Artist Alley
Tekko Artist Alley
Artist Alley 2023 applications are now closed. We thank you for your interest in our Artist Alley!
Please email artists@teamtekko.us with any questions or inquiries and we will get back to you. Please be patient as we work through our inbox.
You may also want to review the rules and policies outlined on the main exhibition hall page .
General Artist Alley Information
Applications open and close the same afternoon due to the number of applications we receive every year. We reserve the right to deny waitlist inquiries if our waitlist is deemed full at any point during the calendar year leading to the next Tekko.
Applications are vetted via jury, we are not strictly first come first serve anymore. If you previously vended in our Artist Alley, you are not guaranteed acceptance for the next convention you apply to.
Acceptable portfolio websites can include public Facebook pages, public Instagram profiles, DeviantArt pages, Etsy/Shopify/Storenvy, your own created websites, any website you do not need an account to view the pages, etc. You MUST link the full url and not just the @. We do not accept Twitter profiles, Tiktok accounts, LinkedIn profiles, or any website that gets password-locked/blocked. These websites make it harder to jury an artist if it is randomly inaccessible.
Tablesharing is allowed between different studios, however the secondary studio will be juried at a later date and need written approval of tablesharing to vend at Tekko. The secondary studio must abide by the same rules and regulations as the primary studio they are sharing with.
We do not allow proxy selling in any capacity. No exceptions, do not ask.
Please do not submit multiple applications as a means to try and give yourself “a better chance” at being accepted. You will be outright rejected. If you believe you made a mistake on your application that needs edited, you may reach out to artists@teamtekko.us and we will proceed from there.
Members of Tekko/PittJCS staff, convention center staff, Guests of Honor, those selling in the Vendors Hall are ineligible for participation in Artist Alley.
Artists may request 1 or 2 tables on their applications. 1 table is $200, 2 tables are $400, plus taxes and fees. Each individual registration (regardless of number of tables) will come with 1 General Admission Artist Alley badge for the artist purchasing the registration. Artist may opt into purchasing Loading Dock Access for 2023 ($20) at the time of application submission, or they may purchase it at a later date.
By submitting applications, you agree to all rules and regulations set forth by Tekko/PittJCS for its Artist Alley and overall convention. Those that break any number of rules are subjected to dismal from the convention without refund.
Abbreviated Artist Alley Rules
The following are an abbreviated list of rules for Artist Alley to give artists an idea of how our Artist Alley is ran, and what is/is not allowed. Those that are accepted and fully paid for their spaces will receive the full list with our information packet. These may change at any time without notice.
“Primary Artist” refers to the specific person who paid for the tablespace, and is the sole contact regarding payment and receiving information about Artist Alley. “Secondary Artist” refers to the separate studio from the Primary Artist that is sharing a tablespace with them.
All standard Tekko rules apply within Artist Alley, which includes any COVID-19 policies. These are subject to change without notice. Visit https://tekko.us/rules for more information.
All Primary and Secondary Artists must be 18 years old or older, and Assistants must be 16 years or older, as of January 1st of the calendar year Tekko falls in to be able to sell within Artist Alley.
Primary Artists may have up to 3 people assigned to their tablespace as Assistants (those that are NOT selling their own work at a tablespace), regardless of number of tables purchased. This would mean you have 4 total people designated to your tablespace. If you were officially approved to tableshare with a Secondary Artist, the Secondary Artists takes the slot of an Assistant (thus you would have 2 slots left for non-selling Assistants). Badges need to be purchased separately for Assistants, they do NOT come with the tablespace.
Primary/Secondary Artists and Assistants are required to present a form of ID upon arrival to the convention. It can be a drivers license, school ID, military ID, or passport/photocard. It must have your photo and not be expired. No ID, no entry.
Primary Artists are expected to follow all deadlines set forth by the Artist Alley Supervisor. Failure to meet deadlines or communicate lateness of any matter may result in your dismissal from Artist Alley.
Artists that fail to show up to the convention by Friday evening at 5pm will forfeit their tablespace without refund. Please make all proper arrangements prior to the convention to be on time. If there are any emergencies that come up (including but not limited to transportation cancellations, being sick, etc), please email artists@teamtekko.us ASAP.
