Artist FAQ
ARTWORK STANDARDS & POLICIES
What does “Original Work” mean?
“Original Work” refers to artwork that is conceived, designed, and executed entirely by the artist. The concept, imagery, and final product must be the artist’s own. Work must demonstrate clear artistic authorship.
This includes:
What is plagiarism in art?
Plagiarism includes more than just “copying and pasting,” or tracing. Any time you use content that is not your own, you need to give credit to the original creator. Imitation has a place in learning and skill development but you cannot sell or profit off another’s work. You can still be inspired by a source: if you take little bits and pieces from many different sources and alter and combine them in new ways, you’ve now created something new and original—then you’ve created art. We can all influence and inspire each other, so long as we are creating and sharing from a place of honesty and transparency.
We are an inclusive community… (Code of Conduct)
We are an inclusive community with a commitment to creating and maintaining respect for human rights, and fostering equality and inclusion. We encourage participating artists to develop empathy and respect for everyone. Inappropriate behaviour: discrimination, bias, harassment, unfairness, is not tolerated. Non-inclusive behaviour: use of words, humour, gestures, other acts or omissions that cause offence, is not tolerated. An artist who feels victimized or witnesses these behaviours should report it to the organizers whose job it is to mediate the situation. An offending artist/person will be asked to leave the event with no chance of refund for violating the inclusive community guidelines. There is a zero tolerance policy for violence or harassment.
Can there be nude artwork? And other content issues (policy-related)
The human body is a beautiful and natural thing and long a part of artistic creation. For this reason nude art depictions are allowed at WFAF. The public is notified of this in the terms and conditions of online ticket sales. However any art pieces considered vulgar, offensive, explicit, or violent in nature are not to be displayed. This is up to the discretion of the organizer.
What is your policy on cultural appropriation?
The Winnipeg Fine Art Fair is committed to fostering a respectful, inclusive, and welcoming environment for artists, collectors, and the broader community. We recognize that art can engage with culture, identity, and history in complex ways, and that these conversations can be meaningful and challenging.
Artists participating in the Winnipeg Fine Art Fair are fully responsible for the subject matter, imagery, and cultural references within their artwork. By participating in the fair, artists acknowledge that their work may be interpreted in different ways by viewers.|
If a complaint is raised regarding cultural appropriation of a specific artwork during the fair, the Winnipeg Fine Art Fair reserves the right to ask the artist to remove the artwork from public display.
The artist will be given the opportunity to explain the intent, context, and inspiration behind the work. This explanation may be considered in determining if the artwork can stay on display. However, the Winnipeg Fine Art Fair’s primary responsibility is to maintain a respectful and safe environment for all attendees.
The Winnipeg Fine Art Fair reserves the final decision regarding whether an artwork is removed from the fair. Refusal to remove a work when requested may result in further action, including removal from the fair.
This policy is not intended to censor artistic expression, but to ensure accountability, respect, and care within a shared public space.
What is WFAF AI Policy?
The Winnipeg Fine Art Fair (WFAF) encourages innovation and responsible use of technology. Artists may incorporate AI to enhance their creative process or collaborate with AI tools, provided the final work maintains artistic integrity and original intent. Entirely AI-generated artworks are not allowed. The use of AI must avoid ethical issues, such as copyright infringement or offensive content, and should enrich the audience's experience without deception. Artists must comply with these guidelines throughout the Fair and are welcome to seek support from the WFAF team regarding ethical AI use.
What types of Artwork can be displayed?
The Winnipeg Fine Art Fair is a juried fine art event. All work exhibited must be original and created by the artist.
Definition of Original Work
“Original Work” refers to artwork that is conceived, designed, and executed entirely by the artist. The concept, imagery, and final product must be the artist’s own. Work must demonstrate clear artistic authorship.
This includes:
Reproductions & Prints
To maintain the focus on original fine art, no more than 25% of an artist’s booth display may consist of non-original work such as prints, reproductions, or cards. In a standard 16-foot booth, this is roughly equivalent to one 4-foot section of display space. At least 75% of the booth must feature original artwork, and original work must always remain the primary focus of the display. Print racks, bins, and stacked inventory should be modest in size and may not visually dominate the booth.
Prohibited Work
To maintain the integrity of the Winnipeg Fine Art Fair as a fine art event, the following are not permitted:
Handmade vs. Assembled Work
All work must be conceived and created by the artist using raw or foundational art materials. These materials include blank canvas, wood panels, paper, clay, ceramic, textiles, paint, ink, metal, glass, fibre, and other traditional fine art materials.
Commercial retail or gift items intended for resale or decoration, including books, mugs, bags, clothing, tumblers, and similar products, are not considered raw materials.
The following do not qualify as original or handmade work and are not permitted:
Permitted Small Works
Small-scale, artist-made paper works (e.g., handmade bookmarks, original small drawings, or hand-painted paper works) are permitted only if they are fully created by the artist from raw materials. Printed items, including stickers, printed paper goods, or reproductions in sticker form, are not permitted.
Enforcement
The Winnipeg Fine Art Fair reserves the right to remove any work that does not meet these standards.
What does “Original Work” mean?
“Original Work” refers to artwork that is conceived, designed, and executed entirely by the artist. The concept, imagery, and final product must be the artist’s own. Work must demonstrate clear artistic authorship.
This includes:
- One-of-a-kind, handmade artwork
- Limited edition prints of the artist’s original work
What is plagiarism in art?
