On (19)

I applied by accident meannint to apply to madisons show of the same name. I did notice and apply to madison but i got in to this lake forest one and Iam not sure to accept or not as the reviews i could find seem very old from 2013 and 2011 a friend sent me two others that where not great but had no date on it. If you have done or know if this show any more recent advice would help. thanks so much! I do 2D mixed media with lots of color btw.thanks again

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1fc9c0a2-dfa0-4593-970a-03c820fc8992.jpg?width=184October 15 & 16
Atlanta, Georgia

Olmsted Linear Park
Presented by: The Atlanta Foundation for Public Spaces
225 Artists

Deadline: August 19

Application fee: $25; Booth fee: $275-$550

3806286d-bba6-4ca0-8886-cf91a1891589.pngThe Fall Festival on Ponce is an Atlanta arts and crafts festival held in the historic Olmsted Linear Park.  Visitors will enjoy the gorgeous landscape designed by one of America's most celebrated landscape architects, Fredrick Olmsted St., which was carefully restored by the Olmsted Linear Park Alliance.

An estimated 20,000 visitors will attend this event with over 125 displays of fine art and crafts, folk and "outsider art." In addition to the abundance of unique art, there will be a children's area, local gourmet food, beverages and a small stage for acoustic musical performances. 

This is the 6th year that AFFPS will hold an outdoor arts and crafts festival in the chain of parks on Ponce de Leon Ave. in the historic Druid Hills neighborhood.  This event will be very conservative, with sensitivity and consideration for the park and surrounding neighborhood.

Contact: Randall D. Fox, info@affps.com
Phone: (404)873-1222
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I would love to talk with artists that have been accepted to the annual art festivl.  Two years running i have buffed up my booth, taken what i believed to be amazing photos, wrote precise descriptions, and bam, rejected.  In the body of the rejection email KRASL made it clear that people are rejected often several years running, and please try again.   It baffles me.  Granted i work in wearable fiber and wonder often if that is a limiting factor.  

They do invite artists to attend the jury process, which is refreshing and rare... sadly i live 5 hours drive from there, and could not break away to be there for the jury.  I also wonder if that is a limiting factor.

If you have done the event, can we chat either on this blog or via email?

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Call for Artists: 54th Annual Krasl Art Fair

8869146265?profile=originalJuly 11 & 12 
St. Joseph, Michigan
Located on Lake Bluff Park
200 Exhibitors
Deadline:  January 22

New: This year we have decreased the number of booths from 216 to 200

8869090294?profile=original

Please note:  We have an "Open Jury" policy and  encourage artists to attend. Jurying is Friday, February 13 at Lake Michigan College. Last year there were 172 openings.

Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff is one of the nation's top fine art fine craft art fairs:  Sunshine Artist Magazine #10 in 2014 and on Art Fair Calendar's 2nd Annual "Best Art Fair" survey #6.

In 2015 the Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff celebrates 54 years of artistic excellence drawing crowds from Chicago, northern Indiana, Grand Rapids and other nearby cities.

Noteworthy:


  • Artist Sales:  In (2014) between $5,000-$10,000 (source: Sunshine Artist Magazine, 34% reported making between #1,501-$3,000 and 39% reported making between $3,001-$10,000 plus (source: 2014 Krasl Art Fair artist survey).
  • Jury/Booth Fees ($30/$300 or $325, depending on space size: 10x10 to 15x15 plus and 20x20); many with exposure on two sides.
  • Estimated attendance: 70,000
  • Friday set-up; drive to space for load-in and load-out
  • Artist-in-Residence program; local residents host artists in their homes 
  • Excellent artist amenities:  artist-only parking, Saturday gourmet breakfast, booth sitters, electricity available to many booths, artists' hospitality room and much more
  • 19 Best of Category Awards $100 cash each, Krasl Board choice Award, booth fee waived the following year and Shore Magazine "Best Booth Award".
  • Friday night kick-off party with gourmet food, wine tasting, live music and more
  • Round tabs artists' discussion with committee and staff
  • Digital Jurying which is open to artists and public to observe.

