Wooden Boat Festival Artist’s Brief - Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival

About the Wooden Boat Festival

The Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival is the largest festival of its kind in North America. Over the course of three days, more than 30,000 people from across the country experience the richness of maritime culture across the world, the beauty of wooden boats, and the magic of getting out on the water. Wooden boat enthusiasts come to the festival each year to swap stories, sharing both traditional approaches and the latest innovations in boatbuilding, equipment, skills, and adventure.

Beyond celebrating the beauty of wooden boats, the Wooden Boat Festival honors the men and women who have dedicated their lives to craftsmanship and intention, as well the community of Port Townsend, where the maritime trades are very much alive.

Wooden Boat Festival Artwork

WBF accepts submissions for Festival all year round, with graphic concepts to be reproduced on thousands of posters, postcards, potentially t-shirts and other visual elements of the Festival.
Whether you are world-famous, or an aspiring artist, this is an exciting opportunity to share your work with a community dedicated to beauty, craftsmanship, and community. NWMC and WBF have worked closely with local, regional, national, and international artists over the last 45 years to create compelling visual themes.

The chosen artwork will become the icon of WBF and will be showcased across all elements of WBF. WBF posters and t-shirts have historically provided participants and community members with beloved mementos of their participation, and have become collectors’ items over the festival’s history. WBF/NWMC is committed to being an anti-racist, inclusive organization striving to showcase historically marginalized talent. Artists who live near or have a close connection to the Puget Sound and/or the Salish Sea will be given special consideration. Recent WBF artists have included Claire Accord, Nikki McClure, Victor Melendez, Neil Rabinowitz, Hanna VIano, Jesse Watson, and Chris Witkowski. See past WBF artwork here.

Wooden Boat Festival Artwork

WBF accepts submissions for Festival all year round, with graphic concepts to be reproduced on thousands of posters, postcards, potentially t-shirts and other visual elements of the Festival.
Whether you are world-famous, or an aspiring artist, this is an exciting opportunity to share your work with a community dedicated to beauty, craftsmanship, and community. NWMC and WBF have worked closely with local, regional, national, and international artists over the last 45 years to create compelling visual themes.

The chosen artwork will become the icon of WBF and will be showcased across all elements of WBF. WBF posters and t-shirts have historically provided participants and community members with beloved mementos of their participation, and have become collectors’ items over the festival’s history. WBF/NWMC is committed to being an anti-racist, inclusive organization striving to showcase historically marginalized talent. Artists who live near or have a close connection to the Puget Sound and/or the Salish Sea will be given special consideration. Recent WBF artists have included Claire Accord, Nikki McClure, Victor Melendez, Neil Rabinowitz, Hanna VIano, Jesse Watson, and Chris Witkowski.

Please submit:

Contact info and a brief bio
Portfolio with examples of two to three works that reflect the content or style you propose for WBF.
One to two concept sketches of how you envision the poster/t-shirt art. The proposed artwork must be designed specifically to promote the WBF and may not come from an existing portfolio. Submitted concepts need not be fully completed work, but should effectively illustrate your vision of the final piece.
A letter of interest including why you wish to have your artwork represent WBF and your connection to the water.

Artists will be selected using the above criteria and will be evaluated by the Festival planning team. Artwork will become the property of WBF/NWMC.

Submit your entry to art@woodenboat.org

The selected artist will receive

The option to sign conference posters at WBF for self-promotion;
An artist bio in the Festival program; (40,000) distribution
Promotion through WBF and NWMC websites, including bio and link to artist’s portfolio
Display & recognition opportunities in the Wooden Boat Chandlery retail store
Copies of the Festival poster
Merch potentially featuring Festival artwork
$1800 commission (artwork becomes the property of NWMC) .

Design Guidelines

Poster size

18” x 24”

Print resolution

300dpi

Print resolution

Media

A variety of 2D media have been successful in the past

Style

Over 45 years, those graphics that have been most successful have shared the following attributes - we look forward to your take on WBF’s visual identity!

Clear, compelling imagery evoking the feel of WBF
The proposed artwork must be designed specifically to promote the WBF and may not come from an existing portfolio
Composition that will work well as both a poster and a t-shirt (some modification expected for each)
High contrast to read well from a distance and translate effectively to apparel
Imagery/style to appeal to our community of faithful WBF patrons and new, younger audiences alike
Space for WBF text & info (our design team can help with this if text is not integral to the artwork)
Visual reference/specificity to Port Townsend/Puget Sound
Representation of tools, traditions, craft of wooden boats, and/or sailing and the sea

Timeline

The timeline below is for selected artwork for WBF; we are accepting submissions for future festivals.
Nov Call for artists
Dec Submission deadline
Dec Selection & contracting
Feb Finalized art due - begin work to convert to graphic
Apr Final art for shirts due, poster art ready to go
Aug Begin gallery display (if desired)
Sep Wooden Boat Festival

Design Guidelines

Poster size
18” x 24”

Print resolution
300dpi

Media

A variety of 2D media have been successful in the past

Style

Over 45 years, those graphics that have been most successful have shared the following attributes - we look forward to your take on WBF’s visual identity!

Clear, compelling imagery evoking the feel of WBF
The proposed artwork must be designed specifically to promote the WBF and may not come from an existing portfolio
Composition that will work well as both a poster and a t-shirt (some modification expected for each)
High contrast to read well from a distance and translate effectively to apparel
Imagery/style to appeal to our community of faithful WBF patrons and new, younger audiences alike
Space for WBF text & info (our design team can help with this if text is not integral to the artwork)
Visual reference/specificity to Port Townsend/Puget Sound
Representation of tools, traditions, craft of wooden boats and/or sailing and the sea

Timeline

The timeline below is for selected artwork for WBF; we are accepting submissions for future festivals.

Nov Call for artists
Dec Submission deadline
Dec Selection & contracting
Feb Finalized art due - begin work to convert to graphic
Apr Final art for shirts due, poster art ready to go
Aug Begin gallery display (if desired)
Sep Wooden Boat Festival

Have questions?

Please contact us at art@woodenboat.org