Blog

May 16 & 17 
East Lansing, Michigan
Downtown
Sat. 10am-6pm; Sun. 10am-5pm
200 Exhibitors
Deadline:  January 31

Established in 1964, the East Lansing Art Festival (ELAF) kicks off the festival season each spring in the beautiful streets of downtown East Lansing.  The popular festival attracts 80,000-70,000 attendees.  In addition to the 200 juried exhibitors, the ELAF encourages future artists through the Emerging Artist Program.

This non-profit event is beloved in the greater Lansing area and attracts devoted art buyers from across the state of Michigan as well as Ohio, Illinois and Indiana. Informally known as the "City of the Arts," East Lansing welcomes the finest artists in North America to exhibit at this highly promoted event.

East Lansing is a charming university town with a variety of shops, restaurants and galleries. The beautiful Michigan State University campus is right across the street, which is now home to the renowned Eli & Edythe Broad Art Museum.

The combination of the University and the State Capitol nearby brings a well-educated population to attend and appreciate the handmade work.

At the ELAF---ranked #54 by Sunshine Artist magazine---exhibitors can expect:

• well-educated visitors, including professional people
  from state government and the university
• friendly volunteers who welcome artists and make load-in and load-out run smoothly
• perks such as booth sitting services and Friday set-up as well as free artist parking, coffee and break area
• affiliation with local public TV and radio---bringing the right people to you
• eclectic live music that enhances the art rather than distracts from it
• international flavors in a unique food court
• a hand-on area for children
• a festive mood---this is the kickoff of the local festival season!

Apply today:  www.Zapplication.org

For more information please contact:

Michelle Carlson, Art Festival Director

East Lansing Art Festival

410 Abbot Road, East Lansing, MI 48823

(517) 319-6804

e mail:  info@elartfest.com 

www.elartfest.com 

The festival is presented by the East Lansing Art Festival Board in cooperation with the Arts Commission/City of East Lansing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Find more art fairs around the country looking for artists: www.CallsforArtists.com

July 11 & 12 

Noteworthy:

Located on the streets surrounding the historic Burton Carillon Tower and the treelined central campus of the University of Michigan, the Street Art Fair, the Original offers a serene atmosphere that does not include sidewalk sales or merchandise vendors.  The Street Art Fair is known for attracting collectors, corporate buyers, and gallery representatives.

Highlights:

• The combined Ann Arbor Art Fair draws more than 500,000 fairgoers from across the nation
• Marketed extensively throughout Southeast Michigan and northern Ohio
• In-depth Artist Directory on the Fair's website, which received 11 million hits leading up to last year's Fair.  An enlargeable color thumbnail of your work, contact information and links are included
  (Ronna Katz making the sale at AA)
• Inclusion in the searchable mobile application, which incorporates a color thumbnail of your work and geolocation of your booth on the Art Fair map
• $7,500 in award money and automatic re-invitation for award winners.
• Set-up the day before
• Behind booth storage
• Artist amenities include:  on-site security, indoor restrooms, booth sitting, daily continental breakfast, continuous beverages and snacks available at Artist Hospitality, water delivered to booths, welcome cocktail reception on Tuesday, and an awards breakfast on Thursday
• Paid demonstration opportunities.

Application fee:  $40 

Booth fee; $650 single

Electricity and corners are available for $100 additional

Apply here: www.Zapplication.org 

May 2 & 3 
Elmhurst, Illinois
19th Annual Art in the Park 
Grounds of Wilder Park and Elmhurst Art Museum
10am-5pm both days

For more information and to download the application please visit: www.rglmarketingforthearts.com

and LIKE our Facebook page.

    

September 13 & 14
Deer Park, Illinois
Deer Park Town Center
Sat. 10am-5pm; Sun. 11pm-5pm
80 Exhibitors maximum
Deadline: June 1

This juried fine art festival takes place in the thriving Deer Park Town Center.  The festival is held around a charming gazebo in the center of everything.  The average home value in Deer Park and the surrounding areas is $850,000!  There are, on average, 40,000 visitors to this lifestyle center every weekend.

The Village of Deer Park and DDR Corp are thrilled to host this 3rd year, artist focused festival and are committed to its success. Deer Park Town Center is a high end lifestyle center. In addition to the amazing shopping experience, the center offers a spa, book store, restaurants, high end retailers and electronics store. 

