1. New deadline from the Peoria Art Guild sponsors of the 50th Peoria Fine Art Fair, September 28 & 29.
We are extending our deadline to the OFFICIAL last date of March 14th at midnight! Learn more & apply: www.ZAPPlication.org
2. The new Blueberry Festival in Brooksville, Florida, May 4-6, has added a Juried Art Show to their lineup. New deadline: March 15. For more info and to apply: FloridaBlueberryFestival.org
3. Deerfield Festival of the Arts, Deerfield, IL, due to a technical problem is extending their deadline to: March 8. For more info: www.dwevents.org
Replies
It does seem to me that many more shows have extended their deadlines in the past few years. I remember very few, if any, over the 20 years I did shows and note many each year now. This should be more a concern as it seems to imply that the artists who apply for these shows are of secondary importance.
I doubt that many artists could arbitrarily extend the deadline and have the show recognize this.
How about the answer for Peoria is that they had a change of staff. It didn't go as quickly as they had hoped. They got behind on getting the application out. The former person had sent the info to Zapp with the old deadline. Then there is a gap. The new person comes in -- and then hustles to catch up and sees that it can't all be done by the deadline. There is no bad guy here or even a labor vs management thing. Sometimes things don't go as planned and allowances have to be made. Believe in the good faith managing.
Connie, from what I have read, the artists are just asking for the reasons that a deadline is being changed.
Kim mentioned that it might be that there were not enough applications in a particular medium. Does the festival extend the deadline for all or does it mention that particular medium? If glass is full, why should a glass artist submit an app and pay the fee when that medium is closed? To me, that is taking money dishonestly. Howard Alan is very forthcoming about the jewelry being a filled category. That is a fair thing to do.
Wasn't there a story last year about an artist who had a fire in her studio and not only wouldn't the festival refund her money but wasn't she not allowed to apply for the next year because she cancelled too late? If I am correct about that, why is a festival allowed to change dates on things but an artist is not afforded the same consideration?
I am not trying to make this into a labor-management issue but promoters get their app fees and booth fees regardless of how the artist does. They seem to be in a no-lose situation and the artists cannot say the same thing.
Sorry for my being a moron.
Kim, did I meet you at the February at Marilu's booth at the Bonita show? Nice meeting you. Anyway, it's not about conspiracy, etc. Of myriad of problems and issues that artists have with the shows, 2 of the biggest are escalating application fees and earlier and earlier deadlines. It would actually benefit you to lower your application fee so that more people would apply and move your deadlines back initially so you don't have to extend it. Both problems solved.
You may be a volunteer. You may be a very good, passionate, honest volunteer with nothing but love in your heart and that is admirable.
However the artist jury fees received by the show are not "volunteer" dollars. They are earned - hard-earned dollars made from sales of art work throughout the circuit. Sales that are driven by artists applying to and working the shows throughout the country. Ham sandwiches and an apple for dinner are not what artists are in business for each weekend of the show season. Your little show is not most professional artists' first rodeo. Speaking for myself, the only thing "volunteer" about my dollars are which shows I volunteer to submit them to for a jury to look at my work. That being said, once something is paid for with dollars - the expectation remains the same whether it is a volunteer or the show director in the office.
When a show extends a deadline, AND especially when they extend a deadline and do not share the reason for the deadline in a timely and professional manner - whether it's done by a volunteer, a chairperson, an over-worked secretary, or whatever - the message to the artists is quite simple and here is what is heard:
"Artist, you may have applied and sent in your jury fee and your images and jumped through all the hoops we asked you to do and you may have done so in a professional manner AND on time, but you just might not be invited to our show because we extended the deadline so some poor slob who did not for whatever reason apply in a timely manner may now apply and might bump you out. But don't forget how much we love you, you cute little artist, you.".
I can just feel my cheek getting pinched by some volunteer who just wants me to know how much I should appreciate sending my jury fee to Peoria - which I no longer do.
Excuses do not pay bills and build strong relationships. Professionals respect deadlines and they expect them to be genuine. If anyone wants to be treated like a professional, then they should act like one.
Respect deadlines for a start.
Add Marin Arts Festival to the list, original deadline Jan. 31, then Mar 1, now April 1. However, and this is irking me a bit (OK, maybe a lot), we've been verbally told we were accepted, however, have not received any paperwork in the mail but as of 3/15 can only receive a 50% booth fee refund if we were to cancel for any reason. Yet they keep extending the deadline so we have no idea if the show will be 50% jewelry. This is our first time at this show and it's not feeling right.
I did Marin and it sucked. Time for Tyson to move on and out. Marin is not a good show by any stretch. I barely made costs and no profit!
Ruth: Are you talking about Ed Martin's show in Springfield IL? If so, Ed is a fellow artists. This is the second year for the show. This is the only show he does during the year. Last year, the show was low traffic and high buyers. We are returning this year. It ended up being in the top 50% of our shows in 2011 (We did 36 shows in 2011). He has plenty of room. I am sure he is trying to fill the show. That is good for everyone. Ed is a great guy. He works hard on the show. He tries to treat the artists well at the show. I love the fact that I can drive my car into the building, up to my booth and unload. Cut him a little slack. Everything will be good. :)
Nope - Marin Arts festival in San Rafael CA.
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