Any suggestions, or experience with these fairs? I've been juried into both, they are similar distances. Ferndale is Friday-Sunday, while Carmel is Sat and Sun. I also have a place to stay for free in Carmel.
Its always a fun game trying to weigh your options!
Any comments/opinions on buyers or fruitfulness of these shows would be appreciated!
Replies
Hi Kate,
A couple things...
You were juried into both & NOW you are asking?!!! May I suggest in the future to RESEARCH BEFORE YOU APPLY so you know what KIND of shows you are applying for! You may want to check the "demographics" of where you want to apply, & also read EVERYTHING you can about what the promoter "puts out there" about the show. Now, for Funky Ferndale in Zapplication, Mark gives a VERY ACCURATE description of his show, and myself, having done Funky Ferndale for years, this description is right on! Also, you may already be aware of this, but promoters read this site too. Thru the years I have learned that telling an Artist that it is a good show or bad is NOT fair to you because what is good for me, may not be for you, or if I did poorly, you may do WELL. You have very nice work, & I am sure that if it didn't fit the Funky Ferndale specifications, you would NOT have gotten in, as this show & the Royal Oak Clay, Glass & Metal (which we have also done), are very specific-minded events. As far as the Carmel INTERNATIONAL show, if I DID hear of this in the past, my mind would have just "made me look elsewhere" with INTERNATIONAL in the name! After reading about this show, the name does not do it justice, but I personally don't know anything about this show. It is always ok to ask about load in info. & lots of other stuff about shows, but sometimes Artists are uncomfortable about giving you either false hope or telling you not to do it simply because THEY didn't do well. Good luck in making your decision Kate & for your sake as well as promoters, I hope you can make it SOON!!!
Funky Ferndale has pizzazz, or so it seems from the name and the art it attracts. They'll probably attract that kind of customer, too. So it would be my pick of the two.
Well, I have done Funky Ferndale and it was a good show for me. (Twice as funky, etc..) I am doing it again this year, and looking forward to it.
As far as the "Carmel International" Show, honestly, I can't get past the name of it. It's so Carmel-ish to purport themselves as some international venue, like people from all over the world are coming to it. Like it's the World's Fair or something. I mean, it might be a great show, it's also in my back yard, but just the name gives me pause.
I did the Carmel show last year. It was okay but not spectacular. Another photographer was there last year with some nice large scale B&W landscapes but had a miserable show. LOL at the pretentiousness of calling it an international art festival. I've watched Carmel grow from a sleepy village to an overbuilt enclave of the entitled over the last 45 years, so I'm not impressed by the name of the show ;-)