Purpose

The purpose of the Kentucky Crafted Program is to support professional visual and craft artists and promote a diverse selection of high-quality art in Kentucky.

Goals

• Identify artists whose work shows artistic excellence and high quality craftsmanship.
• Help Kentucky visual and craft artists market their work regionally, nationally and internationally.
• Encourage the production of superb art and craft products.
• Provide retailers, galleries, businesses, government entities and the public with access to exemplary works of art and craft.
• Promote Kentucky as a leading producer of high quality art and craft in order to enhance tourism and economic development.

* The new participant and Market orientation is mandatory for all successful applicants. However, participation at the Kentucky Crafted Market is voluntary. 

Applications will be assessed using the following performance expectations.

1. Artistic Excellence (75 points)
   • Clarity of artistic vision
   • Demonstration of a cohesive body of work
   • Technique, including attention to detail
2. Marketability (25 points)
   • Effective marketing copy
   • Effective images for marketing the work
   • Appropriate pricing for retail markets

Four samples of your original work are required for review as part of the application process.

• All work samples must be original pieces made by the applicant.
• Work samples must be in the same medium.
• Samples should be of similar style and technique to complement each other and create a cohesive body of work.
• Sets can be considered as one sample. For example, a set of jewelry may consist of earrings, necklace and bracelet designed to be worn together; a tea set may consist of tea pot, creamer, and cups and saucers; a triptych consists of three separate paintings that combine to make one image, etc.
• Work samples employing techniques, styles, materials or themes that vary greatly should not be mixed within a single entry.
• If you work in different media, you must submit a separate application for each medium you would like to be considered for inclusion in the Kentucky Crafted Program. A maximum of three applications may be submitted per year.
• Please consider your choice of work samples carefully in order to meet the program’s performance expectations. Be sure to provide marketing-quality images of your work samples and marketing copy targeted toward your potential customers.
• Work samples submitted with your online application should be the same samples delivered to Frankfort for the panel review. Any substitution must include the required information to be scored properly.   

Work Sample Delivery

You can either ship your work samples to the arts council office or drop them off in person at the panel review location on the designated day and time.

If you ship your work, make sure to select delivery tracking and insurance with your shipping service. Samples must be shipped in sturdy, reusable shipping containers with prepaid return shipping labels enclosed. Shipped work samples must arrive at the arts council office prior to the panel meeting.

Mailed work will be unpackaged and inspected prior to the panel date. Pack your artwork in bubble wrap or other material that can be reused easily for return shipping. Please note that the arts council does not accept artwork that is packaged in Styrofoam peanuts or shredded paper. Shipped work that is packaged incorrectly will be returned to the artist and not reviewed by the panel.

Use the following address for shipping work samples only:

Kentucky Arts Council
Attn: Dave Blevins
500 Mero Street, Fifth Floor
Frankfort, KY 40601

Hand-delivered samples must arrive between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Eastern time, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025. Additional information on hand-delivering work samples to Frankfort will be provided after the application deadline. 

Work Sample Return

All hand-delivered samples must be picked up between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025. Arts council staff will not discuss the panel results during work sample pickup. 

For the return of shipped work, you must enclose a prepaid return shipping label with your shipped work samples. Insurance on shipping is your responsibility. Make sure you have furnished proper packing materials and repackaging instructions. The Kentucky Arts Council will not be held responsible for any items broken during return shipment.

If you leave your work samples in the possession of the arts council beyond Nov. 1, 2025, either by way of failing to pick up the samples or failing to provide proper return shipping labels and instructions, the samples will become the property of the arts council. 

• Carefully review the program guidelines.
• If you do not already have one, create a profile as an Individual in the GO Smart application system. Do NOT create a duplicate individual profile. Contact the arts council if you need assistance accessing an existing profile.
  • To determine district numbers, contact your county clerk’s office.
  • You can also find your congressional district by entering a ZIP code and, when prompted, a street address. Find your legislative district.
• Begin your application by selecting the Grant Applications and Forms tab, find Kentucky Crafted and click START. 
• Follow the instructions on each page and upload your work sample images directly into the application from a personal device.  
• Click the Save Work button on each page or your work will be lost. Click the Final Submission button before 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on the deadline date. 
• Email support materials and required documents to [email protected] 

Digital Images of Work Samples

As part of the application process, you must submit digital images of four work samples per application. You may upload supplemental images of your work samples that show another angle or detail that could be helpful to the panel. All images should be:

• JPG, JPEG format.
• Sized at exactly 1000 by 1000 pixels, with a resolution of 72 pixels per inch, for quality consistency during the review process.
• Files named to include the title and last name of the applicant.

Work samples are the primary means by which panelists assess artistic and professional quality. Carefully consider your choice of work samples in relation to the program’s performance expectations. Images should not include anything that detracts from or interferes with the main subject of the image.

