Art Show Buyer's Guide

The Art Show is an exhibit of original artworks or limited edition prints not available elsewhere in the convention. Here you will find both two-dimensional artwork (drawings and paintings) and three-dimensional artwork (sculpture, jewelry, etc.) created by professional, hobbyist and amateur artists.

To be a bidder, you must be a registered member of the convention. Your badge number will also serve as your bidder number. By placing a written bid on any piece of artwork, you are agreeing to abide by these bidding rules.

Areas of the Art Show
There are two distinct areas of the Art Show--the General Gallery and the Adult Gallery. The General Gallery is the main portion of the Art Show and contains artwork suitable for all ages to view. The Adult Gallery will be separated from the main portion of the Art Show and will be monitored to prevent minors from bursting into flame.

Bidding
Each piece of artwork has a bid sheet attached to it, which provides information about that piece including its title, the artist name, the medium used, and the minimum bid at which the artist is willing to sell the piece. If the artist does not wish to sell the piece, it is listed as NFS, or Not For Sale.

On the bid sheet there are several lines where you may write your name, bidder number, and the amount you wish to bid for that item. The bid must be in whole dollar amounts, at least as much as the minimum bid specified by the artist, and larger than the preceding bid on the bid sheet. Illegible entries are not valid so please print legibly. Any bids added beyond the fourth will BE IGNORED. Any bids of a partial dollar amount will BE IGNORED.

Do not cross out any previously written bids. In the event of an error, call over a staff member. You may not interfere with someone who wants to outbid you. Allow them to place their bid, and then outbid them on the next bid line. If someone tries to keep you from placing a bid, seek assistance from an Art Show staff member. Anyone caught interfering with bidding will be asked to leave the Art Show and their bidding privileges will be revoked.

Remember: you bid, you buy. Your written bid is a legal contract with the artist for the purchase of the artwork in question. Do not bid on a piece if you do not intend on buying it, or if you do not have the funds immediately available for purchasing the artwork. If you fail to pick up your artwork and/or fail to pay for it in full, we will locate you after the convention and bill you for the price of the artwork plus packing and shipping costs. If you have begun to place a bid accidentally, please let the staff know so that they can void a partial entry or error without confusion.

Written bidding for the Art Show begins on Friday at 12PM and ends on Saturday at 7PM. At that time, staff will clear the Art Show of all bidders.

Any artwork with fewer than four written bids will be sold to the highest bidder. Pieces with four written bids will go to voice auction, which begins Sunday at 11am. At the voice auction, the artwork is open to further bids by other people. Therefore, you should attend the voice auction to defend your bids on pieces you still want to buy. If there are no voice bids, the piece will be sold to the last valid bid on the sheet. Anyone may bid in the voice auction, even if they have not previously bid on the piece.

Artwork from the Adult Gallery will be auctioned off first, in a closed auction session, open to adult bidders only. After the Adult pieces are sold, the auction will open to the rest of the convention membership.

A list of pieces won by written bid and a list of pieces going to auction will be posted on the Art Show doors on Saturday night. Lists will be arranged bidder number, artist, and title.

Sales
Art Show sales will take place on Sunday starting at 9am for written bids, or after the auction for voice bids. At this time, you must personally pick up and pay for all artwork you have won. You will be asked to show your con badge for identification.

Any unsold artwork will be available for purchase at the Sunday Sale price listed by the artist on the bid sheet, unless marked NFS, "Not for Sale." If no Sunday Sale price is listed, the artwork will be sold at the minimum bid price.

When you are ready to pay for your purchases, have an Art Show staff member collect your artwork and bring it up to the sales area. Do not remove the bid sheets from the artwork.

For payment we accept cash, personal checks, traveler's checks, MasterCard, Discover and Visa. Checks which do not clear the bank will be assessed a service charge of at least $25. Persons who present fraudulent checks, unauthorized credit cards, or counterfeit money will be reported immediately to the authorities.