Hello;
I am a "mature" (back to school) college student in my last semester of a photography degree.
I'm also an abstract painter, (with a degree years back.) Recently my long standing family company closed down, so I decided to do a "bucket list" by returning back to school, then trying one year of Art Fairs, and see if I qualified as the next Picasso!
I applied to 9-10 fairs, and I need some advice on a few things PLEASE.
-I was accepted to the first four, and wanted to know if anyone had some experiences (good or bad,) with any to them, and would share. They are:
ARTNADO 2015 (A new event)
ART IN THE GARDENS (Unfortunately this is the same weekend as the above event, something I failed to realize when applying.) Any good reasons to pick one over the other? I'm siding with the new show that seems to allow a bit more flexibility. I have both acrylic abstract paintings on canvas, photos on canvas, and a few collages for the firs.
-MIAMI/CORAL GABLES FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS (Asking for booth payment now, for an event in Feb. of 2016)
-COCOA BEACH ART SHOW. Actually my acceptance was withdrawn as I didn't have a "qualifying booth shot" and could not get one done in the week extension I was given. Which brings me to my next line of questions.
The only experience I have with an Art Fair, is a VERY small one put on by a church in my area. I sent in photos of how I had the art displayed in that event, under a tent that they provided. My problem is that I have no qualifying "previous event" booth shot, (which I'm told has to include my art work;) and I'm just in the market at the moment looking for a tent and the panels needed.
Should I have registered as an "emerging artist?" Would it have made any difference regarding the mandatory (personal) booth shot? Only one Fair had additional information on the definition of what constitutes an "emerging artist" and listed an age limit, (of which I have CHILDREN that are oder!!!)
Does artwork have to be FRAMED, or can the art be shown on stretched canvas' (Not only is framing much more of an investment, but most people seem to want to do their own framing.) Does framing actually result in much more sales, (as well as more investment, and higher selling prices?
Should I set up to take credit cards? (And if so, any recommendations on where to look.)
Any advice, pointers, suggestions are welcome. (and while my questions seem to represent someone "jumping off the deep end with BOTH feet," I'm the type of person that is willing to go "all in" regarding trying a project such as this, rather than wonder "what if?" down the line if I failed to give it a realistic chance to succeed.. My personal e-mail is billy17655@yahoo.com for anyone wanting to beat me down privately! :-D
Comments
I don't know anything about Artnado but Art in the Garden is a dog of a show. It has been since it first started and has never gotten any better. I stopped going after the 3rd year of the show. I think the reason that it still gets applications is due to the demographics of Pinecrest and the venue for the show is beautiful. There is no reason that this show should be so bad but sadly, it is.
We're holding you to it William!!!
Wow Thanks to everyone for taking the time to help and encourage me!!
I SHALL NOT FORGET YOU GUYS WHEN I AM RICH AND FAMOUS!!! :-D
You can also use the square on a smart phone if you have that.
Yes, William, take credit cards! Most shows I am paid totally with credit cards. I signed up with Verizon for a tablet I can us the square with to take credit cards. The tablet is 30.00 a month and includes 2 gig a month. The square.com charges a small amount per sale. The money is deposited electroicly into your bank account. Its too bad you aren't taking Cocoa Beach. I was there last year, it was my best show all year! Every show requires a booth shot to apply. You'll get used to it. At first all the rules seem unreasonable. Good luck and God bless you!
Read "art of the start". Quick easy read. If you are only giving yourself a year than make every minute count.
Hi William,
I suspect you must live in South Florida, as I do, given the shows you have applied to. I participated in the Art in the Gardens show 2 years ago, in the jewelry category, and the show was not very good...actually it was terrible. The crowds were just not there. IF I recall, I didn't even make my booth fee. None of the artists there did well. I suspect that the show was not promoted well. I consequently did not apply for last year, so I don't know if things improved in 2014. Regarding Artnado, it has been advertised as being " a new concept in art shows" with larger display spaces, and an opportunity to work on your art at the venue, so that patrons can see how its done. It will be an indoor show which eliminates weather related problems to some extent. My skepticism lies in the fact that the venue is at the Expo center of the South Florida Fairgrounds, which is pretty far off the beaten path, and also that there will be an admission charge, and despite these facts, the booth fee is still high. I plan to see how this show goes and consider applying next year if it is successful this year, but I was not willing to risk the nearly $400 booth fee and all the work involved in setting up for a show, for an untested venue. I have no experience with the other 2 shows. Perhaps someone here did Art in the Gardens last year and can say whether it was any better than the 2013 show. If not, you might want to gamble on Artnado.
