Blog

February 25
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Kalamazoo Expo Center and Fairgrounds
Presented byRoad Wife Productions LLC 
(Bonnie Blandford & Michael Kifer)
150+ artists depending on the number of double booths
Deadline:  October 1

Application Fee:  $20

It's 7 hours of as much fun as we can make it and the focus is all on helping you sell your work.  This is the show to sell your leftovers, seconds, the last one left and those pieces that only you love at a discount.  

Along with your art, you're welcome to sell items you've traded for over the years and some supplies although the work you applied with must be primary in your booth.  

No buy/sell.

In 2016 we had 5,000 people come through the show ($5 paid admission so we know exact numbers).  Weather is rarely an issue, they are lined up and waiting.

Rent a couple of tables, make some fun signs and sell it! 

                 Learn more:  www.GarageSaleArtFair.com 

I noticed on http://festivalinthepark.org/ that Charlotte’s “Festival In the Park” this weekend is still going ahead as scheduled, despite the Charlotte riots and curfews.  I was wondering how that is working out.  Are the artists and crafters actually setting up?  What were they told by the promoter?  Will anyone show up tomorrow and Sunday?  Are the police actually able to provide credible security?

March 17, 18 & 19 
Winter Park, Florida
Central Park along Park Avenue
225 Artists

The 58th Annual Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival is one of the nation's oldest and most prestigious juried fine art shows. It consistently ranks among the most highly regarded outdoor art shows in the nation as artists compete for one of the largest cash awards ($72,500) among the top shows.

Along with cash awards our enthusiastic Patrons Program is expected to spend more than $70,000 in Patron Bucks this year. 

The show is conveniently located in Central Park, a beautifully landscaped area whose surrounding streets are closed during the festival to allow for foot traffic only. 

Artists' booths nestle under large oak trees in the park and line Winter Park's Park Avenue, the heart of a charming downtown with brick streets, unique boutique shops, and inviting outdoor cafes and bistros.

Attendance usually reaches 350,000 people for the three-day event. 

Highlights:

• Ranks #5 in the nation and #1 in the southeast by Sunshine Artist magazine in their 2015 list of Best 200 Fine Art and Design Shows
• Ranks #2 in Art Fair Calendar's 2015 America's Best Art Fairs survey
• Presents $72,500 in 63 cash awards including a $10,000 Best of show purchase award, a $5,000 Art of Philanthropy Award purchase award and a $2,500 Award for a Distinguished Work of Art given by the Morse Museum of American Art
• Lists artists' names, art image and contact information in Art Festival Magazine and on the website
• Celebrates with a Saturday Night Artists' Award Dinner
• Produced by an all-volunteer board that focuses on the artists' success
• Booth sitting on call
• Remember, no signatures showing on artwork, not signage or people in booth shots
• Emerging Artists encouraged to apply, see  www.wpsaf.org for details

Apply today: www.Zapplication.org

 
For more info: www.wpsaf.org

E-mail: WPSAF@wpsaf.org, (407) 644-7207

How does an art festival plan its budget? What's so hard about putting on a small event and what about those big blockbuster events with sponsors, good prize money and hopefully buyers.

Show organizers and those who are curious about the work involved should find this article from the Chicago Tribune really interesting. Expo Chicago, September 22-25, is one of those big international events. Like the ones we do? Not exactly, but the planning, risk taking and dreaming sounds very familiar.

I loved this article about how Tony Karman brought an international event back to Chicago (Navy Pier) and made it competitive, luring galleries, patrons and artists back to the city. 

"For years," says international fine arts consultant Helyn Goldenberg, "before Miami and all the other shows that we have now, Chicago had an art fair, which was the best art fair in the country, period. It lasted a long time, and then like many things outlived its usefulness and it went away."

Karman is dedicated to keeping the arts alive and vital ... "Still, when he steps forward to make his opening remarks at the fifth Expo Chicago, the moment won't lack emotion. "Tony doesn't stand at home and practice his speech," his wife Sondra says. "He can put all the pieces together, but until the doors open and the people walk in, you never know what the energy is going to be. For him it's like opening a present and seeing what the package holds."

Everyone is working hard here, sometimes when you open the present it is coal and sometimes it is all you hoped it would be.

Read it here: http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-tony-karman-expo-chicago-ent-0922-20160921-story.html

Lu was accepted for the first time in at least 10 years. This is probably the most artist friendly show that we have ever done. Lu was impressed from the moment that she went to check in and came back to tell me about the most helpful woman who checked her in.