Our commitment to artists includes:

• Aggressive marketing campaigns-print, radio, posters and internet
• Shows located in areas of high income and traffic
• Best of Show and First Place Awards
• Professional jury and judging with enforcement of all Standards and Rules
• Overnight Security-contracted through a professional security company
• End of show feedback survey to help us continually improve the artist experience
• Discounted hotel options
• Drive to spaces for easy load in and out
• Free day and overnight parking, booth sitters, cold bottled water delivered to your booth, indoor restroom facilities
• Continental breakfast both days plus afternoon snacks

• Jury fee: $35, Booth fee: $300 (10x10) 
  
  

Learn more: DWEvents.org

Apply on line:  www.Zapplication.org

or: paper application

            

            

  A GALLERY SHOW 

             

July 26-August 17  

New York City, New York
Red Hook Waterfront, BKLYN
Opening Reception: Sat. July 26 2-6pm   
Gallery Exhibition: July 26-Aug 17, weekends 2-6pm
Early Bird Discounted Deadline: May 19
Final Submission Deadline: June 2

Open Call for Submission from artists all over the USA for an exhibit in our gallery, The Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition (BWAC) - an 8,000 square foot civil War-era warehouse on the Red Hook Waterfront. With its trendy restaurants, bars, boutiques and billon dollar view of the Statue of Liberty and New York Harbor, it's an exciting place to visit and EXHIBIT.  

The enormous space of the gallery affords us the opportunity to exhibit really huge work, and we welcome it.  We are pleased to be joined by a prestigious juror-Lauren Hinkson, Assistant Curator at Solomon Guggenheim Museum. With her experience, expect an exceptionally exciting exhibition.
        

Lauren Hinkson is the Assistant Curator for Collections at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York.  She conducts permanent collection research with a focus on contemporary and time-based art.  

        
Best of Show Silver: $500 at the Opening Reception, the artist whose work is juried "Best of Show Silver: by Lauren Hinkson will receive a $500 cash prize.

People's Choice: $250: The artist whose work is voted "Best" by attendees during the course of the show will receive a $250 cash prize.

Curator's Choice: $250: The artist whose work the Show Curators choose for excellence will receive a $250 cash prize.

Certificate of Recognition $1,000: $100 each for ten winners.  All selections will be made by the juror, Loren Hinkson.
 

Artists accepted into Color can also send one additional work that will be exhibited in our Affordable Art area.  All works must be smaller than 12"x16" and must be priced for sale at $500 or under.

"I think if pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it"- Alice Walker, The Color Purple

"Mere color unspoiled by meaning and unallied with definite form, can speak to the soul in a thousand different ways"-Oscar Wilde

"There is no blue without yellow and without orange"-Vincent Van Gogh

ELIGIBILITY:
This call for submission is open to all residents of the U.S. and its Territories, 18 years of age or older.  This is a juried exhibition for artists working in all traditional and non-traditional 2D and 3D media, including film/video when part of an installation.  

All artwork must be original in concept, design and execution.  Note: Crafts, kit work or reproductions of original works in other media (such as giclee print of oil painting), unless used as part of a mixed media work, will not be considered.  

Oversize Work, Assemblages and Installations are welcome at the discretion of BWAC, but must meet all other specifications and be delivered, installed and removed by the artist (or their agent) upon arrangement with BWAC staff. All work requiring electricity must auto on/off with the line power.

JURYING:  Entries that differ significantly from their digital images may be rejected.  Decision of the judges is final.

SUBMISSIONS AND FEES:  
Only original works may be submitted.    The Early Bird discounted fee is $45 if received by midnight, May 19, 2014 PST.  The regular fee is $65.  The fee is for up to three (3) images, plus $5 for each additional image.  Sculpture and installations:  artists may use two additional images for details, at no extra charge.  Contact bwacinfo@aol.com if you need them.  You must have already applied before you can request extra images.

All entries must be registered/received by midnight, June 2, 2014 PST.  All entry fees are non-refundable.

CONTACT/QUESTIONS:  
Please direct all questions to bwacinfo@aol.com
To Reach full Prospectus (PDF): click here
To Apply: click here         

September 21-22

The Catalina Art Association presents the 55th Annual Catalina Festival of Art, this September, one of the longest running and most acclaimed art festivals in California. Join us for this World Class Art Event featuring more than 100 juried artists, several reception events, a Kids Art Show and Annual Charity Art Auction.

What you need to know to participate:

• Catalina is an island so it does require planning to participate in our show. 
• 10x10 popup tents and grid-wall systems are all provided as well as bench seating in most booths. 
• Booths are set up along side the main walking street next to the ocean, which provides amazing views and tranquil breezes. Storage is free and secure. 