Hi William. My husband Lee Wilson is an abstract impressionist painter. We changed careers and started our art festival journey 3 years ago at the age of "over 50", logging in 54 shows until we called it quits to outdoor festivals this past spring. Ergo, we are giving Artnado a shot next month. We have met with the promoter and believe he is giving this his all with artists first and foremost. Look us up if you end up there.
We did Art in the Gardens once and zeroed out. Hoping Artnado is vastly different!
Lee paints gallery wrap, so when we started, only his small pieces were framed (Blick). Now he no longer paints small unless commissioned, but he frames all of them unless they are a set (diptych, triptych), even his 6-footers, using frames from Florida Frames. It's a lot of work, the paintings are heavy, and if the frames get banged they have to go, but the paintings look better and we can charge more.
I'm guessing you live in the area of the shows you listed. We leave our home in Nashville today to head south in order to see 6 of Lee's "Cosmos" series hanging in the Planetarium Gallery at the Cocoa campus of Eastern FL State. It's a 4-month installation, but it comes down Oct 15 and we have yet to see it! We also have 6 of his tropical series hanging in the Lexus of Melbourne showroom and delivered 8 tropicals earlier this month to the Melbourne Airport. You can check out Lee's work at eleewilsonjr.com and feel free to contact me at cmfenner@aol.com. Also, if you are a subscriber to Sunshine Artist Magazine, I've got a feature article coming out in the December issue (I think) about others like us. I refer to them as the Leap of Faith Club. Know you are not alone!
from a purely art business standpoint. to apply for shows you need to follow their directions.
1. booth shot is not necessarily a photo of your selling space. you can set a gallery display up that represents your work. ie and indoor booth so to speak. they want to see a body of work
2. You need to be able to run credit cards, 60% of your sales will be on cards. (square is a good option get the one with the chip reader as of Oct 1 those cards taken without the chip will not be guarantee funds from the bank if the card is fraudulent or no funds)
3. you need to decide whether you are going to be a photographer, a digital artist or a painter. showing all three leads to confusion for the buyer and the juror.
4. Get the best best tent and panels you can afford. it will pay off in the long run...cheap tents and make shift hangers for your art show that you are not serious about selling your art.
5. framing your art is good thing provided you use great frames. cheap wal mart frames say just that. cheap. use frames that are easy to repair as the often scratch and chip with shipping. save time by building bubble wrap envelopes for each piece.
6. read zig ziglers closing the sale.
7. as to picking shows, at this point in your career it probably does not matter. so pick ones that are cost affective. once you have shown you can refine your show picks.
8. keep records of who comes in, who buys. If you are having a lot of traffic with little sales you may be having choice overload. something all us artist tend to do.
9. Don't get discouraged. People have to see you two or three times before they buy.
10. enjoy the day, talk with other artist at the fair.
Hi William,
Congratulations on following your dream. With regards to choosing a first-time show over an established show: There's always a risk with first-time shows that the promoter has not done much advertising, isn't well-organised, etc. which can lead to poor crowds, frustrations in set-up and tear-down. You can ask how the advertising has been done, what the promoter's past experiences have been, that sort of thing, but no guarantees. A well-established show should have some of the bugs worked out. Have you checked the art show reviews section here on Art Fair Insiders?
On the other hand, if you want to get experience and your booth isn't quite where you'd like it to be, the new show could be good for helping you get the bugs out. Also, if the new show shows promise, it's great to be with a show as it grows, you get a following for what you do and can expect some repeat customers next year. Hope these comments help some.
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