Blog

Comments

• 

  Jeanie Zebrak June 2, 2011 at 10:56am

  Thanks you for that response Steve.  I'm glad I didn't do that show.  I have also found quite a few other shows that do the same thing.  I will not apply to them.  I find I do best at small Arts & Crafts show.  That way my work becomes the high end and nicest work there.  No ego, just been told this many times by fair goers.  

  One company I will tell you to watch out for and not do his shows is Layd Back Productions.  Not gonna go into why but you can email me if you want more info.

  So the problem is really finding shows that we can afford and that are true Arts & Crafts show.  When we do we need to let the promotors know that we appreciate their appreciation of our work.
• 

  steve appel June 2, 2011 at 10:13am

  When i did the show in the late 80's  the chamber was running the show.   then someone named mark conte took over the show cause his wife was with the chamber.  The show started to go down hill with him at the helm.   I stopped doing the show.  Yes the chamber is running the show.  But from a standpoint of a business person,  they are out to make money and that is what the  show does.    A friend of  mine who used to do the show warned me about the show.  Maybe if artists stopped doing the show they would get the message.   I believe i said earlier that someone doing a show in Palos Verde was looking for artist.   I cked the website and they are going to have a carnival and around 20 sponsors.  no i will not do the show.
• 

  Connie Mettler June 2, 2011 at 9:49am

  Thanks for that outreach, Steve. There is power in the numbers and I see growth in the folks from the Western part of the country. We need to make our voices heard with these events that really not "art shows" but a way of earning money. I believe the Hermosa event is run by the C of C. Is that correct? Whoever is running it needs to be sent a link to this site so they can begin to understand that there is a network of artists -- that is the one of the reasons why the NAIA has been able to bring some clarity to the relationship between artists and art fairs and their organizers.
• 

  steve appel June 2, 2011 at 8:49am

  i do not think you missed a thing.   i would say out of  maybe 300 booths 25 was real art   i was going to write a review of the show but figured i would put this blog up instead.  this show was very commercial and as said earlier it was a not so high end swapmeet.  They had buses that were suppose to shuttle people from parking to show  they had no idea where to drop people off.  then the artists were told they would be picked up here but were picked up somewhere else.  I thought the staff was rather nasty to people unloading their vans.  Consider yourself lucky    what shows do you do in Calif.
• 

  Jeanie Zebrak June 2, 2011 at 12:29am

  I am a jeweler (for 35 years) from CA and tried to get into this show.  I was refused a space. I have noticed that shows that have so called sponsors or people giving out freebies have brought those shows down.  People only go there for these, they don't want to spend money on ART.  It is billed as an Art Show but people also tell me that there is not alot of real art.  I also find that as an artist it is best not to do shows that have a commercial aspect to them.
• 

  steve appel June 1, 2011 at 9:37pm

  Connie, every time i do a show or talk to my artists friends i mention this site.   I have told probably 50 artists about this site so we will  see.   i have gotten a lot of feedback from quite a few fellow artists about shows in the southwest and calif.  hopefully the word will spread.  thanks  again
• 

  steve appel June 1, 2011 at 9:31pm

  thanks for the response, i think your saying integrating the sponsors is a good  idea instead of giving them premo spots.  and yes unfortunately this show has gone down hill.   Oh well  i am sure there are always greener pastures on the other side of the hill.    I did not realize some of the better shows in the country were getting sponsors.    I have seen cars and direct tv at a show i do in az  but most of them were not giving out as many  freebies
• 

  Jim Parker June 1, 2011 at 9:24pm

  It's rare these days to participate in a show that does not have some corporate sponsorship. Even the high end shows like Reston and Fort Worth have lots of corporate money behind them. What distinguishes the good shows from the bad ones is how selective they are, and how the sponsorships are integrated within the exhibitors area. Some shows, like Artigras, put the sponsors booths in between the artists. Somewhat disruptive, especially if you're near the guy hawking the NY Times. (We got to know him pretty well, and he's an okay guy, if a little high key.)

  Big shows, like Arts Beats and Eats wouldn't exist without the major funding of a Ford Motor Company. The sponsorship of AB&E is handled in a classy and tasteful way. One might argue that the big banner structures get in the way of sightlines. I think it's a small price to pay for lower booth fees and better publicity.

  But shows with a carnival atmo are a different story. I hate having the local Andersen window vendor as a booth neighbor. It does take away from the overall feeling of an art experience when you have to compete with It sounds like the show you were at has gone downhill, and not in a good way.

  As the costs of putting a show together go up, promoters do have to find a way to get the money together. Without sponsorships, many shows would cease to exist. Maybe that would be a blessing in disguise.
• 

  Connie Mettler June 1, 2011 at 9:20pm

  Interestingly (at least to me) my younger son lived in Hermosa for a number of years and I've walked through this area many times. It seems like a perfect place for a very cool laid back art fair. The deal is, Steve, is the sponsors usually pay a LOT more than the artists for their spaces, and soon the tail starts to wag the dog. It is really important for whoever is running the event to actually acknowledge and keep it in mind that the ART is the reason for the show and make decisions surrounding that. It is tough.

  I realize that there aren't a lot of artists from the West on this site, but I'd try to do some inquiries here before I put my money down again. Also, you might recruit people from your part of the country to join the site so you can talk with each other - your friends could tell their friends, etc.