Local and mainland press cover the show as well as many travel publications. Awards, ribbons and Cash prizes are given by a respected panel of judges as well as giving thousands of dollars in art supplies to kids! 

Catalina Island's resort setting attracts high end buyers, here on holiday or visiting by cruise ship. For 55 years, this show has been what most exhibitors call a "Working Holiday Show". The locals are extremely helpful, the show organizers are very professional and the show visitors come here to Shop!  

What's not to like about packing your work and heading out on the ferry to spend a few days on an island meeting people on vacation who are eager to meet you? Plus, no tent to set up.

Learn more and apply: http://www.catalinaartassociation.org

Some nice prizes went out to some wonderful artists last weekend

at the Boardwalk Art Show. Congratulations to all especially popular AFI member Alison Thomas!

Best in Show Award ($7,500)

• Molly Strader, Jewelry, Booth #2311

Virginia’s Finest Award ($2,500)

• Daniel Robbins, Painting, Booth #2715

Thomas A Felton Jr. Award of Distinction in Fine Art ($2,000)

• David Figueroa, Sculpture, Booth #3021

Friends of MOCA Award of Distinction ($2,000)

• Pam Fox, Jewelry, Booth #2925

PNC People's Choice Award ($1,000)

• Aleksandr Maryaskin, Jewelry, Booth #2908

The Randy & Irene Sutton Best in Glass Award ($1,000)

• Josh Soloman, Glass, Booth #2026

Judge’s Choice Award ($1,000)

• Aaron Hequembourg, Mixed Media, Booth #2611

• Nicario Jimenez, Mixed Media, Booth #2113

• Jeffrey Nelson, Wood, Booth #2223

• Cheryl Smith, Ceramics, Booth #2016

Award of Merit ($500)

• Stephen Brehm, Painting, Booth # 3015

• Kirk Mullenax, Painting, Booth #2813

• Thomas Wargin, Sculpture, Booth #3024

Sand Dollar Awards (17 total)

• Larry Smith, Jewelry, Booth #3030
• John Dennis, Wood, Booth #2923
• Thomas Bothe, Ceramics, Booth #2915
• Jen Swearington, Fiber, Booth #2905
• Susan Gott, Glass, Booth #2531
• Anne Morris Simcoe, Fiber, Booth #2816
• Lee-Margaret Borland, Photography, Booth #2006
• Ummarid Eitherong, Mixed Media, Booth #2009
• Brianna Martray, Sculpture, Booth #2010
• Chloe Wang, Painting, Booth #2013
• Flora Zarate, Fiber, Booth #2112
• John Claude Louis, Photography, Booth #2129
• Russell Turnage, Ceramics, Booth #2218
• Bert Beirne, Painting, Booth #2225
• Brian Bortz, Wood, Booth #2319
• Alison Thomas, Digital Art, Booth #2424
• Laura Post, Graphics/Printmaking, Booth #2710

September 14 & 15
Atlanta, Georgia
Historic Piedmont Park
Saturday 10am-7pm; Sunday 10am-5pm
200 Artists
Deadline: April 29

The Atlanta Arts Festival is a two day, outdoor festival with an emphasis on the visual arts.  Set in historic Piedmont Park, the festival fills the fall time art festival void in the City of Atlanta.

This autumn festival of excellence in the arts is an event dedicated to bringing together outstanding artists from throughout the country with the large and enthusiastic art buying community of the Atlanta area.

The Atlanta Arts Festival is produced by a highly qualified staff and strong volunteer pool, both with multiple years of event production and promotion in the City of Atlanta.  This annual September event is committed to delivering a quality experience for both artist and patron!

Items of Interest:

• Held in Piedmont Park
• Juried show; artists selected by a panel of experts
• Limited number of participants to increase sales
• $7,500 in award money
• Artists retain all proceeds from their sales
• Commemorative poster image will be selected from a show participant
• Ranked in the 100 Best Fine Art & Design Shows by Sunshine Artist Magazine, September 2012 

Artist Amenities:

• Artist hospitality providing continental breakfast & refreshments
• Booth sitting
• Load-in/load-out at booth space
• Free parking (parking information will be forthcoming in artist acceptance packet and/or check-in packet)
• 24 hour security patrols
• Discounted rates at participating hotels

For more info:  www.AtlantaArtsFestival.com    

Applications: www.Zapplication.org  

(770)941-9660 (office)

(866)519-2918 (fax) 

Four Rivers Craft Show: June 7-9

Fine Art Show: June 8 & 9
Salina, Kansas
Deadline: February 15

Celebrating Artists, Celebrating Excellence!