We then went to set up our tent and found that we had a fence post in the middle of it, as we were trying to figure out what to do, our block captain came by and asked if their were any problems, we told him about the fence post and he said wait a minute and I will make a call. The show director showed up and said to move our tent down a couple of feet to where there was not a post to interfere.  Lu ended up being able to hang on both sides of her display.

The show has a catered breakfast each morning and a catered supper on Saturday night. we were constantly being asked if their was any thing that we needed and being told that this was an artist first Art Show.

On Saturday I noticed that one of the grease covers on my trailer axle was missing and I needed to replace it. I did not have a caliper to measure the size that I needed to replace it with. I asked our block captain if he knew of anybody who could help and he said he would check, about 20 minutes later one of the volunteers known as AKA McGyver showed up and asked what he could do to help and I explained my problem and he said he would se what he could do.

The next morning (labor day Sunday) we are walking to our tent when McGyver shows up and he has the right size grease cap for me. He had come back to the show after he had gone home and measured for me and then went out early Sunday morning an purchased the grease cap. He even refused payment for the grease cap and his time.

Now to the show! It was one of the best shows we have had in sometime, probably back to last years FT,. Worth Main Street. We sold one large painting and 18 in the $100 -$500 range. We were amazed at the buying that was going on around us. We had a furniture maker across from us who sold a $14,000 table and several other smaller tables and at lest one standup desk. Next to him was a Metal sculptor who sold several $500+ sculptures.     

2016 Saint Louis Art Fair Artist Award Winners

Best of Show

Paveen “Beer” Chunhaswasdikul 

Ceramics

Trudi Van Dyke Jurors Award

Deborah Falls 

Fiber

Karla Prickett Jurors Award

Susan Mahlstedt

Jewelry

Maria Phillips Jurors Award

Matthew Cornell

Painting

Emerging Artist Award

Laura Lloyd

First Place

Susan Ebright & Sally Linville

Sculpture

Donna D’Aquino

Jewelry

Thomas Wargin

Sculpture

Aaron Hequembourg

Mixed Media

Suzanne Schmid

Jewelry

Thomas Spake

Glass

Susan Hill

Fiber

Robert Farrell

Metalwork

Micheal Paul Cole

Photography

Delores Fortuna

Ceramics

Second Place

Gena Ollendieck

Mixed Media

Deborah Mae Broad

Printmaking

Hetty & Norman Metzger

Fiber

Lawrence W. Oliverson

Photography

Steve Jones

Mixed Media

Kreg Yingst

Printmaking

David Bryce

Sculpture

Paul Eshelman

Ceramics

John Herbon

Ceramics

Kemper

Painting 

PODCAST: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 5 PM ET

The fastest way to earn money with your art is to participate in art fairs. The buyer enters your booth, loves the work, hands you the payment and your work has found a new home. It's not always that easy of course, but it has worked for years for thousands of artists.    

Many artists have multiple streams of income including gallery representation, selling work online, image licensing, hosting studio tours, participating in small boutique events and being in gallery shows. How about your own gallery? The nearby empty storefront beckens you.

Today's show includes digital artist John Leben, supporting himself for over 40 years in the arts who is contemplating opening a gallery. Unlike art fairs this is a 365 day commitment. John wants to know: should he do it? Read his opportunity here.

Joining the discussion is artist Sandhi Schimmel Gold, the "Queen of Junk Mail Art." About a year ago she posted Towel ... Throwing ... in on ArtFairInsiders.com where she announced she was opening a gallery. Sandhi will share her adventures in moving from the streets to her own art gallery.

Terri Belford is a business consultant. She started her first business in her 20's and has developed numerous others since then.  Her last business was a gallery of fine art and contemporary craft that continues to thrive under the direction of a new owner. She blogs at craftbizblog.com.

Should John open a gallery? Sandhi and Terri give him some answers.

Have you been part of a gallery operation? Do you have some useful information on this topic? or questions to be answered? Put them in the comments below.

Do you want to be part of this podcast? Comments welcome, contact me, and I'll add you to the program. 

Click here to listen live: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/artfairs/2016/08/30/judges-jurying-awards-at-art-festivals

This was last weekend in downtown Birmingham,Michigan right on the street--Old Woodward Avenue. This show is produced by the Ann Arbor Guild but you do not have to be a member to do it. It is on Zapp.

