The Black Arts & Music Festival (BAMF) is a two-day, family-friendly event hosted by the Ames Public Library, Ames Branch NAACP, Ames Community Arts Council, Ames Public Art Commission, Iowa State University College of Design, and Iowa State Office of Diversity and Inclusion to celebrate and promote greater awareness and appreciation of the artistic and cultural contributions of African and African American visual and performing artists in the community. This event is funded by the Ames Public Library Friends Foundation.

BAMF will be held at Ames Public Library on February 8 and 9 during the library's regular open hours.

The goal of this family-friendly weekend of events is to uplift the voices of underrepresented community members by
• Showcasing and celebrating the talents and the community contributions of African and African American visual artists and performers.
• Promoting cultural awareness of African and African American arts and experiences.
• Fostering civic engagement and discourse.
• Strengthening relationships with community and university partners.

Youth (grade 9-12) and adult artists from Iowa State University and the greater Ames/DSM community are invited to submit an application to exhibit art. Submissions will be accepted until 11:59pm on October 31, 2019. Artists will be notified of their acceptance via email by December 6. Due to limited time and space, all applications may not be selected for inclusion.

Each artist will be scheduled for a 30-minute block of time to discuss their art with the public on either Saturday, February 8 or Sunday, February 9.

Please note that while the public library is not a museum or gallery, it provides excellent viewing/traffic opportunities. Exhibit spaces are located throughout the building. They are fully accessible to the public during regular library hours and are not secured.

• Library display spaces can best accommodate 2-dimensional art and small (18x18-inch) 3-dimensional pieces.  
• The selection committee will review five to ten pieces for adults or three to five for high school students.
• The BAMF show will be on display from Sunday, Feb 2nd through Saturday, Feb 15th.  Artists are asked to assist in hanging artwork on either Friday, Jan 31st or Saturday, Feb 1st  and in take-down on Sunday, Feb 16th.
• All artwork on display should include: Title, Medium, Date Completed and Cost (if selling) or NFS (Not for Sale).
• The Library reserves the right to use submissions or to photograph accepted work for publicity.
• The Library reserves the right to record performances and presentations for promotional purposes.
• The Library will take all reasonable care in handling and displaying your art work, but assumes no specific liability in case of damage or theft.

Artists or their agents may choose to sell prints or original pieces selected for display during the festival. Please note that:
• The Library cannot handle payments on behalf of the artist.  
• Original art must stay on display for the duration of the show (Sunday, Feb 2nd through Saturday, Feb 15th).
• The Library will take no commission on art sales.
• The Library will provide a table for the selling of artwork.

Artists will also receive a stipend of $150.