• Over half-a-million dollars in visual arts sales annually!
• Ranked in the top 100 art fairs in the country and at the top of those in the central Midwest. Kansas' finest!
• 90 exhibitors in the Fine Art Show
• 50 exhibitors in the Four Rivers Craft Show
• over $11,000 cash Merit &Purchase Awards
• Reasonable booth fees and jury fee
• Booth sitters, water/tea/coffee brought to booth, assistance with unload and loading, Artists' Reception & Breakfast, free reserved parking within the event
• Presented by the nationally acclaimed Salina Arts & Humanities

 A Festival Like None Other

The Smoky Hill River Festival presents a sophisticated palette of events: exceptional fine art and contemporary craft, art installations, superb entertainment, and interactive arts experiences for all ages.  Salina is widely acknowledged as an Outstanding Arts community where art and culture are a $23 million industry annually.  A model in its rich cultural landscape, Salina is a vibrant example of a community that grows, thrives and reaches for the future, through the arts.

• 2000 volunteers assures community involvement
• 75,000 attendees, drawing patrons from the region and across the country 
• $130,000+ thriving Art Patron Program

The artists speak:

Smoky Hill River Festival-All around quality show-first class from patrons to art to staff-outstanding! Michael Stephens-Edinburg, PA

I traveled far, but gained a lot! Ana Petercic-Lincolnwood, IL

Very well run, all-out effort. Duke Klassen &LaDes Glanzer-Minneapolis, MN

A top-notch show in the middle of Kansas-what a treat-great volunteers, easy set-up, oh yea and great sales! Julie Jerman-Melka-Fort Collins, CO

Smoky Hill River Festival is put on and run by geniuses! Ashley Robertson-Woodbridge, VA

This is the most unique show I have ever done in 20 years.  There is so much going on and the community is really into it! Layl McDill-Minneapolis, MN

This show has it all.  Great volunteers, organization, quality and crowds! Carole Osburn-Des Moines, IA

We as artists have the privilege of having an individual voice.  What we ask and hope for is a venue that allows the voice of our art to be heard in its most beautiful form.  This show is a stage unto its own. Here your voice is heard, seen, and felt. Denise Robertson-Columbus, NM

We welcome your application. Available online at zapplication.com or may be downloaded and printed from the Festival website riverfestival.com for submitting by mail.

For more information:

