Call for Artists, Making Money at Juried Art Fairs, Craft Shows and Festivals

Connie Mettler's Blog – February 2009 Archive (33)

Should the Painting Match the Sofa?

or should the painting BE the sofa?

I know some of you cringe when a customer enters your booth with color samples of fabrics and paint samples. You will love this article which explores the art vs. furniture debate and shows you how to pimp your house. Me, I'm out to recreate that chandelier....

Art Meets Interior: Highfalutin’ Ways to Pimp Your Home

Added by Connie Mettler on February 27, 2009 at 8:32pm — 1 Comment

Why are Some Artists More Successful than Others?

Could it be because they have business/life partners who devote themselves to the success of the artist? Yes!!

This month's issue of the Crafts Report explores the role of the "non-artist's" role in an artist's business life discussing this often unsung person's contributions to the business.

As an artist's partner myself this is not an eye-opening expose, but it is great to receive some recognition. As art director of Arts, Beats & Eats we have a revolving… Continue

Added by Connie Mettler on February 27, 2009 at 8:00pm — No Comments

Call for Entries: Royal Oak Clay, Glass & Metal Show

June 13 & 14 Royal Oak, MI on Washington Avenue in downtown Royal Oak Sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce 125 artists Deadline: March 1 A simple concept: Focusing on a core audience will bring you the best results. That's why Royal Oak continues a fifteen year tradition of celebrating artwork created with heat. What does that mean for you? A world of difference. You are not competing with prints, photos and corndogs. Everyone is coming because they have an interest… Continue

Added by Connie Mettler on February 26, 2009 at 4:26pm — 5 Comments

Matting and Framing Help? Excellent Online Resource

Look what web browsing finds you:

Documounts.com, "Framing solutions for today's digital & traditional artist." Finding the right partnership can really help your business take off. From what I have seen

Documounts is a useful partner for your art business. The site sells quality mats and bags for your art at prices that help you make a better profit. …

Continue

Added by Connie Mettler on February 26, 2009 at 4:10pm — No Comments

New Online Gallery Seeks Artists for Innovative Project

2-22-09 An innovative new web site, the

Arts Acquisition Project, devoted to connecting artists with collectors seeks

pieces for its inaugural exhibition. The

Arts Acquisition Project aspires to be the premier arts web site to date, bringing a fresh approach to the online gallery business. The focus will be not only on the art, and revealing it to a wider audience, but also to introduce the general public to the artists as people, innovators in… Continue

Added by Connie Mettler on February 25, 2009 at 4:34pm — 1 Comment

Call for Entries: Art Fair on the Square, Madison, WI

July 11 and 12 On the Capital Concourse around the Capital Building Presented by The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art 400 artists Deadline: March 2 Art Fair on the Square is not only the single largest art fair in the Midwest, it is also rated among the best fine art shows in North America by artists from across the country, and by publications such as

Sunshine Artist magazine. Furthermore, Art Fair on the Square is the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art's… Continue

Added by Connie Mettler on February 25, 2009 at 1:30pm — No Comments

Call for Entries: Midsummer Arts Faire

June 26-28 Washington Park in the heart of the central business district Quincy, IL 50 Artists Deadline: March 31 Where is Quincy, IL?

Visit this link. From the director, Maggie Strong:

Quincy is a lovely town located on the bluffs of the Mississippi. We have a rich arts history and are home to the first Arts Council in America. Our architecture also represents the best in the Midwest. We are in… Continue

Added by Connie Mettler on February 23, 2009 at 5:30pm — No Comments

Where is Sonny Dalton?

My dear friend, the much loved sculptor, Sonny Dalton, of Mattawan, MI, may have participated in his last art fair. If you remember his smiling face at the art fairs, have admired his quirky sculptures and been impressed with his vision, you undoubtedly also have taken one or more of them home with you. Sonny was seduced by the lure of a life that enabled him to create every day. Leaving a secure job at GM behind a long time ago he has been exhibiting his work around the country since… Continue

Added by Connie Mettler on February 22, 2009 at 3:30pm — 4 Comments

Who Got the Prizes at the Naples National Art Festival?

Best in Show – Richard Rosen of Naples, for his clay sculpture. “His style of practical ceramics have moved into pure art in themselves,” juror Richard Tooke said. “The work he is creating now is things I’ve never seen anyone do in his medium. His work is very mature. I was looking for someone who took the 3D medium and turned it into a voice of his own, and Richard did that.” Best in 2D – Janet Rogers of Ormond Beach on Florida’s central east coast, for her watercolors. “Her work… Continue

Added by Connie Mettler on February 22, 2009 at 10:57am — 2 Comments

Call for Entries: Three Chicago area events

1. August 22 & 23 Oswego Art Fair Oswego, IL Presented by EM Events Sat. 10 AM - 5 PM & Sun. 10 AM - 4 PM 65 Artists Application deadline: March 1 Late August brings beautiful weather to this region. Couple that with this fine small event think hard about adding this event to your art fair list. Where is Oswego? It is located 50 miles southwest of Chicago, well situated at the southern end of the Fox River Valley.