Comments from participating artists:


  • In this age when most art shows think they can "improve" their shows by bringing in carnivals and petting zoos, Krasl has not forgotten that it i1930.jpg?width=300s about the artists and kept their focus on that.
     
  • Congratulations to your and your team for putting on a wonderful event. I especially appreciated the standards committee and the easy load in/load out.  I had a great show!
     
  • A guy who visited my booth about five times at your show was really interested in one of my large paintings. I knew he was really close, but just couldn't commit. Late last week he emailed me and he bought two of them.  That put me just a little behind last year's good show and Krasl is my second best show of the year behind Cherry Creek!!

2234.png For more information and artist's prospectus:

Application:  www.Zapplication.org
Find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/KraslArtFair.com
Breeze Ettl, Art Fair Director
Questions? Email: jgourley@krasl.orgphone: (269)983-0271
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Find even more art fairs looking for artists: www.CallsforArtists.com
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AFFPS in Atlanta

People wonder why ATL shows are hit and miss?  Here is a recent news piece that focuses on a group that has added 12 new annual events to the Metro Atlanta Art Festival calendar. Since the population has not grown at quite the same rate, many existing shows have been damaged. Shows like Dogwood, which by the way is preceded by an event organized by this group and is less than two miles away.

http://www.cbs46.com/story/27294043/money-to-popular-nonprofit-festivals-may-not-be-going-to-charity

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The Makings of a Collector?

A couple of months back I wrote about selling my first piece through a gallery.  As exciting as that was (and it was REALLY exciting), I recently had an even more exciting experience. The person who bought my image called me up and asked if I’d sign the mat board that surrounded the picture.

I’ve seen other pieces where the photographer did that very thing, but it never occurred to me to do it myself.  While I don’t mind having a signature on the back of the picture, I personally feel that writing on the mat board detracts from the overall image.  But, hey, if someone buys a photo of mine and wants the autograph, I’m not gonna tell him/her “no.”

8869140882?profile=originalSo I was cool and collected when I told my buyer that, yes, I would be happy to sign the piece, but inwardly I was floating on air for days.  To be honest, I’m still flying.  We made arrangements to meet so I could sign the mat for him, and he graciously agreed to have his picture taken with me, so I could commemorate this awesome event.  Craig joked about me being his “famous baby,” but there was definitely some aspect of fame in what I was feeling.

As I mentioned before, as an artist, it’s wonderful to hear that someone likes your work; whether it be a book, movie role, or piece of art.  Then, when someone likes your work enough to buy it, you feel like you’ve “arrived” somehow.  And it goes a long way to making you feel like you’re a professional artist.

But to have someone ask for your autograph on said piece of art is a whole level unto itself.  You find yourself speculating whether or not others will want your autograph when they purchase something of yours, or if this someone will become a collector of your artwork.  I found myself wondering if this buyer will look for more of my pieces in other exhibits.  There’s a level of excitement that comes from thinking someone might own more than one of my pictures.

And now that Craig and I are gearing up to work art fairs, there’s an even bigger possibility that people will like our work enough that they’ll buy more than one print.  The thought just makes me giddy because it’s our dream to be able to make a living off of our art.

But for now, it’s enough to know that someone wanted my signature on a piece of my work.  Here’s hoping that it won’t be the last time.

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July 13 & 14
6a00e54fba8a738833016768a6653d970b-pi
Scott Causey's work at the Krasl Art Fair


St. Joseph, Michigan
Downtown St. Joseph
On the bluffs overlooking Lake Michigan
216 Artists
Deadline: January 11 - 12 am EST
(note: This show has historically done a large reinvitation of artists, making it hard for new artists to jury in. This year there are over 150 openings, increasing your chances of being accepted.)
Please note: Open jury February 1 at Lake Michigan College, worth attending to learn more about the jury process as well to see how well your work looks in the jury.

Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff is one of the nation's top fine art festivals (Sunshine Artist Magazine #20 2012)

The  Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff celebrates 52 years of artistic  excellence  at Lake Bluff Park in 2013, over looking Lake Michigan.  The  festival draws crowds from Chicago, northern Indiana, Grand Rapids and  other nearby cities.

Noteworthy:

  • Average sales (2012): $4190 (source: Sunshine Artist Magazine), $3700 (source: 136 respondents from 2012 artist survey)
  • Jury/Booth Fees ($30/$275 or $300, depending on space size: 15x15 and 20x20); many with exposure on two sides.
  • Estimated attendance: 70,000
  • Friday set-up; drive to space for load-in and load-out
  • Artist-in-Residence program; residents host artists in their homes
  • Excellent  artist amenities: artist-only parking, Saturday gourmet breakfast,  booth sitters, electricity available to many booths, artists'  hospitality room and much more
  • Best of Category Awards $100 cash, Krasl Board Choice Award and Shore Magazine "Best Booth Award"
  • Friday night kick-off party with gourmet food, wine tasting and live music and more
  • Round table artists' discussion with committee and staff
  • Jury session open to artists and public to observe

1030.jpg?width=350Comments from participating artists:

(mixed media work by John Gutoskey)
  • In  this age when most art shows think they can "improve" their shows by  bringing in carnivals and petting zoos, Krasl has not forgotten that it  is about the artists and kept their focus on that.

  • The community support is overwhelmingly the best of any show I do.  Out of doing 25+shows a year, this is the one that I look forward to.  A big thank you to the pastry chef for the 'BEST' calories ever and the Boulevard Inn for the artist discounted rate.

  • I just wanted to thank you for having me in your show.  The award I won was such an honor!   I had a great show both in terms of sales and the fun factor.  You and your staff of volunteers do such a great job with the show.  It was such a pleasure being part of such a well run event.  I also wanted to thank you for finding a host family for me to stay with while I was in St. Joseph.  My host family was wonderful too.  I look forward to next year.

Krasl LogoFor more info and artist's prospectus: www.krasl.org/af_artist_info.php

Application: www.zapplication.org

www.facebook.com/KraslArtFair.com

Sara Shambarger, Director

email: sshambarger@krasl.org, Phone: (269)983-0271

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Coeur d’Alene Art on the Green, 2012

This was our 4th time in 6 years participating in this show in Coeur d’Alene ID.  The show is the first weekend of August and can be very warm and this year Sunday seemed especially hot as the temperatures came close to the triple digit mark.  I reviewed this show last year, not a lot has changed other than our results.   I really can’t explain why, but by the end of this show we had our highest ever numbers at Art on the Green.  Maybe it was because we skipped the shows in Spokane this year and it was the first time we’ve been to this area in a year. 

 

http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/coeur-d-alene-art-on-the-green

 

 

Load in and load out really didn’t change from last year’s write up.  I didn’t see as many volunteers this year, but maybe that’s just because we were busier than last year so I might not have noticed any of them checking to see if we needed a booth sitter.  I also know I didn’t spend much time wandering this year, another sign that we were busier.

 

Sales on Friday started a little slow but we had a very steady afternoon and by Friday night had covered booth plus expenses which for us is just gas and meals since we tow a travel trailer and they offer free onsite camping.  Saturday sales started early and were fast and furious the first 4 hours of the show then slowed down as the temperatures climbed.  We had a small rush of sales early evening and ended the day with our single best sales day we’ve ever had at Art on the Green.  Sunday was HOT!  Not sure what the official temperature was, but our thermometer in the booth  was showing 97. Crowd was small, sales were slow and ended as our slowest sales day of the show.  Overall, we were still pleased with the results and most likely will be back to this show.

 

It was also fun to see AFI’ers David Forster and Dennis Brady.  We’re seeing David at several shows this year and it’s always fun to hear Dennis’ perspective on shows in this area as it is his home base. 

