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Last weekend we were in Huntsville, Alabama for Panoply, which is a community festival of the arts.  There are three music stages,  food vendors, arts activities for the kids, and an Arts Marketplace.  The venue is Big Spring International Park in downtown Huntsville.  The Arts Marketplace is set up along a sidewalk the surrounds a small lake and on the street that runs between the park and a performing arts center. If your booth is on the street you can drive right up to your spot and unload.  If you are somewhere in the park itself you have to dolly.  We were the first booth inside one of two entrances on the street. 

Since we are new at this, we had not done this show before but had heard good things about it from other artists.  Huntsville's main industry is aerospace with a large military facility, Redstone Arsenal, located there. So we anticipated patrons with resources that might want to buy some great art.  We were not disappointed. 

The show has long hours: 5pm-9pm on Friday, 8:45am - 9pm Saturday, Noon-7pm Sunday. Some artists set up Thursday while the remainder set up on Friday based on an on line scheduling system which was very efficient. Pre-show communication was very thorough so there were no unanswered questions before we arrived. Our set up was on Friday morning which went very smoothly.  Two music stages were active during our set up.  One was an orchestra playing classical music.  The other was a band playing classic rock.  When one group finished a piece, the other group would play so as not to compete with each other.  Throughout the weekend, the music was quite good and not too loud as to be annoying.

We finished in time to check in to the motel and grab a quick early dinner.  We were back at our booth at 4:30 for the 5pm opening.  It was at that point we noticed that thunder had replaced the strains of Beethoven and The Doors we had enjoyed earlier. Just before opening time the skies let loose with some beautiful cloud to cloud lightening.  It occurred to me that sitting in a tent with metal poles might not be the best place to be at that moment.  The show did not open and everyone went home at 6:30pm.

Saturday morning was warm and humid, but no rain.  The forecast was for rain later in the day but that did not keep the crowds away. The first person in our booth was a gentleman that seemed very interested in our work.  We had a long discussion about process and materials and we hoped he was a potential buyer once he made his rounds through the show.  It turned out he was the judge and we won a Merit Award! We had a good sales day Saturday.  Most of what sold was from our print bin and a lot of 5x7 cards.  The day was made by one buyer who could not decide between two of our larger pieces and ultimately bought both of them.  That was the only big sale we made all weekend. We had some great sales momentum going by late afternoon.  I was on my way back from the truck on a restocking mission when the tornado sirens went off. If you want to see a place clear out in a hurry, set off a tornado siren two days after the fifth anniversary of the worst tornado outbreak in state history. A quick check of the radar showed the weather threat to be miles away to the North. Nevertheless, the park was evacuated.  We were told the park would re-open 30 minutes after the warning expired.  Several artists around us did not return expecting the crowd would not return either.  They were wrong.  As soon as the gates re-opened at 6pm we had folks back in our booth.  We did steady business until 9pm.  

Sunday was another warm, humid day with rain in the forecast.  We were lucky in that the approaching storms broke up and went around us.  We had a steady sales day with people in our booth right up to closing time. Break down was simple for us as we could drive right next to our booth to load.

Panoply is a beloved community event.  We had the pleasure of meeting many of the vast cast of volunteers that work tirelessly to put this event on in support of Arts Huntsville. It was very well organized and staff was always available if you needed them.  The quality of the art varied widely from birds made from soda cans to really wonderful paintings.  We saw a lot of art walking by our booth to new homes both big and small.  Many of the artists that do this show have done so for many years and keep coming back. Most of the artists were within 200 miles of Huntsville, but our neighbor was from Michigan and a couple of others had traveled long distances.  There was an artist's hospitality booth with coffee and pastries each morning.  The food vendors offered artists free food or discounts which were listed on the back of our name tags.  The free ice cream cones each afternoon were much appreciated. The only negatives were the long hours and we had to pay for parking ($5.00 per day).  I am sure our sales would have been better if the weather cooperated.  As it was we were pleased with our sales volume.  We were surprised by the interest in our work with Birmingham subject matter.  At any rate we had a great time, met some new friends, saw some old friends, and made a little money.  Not a bad weekend at all. Thanks Huntsville! 

Got home today from Bayou City Spring Festival in Memorial Park, Houston, TX.

I just live 205 miles from the show and I am not sure I should continue doing this show even though it is so close.

Now a little background.... this past weekend was my (I believe) 37th year in a row in the show.  If I lived 206 miles from the show I might just give it up.  My time at the show dates back to the old Westheimer Arts Fest. days.  The show was at deaths door some twenty years or so ago and a young lady came is as the new director with almost no experience.  However, her brain, her personality and her desire to pull this show from the ashes along with her flaming red hear and grit made possible the new birth of westheimer into Bayou City.  She stayed thirteen years and turned the dying show into one of the best in the country... twice a year.  The name of this savior is Lynnette Wallace.  She has been gone from the show for a few years now and both spring and fall have been dying ever since.

