Call for Artists, Making Money at Juried Art Fairs, Craft Shows and Festivals
Geez, you lucky dog! Last time I was there back in the early 90's, a woman broke down in my booth and started crying. Asked her if she was okay and she told me how one of my photos with poetry made her realize a ten year relationship was done. I commiserated with her, which is legal in Minneapolis, but she didn't buy the print. End of the show I was crying myself as they had moved me from a prime spot under the overhang of the Uptown Theater to a side street with only myself on it and about 50 feet away from Hennepin. The show wouldn't let me move closer to the main drag and damn near nobody came in the booth. Got skunked and sold Nada. Yep, nary a nibble. Got home a couple weeks later the show staff calls and tells me my booth fee check was lost and could I send another? Sure thing, check's in the mail. They're probably still waiting for it and the first check never did surface. It was a good show if you were in a good spot and the work was quirky enough to appeal to the north woods folks. After the screw-over on the relocation, I wasn't going back and the non-replaced lost check sealed the deal.
I also recall the show as having the highest numbers of yokels walking in and saying to each other,"Hell, Bubba, you got a 35mm camera, you can somethin' like that." It pissed me off enough that I wrote an artist statement on a piece of parchment paper stock I had and posted. I'll be damned if someone came into the booth and liked it and asked if it was for sale. (This was the year before the move to Frostbite Falls). After ten microseconds, I said yes and sold a sheet of paper with my handwriting on it for $20. I scurried down to the Kinko's about three stores down the sidewalk, bought a felt tip calligraphy pen and redid the statement and had 20 copies made on marbleized resume stock. I sold 15 of those little suckers by the end of the show.
Yep, it's a strange show and I had some interesting experiences there, including giving a humorous GI Joe photo to the college kid manning the beer kiosk in the street out in front of me and him keeping me in free beer for the duration of the show :-) I did it for either three or four years, but my brain cells have reincarnated into someone else's body as I can't recall the exact number of times and the precise years. Sorry to hear the show was doggy for you :-(
Nels, the next time we see each other ask me about my experience at Uptown the first time I did it for Lu. Had to be sometime in the 70's to long to tell on here.
This SO sounds like Minnesota. We are so glad we moved to Chicago! The 3 things you will always hear HERE more than anywhere...1. I'll be back 2. Where will you be next? 3. I really don't NEED any more jewelry (or stained glass) or whatever my neighbors were selling-everyone got those 3 comments. I have heard only 1 be-back in Michigan, & they WERE BACK! What always sells best there are fine crafts & Art (IF it's a good deal or they can get you down in $$$ however they can-LOL! All my fellow Artists who have moved from there say the same thing. One thing tho, at Uptown especially, if they know you are from OUT OF STATE-that impresses them to no end, but if you're JUST A LOCAL, they will ask for your card as they say they can get it from you anytime because you live here. I won't do it again because I would have to reduce all my prices too much EVEN if I am from out of state!
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