 

Word of caution for those of you considering the other shows in town this weekend (the show in the park or the Street Fair), all weekend we were hearing very negative reports from artists at both shows and know a few artists who have done the show in the park for a few years and have sworn they won’t return as they’ve continued to see the other 2 shows go downhill.  This town really cannot support 3 shows in one weekend and think that all the artists are going to have a reasonable rate of return.

 

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You may think that I have it out for Madison “On the Square.”  I don’t, and it may only look that way.  I have always loved that show. However, they keep making these decisions that are questionable at best and are at worst are illegal.

Now, the latest decision is they have made is to charge an additional fee on top of the booth fee if an accepted artist wants to pay by credit card.  The fee is $20 for a double booth and $10 for a single booth.  I am not a lawyer but I am somewhat familiar with credit card fees.  As I understand this, it may not be illegal to charge the fee, but all the major credit card companies have clauses in their contracts that do not allow for this fee to be charged.  They have that fee so that people will use credit cards instead of paying cash or using personal checks.   This sounds to be like an illegal practice.  And that is only my opinion.  In addition, they could get away with it, if they told artists that they would give them a $10 or $20 discount is they paid in cash, but the Madison “Art Fair on the Square” is making it a penalty to pay by credit card.

I hope that artists will question this practice and put a stop to this.

I am going to forward this to Annik Dupaty, the Madison, AFOS, Director of Events and see what her response is.

I do come up with the same conclusion that I did for the jury blog I posted earlier in the week.  JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN DOESN’T MEAN THAT YOU SHOULD. And I’m not even sure that it applies if it is an illegal fee.  And again it appears as if Annik is more concerned with the bottom line than the ethical running of an organization.

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Wholesale to Galleries

I have been approached at several of the shows I have done recently by gallery owners asking me about wholesale prices for putting my work in their gallery and additionally asked about selling my work on consignment. I know most want a sizable discount...which is somewhat understandable.

My 1st. question to anyone who does wholesale your work ...or send it to galleries on consignment is what type of positive and negative results have you experienced?

If you send it to a gallery on consignment what is a reasonable time to leave it in the gallery to be sold or when should you decide it is time to remove it?

 If it is an out-of-town gallery what expectations should you have from the gallery to ship it back to you if not sold in a reasonable amount of time?

What type of contracts/agreements should be expected between you and the gallery?

What is considered a fair and reasonable commission or wholesale discount?

 

I realize these are alot of questions, many of which might have possible been discussed before...but I haven'y been able to locate the discussions.

I appreciate your advice and help...

 

 

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Art on the Commons, Kettering OH

Oh what a beautiful day it was on Sunday at Lincoln Park Civic Commons...Finally a break from the heat and the people started coming around 9:30 to look (show started at 11am) and tapered off about 30 minutes before the 5pm close time. Load in started at 6:30am since there was a concert the previous night. You had to dolly a short way to your assigned space and it was pretty orderly. Lots of volunteers around to show you where to go. Artist parking was in the closest parking lot to the show which was very nice. Coffee, juice & muffins for breakfast and volunteers were generous with the water during the day. The show director made it a point to go around and introduce himself and volunteers checked in regularly. An actual show survey rounded out the day and you can tell by the questions on it that they take it to heart.94 artists. A pretty balanced mix of mediums. Price points from low to high. The crowds were steady all day. I saw lots of pottery and small prints walking by. The jewelry artist across from me did a steady business all day. The jeweler I bought a necklace from was having a so-so show and the clay artist I bought a piece from was having an excellent show.This is an established show in a popular neighborhood. There are a couple of foods booths and some jazz but art is the destination here. People look forward to this show and the ages ranged from the stroller crowd to the walker and cane crowd. Two of my teenage nieces came to the show. They've been going with their parents since they were kids and I was now the 'cool' aunt because I was an artist in their favorite art show. My aunt saw a commercial or interview in the week leading up the show where they showed photos of the artist's work and talked about the show. There was also coverage in the weekend section of the paper.I work with glass and sold my two highest priced pieces, had two different designers bring clients through and have finalized the details for commissions from those and have an appointment to take some pieces to a client's home to see how they look in different areas of their home when I go back up next month.The people who came in my booth weren't particularly knowledgeable about glass and didn't really care about the technique. They walked up and were picturing it in their home and wanted to know how to light it, how easily it would break if the cats/dogs bumped it, etc. None of my lower priced work sold. Booth fee was reasonable ($160) which made it easy to make a tidy profit.This was my first year doing this one day show and I'll do it again in a heartbeat if they'll have me. Plus my siblings and their spouses plus niecelets, parents and aunts and uncles came by to see what I actually do so it was like christmas in the summer!
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I have a suggestion to those of you talkative artists and crafters out there. A good way to make money and do some good for future buyers is as follows:

