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I'm a 2-D artist selling prints of my digital paintings. I'm exhibiting at the One-of-a-Kind Show at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago for the first time. Two questions for you 2-D artists who have done the show in the past:

1. Should I bring my Pro Panels? Do most 2-D artists use them, or is it better to just stick with the white walls and use nails to hang things? 

2. Booths are given four track lights. Should I order a couple more? How's the lighting?

Thanks, John

We prefer to buy a new one, but if you have a used one that's white, clean & in good condition, please send a picture on here, Thanks!  Kathleen & Steven

 

	Ceramics by Scott Causey

To call this a first-year show would not do it justice. The show is produced by the former publicists for the Palm Beach Fine Craft Show (9 years) and Washington Craft Show (5 years). Many of the artists who made the Palm Beach Fine Craft Show one of the nation's best will be with us at Palm Beach Contemporary.  

The show organizers have earned the trust and respect of the artist community, and will continue to work hard on your behalf. We are locals, having been in this market for more than 25 years, giving us an advantage in terms of media support and organization.

Our story: We have spent nearly a decade building the Palm Beach Fine Craft Show, and when we learned it had been cancelled, our phone and email were inundated with requests from artists, asking us to produce a new show to take its place. We were humbled by their trust, and will do everything in our power to make Palm Beach Contemporary the best it can be.

The Marketing: full page ads in American Craft magazine, as well as PB Post, Sun-Sentinel and other print publications. Our excellent relationship with FLORIDA 

DESIGN assures us of great coverage. We will be on multiple TV and radio stations as well as online, on smart phones, desktops and tablets with over 2 million impressions.

A direct mail campaign will reach 50,000 targeted high income households, and we'll have 2-sided color inserts in the Palm Beach Post and NY Times, reaching a total of 300,000 subscribers in high-income zip codes.

Learn more: www.pbartshow.com /www.facebook.com/pbartshow/
Contact: Jeannette Parssi, jeannette@aeshowgroup.com

Well, I've done it. I've signed a lease on 1000 square feet of gallery in downtown Douglas, Michigan. We'll open for business in May. YIKES! Yes. It's crazy. Most galleries fold in a year or less. And, yes, I can show my work to more people on one weekend at an art fair, than I will probably reach in an entire season in my new gallery. But I'm still gonna do it. Here's why:

1. I did a test run a few years back in a gallery space on the highway outside of Saugatuck and Douglas. I kept that gallery open for one season and actually made money at it. I closed it because of the time commitment required for successfully keeping a gallery business going. I couldn't be there and at art fairs on those important summer weekends. This time I'll be hiring staff and sharing gallery duty with my wife, Marcia and other cooperating artists. I also did not like the location of this gallery.

2. I found a great space in downtown Douglas (instead of out of town on the highway), where art galleries are sprouting up like crazy. When I open in May, the LebenArt Gallery will be one of seven art galleries in Douglas, making the town a real gallery destination for art lovers. 

3. I have to admit it... I am an aging art fair artist, and the rigors of doing weekend outdoor art fairs are starting to get to me. I won't stop doing art fairs, but I plan to slowly ease off and schedule less shows over the next few years until I can see adequate financial success in the gallery.

4. I hope to differentiate the LebenArt Gallery from the other six galleries in town by the artwork I'll be showing. I'm a digital artist and I've enjoyed strong sales of my limited edition prints. My work has surrealistic overtones, with fantasy and humor mixed in. I'll be looking for other artists who want to exhibit similar imagery. The gallery will be heavy on digital art and digital artists, but I will be looking for artists in other media as well... especially 3-D (sculpture, ceramics, glass).

5. I've found some local artists who will exchange gallery time for exhibit opportunities. These artists will retain 90% of sales of their own work plus get a 10% commission on any work they sell while manning the gallery. These arrangements will allow me to remain sane and have a life outside of the gallery. They will also help when both Marcia and I have to exhibit in one of the major art fairs (Milwaukee, Belleville, Cherry Creek, etc.).

