The Crested Butte Arts Festival will be held on August 1-2, 2009, celebrating its 37th year.

What began as an informal gathering of mostly local crafters selling their wares has evolved into one of the top 5 fine art and fine craft shows in Colorado, according to the Larry Harris List. Please join us for a weekend of art, art education, entertainment and more. For all your lodging needs, please visit our lodging partner Crested Butte Lodging or call 1-800-451-5699



The Crested Butte Arts Festival (CBAF) is a non-profit, volunteer organization dedicated to the preservation of the arts in and around Crested Butte.


The mission of the Crested Butte Arts Festival is to encourage and promote the artistic and cultural environment of the Upper East River Valley. In addition to our annual arts festival, the CBAF supports other arts organizations in the community in the form of modest art grants and through collaboration and partnerships.


The Crested Butte Arts Festival is staged on Elk Avenue, the main street of Crested Butte, a National Historic District. The open-air booths are surrounded by eclectic shops, upscale boutiques, galleries, and fine restaurants. The pedestrian-only festival grounds include the Ragged Mountain Entertainment Stage, which features a variety of musical acts throughout the weekend and a Beer & Wine Pavilion selling award winning beers from Oskar Blues Brewery; Culinary Court, offering delectable fare at affordable prices from many of Crested Butte's highly lauded restaurants; Artist Demonstration Tent, featuring intimate interactive demonstrations by several exhibiting artists; and Art Alley, a hands-on, interactive arts and crafts area for children ages 2-12 and their parents. The festival is open Saturday and Sunday, and all aspects of it are free!

New this year will be the First Annual Art Auction on Saturday, August 1st from 10 am - 5 pm, located at the entrance to the Festival on Elk Avenue. More than 150 items donated by our 2008 and 2009 exhibiting artists will be available for purchase to the highest bidder. Patrons will also have the opportunity to "Buy It Now" rather than wait until the close of the silent auction at 5 pm on August 1st. All proceeds from the Art Auction will directly benefit the CBAF in the form of additional artist amenities, art education and outreach in the Upper East River Valley and providing additional funds the the CBAF's small art grants.

The Festival caters to a variety of tastes and strives for a well-balanced show featuring fine artists and craft-persons in the following media: Ceramics, Drawing & Graphics, Fiber, Glass, Jewelry, Metal, Mixed Media, Painting, Photography, Sculpture, Wearable Art and Wood.

Entry is by invitation only and the competition increases each year. The 2007 move to Zapplication, a digital, online application process with national appeal, increased the Festival's profile dramatically. The Crested Butte Arts Festival is gaining national recognition as a quality show with a savvy, art buying audience.

Visual Artist Applications for the 2009 festival are now CLOSED. Artists may apply for entry into the 2010 festival in November.

After a competitive jury process, artists are notified of their status in early April. The 5 member jury is comprised of working artists, museum curators and art professionals, and it changes each year. In 2008 we received 604 applicants for the 175 available spots.

Reported total sales in 2008 were $564,663 with artist's average sales around $3,600. Several artists reported sales in the $10,000 to $15,000 range.

This year's poster features the work of four talented artists. Plein Air painter Dawn Cohen, photographer Raynor Czerwinski, metal sculptor Adam Homan and jeweler Alison Mackey. Both Cohen and Czerwinski live and work in Crested Butte and will make their Crested Butte Arts Festival debut this summer. Homan and Mackey are festival favorites and this summer will mark their 3rd year exhibiting.


The 2009 poster is available for purchase for $25 by contacting the CBAF office or at the Festival Information and Merchandise Tent at 3rd and Elk on August 1st & 2nd, 2009.