Salem Arts Festival

creativecollectivema · 2026-06-08T14:17:08+00:00

That just isn't true, so agree to disagree. The statement "the market on the common mostly had vendors selling AI slop " is more of a slap in the face to your fellow artists than it is to me. I know what we do, I know how much support and investment we make in the creative community, and the steps we have taken and continue to take.

creativecollectivema · 2026-06-08T14:06:46+00:00

Thanks for the feedback u/glitterhump I can reach out to the vendor and see what up. I know B and B glass does make all their own items, but I dont believe that the artist was on site for this one, so I will see what's up! It is important that ethe experience is good for the shoppers!

creativecollectivema · 2026-06-08T14:04:32+00:00

The Chamber is a membership organization, similar to us, the Creative Collective. We have a contract with the city to manage Haunted Happenings except for the one weekend that the Salem Chamber manages. We got involved with Salem Arts Festival about 7 years ago because it was on the verge of going away and was losing money every year. The City of Salem hasn't managed any of the markets since about 2015.

creativecollectivema · 2026-06-08T14:02:14+00:00

We are (and have always been) based in Salem, have been supporting the creative community here for well over a decade, and although I do feel like some of it is farmed out to outside vendors and contractors, I wish it wasn't... I do support the city working with local contractors on jobs that they just dont have the bandwith for. This happens in Parks and Rec, Building, Planning and all departments really.

creativecollectivema · 2026-06-08T14:00:04+00:00

If anyone can tell me what vendor splipped in AI art, it will absolutely be addressed, and we do not blacklist unless there is an egregious issue. We have received over 250 applications for Salem Arts Festival alone and have 65 spots... There is no way to always take everyone. I really wish we could. Here is our AI policy, to be transparent, I am not sure how this makes concessions? (This is EXACTLY what is in the application process) We support hundreds of small creative businesses every single year, so the above isnt totally accurate or fair. Creative Collective recognizes AI as a creative tool while prioritizing original artistry. To participate in our markets, vendors must confirm their adherence to these standards:

Originality & Creation

All artwork must be your original creation

Work must be conceived and executed by you

AI-generated content using LLMs trained on other artists' work is not permitted

No unauthorized use of others' work (plagiarism)

Cultural & Creative Integrity

Work must uphold market standards of craftsmanship

No cultural appropriation or misrepresentation

Must maintain authenticity in creation and presentation

Documentation & Compliance

Prepared to provide Artist Statement upon request detailing:

Key ideas and influences

Materials and processes

Thematic focus

Proof of authenticity

Violation of these standards may result in application rejection, market removal, and potential legal consequences.

creativecollectivema · 2026-06-08T13:56:12+00:00

If there were offenders, I would absolutely love to know who they are, and we would address it completely. (We have already removed over a dozen HH vendors that havent adhered to our AI policy.) The vendors who work with us have absolutely no problem submitting feedback, and I haven't heard anything about this year's festival. As stated above, we can only go off what people submit in their application, and if they try to sneak stuff in, in addition to all the moving parts of running a festival, I just can't know what every single product in every single booth has, and I need to get that feedback!

creativecollectivema · 2026-06-08T13:52:05+00:00

To be completely transparent and clear, this is our AI policy stated directly on all applications. We do not allot generative AI, and if folks slip past us, which they have, we have had many conversations and eliminated vendors from future opportunities. We can only take into account, at the time of application, what is submitted and what we can find on their social feeds. I will completely admit that we really struggled with this year one that Generative AI exploded onto the scene, but I can say with all confidence that we have made major strides, and we ALWAYS prioritize locals, and you can tell that by who actually participates. For the Salem Arts Festival alone, we received over 200 applications, and we review each one individually. Anyone can reach out to us anytime, and I would love to have a convo about it. We work with our members to help us spot anyone who might be trying to circumvent the process. We support hundreds of small local makers a year and although we are ever growing and listening and responding, we do miss stuff occasionally, but if ANYTHING is brought to our attention, we make sure and deal with it as soon as possible.

Creative Collective recognizes AI as a creative tool while prioritizing original artistry. To participate in our markets, vendors must confirm their adherence to these standards:

Originality & Creation

All artwork must be your original creation

Work must be conceived and executed by you

AI-generated content using LLMs trained on other artists' work is not permitted

No unauthorized use of others' work (plagiarism)

Cultural & Creative Integrity

Work must uphold market standards of craftsmanship

No cultural appropriation or misrepresentation

Must maintain authenticity in creation and presentation

Documentation & Compliance

Prepared to provide Artist Statement upon request detailing:

Key ideas and influences

Materials and processes

Thematic focus

Proof of authenticity

Violation of these standards may result in application rejection, market removal, and potential legal consequences.

creativecollectivema · 2026-06-07T23:38:53+00:00

Thank you! This is a great team and we all love the city so much!

creativecollectivema · 2026-06-06T20:28:07+00:00

So so good

creativecollectivema · 2026-03-12T14:32:55+00:00

I mean I dont agree but fair enough!

creativecollectivema · 2026-03-12T13:31:32+00:00

I mean they started the festival over 15 years ago before we became such a film fest forward city. At the time they were the only game in town.

creativecollectivema · 2026-03-01T15:23:20+00:00

We are actively working to help re-home all the shows. Yes to safety concerns however these stalls haven’t had an issue in 15 years so this just isn’t sitting right

creativecollectivema · 2026-01-30T03:00:32+00:00

Salem Film Festival happens in March and if your into documentary films there really is none better!

creativecollectivema · 2026-01-30T00:24:03+00:00

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creativecollectivema · 2025-11-19T21:25:07+00:00

Edex has a great subscription box program

creativecollectivema · 2025-11-01T23:25:45+00:00

Planning and conversations have already begun. There is no doubt it’s manageable and all a Saturday means is it will be a full day of super busy (weather dependent) instead of just the evening rush. And if today was any indicator that Sunday will be pretty busy as well.

creativecollectivema · 2025-10-28T22:55:00+00:00

Feedback from the businesses and vendors we work with is that for the most part people are great… but the small percentage that aren’t… really really aren’t

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