Craft League Collab Application

You are invited to apply to the 2026 Craft League Collab hosted by the Craft League of Champaign-Urbana!

All members are welcome to join us for the 2026 Craft League Collab. The only requirement for members is that you do at least one collaborative artwork with another artist. Collab with as many or as few folks as you want. You can make one piece, or a series of artwork.  It's up to you and your partner to figure out pricing or if you even want to sell.

What is a collaboration? We're keeping the term very broad. It can be as simple as one artist's wooden buttons on another artist’s knit handbag. It could be a themed collaboration where two artists work separately, in their mediums, on the same subject.

There will also be an "Art Market" area in the theater section of the Orpheum for those members who want to set up our booths and sell our items.

PLEASE READ THIS SECTION BEFORE SCROLLING DOWN TO COMPLETE APPLICATION

Event Details

Location: Orpheum Theatre, 346 N Neil St, Champaign, IL 61820

Dates and Times:

• April 11 | 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

  April 12 | 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Important Dates

• Application Deadline: February 2, 2026

• Payment Deadline: February 20, 2026

• Gallery Tag Deadline: April 3, 2026

• Refund Policy: No refunds after April 3, 2026

• Collab gallery tags must be completed by April 3. Any work with unsubmitted gallery tag information will have a printed tag with “untitled” and artist names.

Eligibility

• All members must collaborate with at least one other artist (member or nonmember) to be eligible to participate in both the gallery and art market sections.

• Nonmembers must collaborate with at least one other artist (at least one artist in the collaboration group must be a member) to be eligible to participate in the gallery section only. Nonmembers are not eligible to set up in the art market.

• Members are eligible for both gallery display and art market booth space. Booth space will be determined based on the number of interested artists, and booth sizes will be sent out by February 10.

• All work must be original. Commercial kits, molds, patterns, plans, or prefabricated forms are not allowed.

• For art market section, reproductions (e.g., offset, giclée, iris) must not exceed 25% of your work for sale and must be clearly labeled as reproductions.

• Artwork created using artificial intelligence (AI) generation tools is not permitted. All work must be designed and executed by the artist using their own skills and creativity.  

Exhibit Space

• Propanel gallery walls and hanging hardware supplied by CLCU. Some horizontal display space is available.

• Member artists interested in the market portion will have booth space and must supply their own display setup, including tables, chairs, and lighting.

• The building will be locked after show hours and overnight.

• All work and displays in the market area must stay within the assigned booth space.

• Note: Do not infringe on adjacent spaces physically or audibly. For example:

  • Avoid sitting in the aisle in front of your space

  • Eliminate obstructions beyond your booth boundaries

  • Do not play music in your booth

Set-Up Details

• Set-up hours for Friday and Saturday will be announced closer to the event.

• Gallery piece drop-off times will be announced closer to the event.

Fees

• Gallery Space only: $25 per artist

• Gallery and Art Market Booth Space: $60 per artist

Image Requirements

• No images are needed to apply. The Craft League would appreciate photos of completed collabs to share on social media as soon as pieces are finished! Please email any completed photos to craftleaguecu@gmail.com.

Professionalism Criteria:

• Work must be well-conceived and expertly executed.

• Originality and concept are essential.

• Gallery and booth displays should be professional and polished.

Payment Information

Upon notification of booth availability, fees shall be submitted by February 20, 2026.

Online Payments:
Accepted through Squarespace
A link for payment will be sent to all accepted applicants

Mail Checks To:
Craft League of Champaign-Urbana (CLCU)
PO Box 17493
Urbana, IL 61803

Additional Information

• Artists retain 100% of their sales.

• The Craft League of Champaign-Urbana, its officers, and agents are not responsible for accidental loss or damage.

•  CLCU members are strongly encouraged to assist in some way. A list of tasks will be available for sign up approximately 6 weeks prior to the show.  

Questions?

Contact us at: CraftLeagueCU@gmail.com

We look forward to seeing your work at this year’s CU Collab!