R. C. Fulwiler's Blog (22)

Shows have been reaching out to us and refunding booth fees.  Thank you, but that's our money.  If you're anything like me, your main concern is about future shows when things begin to get back to normal, say in August or September and beyond.

My biggest artist expense right now is jury fees!  Some shows are deferring deadlines and/or jury fees, but still want their "cash cows" ponying up!  Why not roll the clock back and lower or get rid of…

Ron Mellott, long-time photo/artist, needs financial help from us, the Art Fair community.  Suffering a near collapse at his last art fair, he was helped by neighbors to pack-up.  Seeking medical attention, he was checked into the hospital and under-went triple by-pass surgery on his heart.…

A friend and I took our wives on a photo safari to The Plant City Strawberry Festival yesterday.  We met in a large parking lot shared by a Hooters and a McDonald's.  We left my car, and rode in his.  After dark, when we returned, I noticed a few people chatting behind a car a few spaces away. 

 As I was transferring my camera and tripod to my trunk, we were approached by man on a bicycle.  He interrupted our goodbyes and began talking.  My wife and my friend saw the “pan-handle “…

"Hello RC FULWILER,

Your entry 1912.157431 ...was not juried into Art on the Square 2015.  Your interest in the show is appreciated and we wish you much success with your work."

I had no idea what show this was from.  Art on the Square is a common name in this business.  It took quite a while to figure out it was Belville, IL.  Gee thanks!  I guess that's all $40 will get you these days.

I just received the result from the St. Louis Mock Jury and wanted to share my observations with anyone who might be interested.

To those who have been following my earlier blog:

http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/something-to-think-about

I don't jury with the images that benefit from a great title, but I do jury with images that are distinctly different from "same-old,…

I just got my annual rejection from Cherry Creek and it got me thinking.  There is a problem in our business that effects many artists like me.

The last time I did Cherry Creek was 1992 (its second year).   I was 11 years into my art fair career and still showing tried and true photography,  That year I showed an ironic new image, that combined with a provocative title, caused people to see themselves in a whole new way.  My sales went up dramatically and I had my best show to that…

I just got the announcement from the Disney Masters Art Festival.  The jury fee is $40.  I sent them this reply:

"I wanted to tell you, as an artist who has done your show in the past and won several top awards this year, I will no longer apply to shows that charge more than $35 for a jury fee."

I only mentioned the awards because Disney requires their…

"We, the under-signed artists, believe exorbitant jury fees are un-necessary and unfair.  Starting December 31, 2013 we will no longer apply to art shows that charge more than $35 for an application/jury fee.

We believe that with fair-warning shows can adjust their budgets accordingly and plan ahead as we, artists, have to do."

Anybody with me on…

Several artist friends and I are dedicated to modifying the jury system as we know it.  We are emailing every show that rejects us and asking for our score and how it relates to the acceptance score and the waitlist score.  We explain that this information is essential for our growth in this business and besides, we paid for it..

The result has been mixed.  Some have embraced the concept and some have been completely pig-headed.  The most recent response was…

I'm glad Connie thinks my two blogs about Jury Fees were notable last month.  But I'm still waiting for her answer to my direct question.

If you'll recall, Maureen Riley the Director of The Ann Arbor Original show chimed in on my blog "Jury Fee Revisited" with this statement:

"If the work is going to get into the show....it's going to get into the show regardless of the…

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In my recent post, I told the story of applying to an art show and having the director take it upon himself to switch my category.  No one mentioned this in the follow-up comments and I am wondering what you all think of it?  

Has it happened to you? 

If it did, how would you feel? 

Would you feel entitled to a refund? …

I used to do Howard Alan Shows.   He has “regulars” who do many of his shows.  I was one of them.  He  and Debby knew my work well.  They know the work of their regulars.   Some weekends I would call about a show I hadn’t even apply for and he would say, “Sure, I’ll find you a space”.  I liked Howard and Debby, and though their entry fees were high, they put on many good shows.  But then they implement a $15 jury fee for each and every show we applied for.   That’s when I quit…

Okay, Nels.  You shamed me into it, but only because I have something to say about the set-up in Mt. Dora.

Mt. Dora is a charming town just North-West of Orlando.  The downtown is full of galleries, boutiques, restaurants and small-to-large parking lots.  It is surrounded by a grid-pattern of residential streets. 

For the Friday afternoon setup you go to a church a few…

I did this show for the first time in 6 or 7 years.  Back then it was run by Howard Alan.  I quit doing Howard's shows then for various reasons, not the least of which was his $15 jury fee for every show you wanted to line up.  When you do 4 shows a year with a promoter for 10 years, why do you have to pay for him (or her) to look over your work to see if you're up to snuff?

 …

2010 was a rough and tumble year for many of us.  Personally, I did 41 shows.  Way too many!  But, hey, "when times are tough... " you know the rest.  In my prime, I did 30 to 35 shows a year and made a decent middle-class living traveling and selling my photographs.  Lately, I do not feel middle-class.  I still travel (too…

This is a one-day show sponsored by the Kalamazoo Art Center. It is held in and around Bronson Park and artists with booth locations on the interior can drive in on the sidewalks for set-up. This was my 5th. year in a row doing the show and it has become a real gem and a pleasure to do since they offered the Friday set-up.

This was the second time they suggested we be open on Friday evening. Last year we arrived in the late afternoon and were busy setting up while patrons were…

Got a call this morning from Nels. "Why don't you write up the show, I left early Sunday morning".

I remember hearing that at the show Sunday morning, and saying to my wife, "There's a smart man!" The weather report was as bleak as it could be. We would be hit by rain around 1 PM and it would last all afternoon.

Tarpon Springs…