I gave my children each the gift of buying one favorite work of art a year-or two if i felt we could afford it and by the time they had their own homes they had a fabulous collections.

I tell parents when they enter my booth with children usually 10 and up, that have some interest in my work, about how as a past art teacher (i only lasted one year with middle school art classes-aargh) I found that when a child grows their taste and understanding of art changes.

To further this quality a yearly purchase will open up new thought patterns such as about texture and color and dimension. Art pokes holes in the brain to let in air--it helps them do better in other subjects and life (as we all know). If they realize you are an artist and what that entails, and the materials you use and are invited to touch respectfully, they are likiely to want to buy your work as their first purchse.

I have this happen ten times a show

I think it is good for all of us to get kids in the early stages and to give their parents a new way to spend money on their kids.

what do you think?

 

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I just finished exhibiting at the Belleville, IL, Art on the Square.  Without a doubt, the artists' treatment, care, hospitality and wellbeing is paramount to the people who run this show.  I can't really remember when I've had so much attention paid to my needs!  From continual water, snacks, food, buffet meals, volunteer booth sitters, runners for cocoa - it just doesn't get much better than what Patty Gregory, the director and chief cheerleader, and her seemingly endless number of concerned helpers will do for us street urchins!  And the buffets - Sat. night for the high school art exhibit to the Sun. awards banquet - I gained weight from all of the tasty foods offered to us artists.  And the pre-show money raised in non-refundable tickets sold solely for the purchase of art:  $104,000!!!

Even in the bitter cold winds and ceaseless drizzle (more about the weather later), volunteers were always available to take of our needs, even to watching our booth while we made a mad dash to the port-a-potties or to grab a bite to eat from the nearby food booths (which had good - and hot food at reasonable prices).

Unfortunately, the weather was a total downer.  On Thurs., those of us who wanted to set up could do so.  We had from about noon on.  It was hot - 86F - and humid.  The weather forecast was for some winds and a lot of light rain/drizzle from Fri. night to Sun. night, with a storm front hitting the area late Thurs. night

And the storm did hit!  The boomers woke me up about 2 AM.  Concerned for my booth, though I had cross braces, cement blocks, a bunch of sandbags (also another thoughtful consideration by the show folks) and a Lite Dome booth, at 2:30 AM, I found it to be taking the wind without a problem.  Not so for a lot of other booths.  There were a number of them with corners bent under, EZ-Ups mashed, even Lite Domes and Trimlines tossed about, with several of them spun around or upside down.  The wind was howling and the rain relentless.  Much of the damage, even to the better tents, came from poorly weighted corners and so many artists didn't use the sandbags offered in huge numbers or used them inadequately.

In spite of terrible conditions, there were about a half dozen Belleville firefighters and another half dozen Belleville police officers, plus a number of the volunteer show staff - all of them valiantly struggling to save tents.  A lot of artwork was loaded into police vans and carried to the police station to protect it.

I can't say enough good things about all of these people - watching them get soaked and battered by the wind while trying to save artists' tents.  Even the mayor came at about 3 AM and went to work helping out!

Well, Fri. night was chilly, so the public turnout, from artists who had done the show before, was down a bit.

