Hi,
I am doing my first art show in February and this one allows me to display/sell all of my different areas of concentration (primarily realistic pencil drawings and photography as well as paintings).
I am wondering if most shows only allow you to sell one medium?? I never knew this would be a problem and it concerns me greatly!! If I had to I could limit it to just drawing and photography, but why would any shows limit what you can sell in your own booth? Please let me know because I never knew this would be a concern.
Thanks,
Laura
Replies
Laura, I see that you live in Des Moines. Have you ever attended the Des Moines Art Festival? If not, don't miss it next Spring. Also attend The Other Show at the Fairgrounds. You will see some of the top artists in the business and really get an idea of presentation, choosing a medium and making a personal statement with your work. You will learn as much about the art fair business in a day than you could even imagine. Actually, the DMAF has an emerging artist section. Is it past deadline for that? Worth checking out because that would be an amazing place to figure out where you are going in your art career.
Welcome to the art fair business!
Another aspect is that having several media in your booth confuses the customers. They expect to see a coherent body of work in each booth, and when you show different things they don't know what to make of it and walk by. It also makes you look like a beginner who hasn't decided which direction to go in, which gives a negative impression. You want to look like a professional artist who is an expert in your chosen medium. Decide what is your strong suit and go with it!
In addition to what others have said, there are a few shows that limit the max number of mediums you are allowed to show (assuming you jury in for more than one.) I know I've seen shows that limit it to 2, but I don't remember which shows. Also some shows require you jury for separate bodies of work within a given medium (and most don't allow you to apply more than once in a given medium.) Read the prospectuses carefully.
The better shows will require you to apply in each medium you want to display.
Don't laugh but at Armonk a few years ago they gave the award in mixed media to a painter who also had some pottery sitting on a table in the booth. Obviously the judges didn't know that mixed media means in the same piece of art, not the same booth.
Larry Berman
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100
For the better shows that you have to apply in each medium - so you just pay different application fees (around $30) and then if BOTH got accepted, you could show both in one booth?
Theoretically yes. I'd also recommend communicating with the show and discuss what you're doing.
Larry Berman
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100