To save Bayou City Arts Festival, bring back Lynnette Wallace and any cost necessary ASAP.  Please do the same at The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival.  She built it perfect and has been gone long enough to see a large decline at the Waterway show as well.  The show is still beautiful but the things that made it good are declining.

It is just that simple.  Make this very necessary change or perhaps both Houston shows will not exist in six more years.  I have watched the huge decline in attendance year after year.  Raising all of the prices for the public as well as such things as trying to make the spring show even more huge and the zillion mile walk to the artist parking will all come together and not be a good thing.

RIP Bayou City.  I will keep coming, selling less each year and continue to check the pulse till there isn't even a faint one.

August 6 & 7
Detroit, Michigan
Presented by Integrity Shows
Deadline: May 15

Application fee: $25; Booth fee: $295-$590

The show is near the entry bridge across from the stunning Scott Fountain.  There is ample parking.  As with other art fairs by Integrity Shows, artists are juried on a three year basis.  If you are accepted by the jury you are assured of acceptance annually and re-jury in the fourth year.  Of course you still need to apply on time and your work has to be relatively the same.  We believe that artists should be able to plan at least a part of their schedule.

A healthy advertising budget along with extensive marketing is sure to bring out art lovers.  We partner with local organizations to support the arts and to increase the shows visibility.  The fair is limited in artists to maximize your opportunity for success.

Melanie Rolfes:  I love to read your show reports – they are always full of useful information.  One of the things in your reports that always baffles me is how you get your booth set up and broken down so quickly.  It takes my wife and me between 5 and 7:30 hours to load in and set up our booth, and 3 to 4 hours to break down and load out.  And that is for a single Trimline, not the double you are setting up.  How you are able to get it done in 1:30 hours and 45 minutes amazes me.  What is your secret?

(Rather than post this comment in response to one of your reviews and hijacking the thread, I thought I would start a new thread, hoping others will chirp in with “tricks of the trade” regarding efficient setup and break down, making for a lively discussion on this topic).

I just checked the site and I couldn't find any write-up for the Downers Grove show, mid-September. Anyone out there done this show? Any comments? It is one of Amy Ardmur's Chicagoland shows. She does so many in that condensed area during the good weather months. Is that a good thing or bad? Is it just too saturated with shows that the buyers are fed up; or, are there so many shows because one can't feed enough to the beast?

I am In the middle of the spring marathon of shows. First marathon for me so as already stated my reviews are a bit shorter and pics not included. Just completed two HAE shows in the DC area. Arlington and Fairfax. I have reviewed Arlington a few times already so if you want more info search here on AFI. Fairfax was a first time event for HAE.

Love love the DC area for sales. Have done Arlington as a single show traveling from Atlanta and well worth it. Was excited to have another show in the area to pair up this time. Both are Saturday morning set ups and both are very easy set ups. What a treat. Both shows are about 125 artists both of the areas have $$$. Both shows had amazing work at the shows. For relatively new shows the communities are lucky to have such amazing work to experience. Both shows are extremely well run. Thank you HAE. You make our life easier.

Arlington (as posted above do a search to find out more info where the show is located) is a Saturday morning set up. The street I am located on is wide. We showed up around 6:30-7 am. Drove up right to the booth. Unloaded and parked in the parking garage (we need 7'2" clearance for our truck) costs $4 a day. There is artists parking but for $4 we have our vehicle right near our booth. The weather was perfect both days. In the 70s. If you were on Washington you were in the sun and warm. If you were on Highlands you had lots of shade and needed a jacket. All was good. The crowds were good. Lots of interest and savvy art buyers. As other artists noticed this show now gets patrons from other parts of DC besides Arlington. It is getting a strong following. This show has been very strong for many of us that have done the show a few times.

I have said in the past I believed this show was a strong contemporary show BUT a good artist friend of mine who does traditional small ink drawings tried the show. When she told me she was going to be there I was a bit worried for her. She killed it!!! One of her best shows. Many artists said they had done better this year than in the past. We had a good show but not as great.

It was wonderful to be around for the week in between the two shows because we were able to do some home visits and close some sales. Making Arlington another great show. If we would have gone straight home to Atlanta it would have been ok. We lined up a couple commissions right from the show. The extra sales in the middle of the week was a bonus.

