Location
Hamilton, NY
About
Your Medium
Ceramic
Years in the Art Fair Business
4
First show ever
Syracuse Arts Festival
What are the best things about art fairs
Making money for doing what you love, meeting other artists, networking, seeing the world.
Best show ever and why
Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts--strong art buying crowd without the feel of an elitist fine arts festival.
Worst show ever and why
Three Rivers Arts Festival--had $2000 worth of work stolen during setup, and the festival coordinator "Melissa" was not only unhelpful and argumentative ("What do you want me to do about it?) but accusatory ("I don't think that's how it went down") when I described the problem. I was not asking for the show to reimburse me, as I did not have insurance at the time. I just wanted her to know that this serious thing occurred during her show, but she did not care. Seriously, not at all. Her words, tone, and unwillingness to even come to my booth to discuss the matter (I do shows alone and had to go find her while she was constantly on the move) was deeply off-putting. Also, setup and takedown happen after 10 p.m. to well past midnight in the middle of a city where you can't park anywhere close to your setup, which is particularly challenging as a woman doing a show by herself. Lastly, the crowd is more of a "take the family out for a fun day" than a "buy art" kind of crowd. I suspected that going in. I grew up in Pittsburgh and know first-hand that there is an art scene, but that crowd was not at this show. That said, I love Pittsburgh! It's my home town, my entire family lives there, and I was a regular customer at the Arts Festival for my entire life before being a vendor. I know a lot about this town and this show, but I have to say, the coordinator's combative attitude during a really tough encounter for me was the nail in the coffin. I've heard from a number of people that you can do well at this show if you have lower priced items, and I believe that. But do yourself a favor, and read the reviews of this show before you do it. It's got a lot of hurdles.
Who referred you to ArtFairInsiders.com? Please be specific.
Found it by accident.
What is one fun fact about yourself?
I am also a self-taught bone carver.
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Welcome to Art Fair Insiders, Leslie. We’re so glad you joined us. I hope you’ll find the site helpful and that you’ll share your ideas and experiences, ask questions and join the discussions. The site is only as good as the members make it. We have a lot to offer one another, experienced and newbie alike.
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Best wishes, Connie Mettler
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