www.riverfestival.com and www.zapplication.org

Karla Prickett, Visual Arts Director

Salina Arts & Humanities

karla.prickett@salina.org

(735)309-5770, ext. 2306

 ~~~~~~~~~~

Below: "Oakdale/Carver Pool" by Molly Dilworth, Brooklyn, NY

Salina Art Center, Artist-in-residence

Integrating the histories of Salina's summer  pastime activity, swimming, the large 1920s municipal pool is painted with two patterns that represent the whites only pool and the inset representing the blacks-only pool. This work is  visible through virtual maps such as Google Earth, marking a visual  history of Salina from an aerial perspective.

(I've reviewed this show twice previously, and last year's show, truncated due to weather, was written about extensively.  You can get all that history here.) 

Goofy weather--cool and cloudy Saturday, sprinkles overnight, then mid-50s, clear and breezy Sunday--didn't keep the crowds away from this show at the Mercato Lifestyle Center, an uber-upscale shopping plaza and condo canyon in north Naples.  But for the 100 fine artists at the von Liebig Museum's fourth annual show, this was perplexingly a hit-or-miss affair. 

Unfortunately, I fell into the latter category, barely eking past $1K on the weekend, nearly all of it on Saturday. After the first hour or so that day, customers visited in a steady stream, praising my work to the skies, but when they bought, they bought small.  Two of my key metrics--items per sale and average spend per item--sorely lagged what I've done in less upscale venues this year. 

A few debated which large canvases they were going to buy, asked for pricing, and went off (they said) to see the rest of the show, or to measure the walls.  But even those who returned wound up not pulling the trigger. 

I didn't get the sense there there was any urgency to buy.  Being local, even when I mentioned to the business card bandits that this was my last show in Naples for 10 months, it didn't matter.  "We'll call you," they'd say, as they moved on.  Some of them actually might, of course.  But I can't help but wonder if this is a crowd that is more impressed by the "artists from afar" than the ones working in their own back yard.

This sentiment was shared by several other local artists I spoke with at the show, one of whom sardonically commented that based on the conversations he'd had, "I am thinking I'll need extra staff at my store when I open up on Tuesday morning to handle the crush of people."

Numbers don't lie.  And the truth is that my average gross from Naples shows in 2010 (when I began exhibiting at shows there) was more than TWICE what it's been the last ten months.  And, if I cast the net even closer to home, to the Howard Alan and HotWorks shows I do in Estero, the trend is similar: down by nearly half. 

Did I benefit, in 2010, from being the new kid on the block (which, to show-goers, might be nearly as attractive as being an unfamiliar artist-from-afar?)

It is concerning to me that of my five best-grossing shows from the last 12 months, four are out-of-towners and only three are in Florida:
* Rehoboth Beach, DE (Art League Members' Show)

* Sanibel, FL (Lions Club show)
* Norfolk, VA (Stockley Gardens)

* St. Pete, FL (Mainsail)

*  Jupiter, FL (ArtiGras 2012)

Several possible courses of action present themselves:

1)  As one long-time glass artist suggested to me:  Travel more, and raise my prices to cover the higher expenses.

2)  Keep the local vs. distant show mix as-is, but do different shows within the local area: Swap in Bonita Springs for Naples; Sanibel for Estero; Sullivan Boulderbrook shows for Hotworks, etc., etc.

3)  Do the same shows you have been, but market more heavily to the locals.

4) Move to smaller, lower-priced items.  Embrace the middle class.

5) Screw the middle class. Move to larger, higher-priced items (which I did already, last year.  Not the "screw the middle class" part, but you get my point).

6)  Just ride it out.

7) Start drinking Scotch. Keep going until you come up with either an Option #8 even more palatable than the Scotch, or a new career.

Hmmm. I'll think those over. But in the meantime, there's a show review to finish.  So let's trudge on. . .

This might just not have been my weekend.  A few folks, including the aforementioned long-time glass artist, had  killer shows.  Several of my neighbors, and a reasonably high percentage of others I spoke with during loadout, were happy they came.  They didn't share numbers, but said they were satisfied and would return. 

So draw your own conclusions.

I can say with certainty that the show was well run by show director Marianne Megela and the museum staff and volunteers.  Setup, which started at 3 AM Saturday, was a snap, especially for the well-caffeinated.  Teardown, the same.  There was an artist breakfast, ample booth-sitters, and very good promotion through traditional and social media, as well as to the museum's burgeoning mailing list. 

And the art mix was diverse, the quality uniformly high (though no awards).

Bottom line:  Despite the hit to MY bottom line, for many other artists, Mercato seems to be as decent a show as there is in Naples.  The problem is:  given the trend in the numbers, that isn't the high praise it used to be. 

June 8 & 9

The  58th annual Talbot Street Art Fair is sponsored by Talbot Street Art  Fair, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the arts  and philanthropic endeavors; program grants, scholarship endowments and  awards.

270 fine art and fine craft artists from across the nation will participate in the oldest juried fair in Central Indiana.  The fair remains free to the public.

Media  categories are two dimension, two and three dimension mixed media,  clay, fiber, glass, jewelry, metal, photography, sculpture and wood.  Merit  Awards of $250 are given for each category and also a $500 Best of Show  Award. In addition to the Merit Awards, we also sponsor Purchase  Awards.

All of the fair's focus is on the artists.

• We do not have   commercial booths or performing musicians.
• We do extensive advertising to bring you the customers that buy.
• The fair has a dedicated following of patrons who show up rain or shine.