For the second year in a row, weather killed the attendance on Saturday--rain, until about 3pm. The crowds never showed up even though we still had over three hours to sell. This basically made it a one day show.

A couple of artists that I know made serious money that day. One, a batik painter sold a very expensive piece--the right person came along. The potter behind me sold steadily in spite of the rain. Me, I barely talked to 20 people, I had. $200 day, whoopie!

This is a long-running show, but it is newer now on the street. Originally, it was held in nearby Shain Park (Ironically, they hold their May show in the park, but not this one--go figure), that location was a killer show for most of us for many years.

Also, the Arts n Apples show (nearby Rochester) was the same weekend as Shain Park. Customers would visit both shows and we all made out. Now AA Rochester is a different weekend. For me, the street show has never been a winner, I make a slight paycheck but I cannot even gross 2K there. Others do.

Birmingham is a very wealthy north Detroit suburb. Lots of moola here. They dress very nice and walk around with expensive dogs. Once in a while they buy something. Overall, they are very traditional in their choices of art. They are not my crowd.. I need younger, hipper customers. Not many here.

The show is a typical Guild scrimmy layout. They give you a whopping two feet of common space to share with your rear neighbor. Inventory storage is tricky here. Side to side the booths are squeezed so tight that it is almost impossible to get to a side tarp and roll it up or down. They have plenty of room side to side but they squeeze us all in. The Guild used to be smarter years ago, but the present regime is not as kind. Hey, they do give you cold water. And, they have a tent with the usual goodies for artists. Lots of bananas. OK enough beating up on the Guild. They do an adequate job.

I saw more serious art bought in 3D than 2D. The glass and metal sculptor couple next to me cleaned up on Sunday. Lots of 1K pieces went out of their booth.

Sunday was a beautiful weather day with better crowds and sales were improved. I did almost $1500 then, if I had a similar Saturday this would be a good show. Sales started around noon and petered out by 4pm. Show was over at 5pm. This is one of those shows you just have to try once and see if it is your crowd.

Now, I will give a sort of Tequila Report--The wonders of downtown Pontiac after dark. I can hear the snickers, read on, you might learn something.

For the show I got to stay with good friends who are longtime residents of Pontiac. Since I got to stay free, I took them out for dinner and drinks Saturday. We hit Mitchell's Seafood for dinner in nearby Rochester Hills. Parker and Parker country. After dinner I got a bug up my ass. I said, "show me downtown Pontiac, I have never been there." I was buying drinks, and not driving, they gleefully obliged.

I had this preconception of Pontiac. I figured it was this big industrialized town with great buildings and lots of grit. I know it has fallen on hard times. And, I figured if I got disappointed with Pontiac, then they could take me to downtown Buick or Cadillac. Whatever.

Boy was I wrong. First off, there is no downtown Buick, I guess they sold it off to the Arabs and they made an amusement park out of it. Actually, downtown Pontiac is a very small, compact town. Not much larger than the village of Saugatuck where I live in the summer. There are lots of cool old buildings. It is very walkable, and there are a jillion bars and restaurants there. Granted, many are closed now, but many are on the verge of reopening.

Lots of new lofts and apartments where millenials are inhabiting. They do not have to get in their car. They can easily walk to and easily crawl back. This town is on a comeback. And, as my friends so astutely pointed out, it is at the epicenter of a whole bunch of highways that take you everywhere in a matter of minutes. You have Woodward, Telegraph road (alas, I could not find Dire Straits anywhere, it put me in dire straights) M-59 and I-75 all there. Pontiac has a future.

We did copious shots of Makers Mark at the Liberty Bar and the bill was cheap. Check out Pontiac--but do not go to the Buick Amusement Park.