So, that's it. Big changes in the works for making a living in this crazy art business. Pop me an email if you'd like to know more about my plans. jleben@lebenart.com

My head is spinning from trying to figure out what happened with Cocoa Beach and the Space Coast Art Festival. Lots of confusion about why it was cancelled, whose fault it was and the challenge of receiving refunds for the artists (which I have heard are in the mail).

So, let's move on. If you're open that weekend and looking for a sweet show, run by artists, nearby, check this out:

Hello ,

         Every year I put together two small art shows on the west coast of Florida.  If you know me you know that I believe in the value of original art.  I publicize “The Best Little Art Show in Englewood” extensively to attract an educated art buying crowd so that every artist in the show will have a successful experience in my home town.  It is important to me to see smiling faces leaving the show after pack up on Sunday so I work very hard to make that happen.  

          I collect cards of amazing artists at the shows I do because my show is invitational, there are no jury fees and no jury, if you’re invited you are “in” provided you send the application back to me before the show fills.

          I have set the dates for my two shows and I hope that you will consider participating.  I have attached both applications for you to read, download, fill out and mail back to me with your check.  The first 60 artists fill the show.

          I'm excited to announce the 1st Annual Englewood Bank & Trust Invitational Thanksgiving Show on Saturday & Sunday, November 26-27, 2016.  Thanksgiving is a very busy weekend here in Englewood but there is never much to do besides eating turkey so I am giving the community a place to shop for original art and meet the artists who create it.  

          The 29th Annual Englewood Bank & Trust Invitational Art Festival is Saturday & Sunday, January 28-29, 2017.  This annual event attracts thousands of art buyers to our community each year looking to add original artwork to their collections.  Widely recognized as one of the best quality small art shows in Southwest Florida, the show fills quickly so send in your application soon if you want to participate.     

            My shows are small, just 60 artists and every year I work diligently to maximize publicity for these events to make them successful for everyone.  I hope they will fit your schedule.  I have attached both applications in PDF form.  Please read them (they will give you all the details you need to know about the area and the show), then print out the applications and send them in.

Please remember:  

~ The show is very Small and it's Invitational which means that I carefully hand pick my artists to have a quality well balanced exhibit.  

~ Each year sales get better and better which means that each year I have more artists accepting a space early.  

~ The show is first come, first served.  The first 60 artists that send in their applications and fees, FILL THE SHOW.  

November 3-December 24
Santa Barbara, California
Paseo Nuevo Shopping Center
Suite 101 (next to Nordstrom's)
50+ artists
Deadline:  October 17

The Yes Store is known for its impressive display of high quality hand-crafted art work including fine jewelry, ceramics, art glass, graphics, mixed media, photography, textiles, weaving, woodworking and somuch more.  This year customers will find us in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara's retail shopping area-the Paseo Nuevo Shopping Center.

*We accept applicants from San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles Counties.

I haven't posted in awhile. I have been busy so figured I would limit my posts to new shows for me.    This past week I attended the Zapp Art Festival Conference in Houston and showed at Bayou City Arts Festival Downtown in Houston Texas.  What a week.  I love me some Texas.

First a little bit on the zapp conference.  This was the first time I have gone.  One of the highlights was I finally had a chance to meet Connie Mettler.  Wonderful person and a great asset at the conference.  The conference was everything I had hoped for and more.  I will be there next year even if I am not doing the show in the same town.  Well worth the expense and time.  They offer an artist track and an Admin track as well as combined meetings.  I wanted to be in two places at once.  All the discussions were eye opening and informative on both sides.  If there are two of you split up.  That is what we did.  Michael attended the artist track and I attended the admin track.  We had two days with artists and show directors across the country mingling together and discussing our business.  I loved all of it. 

The best part for me was the mock jury.  You can send in a jury application and they set up a projected mock jury.  They had top jurors critique our images.  I have sat in on many open juries but those don't offer feedback.  This one did and even if it wasn't your set of slides you learned something from every single app.  That alone was worth the trip.  Zapp did a great job with the conference, selection of venue, discussions and speakers and a good mix of social time.  If possible attend one.  The conference really does deserve its own review.  Maybe Connie is up for that:)

Now the show.  Saturday 10am-6pm same on Sunday.  It was a bit hard on Friday to go from conference mode to show mode.  The conference ended on Friday and set up began late Friday.  The show is in Downtown Houston on the streets.  Houston is the 4th largest city in The States.  There is an $18 entrance fee for patrons but you do get a discount if you buy your tickets online.   The show offers hotel rates for the artists.  Doubletree is at the show.  We stayed at Whitehall since the conference was also held in the same place and about 5 blocks to the show.  The show had free parking for the artists at a lot not too far away.  Easy to walk to but harder to drive because of all the one way streets.  Doing a show for the first time is always stressful especially in a big city.