Load out easy peasy. We had always dollied out but that was dumb. By the time we were walking out our last dolly they were letting vehicles in. This year we took it a little slower and waited about 5 minutes more to bring the truck in. We were off 1.15 minutes after the show closed and we're feeling good.

Fairfax. I will try to give a bit more info but for those who were there please contribute. This show is on the streets in a higher end out door mall. Lots of resteraunts. Very pretty. Suburban area. Suburbia is not my usual market. Went the day before set up on Friday to scope it out. This set up looked easy. In my area there was a parking area behind my booth. We showed up around 7am. You could pull into the Main Street to unload but were able to park right behind my booth and stay put until done. Set up the entire double booth in 1.5 hours. That is when it started raining. Parking was not too far for artists. I have my Fitbit so no issue for me and really it was close parking.

Probably Because of the rain on Satirday morning the crowds were not huge. The rain stopped I think about 11 amish. It was a nice day. I saw others making some smaller sales. Originals only large scale for me and didn't have much interest on Saturday. I chalked it up to being a suburban show. This was not my market. Sunday perfect day. Decent crowds. Nothing for me until around 3pm. The show seemed to change and we had lots of interest. This show worked out with folks shopping as we loaded out. We will be in Reston in a few weeks and will be bringing closed sales.

Load out was perfection for us. We got our vehicle behind the booth at end of show and were out in 45 minutes. Would have been 20 minutes if we weren't talking to patrons.

These two shows together were physically easy to do. Since this is my first art fair marathon I was worried about our lineup of shows. Somethings we did to make this easy peasy for us. We rented a house in Vienna. The town is pretty much in the middle of the two shows, about 7-8 miles from each. Only cost $69 a night, cheap for DC and I was able to bring meals with us. I love to splurge on fancy resteraunts but after a show I just want to go "home" and have a healthy meal. The town we stayed in was on the metro line and the bike path that covers 60+ miles of the DC area. As an artist DC is an amazing area to explore. Most museums are free. Love the "vacation" we can have between shows.

I normally am willing to pay extra to stay close to a show especially if they have a Saturday morning set up. Didn't do that this time. I was comfortable with Arlington and knew we didn't need to stay close. Fairfax I was not so sure.

Here is where my spoiled self comes out. My only real issue with Saturday morning set ups is feeling grungy after set up and working all day and talking to patrons, whatever if I am tired. I have been tired many times. Since we didn't stay on site for Fairfax, after setting up I went to a salon near my booth and had them wash and blow out my hair. Cost me $20 and I had a wonderful salon to freshen up. Made all the difference for my spoiled ass. For future shows with Saturday setups I will be looking into this option versus spending extra $$$ for a hotel on site.

Next two shows in town for me. Another two Saturday morning set ups that won't be as easy:(:(:(:(.

August 19 & 20   

Frankfort, Michigan

From the Chamber of Commerce:

• two days
• beautiful time of year for weather & tourism
• spacious booth spaces:  12x12

There is also fun for the whole family with all the downtown businesses as well as a collector car show 3 blocks away, among many other activities that day and great local food.  You might even want to fit in some salmon fishing! 

LATE APPLICATION FEE: Due to the numerous late applications in years past, we are applying a $25 late application fee for ALL applications received after May 1, 2015.

Website & application:  www.frankfort-elberta.com/index

Contact: Joanne Bartley, fcofc@frankfort-elberta.com 

Phone: (231)352-7251
 

For more information about this tourism mecca: www.frankfort-elberta.com

Here is the award i received at the Birmingham magic City Art Fest last weekend. My wife took the photo and I whited out my face so it wouldn't wrinkle the ribbon...

Last weekend we did the Magic City Art Connection which is held in Linn Park, Birmingham, Al.  First of all, Birmingham is our adopted home town.  We have lived in the area for 10 years and have attended to show in the past but this was our first year showing our work. Birmingham acquired the nick name "Magic City", not due to an over abundance of budding David Copperfield wannabes, but because of the rapid growth of the steel industry shortly after the civil war. The show was magic for us.

The venue is an urban park that encompasses a city block.  There are intersecting sidewalks leading to a fountain plaza in the center.  Large, mature trees shade most of the area. A contingent of homeless folks use the park as their home.  They were not particularly pleased to be evicted for the weekend. Last year, three days before the event, the city decided to charge for security which led to having to enclose the park and charge a $5.00 admission fee. With the fence in place the homeless were forced to set up on some benches near the porta potties near the main entrance.  Our booth was on a sidewalk at one end of the show.  We were thankful for the shade.  But the lack of light meant no grass which in turn produced massive amounts of dust.  Next year we will try to pay extra for a spot on the fountain plaza.