Later Gators.l

Four Days of Incredible Art & Events

With the fall art show season rapidly approaching, now is the perfect time to finalize your exhibition plans. What better way to showcase your extraordinary work than to exhibit at the 8th annual Art San Diego this November 3-6? We anticipate that over 18,000 art enthusiasts and more than 60 galleries will convene at Art San Diego 2016. Take a look at video highlights from last year's show, then register today to get the best booth space possible for 2016.   EXHIBIT AT ASD > JOIN THESE EXHIBITORS When you present your work at Art San Diego, you'll be among a select group of 60+ exhibiting artists and galleries from around the world. Here's a sample of some of the esteemed exhibitors you'll be joining in 2016: JBIS Contemporary * Empress Contemporary Gallery * Carini Arts * Vermeeren Fine Art* James Paterson Fine Art * True West Gallery   REGISTER TODAY > WHY OUR SHOWS? The most meaningful reviews come from our exhibitors themselves, who have witnessed all the ins and outs of creating an amazing show. Here are just a few sentiments from past exhibitors:  "I would like to personally thank you for putting on such an excellent event. Art San Diego was my first large art fair and it couldn't have been better. I really appreciate the staff and volunteers for all of their help and assistance." -Angelo T. Robinson, ATR Fine Art "Your staff at the show was fantastic! We had a great experience as participants at the show and will certainly consider doing the show again next year. We sold five pieces for a total of $17,000." -David Bardwick, David Alan Collection   SEE PHOTOS >   WE'LL COVER THE SHIPPING Interested in exhibiting at more than one RMG show? We'll provide complimentary storage and shipping between shows as part of our Free Freight Program, saving you thousands of dollars. That's right-we'll get your artwork to Miami from San Diego or send it on to Indian Wells or New York. You tell us your next show and we'll help you take advantage of this huge opportunity to save money while showcasing your work to multiple audiences!   LEARN MORE >   Got any questions? Contact our team; they'll be happy to help you in any way possible. We hope to host you in San Diego's beautiful Balboa Park this November! Sincerely, The Art San Diego Team

	CONTACT US: sales@art-sandiego.com

Made in Ohio is always labor day weekend, held in the historic living museum known as Hale Farm and Village.  Hale is a representative of an 18th century Ohio farmland village, made of buildings brought to the property.  From the parking lot you can see the Hale house and Barn, and through a short trail you walk into a village green lined by vintage homes and buildings.  For labor day weekend this bucholic sight is embellished with 100+ white tents filled with amazing art, handcrafted furniture, clothing and so much more.  Its a favorite event of ours - but i have to say we always take a deep breath at the start wondering what the weekend will hold because some years have been stellar, others a drought of buyers.

But this year surpassed our expectations.  The organizer and promotor went beyond expectation with her efforts to publicize the event, and her efforts showed with substantially larger crowds than usual.  And they were buyers.  By the close of the first day we had exceeded sales for the entire weeked the year before.  Sunday was the icing on the cake, with brisk sales.

Im not sure of all of the dynamics that made this such a great weekend - I can tell you the weather was perfect mid 80s sunshine with a gentle breeze, and everyone was enthusiastic.  but i am wondering if one thing i did made a difference -

I paint silk - in the studio i drew the outline pattern on a piece of silk, then stretched it on a stretcher, and dragged it with me to the show, and spent the weekend painting it, and allowing kids try their hand at painting inside the gutta lines.  Amazed how many kids were entusiastic to try (and a couple adults too...) and overwhelmed by the crowds that would gather, ask questions, watch, etc. 

So my question is this - do you (if you are able to) demonstrate your work at art shows?  If you do, in your opinion might that have an impact in increasing sales? 

I loved the experience, and learned so much watching and talking with the patrons that weekend.  As an introvert this was quite a challenge to step out of my box, and provide a visual education of what i do.  I was stunned by one guy that said "oh heck, you actually paint your silk scarves? I thought you just buy them that way and sell them."  My only thought is if i offered a touch of education to that misguided person Yeah!!! 

If you are ever considering this show in Northern Ohio on labor day weekend - go for it. 

Before too much more time has passed I wanted to share our experience at Arts, Beats, and Eats this past Labor Day weekend. It was a good show for us in that we made pretty good money and we had a great time doing so.  The event is in its 19th year and as the name suggests combines music, food and art in a community celebration.  Its current venue is several blocks of downtown Royal Oak, a trendy community north of Detroit.  There is a minimal charge to get in, $3.00 before 11am and $5.00 thereafter.  Once in the perimeter you can enjoy five sound stages and the juried art show.  Food and drink including beer and wine have to be purchased via a ticket system.  

The juried art show is segregated from the rest of the festival with signs clearly marking the line of demarcation. There are 130 artists laid out on three streets in a 'Z" pattern. Those on the top of the "Z" got to set up starting at 2pm as that street was closed earlier than the rest.  The remainder set up starting at 7pm due to a delay closing the other streets. We were at the bottom of the "Z" on Lincoln street.  Set up on our street was fairly mellow.  Most left at 10pm as the show did not start until 11am leaving plenty of time to finish up in the morning. You drive right up to your spot to unload.  Our location also enabled us to drive very close in the mornings to resupply.  

