Call for Artists, Making Money at Juried Art Fairs, Craft Shows and Festivals
Richard Sullivan Shows--I Like What He's Doing
Last weekend I had the pleasure of meeting Richard Sullivan. Richard, who is a veteran promoter is trying something different and it is something I really like. He runs small shows in wealthier areas in Florida. There are 12 in all. If you have high quality work you may want to try one of these. The crowds aren't large, but, the people who come are knowledgeable and sophisticated. They are the direct opposite of the large corporate sponsored "bloatware" shows that we all do and aspire to get in to. Richard's shows are about the artist. There is very little distractions, like loud music, corporate booths hawking their stuff and being generally obnoxious, greasy food booths, and all the other things that make money for the show but do nothing for the exhibitors. You can actually talk to your customers. In addition, Richard is very accommodating. He is on site the whole time and if you have a problem or don't like something, he will fix it, no questions asked. Since the shows are relatively small, there are no bad spaces. I did Boca Grande last weekend. Boca Grande is an island south of Port Charlotte. I did about the same as I did at Naples, even though there was a lot less people coming through. One painter did $20,000 and the photographer next to me did $10,000. I got to drive right up to my booth for setup and takedown. We had all day to set up. Richard got us a great deal on the hotel overlooking the show and if you share a room with someone, it is relatively inexpensive. I roomed with Joe Cyberski. We had a $300 a night room for $120, with 2 queen sized beds.
As these shows gain in reputation, the potential upside is great. If you come down to Florida every year, you should consider doing these shows instead of the huge shows or as fill-ins. You could be pleasantly surprised. Here's the link to the web site and a listing of shows:
http://www.boulderbrook.net/-
Comment by Connie Mettler on March 10, 2011 at 3:59pm -
Thanks for this review, Barry. This is great news to hear, I've never been to one of Richard's shows but all I speak to say great things about him.
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Comment by Paul Zerjay on March 10, 2011 at 4:21pm -
I was really hoping his Chattanooga show was gonna happen this year. Looks like Nashville is still up in the air too. Hopefully he'll make his way up to the Midwest soon.
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Comment by Twopeasinapod123.com on March 10, 2011 at 6:39pm -
I wonder if Mr. Sullivan could do that here in upstate N.Y. Or if there were someone who had this same insight here. I have not met anyone as such yet.
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Comment by Teri Causey on March 10, 2011 at 7:39pm -
Nice review Barry!
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Comment by Nancy Grimsley on March 11, 2011 at 10:47am -
Nice review....We too like doing Richard's shows. He tries very hard to accommodate the artists. We did his Sarasota show, which did have bad weather, but it turned out ok. At that show he devised a set up which gave each artist 20 ft. which gave us so much space for hanging. Next weekend, March 19 & 20, is his Peace River National Show. This will be our third year doing that show. Last year we had a fabulous 15 feet with ample space behind for storage. If anyone has that weekend open you should give Richard a call and think about it. It is a nice show on the water in Punta Gorda. Oh, and set up is all day on Friday...Can anyone say EASY !
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Comment by JOYCE E. NELSON on March 11, 2011 at 11:23am -
He is always accommodating, helpful, and an all around good promoter.
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Comment by Marilyn Richey on March 12, 2011 at 8:29pm -
Thank you for the heads-up. Good shows are hard to find!
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Comment by Teri Causey on March 21, 2011 at 4:01pm
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As a side note; I heard Jodi Foster was at the Boca Grande show and she was buying!
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