EAST LANSING, Mich. — The 46th Annual East Lansing Art Festival is currently seeking fine artists and crafts persons for next year’s event. The East Lansing Art Festival, held in 2009 on the weekend of May 16 and 17, annually welcomes more than 200 talented artists from across the United States and Canada to the streets of downtown East Lansing. Rated as one of the top art festivals in the country, the East Lansing Art Festival draws an estimated attendance of 70,000 from across the nation and Canada. In addition to more than 200 artist exhibitors, the festival features an emerging artist program, free performances on two stages, an international-style food court and a hands-on art activities area. A qualified on-site jury awards exhibiting artists with cash awards, totaling an estimated $6,000. Artists and crafts people interested in participating in the 46th Annual East Lansing Art Festival can showcase the following accepted media at the event: paintings, printmaking, drawings, photography, digital art, 2-D and 3-D mixed media, sculptures, functional and non-functional ceramics, metalsmithing, glass, wood, fibers, jewelry and leather. Three images of an artist’s work and one image of an artist’s booth must be submitted with an artist application by Jan. 31, 2009 for consideration. Applications will be reviewed by a panel of art experts for inclusion in the festival after the application deadline. Artists interested in the 46th Annual East Lansing Art Festival can apply online through Zapplication, www.zapplication.org, a universal online application for art shows across the United States. Although Zapplication is the preferred method of application, the East Lansing Art Festival can also be contacted at info@elartfest.com to request a paper application. The application fee is $30 for those using the Zapplication process and $40 if applying through the mail with a paper application. Accepted artists must have original work for sale and must be onsite the entire weekend of the festival. No representatives, brokers, imports or commercially-made items or forms are permitted. This free-to-the-public event will run from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday. The artist booth fee is $230. For more details visit the East Lansing Art Festival Web site at www.elartfest.com or call (517) 319-6804.