Sat. and Sun.: temps in the low 50s, with a windchill factor near freezing from 15-25 mph gusts and almost non-stop drizzle (when it blows horizontal most of the day, everything and everyone gets wet) really reduced the size of the crowd.  From the artists I talked to, sales were from down a little to down a lot.  BTW, Fri. night is patrons' night, Sat. seems to be for folks coming from St. Louis and Sun. is when the local towns come to the show.

The forecast for the show?  I don't think anyone will hesitate to apply again next year.  According to Patty Gregory, over the years, the average temp for the show is 77F. - always a good temp!  I didn't do well, but I'll be sending in that jury fee next year!  How could I not, what with treatment like I received.  Now, I just have to lose that weight....

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No Saviors at Saint James!

Okay, so we won an award on Fourth Street for Best Booth Display- lights, check..rug, check..draperies, check....sales....no check! For 18 years and a 4 hour set up..including lights at every show(thanks to my husband, Bob, of course) we were finally acknowledged for all the hard work and we appreciate it...and thank you..BUT, did the great , bright display, more inviting than a Mothers arms help our sales? No siree...I won't repeat all of the fine points made already regarding the reasons for a bad show this year...we sold a large piece first thing Friday morning and thought that this was a great start...well, it was the only large piece in three days.

We love our street, Fourth Street, for alot of reasons...we are situated in front of the nicest couples home...they would win "Best of Show" for nice.The wife bakes for three days, allows us to us their bathroom and plug in to electric....we are in love ....with them!

We will be back- I think this year was an oddity..it was our third year on this block..the least amount of money earned.We think the World Equestrian games which drew 50,000 wealthy horse lovers to Lexington(an hr. away), cut into the well healed crowds not being there..don't know what we would do differently to pull in more money next time...but we have a year to think about it....

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Kentucky shows so far this month....

