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How do I find Craft/Art Fairs

Posted by Craig Putnam on June 28, 2010 at 1:50pm in Questions & Answers for New Members

Hello everyone,

 

I'm a complete newby all the way around. I have lots of questions. I am finding some answers to many by just cruising the forums.

 

One question I am am not finding the info to is how to actually "find" fairs. I have 2-3 local fairs thats a good place for me to start but can not seem to find any others.

 

How are you finding them?

 

Thanks,

Craig

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Replies

  • S. Michelle Babcock September 2, 2010 at 12:28am
    There is also the Greg Lawler's Art Fair SourceBook. You can get it online or order it in print. He covers more shows then anyone else and you can do the whole country or just a region. It's expensive, but I've done all the other ways mentioned above and I think he is the most comprehensive. You can buy one year and the info will be good for a few years. Dates tend to change by a day or two depending on leap year.
  • Jacki Bilsborrow September 1, 2010 at 11:40pm
    Craig, You are a member here now, so make sure you take advantage of the Call for Artists on this site. You should find plenty of shows here and the many places the others have told you about. The nice thing about the Art Fair Calendar, you can easily find shows close to the area where you are from. If you are starting out you will probably not want to travel too far from home to do shows. I have noticed that you can look for art shows by state in google, such as Art shows in Virginia. You will find lots of info on Google. Hang in there and good luck.

    Jacki B
  • Bill Morris July 1, 2010 at 4:41pm
    Another good source of local shows is the the Chamber of Commerce. Here in Michigan in the towns that have a tourist draw the local Chambers often have shows or festivals which are the types of places I look for because tourist have money and are there looking for a place to spend it. If the Chamber is not directly involved they will know who is and how to make contact.

    Bill
  • Diane Wright July 1, 2010 at 1:07pm
    There are juried shows and then there are juried shows. I don't usually do shows that are not juried. The few times I did they were basically flea markets. There are some juried shows that are very high end and more prestigious and there are some juried shows that are not high end at all - they jury the show to either balance the show or to hopefully keep out the buy/sell.
  • Craig Putnam July 1, 2010 at 12:52pm
    Hello Diane and Chris,

    Thank you for the info. I have aleady started looking and using the info from evryone.

    I think that Linda has it right, I need to just look at a couple of local shows and see how it goes. I have a couple in my area that will becoming up soon. I will spend more time looking at both set-up and talking with people to see how it the show is for them. find out who the promoter is.

    I will not be doing any shows this summer. I am not the type to just throw some stuff on a table and see how it goes. I'll do as much research as I can even for my first few small local shows. get some low budget tent, display, tables... and then upgrade if I continue to make a go of it.

    I don't expect to apply to any jurried shows in my first year. I'm not sure how you all view it, but I have always thought of the jurried shows as the "professional" shows with the best works and therfore placing higher prices on your work. I want to be sure I have some experiance and have an idea of what I am doing brfore I jump into it at that level.

    What do you guys think?

    I do not have a web site, but I did upload a few photos to my home page here if anyone wanted to take a look. I'm not sure if knowing what my work looks like helps with giving advice.

    Thanks,
    Craig
  • Chris Hoyt July 1, 2010 at 7:20am
    Ther's also Festival Net Online.

    http://festivalnet.com/

    There are levels of membership, but a basic membership can get you listings but without the contact info. So I just Google the show and get the info that way.

    I just did a search in Washington State and found 650 matches. But they're everything from flea markets to fine art. And everything in between. So you kinda have to dig a little.
  • Diane Wright June 30, 2010 at 12:09pm
    I started by finding a few local shows (inside - so no tent) with very low booth rents just to test my work. Each show supplied a table and chair. I didn't really care about sales, I just wanted reaction. I did not worry about credit cards or display. The first few shows were not really right for my pieces but I learned alot from doing them. I talked alot to the vendors on either side of me and they helped alot to lead me in the right direction. There is a learning curve and you have to take it slowly at first or you all of a sudden have alot of money invested in relationship to income. I also joined a local craft organization. After 2 years, I am beginning to find the right shows for me slowly.
  • Linda Anderson June 30, 2010 at 11:16am
    If you have never experienced any sales, you may want to find a local gallery or art store that will sell your art on consignment prior to the huge jump into the art show circuit.

    Craig Putnam said:
    Hello Joan, Connie, Dave & Linda,

    Thank you all for the great info. t will go a long way in helping me.
    Sometimes it feels like I'll never get started. There is so much to research.
    tents, insurance, fairs, displays, inventory, sales.....
    And the two biggest hurdles Is my art good enough to ask someone for money and the expense of getting started.

    Now I'm rambling.

    Thanks again,
    Craig
  • Craig Putnam June 30, 2010 at 11:05am
    Hello Joan, Connie, Dave & Linda,

    Thank you all for the great info. t will go a long way in helping me.
    Sometimes it feels like I'll never get started. There is so much to research.
    tents, insurance, fairs, displays, inventory, sales.....
    And the two biggest hurdles Is my art good enough to ask someone for money and the expense of getting started.

    Now I'm rambling.

    Thanks again,
    Craig
  • Linda Anderson June 30, 2010 at 12:01am
    All the above are great sources - and - google searches will provide you with an overload of information. Pick a state, in google search type that state and the words art fair or craft fair or combinations of both. You will find pages & pages of listings. Try to find the ones sponsored by the state.

    I understand it is difficult as a newbie.... but once you get your feet wet, you will likely be overwhelmed with the possibilities. Then the real work starts.... researching which is likely to suit your art, finances and location. But do the research, visit the shows, talk to other artists. Even artists participating in shows as a living for decades still do the research, still work at finding "the right show" for them. It's a never ending reality.

    Wishing you success.... most here will help and cheer you on along the way.
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