Total Art Fair Virgin

My boyfriend and I are hoping to start doing Art Fairs in 2010. We are total novices. He is the artist but is out fo the country 6 months each year so I am the one doing research. I have read your forums and know that many of you have the expertise to answer my questions. So here goes- 1. Are juried Fairs the best? 2. Do we need to purchase a Tent; do some Fairs provide them as part of the cost? 3. His paintings are on the small side. How much inventory would you suggest for a show? Any other information or resources you can suggest would be so helpful. We are excited and a little scared to begin this part of our life. Thanks so much.

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  • You folks have been incredibly helpful. I can't wait to tell Gege (he's French) what a wonderful community of artists are out there. I want to thank you all for your advice, hints and experience. I will get the book mentioned above and read it cover to cover. If we end up at the same places, the beer is on us.While it is a little scary to venture into this environment, it will be easier to navigate armed with useful information. Any other advice you have will be greatly appreciated.
  • My answers...

    1. Are juried fairs best? For 2D art, yes! Make sure you have good photos of your work for jury requirements as well as a good artist statement. This information can be found in art show magazines, websites, etc.

    2. Tent. I don't know of any show that provides a canopy/tent. Events only sell real estate, the space and the rest is up to the artist. There are EZ-UPs, Caravan's, Trimlines - which I just bought and love to death, Craft huts and others. DO YOUR RESEARCH. Every art/craft message board is filled with comments and questions and testimonials regarding canopies for art shows - look at back discussions say through this site, about.com, craftlister.com, etc. and I am sure you will find them.

    3. Small paintings. My thoughts on this is that when people buy art do they buy big or small to put on their walls. Small art most likely is hard to see on a wall in an office, study, rec room, bedroom, etc. I don't know how you define small. So, if your paintings are small - under 11x14 let's say, bring a lot as you need to fill your booth and if a few sell you'll need something to fill the vacant space and make it look full again.

    You asked some great questions, but don't forget about what you intend to do regarding displaying the work - most likely you will need some sort of mesh walls or grid walls and place to store extras. Also, know your price range when it comes to doing shows so you don't go over budget. For me I do shows anywhere from $25 - $450. Anything more than that won't be worth it for me because I need to make a profit AND cover my expenses.

    Good luck on your venture!
  • I think Juried Fairs are the best because they keep the show an "arts and crafts" festival not a bunch of flea market stuff.

    You do need a tent and like Wendy said you can go cheap at first with a EZ-Up (you can get them at Sams Club) or online. You can see if you really want to do the art fair thing. If you are getting serious then I recommend the Trimline Canopy www.flourish.com. It's the best one out there in my opinion. You want to make sure that you are taking care of your product from wind/rain and the combination of them. So some good weights help (see Wendy's forum topic on what weights do you use?). Also, having some credit card capability is not essential at first but will become essential in the longrun as most people buy things on credit (especially pricier items).

    I reccomend a book called, "Art Festival Guide: The Artists Guide to Selling in Art Festivals." by Maria Arango. (I believe she's a member of this group too). She answers all the questions you might have about starting out and gives practical advice about traveling, tents, display, mats, credit card machines, etc. It is a great help. Well worth the $. You can find it by googling it or http://artfestivalguide.com

    It's always a little scarey to do these things. I never go to a show I'm not a bit nervous every time. Maybe that's because it's always different. I think it's neat your helping your boyfriend so much. That will go a long way in bearing the load of all the work it takes to do the show.
  • The more art you have the better and you do not have to put it all out. Also yes you should get a 10x10 tent. Make sure it is white because most fine art show ask for white. We got the tent at Lowes and spent about $300.00. Some shows you can rent a tent for around $100 or more. That will add up and it is better to have your own. Make sure your tent has a center support and waits. Also when you get your tent make sure to buy the side walls for wind or rain. I did not have a lot of money to spend at the begging so I got what I needed like a tent and tables. My booth got better as shows went on. After your show ask your self what can I do to make my booth better so more people will buy. Also take pictures of the booth because shows ask for it and you have a pictures to look at later so you can make your booth better. When I look back at the pictures from my first shows I’m floored on some of the things
    I for got like a table cloth or displays. If you have the space or a table set up a small booth in your house so you know what it might look like. I hope this helps and good luck.

    Wendy
  • Thanks for you replies. First, my boyfriend will be there, we hope to do this together. Second, we have visited various fairs but have some specific questions about how they are run and specific requirements; like do some provide tents and other require you bring your own? Do some shows require a certain amount of inventory? We realize that this is not a break-even situation at the beginning. I have been reading a lot of the various forums on here in order to get a feel for the issues that face the artists who do this. We both realize that this is a big commitment of time and resources. We want to make sure we have a real undestanding of what we will need to begin. Are there any other resource materials, etc, you would recommend. He's the artist, I am the researcher.
  • Also, many shows require your boyfriend to actually be there in the booth. You "repping" for him won't cut it at many shows. You're not the artist.
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