Well, the Kentucky shows I'm showing in this year is really a hard sell for driving over 1400 miles! The economy has hit this state really hard. You would think that being an equine artist I would do real well in the heart of horse country but it even hit here. Louisville at the Summit was very slow, the date was changed to the Kentucky Derby Race day....hello...this is Kentucky...this is their superbowl! It was dead on Saturday and Sunday was a wash, rain all day. I had alot of clients that came on Sunday so I did okay but I feel for the other artists that didn't.
LaGrange Arts on the Green was a huge disappointment. I usually slam there, but I knew something was up when half of the store-fronts on the Main Road (the only one) was empty with for rents signs. This is a great little community, great show on a great park setting with a train passing thru on Main Street! But this year the quality of the art was way down. When you hear people walking by and saying 'looks like a flea market' that is when I say bye-bye. High-end art and flea-market type does not mix at shows...Hello..promoters are you listening? Either have a flea market or a nice high caliber art at the shows. People don't like to buy high-end art next to someone selling flea-market buy sell head-bands. So needless to say, I won't be back next year. Too bad, it was always one of my favs.
Onto Downtown Louisville on 4th Street. First year for that one and I was loving my location, I was under an over hang away from most of the weather. Publicity was everywhere but this show should be a Friday, Saturday showing due to its location in 'the city'. Most of the people that work there drive from their suburban homes miles away to work during the week and I don't think they want to come back on the week-end to stroll around minutes from their office. Also this is a very touristy area so by the time they come to see the art, the kids are already tired and want to go home so the parents have to whize by the booths. I have been doing shows with this promoter for many years and they are always trying new ways to promote the arts and shows. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't but when it does...its great...and when it doesn't, oh well. On to the next one. If they change the dates next year, I might be back.
Now I'm waiting for the Francisco's Farm in Midway College next week-end. I'm really looking forward to this show, first year I'm it it and have heard nothing but good things. I would love this to be a great show for me, it would make the loonnnggg drive home to Florida great.
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Hmmm..... do I really want to share this gem of a show? Well, it is a gem to me - perhaps not for others. This is my first year of attendance - the event's 51st year. The event location was moved this year from Presque Isle Park to Mattison Lower Harbor Park. Read the reason for change here. Some past attendees and few patrons grumbled about the move, but then many people do not adjust well to change. I personally loved the location and I certainly appreciate the organizers difficult decision to make that change. Part of that reason, as you can read in the above article, was to keep transportation via bus costs down in order not to increase entrance fees for the artists. The Presque Isle Park location required complete busing in the patrons. Once a coal pile, the area adjacent to the marina was transformed by the city of Marquette into a fabulous huge park, located a block from the downtown and surrounded by Lake Superior and marina on two sides and architectually pleasing condos on the other two sides. Marquette has some of the best bike and hiking trails I've seen and one surrounds this park - we had many hikers/bicyclists in our tent. Artists had the closest parking in the marina lot but patrons parking was in a close lot or on the downtown streets.Tent layout was structured to have artists around the parameter of the park, leaving a large center area open. I could see this open area was likely due to the drainage areas in the center. One row of artists were plagued with a water filled ditch directly in front of their tents on Sunday. Organizers filled these areas with wooden pallets, but I would have been upset at having a booth there. I would hope there will be a layout change for that area in future years. In my opinion the organizers (Lake Superior Art Association) did fantastic with respect to artist and patron comfort. Load in/out was simple. Setup was available on Friday and driving on the grass to artist booth allowed ease of setup. Not necessary to drop off, park, then set up. There were several booth areas along the outer section near the lake that were great for disabled artists as they could drive their vans up to that area and keep them behind their tents. Tent area was 12 x 12 allowing all to spread out a bit. Morning coffee/muffins were available and several volunteers continually circled the area in golf carts providing assistance to artists. If an artist needed to access their car/van/trailer, a volunteer drove them in the cart for quick retreival. I was checked in on frequently by great volunteers who offered tent sitting and any help an artist needed. In the acceptance packet each artist received instructions for a customer parcel pick up service. Stressing the importance of customer convenience, any customer parked too far away could drop off their purchase at the info tent. They then would be given a ticket and later pick up their item by driving to the marina parking lot and retreive it from the info tent.From what I observed, the selection of art was equally varied. About the same amount of photographers as jewelers, pottery, fiber, paintings etc. The venue included a childrens area and had a wonderful selection of rotating music/musicians. From what I observed, there were no buy/sell or "crafter" booths. Those not juried in to this show participated in an alternate show "The Outback" that was located about a mile away. While I did not visit that area, I heard nice comments about it.We stayed at the City of Marquette's Tourist Park (camping) and I would recommend that location to anyone with a motor home, camper or conversion van. Anyone familiar with areas immediately on any of the Great Lakes - especially in Michigan's U.P. knows the weather changes frequently. This weekend was no