First Saturday Arts Market April 12, 2025 | 11 AM–5 PM 540 W. 19th St, Houston, TX 77008 (Rescheduled from April 5 due to weather) Discover unique art by local artists! Preview them at 1stSatArtMarket.com. Who’s joining? Tag your friends! #HoustonEvents #ArtMarket #FirstSaturdayArtsMarket
Info to Add to Your Posts for the May 3rd Market:
First Saturday Arts Market May 3, 2025 | 11 AM–6 PM 540 W. 19th St, Houston, TX 77008 Last market till fall! Explore unique art by local artists. Preview them at 1stSatArtMarket.com. Who’s coming? Tag your friends! #HoustonEvents #ArtMarket #FirstSaturdayArtsMarket
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Found these links for how to collaborate useful. It’s super easy.
First Saturday Arts Market is Houston’s first monthly art pop-up and one of the countries longest running fine art leaning outdoor monthlies. Kinda cool, eh? The ARTISTS have been a huge part of the growth towards the finer arts and review new applications.
I transform your application into a (private) webpage where the artists review your answers, art and booth photos. They score your app based on what you provide so make follow along. Then I take over. Artists may provide constructive feedback for you too.
Many markets today do not take such a stringent approach, and you may wrongly presume we are the same. Not so!
Therefore, please take a minute and look at our artist roster, photo galleries and socials, to see if you think your art is a good fit and if you do, tell me about it!
The application is long enough, we’ll just keep this part simple.
Fill out the short form at the bottom of this page and tell me about your art, provide a few links and If I agree you’re a good fit – I’ll send you the application link.
That’s me!
A note for beginner/first time artists. This is not a beginners market as we look for previous experience, a professional display and presentation. Drop me a line here too and I can provide some tips and refer other markets. And you may have all that is required, I’ve seen it!
THE APPLICATION PROCESS: 1) Review this page. * Look at the artist rosters for an idea of what we’re about. 2) Gather the required images 3) Apply
Applications are reviewed, judged for originality, presentation and appropriateness by the exhibitors. Please review the application requirements before diving in.
Photo Requirements BOOTH – your booth display w/art ART – how is your art presented to the pubilc WIP – work in progress, studio area or similar
MARKET REQUIREMENTS
You will need the following to attend. TENT – 10 x 10 max and we prefer white. WEIGHTS: Minimum of 100 pounds. At least 25 per leg. TAX ID: Texas Sales and Use Tax Permit (required before payment is made)
The Booth fee is $100.00
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS & TIPS
We (myself, the artists and our patrons) are huge fans of original art made by the artist presenting. Therefore, we ask you to prove you make your art, show us some of it, and provide a photo of your presentation/booth photo.
THIS IS A CURATED FINE ART MARKET
First Saturday Arts Market is an established monthly outdoor art market with a focus on the fine arts. The market has a strong buying audience and for many years the artists have juried new applicants. *We accept all art mediums and only art. Experience at outdoor shows is encouraged.
* Planning on displaying more than one medium? You must apply for each or contact Mitch.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
Images of your art as it will be presented to the public
A photo of your booth, display w/art
“Work in progress” and/or art in your work space
Thorough description of art. This is your chance to sell us on you and your art.
Take clear, easy to view photos of your work. Photos of individual items are better than a group.
Exclude yourself in the photos.
Jewelers: 50% of your components must be made by you or repurposed/configured in some way.
We Want Original Works – Therefore …
Absolutely NO reproductions or inclusions of trademarked, copyrighted material,
NO famous people or icons, including celebrities past and present,
NO sports team logos or derivative work are allowed.
Items must be made by the seller with an emphasis on materials.
Manufactured, representative, resell, or direct sales companies are not permitted.
We are not a fan of the latest trending or fad art.
AFTER ACCEPTANCE
Proof of State of Texas Sales Tax Permit will be required before attending.
An acceptance letter is sent to you with payment details & important dates etc.
Never apply again.
All markets are first pay, first in. Application acceptance does not guarantee booth space.
There are few things more satisfying than meeting someone so excited about your art, that they BUY IT and take it home! Don’t let what you don’t know about booths, set up and how to accept credit cards prevent you from trying & succeeding at events.
The best tips are going to be from other artists. At First Saturday Arts Market, you’ll find many are happy to share their stories and ideas. I highly recommend visiting us before investing your time and money.
Suggestions – I have some product suggestions on a Pinterest page, linked below.
THE TENT gives you your own showroom/gallery, protects you from the sun/rain and sets you apart from other exhibitors. Your tent is also a 100 square foot kite and can easily ruin your day, art and cause injury. Therefore you need good …
WEIGHTSfor your tent. I recommend a minimum of 100 pounds total, 25 pounds per tent leg. 30 – 40 pounds per tent leg is ideal. You have to buy these online or make them yourself. Order from Amazon, or Walmart and pick them up at your local store.
DISPLAY is very important but don’t go broke getting started. Start with what you have and invest as you go. You’ll pick up a wealth of knowledge from other artists (by talking or observing). *Visit markets or look on Pinterest to get ideas for do-it-yourself displays on a budget.
MONEY is what you want to take home. Get a credit card reader, they’re inexpensive and work with today’s smartphones. Most artists use either Square or PayPal.
Texas Sales and Use Tax Permit – In Texas you are responsible for collecting and paying sales tax on your sales. Just like you pay tax for items you purchase everyday, if you are engaged in business, you must do this. The permit is easy to obtain on the comptroller’s website, be sure to jot down the number and keep it on you for surprise comptroller visits. You’ll need that number for your application as well. * Direct link > https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/permit/
Fortunately, the sales tax ID is the only legal requirement needed in Houston.
SCAM ALERT: There are many companies that will “obtain” your tax permit for a fee. You do not need them, this is a simple online form. The link above is all you need, do not give away your personal data to 3rd parties for your tax ID. **An employer identification number (EIN) or federal tax ID from the IRS is not the same, I do not need that. Read more about EIN here.
These tips will help people find the market and reach a wider audience on the market’s public posts. And ultimately, yours!
Tag your images with @1stSatArtMarket in the image.
Mention @1stSatArtMarket in your comments
Tag the market location. ie., check-in.
Official: #1stsatartmarket
Copy & Paste text posts. Click + / –
First Saturday Arts Market 11am – 6pm 540 W 19th Street in the Heights
Free event, family and pet friendly! Get a preview of who will be here at our online artist roster at the link in our bio: firstsaturdayartsmarket.com/artist-roster/ #1stsatartmarket
Steal These Graphics! How to tag article below
Anytime …
Download and Share!
How to Use Instagram Tagging for More Exposure
Great article! Want more people to see your Instagram posts? Are you using Instagram tags effectively?
In this article, you’ll discover the difference between @mentioning an account versus tagging an account, learn how and when to use each of these tactics, and find out how to remove your tag from someone else’s post. LINK
Market artists have PROVEN that word of mouth works wonders! Thanks for keeping the market going!
The video below explains how to get the most out of your instagram posts for marketing events you’re attending. And of course, for tagging 1stSatArtMarket! (wink wink)
On Facebook, to tag the market start by typing @ followed by firstsaturdayartsmarket, First Saturday Arts Market should fill in quickly.
Other tips Liking, commenting and sharing posts is always awesome and generates buzz! Esp on Facebook. Did you know, I never, ever use FSAM publicly. Why risk confusing a potential customer that has never heard of us?
Pinterest is a great website for collecting data on booths, display and nearly everything to get set up and in business.
Here are some pages and collections I found of interest. – Mitch