The Oswego Fine Art Fair provides… Continue

Added by Connie Mettler on February 19, 2009 at 7:22pm — No Comments

Michigan Arts and Culture in Crisis - Please Forward This Post!!

From ArtServe Michigan, a cultural organization promoting art as a valuable community resource:

Gov Recommends $1,000 Nonrefundable Grant Application Fee! Not only does the Governor want to nearly zero-out arts and cultural grant funding in Michigan, but ArtServe has learned that she has also recommended increasing the nonrefundable grant application fee

from $300 to $1,000. The Governor is essentially making it impossible for smaller organizations to… Continue

Added by Connie Mettler on February 17, 2009 at 7:15pm — No Comments

Share Your Memories of the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair on NPR

I know many of my readers have been in this art fair business for a long time. I attended my first Ann Arbor Art Fair in 1976 and have either exhibited in it or attended every year since. Here is an opportunity for you to share your memories of the event with others. From the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair newsletter:

Share Your Memories of the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair on AIR! Maybe you remember the Art Fair as it was nearly fifty years ago when it was just starting out. Or… Continue

Added by Connie Mettler on February 17, 2009 at 7:04pm — 1 Comment

Help Wanted. So You Think You'd Like to Run an Art Fair?

Shary Brown, director for eleven years of the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair (the original) announced in January that she

would be retiring after the 2009 art fair. I know many of my readers are artists and have thought they might be interested in running an art fair or wondered why one event is so much better than another. Well, the folks in Ann Arbor on the Street Fair's board take their event very seriously and have now posted the requirements for Shary's successor. Could this be… Continue

Added by Connie Mettler on February 17, 2009 at 6:46pm — No Comments

Call for Entries: Two Florida Art Fairs Seek a few Select Artists

Two Florida events with only a few spaces left in Sarasota and on Marco Island, need only a few more artists to fill them out before they are presented to the public. The are organized by

Richard Sullivan whose

Boulderbrook Productions festivals are consistently ranked among the top art shows in the country.

March 21st & 22nd Sarasota Masters Art Festival Payne Park Sarasota, FL 110 Artists

only a few spaces left! Here is… Continue

Added by Connie Mettler on February 16, 2009 at 10:52am — No Comments

How are we doing with the Arts in Pittsburgh? A review with "legs"

In his review of the arts in Pittsburgh, Bob Hoover of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, not only reports on some of the bad news--but lo and behold has some good news in the way of interesting critical commentary and good ideas for making some good news!

His analysis of the NEA and how arts funding is being passed around is hopeful that there are still people out there who know and act on the use of arts funding for the good of all. Especially interesting is the Bush funding of the arts… Continue

Added by Connie Mettler on February 16, 2009 at 10:17am — 1 Comment

Clips from Coconut Grove

Of course the Miami Herald cannot ignore the Coconut Grove Arts Festival. Click on the link to read all about it, see a video and some images from the event. Don't miss Duncan McClellan's fine blown glass, a fixture at the festival.

This article by George Leposky of… Continue

Added by Connie Mettler on February 16, 2009 at 10:00am — 7 Comments

Health Insurance for Artists

I am a subscriber to Don Crozier's newsletter from the Best of Missouri Hands and a recent issue included two separate opportunities for health insurance for artists. I have investigated them only cursorily, but am going to list them here for your investigation.

1. From Joan Merrell: I may have already sent this in, but my calligraphy organization has just joined the Open Arts Network through Fractured Atlas, a group dedicated to getting affordable… Continue

Added by Connie Mettler on February 12, 2009 at 3:01pm — 2 Comments

Call for Entries: Howard Alan Events - 45 juried art fairs

Howard Alan Events can become the backbone of your exhibiting year. These popular outdoor festivals are consistently ranked among the top art shows in the country. Located along some of the most charming streets in the nation, the festivals brings the unique creations of hundreds of award-winning artists to thousands of art enthusiasts across America every weekend.

7th Annual Alexandria Festival of the Arts

About Howard Alan Events More than 27 years… Continue

Added by Connie Mettler on February 11, 2009 at 4:00pm — 2 Comments

Artist Arrested in Boston! Art World in a Tizzy about Shepard Fairey!

The art world is in a tizzy about Shepard Fairey and his use of the Obama image he created

(or did not create as some would say). At his recent art opening in Boston he was even arrested! Here are just a few of links for the "rest of the story":

Pro-Fairey gripe from ICA party sponsor: Boston Globe,… Continue

Added by Connie Mettler on February 11, 2009 at 12:00pm — 1 Comment

Artists of the Month: Kathrine Allen-Coleman & Scott Coleman

If you love art fairs as I do, you have probably noticed over the years that there are many couples doing art shows, each with their own body of work. Couples like this are truly hostages to fortune, throwing all their financial future into the vagaries of the art fair life: each making serious art, jurying into the art fairs where there is money to be made and being successful selling the art at the event.

"All She Ever Wanted"-mixed media by Kathrine Allen-Coleman… Continue

Added by Connie Mettler on February 10, 2009 at 7:29pm — No Comments