Yesterday, while bagging up enough prints to hopefully get me through my next two out of state shows, I received a phone call from a staff member for the Bayou City arts festival in Houston TX. The caller politely informed me that the deadline to apply to the spring 2015 show was the next day and she wanted to make sure I knew about it. Because I've done this show multiple times in the past, my name was on her list.I had already made the decision that starting in 2015 I was going to stay closer to home and concentrate on shows in the Pacific Northwest where I live. After 14 years of traveling coast to coast and hitting nearly 30 shows each season I'm just plain tired of the traveling grind.I informed the representative from Bayou that I was aware of the deadline but decided to cut out my Texas swing next year because it was 2650 miles one way from home and she said she completely understood. We wished each other luck and said goodbye.After a few minutes passed, I started to think that in nearly 500 shows I've never been called to be reminded of a show deadline. Did this call happen because I was one of the many artists that declined my invitation to last years event in protest to the show adding an additional 150 artists to an already overcrowded show? Was it because the Bayou board is looking at the applications coming in on ZAPP and are freaking out because they might not be able to populate the show with enough quality artists? Or was it because the staff is finally taking a pro-active stance with the artists (their customers) and trying to win back our confidence and approval?I hope for all of our sake, the shows and us artists's it's the latter. What do you think?
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  • Dave Piper said:

    >>By the way... I have never, ever heard an artist wish there was a gate fee at Main Street Fort Worth.  Perhaps I have missed it but I do not believe I have ever heard someone say they wished any show had smaller attendance.<<

    I am not sure you were directing this at me but it sounds like you may have been addressing what I said about gate fees and how we prefer them.  If I am mistaken, please disregard this but .... of the shows we have done with and without gate fees for patrons, OUR best sales are at those with fees.  I still stand by that statement, though for others' experiences ... your mileage may vary.  <vbg>

  • When a city the size of Houston (at least 6 million) can only draw a crowd of under 30 thousand in three days to the most well known show in all of Houston, something is being done wrong.

  • I have done Bayou City (both spring and fall) for thirty-six years in a row.  I was accepted for fall 2014 and declined.  First time I have ever done that.  However, Bayou has been shooting holes in their own feet for several years now.  Here is a clue as to how the new people in charge see things:  spring 2014 the artist parking was a mud pit since they decided to use the back loop where we always parked as the expanded area of the show where artists slowly starved to death.  I assume they will use that dead area again this coming spring.  The show actually bragged that they provided a free wrecker to pull us out of the mud pit at the end of the first day.  

  • By the way... I have never, ever heard an artist wish there was a gate fee at Main Street Fort Worth.  Perhaps I have missed it but I do not believe I have ever heard someone say they wished any show had smaller attendance.

  • I have done Bayou City (both spring and fall) for thirty-six years in a row.  I was accepted for fall 2014 and declined.  First time I have ever done that.  However, Bayou has been shooting holes in their own feet for several years now.  Here is a clue as to how the new people in charge see things:  spring 2014 the artist parking was a mud pit since they decided to use the back loop where we always parked as the expanded area of the show where artists slowly starved to death.  I assume they will use that dead area again this coming spring.  The show actually bragged that they provided a free wrecker to pull us out of the mud pit at the end of the first day.  

  • >>I'm wondering does everyone run each show like a business......Profit or loss? Taking into consideration cost of gas, cost of lodging, cost of show space, cost of product supplies and some misc. costs stuff out of pocket...NOT factoring in our time etc.??? It would be interesting to hear who makes profit after let's say 3 to7 shows?<<

    Initially I did not include all my expenses so I did not get an accurate assessment of how I did. Now I include it all to get a more accurate picture of my income and expenses ... booth fees are just the tip of the iceberg. I include hotel, gas, food, paying dd a commission to help work the booth, any miscellaneous extras we need for the show, etc. dh gets paid with food! LOL
  • I think $15/person is pricey.  However, I am opposed to free shows.  The reason is that our best sales occur at events with a gate fee.  Even if it is just $5/person.

  • Robert, a very good question. This Spring I did a podcast with Alison Thomas and Leo Charette about how they keep their books and what kind of shows produce the profit to keep going and essentially determining whether or not to go back to it. Here is that podcast, full of very practical information: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/artfairs/2014/02/21/taxes-artists-keep...

  • Barry- I just want to correct you on the show dates.

    Winter Park - 3/20-22

    Fairhope - 3/20-22

    Bayou City - 3/27 - 29

    Many artists in the past have done WPSAF or Fairhope the weekend before Bayou City. I don't recall WP or BCAF ever being the same weekend.

    I did not get a call from BCAF reminding me to apply - probably due to the email I sent them a couple weeks ago, detailing why I wouldn't reapply for many of the reasons given by other artists, but mostly because of the larger number of exhibitors and the new layout. I've done the show four of the last 6 years and cancelled last year.

  • I'm wondering does everyone run each show like a business......Profit or loss? Taking into consideration cost of gas, cost of lodging, cost of show space, cost of product supplies  and some misc. costs stuff out of pocket...NOT factoring in our time etc.???   It would be interesting to hear who makes profit after let's say 3 to7 shows?  

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