Load in.  Its downtown on the streets.  All the streets are one way.  I am so happy we were there early to get a lay of the land.  Load in involves lining up and officially they start letting people in at 8pm IF everything is clear.   If you can dolly in do it.  That is what we did.  We were able to start setting up right at 8pm because we dollied.  I think it was 9pm when vehicles arrived at our area.   We were done by 9:30pm and it was getting crazy.  Never so happy to have invested in the best dolly gear for our work.  Worth every penny.    There are some booths in the park.  they were allowed to start setting up around noon on Friday I believe.

Booths are on the streets and across from each other.  Our space was on McKinney in front of city hall.  The street was about 4 big lanes wide.  I think Bagby is a wider street.  Most booths had lots of storage behind on wide sidewalks.  Many artists blew out the back.  Like most shows some are shaded, tall buildings in downtown, and some not so much.  There are also some areas that get more wind then others.   If you are in a shaded area bring lights. 

The weather was close to perfect.  Houston is hot and humid.  Saturday was on the hot and humid side.  Not horrible but I did need to keep my hair up all day.  We never needed our fans though.  Sunday was awesome.  My hair stayed down all day and I don't think I smelled too much like an artist:)  I know many of us have different opinions on gate fees.  One nice thing about gate fees is that the show doesn't start until the official time.   Setting up late into the night on Friday makes it difficult to open up early if people want to start shopping early.  So it was nice that we didn't need to stress out about being ready before 10 am. 

Crowds were lining up early.  The patrons were ready to shop.  they came in strong right at 10 am and we never shut up or sat down until 2 pm.  It took two of us working the booth and we didn't get a break until around 2 pm to take turns to pee.   Sales were good but many were going home to measure.  I was a bit worried about that because of the gate fee.  Patrons were not allowed reentry into the show.  That is a big expense for be backs.   Saturday night we had people email and call us to finalize sales.  So the be backs work a little differently at this show. 

Sunday folks were lined up again to get in.  Crowds were strong  but not as crazy as Saturday.  For us the real big buyers came on Sunday.   we had a great day.  At the end of the show we had  folks contact us or arrive at the booth to try and wheel and deal but the pieces they wanted were gone.  Hope to pull out some commission work from them.

Load out was typical for an event like this. The show has lots of volunteers and they do a good job but a show of this size and on the streets of such a big city is not easy for anyone when it comes to load in and out.  We dollied out.  Again I was so happy we had all the right dolly out gear.  The show closed at 6pm.  They started handing out passes at 7pm.  We were leaving at 7:15pm and cars were just starting to come in.  On a happy side note the sunset was gorgeous during breakdown.  All the colors bouncing off the buildings stopped me in my tracks.   

Over all the show is well run. Excellent communication with the artists. If you read the emails you really didn't have any unanswered questions. Lots of volunteers, booth sitters, water and snacks. They even had an art drop off and pick up tent. If you sold a piece volunteers would pick up your piece and deliver it to a patron pick up tent. Great service. Actually had a patron so weighed down trying to carry her purchases that she dropped a piece and it broke. We contacted the show and they came and got all her purchases and delivered to the tent. She was able to continue to shop and pick up her new work at her convince. Great service.

I finally had the chance to meet The Mr. Nels Johnson.   One of my highlights of the show.  Can't wait to read his take on the show.  I have left out a ton about this show.  There is a lot to cover.   I don't have great pictures or know much about other artists sales.  We were just too busy to get around.  Overall the feed back I have from friends is that they were happy.    The pictures I did post are of our area on Saturday morning and of the Sunday people waiting to get into the show as I ran into the show for opening.   On the way home we would have loved to have stopped over in NOLA but we were too exhausted for that city so opted to stay at one of our favorite bed and breakfasts in Louisiana and be pampered. 