Plagiarism includes more than just “copying and pasting,” or tracing. Any time you use content that is not your own, you need to give credit to the original creator. Imitation has a place in learning and skill development but you cannot sell or profit off another’s work. You can still be inspired by a source: if you take little bits and pieces from many different sources and alter and combine them in new ways, you’ve now created something new and original—then you’ve created art. We can all influence and inspire each other, so long as we are creating and sharing from a place of honesty and transparency.
We are an inclusive community… (Code of Conduct)
We are an inclusive community with a commitment to creating and maintaining respect for human rights, and fostering equality and inclusion. We encourage participating artists to develop empathy and respect for everyone. Inappropriate behaviour: discrimination, bias, harassment, unfairness, is not tolerated. Non-inclusive behaviour: use of words, humour, gestures, other acts or omissions that cause offence, is not tolerated. An artist who feels victimized or witnesses these behaviours should report it to the organizers whose job it is to mediate the situation. An offending artist/person will be asked to leave the event with no chance of refund for violating the inclusive community guidelines. There is a zero tolerance policy for violence or harassment.
Can there be nude artwork? And other content issues (policy-related)
The human body is a beautiful and natural thing and long a part of artistic creation. For this reason nude art depictions are allowed at WFAF. The public is notified of this in the terms and conditions of online ticket sales. However any art pieces considered vulgar, offensive, explicit, or violent in nature are not to be displayed. This is up to the discretion of the organizer.
What is your policy on cultural appropriation?
The Winnipeg Fine Art Fair is committed to fostering a respectful, inclusive, and welcoming environment for artists, collectors, and the broader community. We recognize that art can engage with culture, identity, and history in complex ways, and that these conversations can be meaningful and challenging.
Artists participating in the Winnipeg Fine Art Fair are fully responsible for the subject matter, imagery, and cultural references within their artwork. By participating in the fair, artists acknowledge that their work may be interpreted in different ways by viewers.|
If a complaint is raised regarding cultural appropriation of a specific artwork during the fair, the Winnipeg Fine Art Fair reserves the right to ask the artist to remove the artwork from public display.
The artist will be given the opportunity to explain the intent, context, and inspiration behind the work. This explanation may be considered in determining if the artwork can stay on display. However, the Winnipeg Fine Art Fair’s primary responsibility is to maintain a respectful and safe environment for all attendees.
The Winnipeg Fine Art Fair reserves the final decision regarding whether an artwork is removed from the fair. Refusal to remove a work when requested may result in further action, including removal from the fair.
This policy is not intended to censor artistic expression, but to ensure accountability, respect, and care within a shared public space.
What is WFAF AI Policy?
The Winnipeg Fine Art Fair (WFAF) encourages innovation and responsible use of technology. Artists may incorporate AI to enhance their creative process or collaborate with AI tools, provided the final work maintains artistic integrity and original intent. Entirely AI-generated artworks are not allowed. The use of AI must avoid ethical issues, such as copyright infringement or offensive content, and should enrich the audience's experience without deception. Artists must comply with these guidelines throughout the Fair and are welcome to seek support from the WFAF team regarding ethical AI use.
What types of Artwork can be displayed?
The Winnipeg Fine Art Fair is a juried fine art event. All work exhibited must be original and created by the artist.
Definition of Original Work
“Original Work” refers to artwork that is conceived, designed, and executed entirely by the artist. The concept, imagery, and final product must be the artist’s own. Work must demonstrate clear artistic authorship.
This includes:
- One-of-a-kind, handmade artwork
- Limited edition prints of the artist’s original work
Reproductions & Prints
To maintain the focus on original fine art, no more than 25% of an artist’s booth display may consist of non-original work such as prints, reproductions, or cards. In a standard 16-foot booth, this is roughly equivalent to one 4-foot section of display space. At least 75% of the booth must feature original artwork, and original work must always remain the primary focus of the display. Print racks, bins, and stacked inventory should be modest in size and may not visually dominate the booth.
Prohibited Work
To maintain the integrity of the Winnipeg Fine Art Fair as a fine art event, the following are not permitted:
- Mass-produced or commercially manufactured products are not permitted, including but not limited to mugs, bags, t-shirts, clothing, aprons, mouse pads, magnets, pens, stickers, jewelry, and similar merchandise. Stickers in any form are prohibited. This includes mass-produced, commercially manufactured, third-party printed, home-printed, or hand-cut stickers made by the artist. Stickers are considered merchandise rather than fine art and may not be sold or displayed at the fair.
- Jewellery in any form is not permitted. This includes handcrafted, assembled, commercially manufactured, or mass-produced jewellery. Jewellery is outside the scope of the fair and may not be sold or displayed.
Handmade vs. Assembled Work
All work must be conceived and created by the artist using raw or foundational art materials. These materials include blank canvas, wood panels, paper, clay, ceramic, textiles, paint, ink, metal, glass, fibre, and other traditional fine art materials.
Commercial retail or gift items intended for resale or decoration, including books, mugs, bags, clothing, tumblers, and similar products, are not considered raw materials.
The following do not qualify as original or handmade work and are not permitted:
- Applying stickers, prints, or images to commercially manufactured items
- Decorating or modifying pre-made retail products or blank commercial goods
- Work consisting primarily of assembled pre-manufactured components
Permitted Small Works
Small-scale, artist-made paper works (e.g., handmade bookmarks, original small drawings, or hand-painted paper works) are permitted only if they are fully created by the artist from raw materials. Printed items, including stickers, printed paper goods, or reproductions in sticker form, are not permitted.
Enforcement
The Winnipeg Fine Art Fair reserves the right to remove any work that does not meet these standards.
