Throughout my first year of doing shows I have learned a lot from the artists around me; what lights work, how to display and promote my art, travel advice/tips, booth advice, pricing advice, and most of all what shows and where I should travel. The only problem with this last bit of advice is that I have found that everyone has a different opinion about every single show. How do we take advice from others when every show is such a gamble? Then I start to think, when I do good at a show one year, how can I ensure that I will be in it next year? And even if I do get into the shows I have done well in, who is to say that I will do well in them time and time again? This business is such a gamble, and although the advice is great, it also is a bit saddening. I have spoken to many artists who have been doing the same shows years and years in a row, and doing well at them, which is great... but then where could I fit into that show ever and see if I can do well in it as well if all of these artists have been doing them over and over? When is it time to switch things up and freshen the shows with new artists? I know this must be hard for different venues because it is wonderful to have artists come back for more, and some get discouraged when they have been doing a show for 7 years or so and then one year they can't get in anymore. To me this is such an interesting topic, and I'm not sure what the right answer is. I live in the St. Louis area, and obviously we have the large St. Louis Art fair every year, and I had a chance to speak with a lot of the artists in length because I work at a local establishment and every single one of them knew each other, and had been doing the show for years and years. I applied this year and did not get in, which I was not surprised about because I had heard that it is like finding a needle in a haystack to get into this fair if #1, you're from St. Louis, and #2, it's your first year applying. Both of these realities are pretty heartbreaking and discouraging, and honestly I'm not sure what the point of throwing away $45-$50 each year is if the odds of me getting in are so slim. I'm wondering what people's take on these issues are. I feel it at both ends, hearing from friends who I look up to and have given me support about the art show experience who are having hard times getting into shows they have been doing for years, and those who are just starting out and getting into the same shows. I know that both are part of the trade, but which is worse???
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Erica--nice post.
I am offering you some constructive criticism. Hope you take it, accordingly.
I went to your personal site on AFI and saw you are an abstract painter. Looked for some images of your work. Alas, none there, at least under photos. Why not post some examples of your work. It helps you when, a member on this site, who may be a customer, an art show director, or a fellow cohort wants to see what you do.
You wonder about why a lot of the same people got in consistently in Saint Louis.
There is a very good reason and it has nothing to do with "grandfathering" or same jurors being used.
These people are very good. They have fresh work, great slides and a great looking booth.
That is what gets them in all over the country at some of the best shows.
So, competition is immense. If you want to be there, then you must have compelling work.
Unfortunately, I could not see any of yours to base an assumption on why, or why not, you did not get in.
Hope you keep this in mind.
I have made a living in the biz for 38 years and have been in most top shows three or more times.
BTW, I was in Saint Louis this year and had a "killer show."
Aloha, Nels. Oh, I do very unique photography. No Europe, no windows, no doorways, no arches from the West.
If that's how you're looking at it, only apply to shows that jury the entire category at one time after the application closes.
Larry Berman
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100
I agree Charles! I am in the jewelry category and it is so competitve that when I see invitations to apply, I always wonder how many jewelry slots are really available. It's not like they would tell us if they were 95% filled in a category.
I do have a problem in applying to a show that has so many slots and not knowing that a very high percentage of them are already filled. I also do not believe that it is fair to have the same judges every year that will pick the same people, just another variation of being fooled into thinking that more slots are available than are there in reality.
Sorry Erica, did not look at your name the first time. Will be at art in the park this weekend.
I can't say what happens in St. Louis.... However, I've learned that getting invited back depends on who is doing the judging. Some shows rotate jurors so the show gets a new look every year as past participants are not always juried in to come back. One local art show in the Toledo area has @50% turn over in artists each year, partly because of that. In other shows where the same chairperson helps with the judging, many of the past artists are invited back if you have good quality items and follow the show rules. The chairpersons don't like surprises and know what they have when they invite past artists back. There will always be some turnover in shows as artists opt not to sign up again because of poor sales. It took me several years to get into one popular Columbus show, so don't be discouraged.
Hi Charles! We have met many times at the Soulard Art Market, I'm one of the resident artists there and you were actually in my show this past January! Nice to see you contributing! Also, I totally get what everyone is saying and agree that honestly, you have to just try things on your own, and have learned this summer that staying in the STL area is probably going to have to be my reality for a few years due to the fact that I am fresh out of college, do not have the income on my own for travel and stay overs etc. It has been a learning experience to say the least, and I hope that no one things I am harping on the St. Louis Art Fair, or their artists and their work... I just found it interesting that so many of the artists are coming back year after year, and know each other so well. How can this be possible unless there are the same jurors each year, or almost all of them are grandfathered in? It just didn't make all that much sense to me, and almost every artist I talked to had been in the show in previous years, I actually did not find one artist whose first year it was, then again I did not make it down one of the ways so maybe there were some on the opposite end than I was speaking with? These are just observations I've made and I was just wondering if others had made the same and have made any sense of them. Thanks for all the input!
Ask Cindy. I'm sure she'll answer your questions.
Larry Berman
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100
I live also in St. Louis. On the St. Louis Art fair, I found it interesting that the woman that started the art fair 20 years ago was bragging in an interview in a local publication that she was the only person that has been accepted every year. Is anyone so good that they will be accepted by different juries over this many years?
How does one find out how many of the slots in a show are really available and how many are grandfathered in?
I agree that most of the time you just have to take a gamble and try shows to find out if they work for you. Research the show and the location, dig up reviews if you care to, then make an educated guess. I've had lots of surprises, from large shows and small shows and from one year to the next. It's tempting to want to come up with an algorithm for choosing the right fairs, but reality is that there are too many uncontrollable variables.
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