The City of Ontario’s Department of Museum, Arts, & Culture and the Chaffey Community Museum of Art are excited to announce the fifth annual Ontario Arts Festival. The festival, which averages approximately 1,000 – 2,000 visitors annually, exemplifies the City’s commitment to making Ontario the destination for arts and culture in the Inland Empire. 

The Ontario Arts Festival is seeking independent artists for this year’s annual event! This one-day event features over 50 artist booths offering a wide variety of visual arts, as well as other attractions for Festival visitors, including food trucks, a beer garden, art activities, and more. Visitors to the Arts Festival will also be able to visit galleries of the Ontario Museum of History & Art and the Chaffey Community Museum of Art, where admission is always free.

Artists must be a resident of either Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, or San Bernardino counties. Preference for Pomona Valley residents living in Chino, Chino Hills, Claremont, Corona, Fontana, Montclair, Norco, Ontario, Pomona, Rancho Cucamonga, and Upland. 

We accept a wide range of artists and mediums, including but not limited to: fine art, textiles, ceramics, digital art, photography, jewelry, metal, wood and more.

All applicants are reviewed by a volunteer jury made up of city staff, artists, and local residents.
 

We are also pleased to introduce a BEST IN SHOW award that will be selected and designated on the day of the festival. The winning artist will receive $500 and bragging rights! All artists MUST complete the Submittable.com application in order to be considered for the festival. 

The Ontario Arts Festival has the sole discretion to advise an artist if the work does not comply with Festival standards. If approved, invited artists will receive additional vendor requirements for participating in the event.

A booth application fee of seventy-five dollars ($75.00) will not be collected until the artist has been accepted for participation in the Arts Festival. This nominal fee helps to offset the costs of making this Festival possible. 

This fee is non-refundable.

Event Highlights for Participating Artists:
   · Booth fee ($75) that includes a 10’x10’ canopy, table linens if needed, one 6-foot table, and two chairs
   · Artists keep 100% of their sales transactions – the Festival does not take a commission on sales
   · Assistance with set-up and take-down
   · Available wi-fi onsite
   · Free social media kit
   · Artist swag bag 

Application Submittal Requirements

Artists must be a resident of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, or San Bernardino counties. Preference for Pomona Valley residents living in Chino, Chino Hills, Claremont, Corona, Fontana, Montclair, Norco, Ontario, Pomona, Rancho Cucamonga, and Upland. 

To get started, fill out the application via Submittable.com. No other form of application will be accepted. Late or incomplete applications cannot be considered. 

Things to know:

• Review our rules & regulations on our website for more information.
• You will need to create a free account with Submittable (this is free of charge.)
• Be sure the email in your Submittable account is correct; this will be our primary method for communication about your application.
   

Applications must be submitted by the application deadline to be considered. To get started, fill out the application via the link above.
 

Exhibition Dates:  Thursday, August 14 – Sunday, November 2, 2025

• ARTWORK DROP-OFF DATES: Drop-off will be by appointment from July 21 - July 26, 2025. Appointments will be made through  the Appointments Plus link via email.  The artist or a proxy must hand-deliver the artwork to the Ontario Museum of History & Art. Commercially shipped or mailed artwork will not be accepted.  Please call Curator of Exhibits, Samantha Herrera at (909) 395-2504 should you have any questions. 

• ARTWORK PICK-UP DATES:    Pick-up will be by appointment from November 6 - November 8, 2025. Appointments will be made through the Appointments Plus link  via email two weeks before the exhibition closing date. The artist must pick up their artwork or provide the museum with a written statement permitting a proxy with a picture I.D. to claim the artwork.

• ARTWORK SPECIFICATIONS: Two-dimensional and three-dimensional artworks in any stable media will be reviewed by museum staff before the artwork has been accepted for the exhibition. To avoid confusion, artwork should be labeled with the title ("untitled" if applicable), artist's name, and telephone number. Two-dimensional works must be framed (or have finished edges) and ready to hang with secure wire attached, D-Rings, and/or French cleat; Sawtooth hardware will not be accepted. All artwork must be completely dry and ready to hang by your drop-off date. Please attach a sleeve on the back if the piece is a textile, such as a quilt. There is a size limit of 60 inches by 60 inches and a weight limit of 50 pounds for 3-dimensional pieces. If your work entails a video or audio or needs an electrical outlet, please make sure to state it in your application. Artwork that is not properly prepared for display will not be accepted. Any artwork or installations that contain pests, pet hair, odor, decaying remains, ashes, plant base, food base, liquids, or weapon paraphernalia will not be accepted.