• Our  local and regional media coverage includes billboards, newspapers,  magazines, online ads and radio and television interviews.
• We provide 24 hour security with our Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers
• Free parking for both artists and RV's and cold water.  We also offer the option of Friday afternoon set-up.  Our Block Captains help us create an organized fair that runs smoothly.

The booth space sizes vary from the standard of 10'x12' to 10'x22'.  Fees: $25 Application Fee; Booth Fee of $295-$545.

April 20-May 27
Lincoln, California
"A clay art show and competition"
Presented by the Art League of Lincoln, CA, a non-profit corporation

Gladding McBean Clay Manufacturing Company
601 7th Street, Lincoln, California
Deadline: Feb. 4, 2013

February 9 & 10  
Jacksonville, Florida
Saturday & Sunday
10am - 5pm
Deadline: November 7

Application Fee:  $25
Booth Fee:  $210

Don't miss this opportunity to join some of the nation's most talented and respected artists who will be showcasing and selling their artwork at this highly organized and professional outdoor fine art festival.

This open air art gallery is located in the gigantic parking lot on the corner of Blanding Boulevard and Wells Road at Orange Park mall - the largest mall to the west of the Saint John's River. Artists will be displaying and selling all forms of art including ceramics, metal, glass, jewelry, paintings, sculpture, wood, stone, fiber, photography, and more. All artwork is juried, which provides a higher level of quality, diversity and creativity of art on display.

Artist Amenities

• Extra space behind your booth for storage.
• Drive up access for easy unloading and end of festival loading.
• Friday setup from 3pm-6pm with overnight security and also Sat morning from 6am-9am.
• Complimentary continental breakfast, coffee and water (Sat & Sun from 6am - 9am).
• Floating volunteers will be available to provide breaks for the artists.
• On-site vehicle, trailer and RV parking.
• Discounted lodging rates at local hotels and local restaurant discounts.
• Free golf cart shuttle service as needed.
  Security  will be provided from the close of Friday evening setup (6:00pm) until  Saturday morning at 10:00am, and from the close of the festival Saturday  evening (5:00pm) until Sunday morning at 10:00am. 

Free Admission and Parking
All festivals are open to the public with free admission and free parking.  

Learn more about our shows at: www.BluArtFestivals.com

 Apply online at: www.Zapplication.com

I was wait listed for this show. In my category, wearable fiber I was number 9 on the list. I was still on the list as I headed off to do the Bellevue Art Museum Show. Since my husband was working in  San Francisco I was already planning on heading there after the show for a little R & R. As, I was waiting  at Southwest Air for my position I got the call that there was a cancellation and if wanted it the space was mine. WELL, since I was already going to San Francisco I figured,  might as well, As they say no rest for the weary. 

This show takes place in Fort Warden in San Francisco. A really beautiful location, right on the water. You can see the Golden Gate bridge and Alcatraz. It being August, it is pretty cool in SF, so I figured my wool would be well received. The show is big but not huge, a little over 200 artists, so it is an easy show to walk. The lay out is great for the artists, everyone gets space behind their tent for storage. Load in, it couldn't have been easier. You could set up either Wednesday or Thursday all day or both days. No rush. You were not allowed to drive into the venue, but you could park within 10 feet to unload and they had dollies there for your use. Not a lot of amenities for the artists, though they did have a Scotch Whiskey tasting for us on Saturday night. They also did not have a lot of booth sitters so doing this show on my own was pretty tiring.

Friday was a long day, 10 - 8:30, but worth it. All my artwear ladies came out. I was really feeling and receiving the love. Saturday was another really good day, but on Sunday, it was if the plug was pulled. It did turn out to be profitable show for me but I could have napped all day Sunday.  Breakdown was equally as easy and the show ended at 5 and we were packed and gone by 7. It did help that I was renting pipe and drape, I shipped my fixtures and garments and then shipped them back.

This is a beautiful show, with a lot of really incredible artists. It is such and honor to be part of this tribe. No matter what show I have done, I have met some pretty amazing, talented and generous people. It is a lot of hard work and not always as profitable as I would like, but it is the best job I have ever had and am very grateful to be able to participate.

All of you who love the Ann Arbor Art Fair, here is your last chance to visit with and collect the photography of stalwart original Guild members Ruth and Walter Pinkus at this month's Ann Arbor Art Fair. They've been in the business longer than many of us and as the Ann Arbor media roll out their stories about the fairs they've included a wonderful article about Ruth and Walter in the Ann Arbor Journal.

Couple to sell their photography for last year at Ann Arbor Art Fairs

This is an excellent capsule of the art fair life. Walt, who was employed at the University's Physics Lab, and loved photography, grabbed a booth in those early days and he and Ruth (both active in the Ann Arbor Camera Club) became fixtures at the show, as well as instrumental in the development of The Guild of Artists (formerly the Michigan Guild.)

Read the article and experience some of the adventures they've had as they battled weather, the economy, credit card fraud, vehicle breakdowns, belly dancers, famous politicians and so much more. A great summation for their career: "We'll miss the stimulation, but not the crises."

See you on the road Ruth and Walt. It's been a great trip!

Join us live on Thursday, April 19 at 1 pm EST, as Connie speaks with Bonnie Blandford, a Michigan jeweler, and Carla Fox, an Oregon jeweler, as they talk about their experiences developing and running art shows for their peers in the art fair business.