Boskone Art Show Rules, Fees & Information

The purpose of this Art Show is to exhibit and sell original artwork of a science fiction, fantasy, and/or fannish nature. Both flat and 3-D artwork will be accepted for display and sale.

All flat art must be matted, framed or otherwise mounted. Framed works must have a wire for hanging.

Every piece, whether print, flat or 3-D, must be labeled with its title and the artist’s name, or the artist and piece number. Small stickers will be available at the convention, or you may use your own labels. Bid sheets must be attached to the art if possible.

Computer prints and photographs will be considered original art only if accompanied by a legal statement confirming this; otherwise, they will be treated as prints.

Only single copies of limited edition prints (under 500 copies) will be allowed in the Art Show. Otherwise the item(s) will be entered in the Print Shop (see section 5 under Art Show Fees).

Once an item has been entered in the Art Show, it may not be withdrawn or the conditions of sale (e.g. the minimum bid amount) changed, without the consent of the Art Show Director.

Art sales do not include reproduction rights. The artist and buyer must negotiate separately in accordance with current copyright laws.

Artwork receiving 4 or more bids will go to the voice auction on Sunday. Artwork receiving 3 or fewer bids at the close of the Art Show on Sunday will be sold to the highest bidder on the bid sheet. Art may be bought after closeout on Sunday afternoon at the Quicksale price if it does not yet have any bids on it. Quicksales will not be permitted before noon on Saturday, or on any piece with a bid upon it.

Any artwork legally bid for but not collected and paid for by the buyer will be retained by the Art Show Director. We will make every effort to contact the buyer, remind them of their legal obligation to pay for purchased art at the bid price, and collect funds due and remit to the artist. If we are unable to complete the sale quickly, the art will be returned to the artist.

All entries of original art must be your own original work on a science fiction, fantasy or fannish theme. All entries of prints must be based on your own original work on the same themes. We permit the resale of previously purchased artwork only in our resale area.

In order to be represented by an agent at the convention, you must complete the agency section of the reservation form.

For your protection, photography is not permitted in the Art Show, with the exception of supervised, professional press. If you object to having your works used, with credit, by press reviewing the convention, please let us know.

Your artwork and prints are not considered to have been checked in to the Art Show until the control sheets have been checked and signed by a staff member. We do not accept any responsibility for your artwork or prints until they have been checked in by us.

No space reservations will be held after 10am on Saturday unless prior arrangements have been made with the Director. Unclaimed space will be forfeited (along with fees paid) and reassigned to walk-in art.

Please keep in mind our Artist Check-out hours on Sunday; plan on having your items out of the Art Show before the end of Artist Check-out so that we may clear the room as soon as possible. We reserve the right to remove artwork from its display space in order to expedite the teardown process.

Art Show Fees

The basic unit of space for flat work is the panel, which is made of pegboard (holes 1″ apart) and is 4′ high by 6′ wide. For 3-D art, the basic unit is the table, which is 6′ long by 30″ deep. Please remember that the space you reserve must include any clearance between items, including space for their attached bid sheets (4.25″x5.5″). Your artwork may not extend beyond the edge of any panel or table, and it may not interfere with any works displayed by any other artist. Contact us regarding floor and air space.

Boskone will make all efforts to mail checks to the artists within one month after the convention. For artists whose sales exceed $600, we are required by law to fill out a Form 1099. In order to do so, we will need your tax information. The art show will have W-9s on hand for artists to fill out. We will not make payments to artists whose sales exceed this threshold until we have your tax information. Checks will be made payable to the artist unless otherwise requested.The available units and their prices are as follows:

  • ¼ unit: $11
  • ½ unit: $22
  • 1 unit: $44
  • 2 units: $88
  • 3 units: $132*

*returning artists only

Each new artist may reserve up to one unit in combined panels and tables; returning artists may reserve up to three units. We may reduce your space and refund your money proportionally if we deem it necessary. All space must be paid in full prior to the art show.

We will have a separate display area for Print Shop, with ALL copies of each print hung on large pegboard hooks for buyers to pick up themselves. You must have 3-10 IDENTICAL copies of each image entered. Copies of an image that are of a different size, or matted vs. framed, are considered separate images. The fee for prints is a flat $1/print.

Boskone accepts mailed-in art and prints. There is a $20 hanging fee per artist for mailed-in art which must be hung by the crew; there is no fee if you are shipping art but having a non-crew member hang it. Sufficient funds and paperwork must accompany the art to cover return postage and insurance. Any surplus will be returned to the artist; any shortage will be taken from your sales.

Please include a hanging layout, or other instructions for hanging your mail-in artwork. Remember to include space for bid sheets, and keep in mind that no artwork may hang off the panel/table. If the Art Show Staff cannot reproduce your layout, or you do not include one, some of your art work may not be hung. In the absence of specific instructions, we may exclude pieces at our discretion. If you can, test your layout beforehand to be sure that everything fits in the space purchased. The more explicit your instructions, the better!

To reserve space in the Boskone Art Show go to:

  1. Art Show Space (panels and tables): An exhibition of original work in science fiction, fantasy, and/or fannish nature. Art can be made available for sale.
  2. Print Shop: At the Print Shop, patrons can immediately purchase prints of your artwork.
  3. Resale: Dealers or patrons looking to sell works from their personal art collections can purchase space.

Resources for Artists & Resellers