Communication before the event was very good.  Load in times were staggered. When we arrived there was ample parking near our spot with a very short dolly distance, all on cement. This is a Friday, Saturday, Sunday show with Thursday set up.  We dodged the rain on Thursday and had everything under cover before the rain started.

Friday started off very well for us.  By 2pm when a passing shower cleared out the crowd, we had the best sales day we have had.  We had two customers that made big purchases with several smaller purchases in between. One of our homeless friends managed to breach perimeter security and asked us for some money to help pay for his new baby's Pampers.  We were skeptical since he was a least 70. Friday night there was an awards presentation followed by a dinner.  We can say the wine served was very good but we could not stay for dinner as we had to go home and print and mat to replace what we had sold, certainly a good problem to have.

Saturday's weather was perfect and the crowds came out to buy.  We doubled our sales from Friday. We were busy all day and barely had time to get something to eat.  I saw a lot of packages going by both big and small.  Our neighbors were metal (mostly yard art but very well done), a print maker, and an abstract painter. All reported very good sales.  We also saw a lot of wood pieces going by and a very wide mix of styles and presentations in 2D art. Again we went home to print and mat.

Sunday was the slowest day.  We still had a very good day. The weather was perfect in the shade but warm in the sun.  There we a lot of people walking by with sweat stained shirts.  

Load out was very well organized and uneventful.  Once taxes were paid we were given a small gray ticket.  When we were completely broken down and ready to load, a volunteer traded the gray ticket for an orange pass to bring in our vehicle.  Again, there was ample close parking.

As far as amenities go, there was water and some breakfast items in the morning, but no one drove around with water etc.  I did not have time to check with anyone about the dinner Friday night but it was a nice thank you to the artists.  I wish we could have stayed for it.  On Saturday and Sunday on one of the perimeter streets there is a fundraiser called Corks and Chefs where 9 of our best restaurants serve small plates of their dishes with wine and beer. There is an admission charge of something like $40.00.  Someone who liked our work gave us two tickets on Sunday.  So we enjoyed some food from our favorite restaurants with some very good wine under a shade tree near our booth.  Since there are two of us we can take turns.   

This was the 33rd year for this show.  It was very well organized, with a dedicated director, Eileen Kunzman, her staff, and a cadre of experienced volunteers. It was by far our best sales show so far. So thanks to the Magic City for a confidence boost and a financial shot in the arm. Hopefully this momentum will carry over to Huntsville next weekend.   

September 16-18

St. Charles, Missouri
Presented by the MOSAICS Festival Committee
100 Artists

Deadline: May 1

Application fee: $30; Booth fee: $295 Single, $395 Corner, $590 (special request)

Join approximately 100 juried and invited artists along scenic historic Main Street in St. Charles next to the banks of the beautiful Missouri River, in the downtown St. Charles shopping and dining district of the popular tourist-friendly community of St. Charles. 

Artists selected by a distinguished panel of jurors will exhibit and sell original art work across a variety of mediums, including painting, clay, sculpture, photography, print making, pastels, drawing, wood, jewelry, metalwork, glass, art to wear and mixed media at all price points. 

Marketing:
We have a comprehensive advertising and marketing campaign throughout the greater St. Louis metropolitan area: TV, Radio, local and regional print media, electronic billboards, promotional banners and yard signs, social media/networking, online/web presence, a full-scale public relations campaign - plus LIVE radio broadcasts from the Festival during the weekend event. 

MOSAICS has increased our advertising coverage in 2016 to increase visibility and traffic at the festival.

Artist amenities include:

• $5,000 in cash prizes to participating artists 
• Complimentary Friday & Saturday night Artist Dinner delivered to booth 
• Booth Sitters and helpful Volunteer staff
• Street access for setup and tear down under the direction of festival staff.
• Assistance with load in/load out before & after the Festival
• Nearby parking and available shuttles; overnight security on Friday and Saturday nights

Chicago- Looking to buy a used Flourish or Lightdome tent. Might be interested in Pro Panels as well

contact me at: dorothy8@flash.net

Had my best show here in the last 25 years. This was also my best show anywhere since last July at Madison.

It could not have come at a better time.

Four days after the show I had $2000 worth of booth fees due for shows between now and Labor Day. A daunting prospect after coming off a miserable March where I did not even gross $5000 in sales at three shows. And the one day show at Gainesville was no help either.

Ellen was in the same boat as me. So we were sweating heavy bullets as we left to setup on Friday afternoon, with a forecast for rain (40%) to hit us during setup. Well, we dodged the rain, it went north of us. Plus, this was a rare show where I got to sleep in my own bed (Ybor).