Next time we will do our best to add some time to Houston and visit more amazing Museums.  We did find time to go to Menil Collection.  Awesome.  Rothko Chapel is right there but I was too rushed and wanted to wait until I had more time.   We decided to apply to the spring show after this adventure.  Hope to get in and try that venue.

I did a show in downtown Philadelphia this weekend where there were heavy wind gusts.  Saw 1 tent (not sure of the brand, not an EZup, but was aluminum) have its one front leg lift up 7 feet off the ground and onto the tent next to it. Saw another tent (a Trimline) end up upside down on the other side of a 4 foot fence that ran behind our booths. 

A few reminders:

1) If you have weights hanging from your tent, secure them to your tent legs. In the first instance, the person's weights were swinging in the air after the front of the tent was 7 feet off the ground.

2) if the winds are strong and are coming in from the front of your tent, roll up your sides or at least unzip the back two corners to let the air flow thru your tent.  Both tents had their roofs and 3 sides on them.  Both tents ended up becoming kites. As soon as the wind started, I removed all three of my sides.

3) Have enough weight.  I had 6 GreatWeight bags (from Trimline) each with around 40 pounds of pea gravel.  Both tents that had issues did not have enough weight.

Both exhibitors got off pretty easy - no one got hurt and there was minimal damage to merchandise. Could have been way worse.Please be prepared for wind.

Belleville, IL, hosts one of the finest art shows in the country, the Art Fair in the Square.  Seems like they are out there prepping their audience all year. Here's an article from the etiquette writer of the Belleville News-Democrat, Dianne Isbell, including such ideas as:

(Disclaimer -- she calls the exhibitors vendors, not artists -- still this all applies)

1. Do not take pictures

2. Ask permission first and ask for assistance as necessary if you want to try on something

3. Do not eat food of any kind in a vendor’s area

4. Do not place a stroller in a position that blocks other potential customers from viewing the vendors’ products.

5. MY FAVORITE:  Do not demean a vendor by attempting to haggle with them regarding the price of an item you wish to purchase.

6. Many, many more ...

May 12 & 13, 2017

Presented by: Artisphere
135 Artists

Application fee: $30; Booth fee: $400

Despite its short history, Artisphere has distinguished itself as both a national and regional highlight.  A supportive, art-loving community, beautiful setting, and over 600 volunteers make Artisphere an enjoyable experience for 135 exhibiting artists.  

In addition to a Purchase Awards Program that provides an average of $10,000-$12,000 in art sales Artisphere distributes $15,000 in prize money to eleven award winners each year.  

Average artist sales: $8200

Renowned artist hospitality includes:

• convenient set-up and load-out
• parking, security
• reduced hotel rates
• volunteer booth sitters and complimentary meals  

Artisphere's multi-media advertising campaign markets the festival throughout the Southeast region in print ads, print and digital ads in national travel and leisure publications, and regional radio & television ads.  Artisphere is also marketed through festival brochures, social media, the Artisphere website, and billboards.

Apply:   www.zapplication.org
Learn more:  www.artisphere.org 
Contact:  Robin Aiken, Robin@artisphere.org
Phone:  (864)271-9355

Celebrating it's 15th year of success, the highly acclaimed show is held at one of the most pristine venues in the beautiful Palm Springs Desert Resorts area, the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, home to the BNP Paribas Tennis Tournament.

Artists travel from across the Nation and from as far as Japan, Africa, Central and South America, the United Kingdom, Europe and beyond each year to showcase their contemporary and traditional fine art and high quality craft.

The Festival is consistently ranked as one of the "100 Best Fine Art Shows" in the country by Sunshine Artist Magazine and "Best of the Best Art Festivals" by readers of Palm Springs Life Magazine.