exception as it was lower 60's and raining one minute, then sunny and 70 the next. The majority of the weekend was rain. Sunday was the worst with morning rain lasting until about 2:00. I was very happy I did not have to tear down wet as after 2:00 the sun was great, the wind strong enough to dry the tent but not too strong as to cause concern. I read the anticipated attendance was 15,000 and while Saturday crowds were high, I think the weather kept the attendance a tad lower. Hats off to patrons - they came with their jackets & umbrellas and they purchased. While some artists were grumbling "won't be here next year", I observed a higher than average number with bags in hand. I did well, but then, much of my work is Great Lakes - Lake Superior, the U.P, and the Marquette area art. My price points ranged from $20 to $400. I nearly sold out of the $20 items (came well prepared) and had high sales in the $70 to $150 range. None of my framed items sold (unusual) but had high amount of purchases of the 18x24 matted pieces. Many were multiple purchases by individuals. Economic times are tough and I think especially in this area, patrons are comfortable purchasing more and framing their own rather than limiting their purchase to one framed item.Bottom line - I'll be back. But this event may not be for everyone. My work is so suitable for this area and I think that's what we all must do.... understand where we are likely to do well.I'll post my link to You Tube here sometime on TuesdayLinda Andersonhttp://www.andersonphotoworks.com
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Held June 27th &28th, the annual “Arts on the Avenue” is a part of Cedarburg’s popular Strawberry Festival activities.This has everything most artists would stay away from. Food (it is about the strawberries), crafters (though - high end and juried in), and various “festival” activities (pancake breakfast, 5k run, contests, several music stages and commercial vendors – bike – car – windows etc.) However, with the location and its 100,000 attendances, it has always been a top selling weekend for me. More framed pieces sell at this show than at any others I do (16 this year). I sold a large amount of matted only but I had lowered my prices by $5 or $10.Cedarburg is an upscale artisan community – smack dab in the center of one of the wealthiest counties in the U.S. Not the quasi-wealthy – the real thing where the wealthiest wear t-shirts & cutoffs to avoid standing out in a crowd. I’ve always connected with wonderful commissioned work from them here – their own little decorator they call me.Arts on the Avenue is organized by a combination of (3) separate art groups - the Cedarburg Cultural Center’s Fine Art Fair, Cedar Creek Settlement’s Arts Fair and the Ozaukee Art Center’s Fine Art Fair. Applications are sent to one of the three and each has their own jury and acceptance process. No buy/sell allowed – and if discovered they are removed immediately. An arts highlight is the Annual Plein Air Painting Competition, featuring Adult & Youth Divisions, at the Cedarburg Cultural Center. On Saturday morning, registered artists can participate in a two hour Quick Paint Competition in the Historic District. Cedarburg’s entire nine block Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places with many unique restaurants and charming shops that are a signature of Cedarburg’s tourism appeal. It is juried (with no awards) and very difficult to get into. This is my 5th year participating (10 minutes from home).This year I’ve noticed more high end crafters than typical and I counted only 3 other photographers. Jewelry, as always, was abundant as was pottery, fantastic wood creations and metal sculpture. Saturday tends to be the “out of towners” looking for an alternative to Milwaukee’s huge Summerfest activities. Sunday was mostly the Ozaukee County locals – looking for their favorite artists and ready to spend. I would estimate 90% of the crowd attends annually.Set up goes well and begins at 7am Saturday morning. It is drive up except for those inside the Cultural Center and adjacent lawn. A few of the booths in the main street area have to tear down Saturday night (beginning at 6pm) and set up again Sunday morning (no earlier than 7 am). I always have that area and really don’t mind as the location is prime and I have nice shade most of the day. Parking is wherever you can find it – but once you’ve attended, you know the hidden areas that are very close. The art area opens at 10 am but my sales start at 9. The street is elbow to elbow by 9:30 and remains so for most of the two days. There are typically more people walking the sidewalks behind the tents, getting out of the middle crowd, than at several art shows I’ve done this year. There is a food court area, but also a few food booths (ice cream, strawberries, and drinks) located among the art booths. Cedarburg has terrific wine makers and a local brewer, so those booths are also located among the art booths. They do keep the kettle corn guy and any smoky food booths well away from the art.As I mentioned – most artists would avoid this type of event and had I not been part of this area for many years, I too would stay away from any food festival events. However, I’ve been extremely successful here each year and it is a prime example to artists needing to look outside of the box – beyond their typical annually attended top tier show schedule - to carry them through this tough economic year. Plus....they are fun to do once in awhile. I sometimes get tired of seeing only high end pieces. My booth was busy continually both days and I talked so much this weekend that I lost my voice today - making hubby quite happy. But, I'm a "local" artist and these folks are always good to me. I should also mention that every year I have sold to those from England, France, Italy, Austraila and Sweden who fly in every year for this event. My Monday is consumed with international shipping.My three videos show the smallest crowds of the show. Only the last half hour of each day had less. You can check them out at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuGuyfxUA0s&feature=channel listed as Cedarburg 001, 002, 003Have a great summer everyone!Linda AndersonAnderson Photo Works Great Lakes Nautical & Nature Photographyhttp://www.andersonphotoworks.com
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