Setup went well, it can be tight with all the vehicles. Luckily I knew most of my neighbors, the benefit of doing shows for 42 years. We shucked and jives and everybody got set. I slept very uneasily that night, not knowing what to expect. Last time I did it, three years ago, they put me out in the dreaded treeless field of the show. I barely made 2K there.

The show started strong, I got a $545 purchase award before the show opened. By noon, I had crossed the $2K mark. I was selling mainly in the $80-$160 price range, quite nicely.

Ellen sold a big cow right before noon and we going at it neck to neck--just like old times. Which I have not experienced in a long while. We went home to Ybor very fulfilled. Booth fees were covered. Tomorrow we would work on real profit. We stopped at a great sushi bar called "Hooks" high north on Fourth Street in St. Petersburg. I hit this place in Feb after doing the Paragon show in St. Pete. This place gives great value for the buck. Order the $14 hot sake, it is the best deal I have seen in any sushi bar anywhere. It is served in a large metal vessel that just seems to never empty. Seriously, Ellen and I poured and poured into those little cups almost infinite times.

BTW if you like hot sake and like a little kick to it, try this trick. I picked it up at a sushi bar owned by a Korean woman married to a US soldier. It was in Kansas City, during Plaza. Anyways, the Koreans do spices and hot. So the bartender said to put a few slivers of jalapeño in the sake and let the oils from the pepper steep into the drink. Bada Bam! It is heavenly heat.

Sunday we arrived early enough to get Position A with our loyal vans. Someday I will do a great blog about Position A, but probably not before I am about to retire. I ain't giving away one of my most precious secrets. The show serves a great Artist Breakfest, eggs, bacon, sausage, the works. Then they give out great prize money.

Well, Sunday soared for me, better than Sat. I sold 45 16x20 mats and frames. Long time since I did that. Had a killer day and got out of there in one hour.

So, let us get real and talk about how most other people did. This blog is not "All about Nels."

A few of us did really good, but for the rest it was a barely average to below show. I do not know why I soared. I grew up in St. Pete in the 40-ie's. A lot of the mover and shakers in town were my contemporaries. I did not see them at this show. When I did the two Bill Kinney shows in Dec. and Feb. (Paragon) I saw them, but not at Mainsail.

Again, St. Pete is a booming city. I am so proud of my city, nestled between two great bodies of water with a tremendous influx of new retail, residential, and food restaurants going up everywhere. There is plenty of disposable income floating around everywhere. Trouble is, most spend it on the cliche, the predictable traditional and stuff that has been down a million times before. I just guess it was my time.

Two more blogs to come from down south, Melbourne and Fernandina. Then it is up to God's country for the summer--Saugatuck, Michigan. 

I have a great schedule: Summer fair, Columbus, Virginia Beach, Des Moines (the orig show), Boston Mills, Fort Wayne, Ann Arbor, Uptown, Suttons Bay, waiting on Lexington, Lake Forest, St. James. I can live with that.

Later Gators.
Aileen, here I come, Vaughn sends his wishes, so does Ben and Patty.

Captain's Log, stardate 2821.5. In the Star Trek episode “The Galileo Seven”, Spock is adrift in the Galileo shuttlecraft with almost no hope of being rescued by Captain Kirk and the Enterprise. By jettisoning the remaining fuel of the shuttlecraft and igniting it, he is essentially sending out a Hail Mary pass.

After doing two miserable shows last year, I had decided I wouldn't do any shows this year (and maybe not ever again). At age 67 and coming off torn shoulder muscles, doing the physical work involved with art shows gets harder and harder each year.

Captain's log 2016.03.18. About 11:40 in the evening on the deadline date of the St Louis Art Fair, I'm wondering if my luck could possibly change this year. After never being able to get in, I threw my Hail Mary pass and applied. It is one of the top shows and gets over 1,100 applications for under 140 spaces. What the heck, I decided at the last minute to give it one more try. I submitted my application and forgot about it. The other day the e-mail results came in.

Holy s**t, I just got accepted to St Louis. So, reveling in the high you can only get when those hard to get into shows invites you, I paid my booth fee and sat down to write about it.

Larry Berman
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100

I think most artists are old enough to appreciate this.

A cool story. I know many artists who have who have sold artwork to celebrities or have seen celebrities walking shows they have exhibited at. But this is a different kind of situation.

Last week I got a call to scan artwork to create high resolution digital images for reproduction. The artwork I scanned were drawings by guitarist Denny Laine, one of the founding members of the Moody Blues in the mid 1960's.

http://bermangraphics.com/blog/denny-laine-guitarist-and-artist/

Larry Berman
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100