• Easy artist check-in and express check-out
• Real-time show updates and communications
• Complimentary artist hospitality with fresh snacks and beverages
• Privately gated venue with 24-hour security and unparalleled state-of-the-art facilities which include on-call booth sitters; free Wi-Fi internet access; luxury on-site restrooms
• Live jazz and entertainment designed to indulge and motivate buyers
• Guests are greeted as VIPs with free and valet parking available, event programs, and free 'be-back' passes
• Interactive activities and artist demonstrations
• gourmet specialties at the Gourmet Market Place lining the festival entryway
• Local charities incorporated as Festival Partners, with donations towards their are scholarship funds
• Sat. & Sun. "Eggs + Champagne in the Garden" brunch menu till noon
• Champagne Circle Bar and RumChata Bar service, and full-menu restaurants in the shaded courtyard pavilion

         

March 31-April 2
Tempe, Arizona
Downtown on Mill Avenue
10 am to 5:30 pm
300 Artists
Deadline: October 10

Application fee: $35
Artist Booth Fees: A 10 x 10 booth space is $535-$575 depending on your location in the show
Cottage Edible/Crafts Fees: 10 x 15 booth space is $500

In its 41st year, more than 400 fine artisans will display and sell original work amid a street festival atmosphere in Downtown Tempe. A beloved and award-winning tradition, this event is the largest art festival of its kind in Arizona, hosting as many as 225,000 visitors.

What show is a "must attend" show for you, on your calendar every year? 

Do it now before you forget

Seems the organizers of the Space Coast Art Festival in Cocoa Beach, FL, couldn't get it together and have cancelled the event just now. 

COCOA BEACH — After a 52-year run there will be no Space Coast Art Festival this year and, apparently, no refunds for artists who signed up to participate in the event.

However, next year organizers have secured Manatee Park after reaching a deal Tuesday with the city of Cape Canaveral. John Alexander, chairman of festival, known as SCAF, said it was too late in the game to get the park for this year's show.

"It just wasn't humanly possible," Alexander said.

Sounds like there won't be refunds for artists. 

Learn more: http://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/2016/09/29/bdb-rp-space-coast-art-festival-year-boil-your-water-and-fires/91234006/

Were you planning on being there this Thanksgiving weekend?

Last weekend was the 2nd annual River Clay Fine Arts Festival in Decatur, Alabama.  We were there for the first festival last year, making this our first repeat show. Decatur is located in north central Alabama on the banks of Wheeler Lake, a part of the Tennessee River system. The site is the park surrounding city hall in the downtown area and adjacent to a new arts center located about a block away. 

There were approximately 80 artists.  From our observations the quality of the work was very high, which made what happened later all the more surprising. Set up is on Friday based on an on line sign up. You have to dolly to your space which is not that big of a deal since there are volunteers and jail trustees to help with the heavy lifting. At 5pm there is a preview party and reception for folks who bought a ticket.  Artists are allowed to partake of the wine and beer, as well as the great food at the art center afterwards.  

It was very hot all weekend with temps in the mid to upper 90s.  Saturday started with good crowds but faded in the afternoon as the temps rose.  Toward 3pm the crowds picked up right until closing at 5pm. Artists we spoke with at the Sunday hospitality were generally very happy with their sales. Ours were OK. 

Sunday was better for us.  We made two big sales with some smaller ones mixed in.  Others we spoke with reported mixed results.  Quite frankly as hot and humid as it was, I am surprised the crowd was a big as it was.  We had the best spot in the whole show with constant shade and breeze. It was actually pleasant most of the day. Maybe that was why folks lingered more than usual in our booth. When we added up the totals we did very well here, especially since we had minimal expenses.

Break down was uneventful.  You grab a spot at the curb when you are ready to load.  Again, the trustees and the local hockey team were there to help. One of the high school hockey players asked Sara what all the sand bags were for.  I guess he was tired of the heavy lifting.  

This is an artist focused show that is a lot of fun to do.  It enjoys great community support, even with unbearable heat.

Here is the best part, we won Best of Show. There were three judges who took the time to speak with everyone.  They traveled the show in a group.  They asked a lot of questions and were very interested in how we processed our images.  Sara was in the air conditioned bathroom when they came by the booth with the awards.  I asked them to come back so she could be as surprised as I was. We had hit a sales lull due to the heat on Saturday afternoon.  I told her I felt our day was going to get better and at that moment the awards group came back, perfect timing. DSC_4180.jpg 

Well, its off to Ontario for my daughter's wedding.