the Alley
The alley is a FREE space for artists to interact with attendees, take commissions and work on art. To participate in the alley, you must be capable of and actively working on original artwork while seated at a table. It is available to anyone and everyone attending the convention for the weekend.
We ask that all artists wishing to participate in the Alley please read through the rules prior to signing up for the lottery.
How The Alley Works
STEP 1: Signing Up
Register for the convention.
Sign up for the lottery at the convention.
Signing up for the lottery is easy! All you have to do is check in with the staff at the Artist Menagerie staff desk located in front of the Alley. Lottery sign-ups for the very first lottery start at 10 AM on Friday, and the lottery for Friday is run just after 12PM. You can sign up at any time between 10 and noon to be included in the lottery. This is NOT a first-come, first-served system, and everyone who signs up during these times will have the same chances of winning the lottery.
If you don’t want to sign up right away, you can still meet with the Alley Staff and get placed on the waiting list for that day if the lottery has already been run or sign up for the lottery for the next day, which will be run at the end of the day after the Alley has closed for Saturday and Sunday.
Keep an eye out of lottery results!
Alley staff will post the lottery results on the big TV in front of the Alley on Friday afternoon, Saturday, and Sunday mornings. A shoutout will also go out on the official furfest twitter with the results so you check them from the comfort of your hotel room.
STEP 2: Getting Seated
You WON the lottery?! Fantastic!
If you see your name on the lottery list, the next step is to check in and get set up in the Alley. To do this, you should check in with the Artist Menagerie staff 30 minutes prior to the doors opening to the public. Alley staff will check you in and give you a TABLE NUMBER to place on your table. The TABLE NUMBER should remain visible on your table for the entire time you’re at your table.
The Alley is a popular place and we often have many more artists than we have seats, so if you’ve won the lottery and you haven’t checked in with us in the first 30 minutes after the Alley opens, we will offer that seat to another artist that is on the waitlist.
You’re on the waitlist! DON’T WORRY!
When you signed up with those lovely Alley staff members, they took down your phone number. Keep an eye on your phone as the staff members will start calling artists from the waitlist as soon as space opens up in the alley!
STEP 3: Checking Out
Clean Up
You just had a great day at the alley, made lots of beautiful art and met lots of great attendees, but now you’re ready to head out and enjoy the rest of the delights of the convention. Make sure that you clean up everything from your seat and leave it nice and clean for the next artist that comes to sit there!
Check out.
Check out with the alley staff by bringing your table number back to the alley staff table. At this time, the staff members will also ask you if you’d like to be included in the next day’s lottery.
Questions?
Please email artistsalley@furfest.org.