The most effective image presentation is one that shows panelists a cohesive, consistent, developed body of your latest work. Select images representative of your style, and sequence them in a way that will enhance the panelist’s understanding of the direction of your work and draw their attention to your most significant pieces.

Visual and craft artists who do original work in any medium, are full-time residents of Kentucky and are 18 years of age or older. 

• Paper applications are not eligible.  Applications must be submitted through the arts council’s GO Smart Grant portal.   

• Applications by artist groups or organizations are not eligible. 

• All digitally created or manipulated work must be derived from your original imagery. Digital impressions of appropriated images, such as clip art, downloaded paintings, prints, drawings, etc., are not allowed. 

• All work samples submitted must have been created from 2020 to 2025. 

• Artwork created under the supervision of an instructor within an undergraduate or graduate degree program is ineligible. 

• Applicants who create work in different media must submit separate entries for each medium, with a limit of three applications per year. Applicants cannot submit multiple applications for the same medium. 

• Pieces made from items purchased and decorated, or created by combining purchased commercial objects, are ineligible. Exceptions are made for pieces in which commercial or found objects play a subordinate role to the overall design. 

• Handcrafted components used in original artwork may be submitted as samples only if a resulting finished product is also submitted for inclusion in the program. For example, samples of handspun wool used in making wool hats must be accompanied by samples of the finished hats. 

• Work that appears to be Native American but was not made by a Native American is prohibited, as stipulated in the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 with expanded criminal penalties in the Indian Arts and Crafts Amendments Act of 2010. Note: The Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 makes it illegal to sell, or display for sale, any product not made by Native American Indians in a way that falsely suggests it was. If submitting authentic Native American work, please also submit a copy of your membership card in a federal or state-recognized Native American Indian tribe, band, nation or organized group or community with your entry. 

Kentucky Sales and Use Tax Registration 

You must have a current Sales and Use Tax account with the Kentucky Department of Revenue for your art or craft business or have submitted a Form 10A100 Kentucky Tax Registration Application in order to complete your application. If you do not yet have a Kentucky Sales and Use Tax permit number, a copy of the completed Form 10A100 must be included.  

Residency  

Applicants must be U.S. citizens or lawfully admitted to the U.S. for permanent residence or have permission from the Department of Homeland Security to work permanently in the U.S. 

Applicants must have been legal Kentucky residents for a period of at least six months immediately before the application deadline (e.g., legal residency must have begun no later than Feb. 16, 2025, for applications due Aug. 16, 2025). 

For proof of residency, you must submit a copy of two of the following documents to [email protected] by the application deadline: 

• Kentucky driver’s license, which includes the date issued and expiration date OR State of Kentucky identification card, which includes the date issued and expiration date. (Note: The arts council will not accept both a Kentucky driver’s license and a State of Kentucky identification card as the required two proofs of residency.) 

• Kentucky voter registration verification from the State Board of Elections Voter Information Center. You may redact political party information. 

• Kentucky state income tax forms for the most recent year. You may redact income information.  

These are the only acceptable forms of proof of residency for this application.

• Use of the Kentucky Crafted logo, which is nationally recognized as a symbol of artistic excellence and quality craftsmanship. 

• Representation in the Kentucky Arts Council’s online Kentucky Crafted Directory. 

• Eligibility to exhibit at The Kentucky Crafted Market, an annual wholesale/retail arts marketplace produced by the Kentucky Arts Council. 

• Opportunities to participate in various state-sponsored displays, exhibits, events and promotions. 

• Referrals to wholesale buyers, galleries, show organizers, state agencies, corporate buyers and the media. 

• Access to professional development through workshops and training sessions. 

Panel Meeting

A panel of arts professionals and other individuals with relevant experience will review all applications according to the performance expectations. Panelists may be chosen from both inside and outside Kentucky. Arts council staff do not participate in the review or scoring of applications.

Note: The Kentucky Arts Council reserves the right to disqualify any current or future application if there is reason to believe an applicant has tampered or had inappropriate contact with a panelist. Additionally, newly juried artists may be subject to a background check.

Program Agreement Form

Successful applicants will receive a program agreement form detailing their benefits and responsibilities as a participant of the Kentucky Crafted Program. Successful applicants must agree to the terms, sign the form and return it to the arts council within 15 days if they choose to participate in the program.

Appeals

There are no appeals for this application. You may request the panel comments for your application only after your applicant notification has been received.

Kentucky Crafted Participation Renewal

All Kentucky Crafted artists must submit an annual participation renewal survey. A link to the survey will be emailed to participants each year. If a Kentucky Crafted participant fails to submit the required form, the arts council will suspend all program opportunities including eligibility to exhibit at The Kentucky Crafted Market and remove the artist’s online directory page.