Proxy selling is not allowed under any circumstance. Those found in violation will be blacklisted from selling at Tekko within Artist Alley and Vendors Hall.
Product that is Prohibited in our Artist Alley includes but is not limited to: stolen or copied designs in any medium, commercial/officially licensed merchandise, bootleg merchandise/anything that can be mistaken as officially licensed, Splatter Art as in the practice of using the splatter filters over official art/another artists work through Photoshop/photo editing programs, Digital media created through AI-generated programs that you did not physically create yourself in a new medium (example: putting a phrase in DALL-E and getting prints made directly), Perler Bead work that directly copy existing official sprites, Shotacon / Lollicon / Pedobear / explicit content that involves minors.
Fan Art (art that uses another person’s/studio’s/company’s characters/settings/themes, etc.) is permitted , provided it meets all requirements we have for Original art (i.e. having artistic merit, is not directly copying something else, does not use official logos, etc).
Reconstructed Art is permitted in small quantities on a case-by-case basis. Reconstructed Art is defined as art is that created by using pre-existing merchandise/materials to create an entirely new item (such as old manga pages into wallets). These items must display considerable time and skill put into the construction of the item.
Artists may sell Mature (18+) Artwork at their tablespaces but must follow these rules as we are a family friendly event: it cannot be a part of the Artist’s main overhead display uncensored. All Mature (18+) Artwork must be kept in a separate, clearly marked binder/box/etc. If there are any pieces being displayed on the table itself/out of a binder, it MUST be censored appropriately. Artwork that is not inherently Mature (18+) that contains swear words may be a part of the main overheard display, but it must be censored appropriately (example: F*ck). Mature (18+) artwork CANNOT be sold to minors under any circumstance.
Artists that sell cosmetics of any kind are required by the FDA to label their items in a certain way to ensure customers understand what is in their items.
Artists that sell Face Masks/Covers must include somewhere on their table display that the Face Masks do not represent medical devices or have medical claims to them (that they prevent Such and Such illness). They must be marketed as “Fashion” only items.
Artists that create candles, incense, fragrance oils, and fragrance sprays may offer smelling samples to potential customers. Those with oils and sprays must bring testing strips to put the sample on and a garbage container to throw the strips away when finished. Those with candles and incense are NOT ALLOWED to burn their product in order to sample it.
Artists assume full responsibility and liability for all items they sell. This includes but is not limited to: the legality of any items including copyright/trademark infringement, the durability of all items, or any contracts made with customers (including any failures to follow through with those contracts) made at Tekko. PittJCS Inc. makes no guarantees and assumes no responsibilities for legal action, theft, loss, or damages that may occur during an Artist’s participation in Artist Alley.
Table Refund and No Show Policy
Primary Artists may opt out of their application/acceptance at any time once it’s submitted and they have yet to pay for the tablespace.
If you find you are unable to attend Tekko after you were accepted into our Artist Alley and fully paid for your tablespace, you may request a refund.
You cannot forfeit your tablespace to another Artist if you cannot make it to the convention. The tablespace will be offered to an Artist on our waitlist until it is filled. If you try circumventing this rule, you are subject to having your application for the next event you apply to being rejected outright.
For 2023 and beyond, we are no longer offering Rollovers for tablespaces. If you wish to attend the next convention, you will need to formally apply again when applications are available.
For 2023 and beyond, refund amounts for your tablespace begin at 75% refunded, 50% refunded, 25% refunded, and no refund. The refund amount is contingent to when the table was paid for, and the time of the request in comparison to the dates of the convention. This is not negotiable. No refunds are granted in any capacity if requests are made within 30 calendar days to the start date of Tekko.
“No Show Tables” are unclaimed tables from artists that fail to arrive to the convention. If available, these tables are sold on a first come first serve basis on the Friday of the convention after 5pm. They will only be sold sooner if we have been told they are not arriving. Artists must be able to show to a portfolio on their phones in order to be considered for a No Show Table. If you cannot provide a portfolio, you will be turned away. Once approved, they must pay in cash (a receipt will be given), sign an Artist Alley contract and show ID. They will then will receive their table assignment and proceed to the Exhibition Hall to set up their table for the remainder of the weekend.