own hanging hardware and lighting if you choose.
Mail-in Art
We currenlty do not have a place to send mail-in art. Once we determine where we'll be accepting it, we will update this page with that information.
Calling All Young Artists!
All artists under the age of 20 can hang their art for FREE at the Minicon Art Show (no hanging fees).
Please limit the number of pieces you submit to 5 per person due to limited hanging space.
All other art show rules apply.
Art Show Auction and Sales
Auction Artwork:
The art show conducts a three-bid auction with a live auction for deciding pieces bid at a count of three.
Bid sheets are marked with the highest bid by bidders who want the piece by auction.
If as piece has only two bidders by the end of the auction on Saturday the highest bidder wins the piece and it does not go to Sunday auction.
If a piece is marked with three bids, the piece will go to auction on Sunday to be won by the highest bidder.
If at Sunday auction, a three bid piece has no other bidders, the piece is won by the highest bidder on the bid sheet.
If a direct sale piece is bid upon and is eligible for bidding, the direct sale option is no longer available.
Only pieces with no bids and are marked as direct sale pieces may be purchased at the artist’s direct sale price.
A Minicon member badge number is required for bidding and the bidder must have contact information available through their badge number.
Single reproductions or prints may be entered or displayed in the art show. Multiple reproductions or prints should be presented in the Print Shop area.
There will be no art pick-up/purchase by bidding winners before Sunday.
There is no Saturday artist check-out.
Once auction art is hung, it will remain on display until the close of the Art Show on Saturday.
Direct Sales Artwork:
Only pieces with no bids and are marked as direct sale pieces may be purchased at the artist’s direct sale price.
If a direct sale piece is bid upon and is eligible for bidding, the direct sale option is no longer available.
Direct sale pieces may leave the art show immediately after payment and recording of sale.
Art must be paid for by cash or check before leaving the art show.
Dreamhaven Books will assist the art show with credit card/debit card sales in the dealer’s area.
Print Shop:
Print shop items are sold through direct sale only, not by bid.
Artists do not need to submit artwork in the main show to have items for sale in the print shop.
Cash and checks are accepted for payment of print shop items.
Dreamhaven Books will assist the art show with credit card/debit card sales in the dealer’s area.
Print shop items must be clearly described as such on Print Shop control sheets.
No hanging fee is charged for print shop items.
After the Con:
One and two bid pieces will be organized in a separate area of the art show Sunday morning for winner purchase and pick-up.
Sunday auction pieces may be taken after the close of the auction and purchase.
Art not sold at the convention may be picked up on Sunday of the convention for attending artists/agents.
Checks will be mailed to the artists (or their agents if so requested when the art is checked in/mailed in) within four weeks after the end of the convention for total auction and/or print shop sales, minus the art show commission fee.
If payment for hanging fees, postage, and any shipping insurance the artist may request is not provided by the artist and is not covered by sales, then the Art Show Coordinator will retain the art and contact the artist to make other arrangements.
Mailed art will be mailed back Monday after the end of the con via USPS unless otherwise requested by the artist.
Abandoned artwork:
Artwork that is won by auction but not paid for by the close of the art show Sunday will be returned to the artist as unsold. Minicon will not deliver artwork to auction winners.
Artists: Art Documentation, Check In and Check Out
Each piece of art work will be checked in and out of the art show by art show staff before it can enter or leave the hall. This is to provide an accounting of each piece that is turned over to Minicon and to track sales totals.
Art work can be removed only by direct sale buyers, auction winners or artists after check out.
Whether art is for sale or not, each artist must have a control sheet to keep track of their artwork in the show.
Each piece of artwork in the art show auction must have a bid sheet attached to it, and the information on that bid sheet must match the control sheet.
Each artist with print shop items must have a print shop control sheet.
These sheets are available for pre-printing from this page (click on the underlined sheet titles above) or in person at the con.
For artists with many pieces of art, we strongly recommend that you print and fill out your bid, control and/or print shop sheets before the con. This will make your step up much quicker!
Only the artist or agent checking art in can check unsold art out again, unless otherwise stated clearly to the art show coordinator (or designated subhead) at check-in.
Contact
Please contact Pete Laughlin, Art show Department Head, if you need help, information or have any trouble getting involved in the art show.
Email: artshow@minicon48.mnstf.org -or- peterblaughlin@gmail.com.