The art portion of the festival runs 11am to 9pm Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  Monday hours are 11am to 5pm.  There is competent after hours security.  A free parking pass was provided allowing us to use bagged meters on Main street just outside the venue perimeter.  We were also provided with two pages of food and drink tickets, but word to the wise bring your own water and other essentials. Even though the hours were long it was enjoyable. We had great neighbors and the folks coming into our booth had smiles on their faces and good attitudes.  Since we work as a team, we were able to take turns walking around the festival taking in some of the music. I walked the art fair three times and was very impressed by what I saw.  The festival staff was genuinely concerned about artist success. By the way, the weather was perfect all weekend.

Load out was typical with a pass required to bring vehicles in once everything was down.  There was a little traffic snafu but other than that everything went fine.

Our sales were OK.  We had one sale of $450.00 and the rest was prints out of the bins, but we sold a lot of them so we came out in the black.  We only spoke extensively with our immediate neighbors.  One was a first timer like us who said her sales were OK but not what she had hoped for.  Our other neighbors had done the show in the past and in the same locations as this year and their sales were down. I would say that there was a crowd flow problem with getting them to make the turn onto the bottom leg of the "Z".  It seemed as though we got about half the traffic as other areas.  Several of the artists spoke to staff about this issue and I think some changes are being considered.  

Lastly, there are several good eateries along Main street as well as some within the festival perimeter.  We opted to go out for dinner after the show closed.  It was definitely a party atmosphere but we loved it. We stayed with family in the area but the festival had a good deal worked out with a local hotel that was also a sponsor of the event. We will definitely apply to this one next year.  

This pass two weeks there is been attack to photographers in Art Fair Reviews (Facebook Group). This coming from photographers and others.

I really like to collect pottery but when I start seeing what my friends Chad Jerzak, Adam Egenolf and Thomas Harris do to produce the work they do and what entitle  I appreciated a bit more. Each one of them has a unique style. More interesting was to learned how much the equipment cost to produce the work. 

Wood working is something that enjoy since I am kid but never took as career. I took photography because I never been good with story telling but I found that with my photography I can communicate my feelings, desires, emotions and explore my insecurities. Every time I take a picture I am dealing with one those. Started in black and white and move to color. I learned that subject matter will determinate if the image will be in color or black and white. I started with with film and did not change to digital format until 2014. I have all my stupid reasons but I decide to get with the modern age. 

I good camera and computer + software is not economical. Space in my place in premium. Search different alternatives and came with a system that work good for me. I take the pictures, go home, select the image that i like, open the raw files and bring to life, prepare the file for my lab and two days later I get my large pieces and start framing them. 

For the galleries none of images go pass an edition of 25 of the image. For the art fair it goes to 250. This limited me to not produce commercial merchandise that devalue my work. I put effort and care in my work. I had a dream when came to Chicago to study photography in 1992. I am living my dream. I am proud of living my dream. I work hard for my dream. 

If you do not consider this process not fine art artistic is nothing I can do to change your mind.

For those that do not understand why photography or digital art is fine art and feel to the need to keep attacking this mediums I will suggest to work in craft forget about us. We live in capitalism society and jurors are the buyers not the artists. Your attacks are no any more insulting than when an idiot said to painter my kind can put strips colors together and make that. Or my kid can cut images from other outlets in create a colleague. 

If you think we have it easier than you you need to in field trip with few of us. We had been force a set rules that some people consider not fair because other medium can not do it. This story get old very fast. Those metal prints devalue the craft the answer is most likely, those canvas prints do that also and my images can pass as painting if start producing in canvas but feel that wrong and devalue the craft. Those the technology has devalue the craft yes it had done it. Those technology make our craft easier and your not that is not the photographers, digital artists etc. Painter now can paint in iPad pro and print the pieces in canvas, water color paper or any other paper media. Maybe instead of attacking you should consider learning more about the new out lets give you. 

I found myself trying understand what is wrong with artists. I friend told you will think the art fairs artist will be closer group of people but instead they work against each other. It is hard to find artist that help each other. There is no reason to put somebody down to make you feel superior. If you want to know how america will be great again is by learning to understand and help each other and not putting limits and walls.

March 2-5, 2017 
La Quinta, California
Presented by: La Quinta Arts Foundation
220 Artists
Deadline: September 30

Application Fee: $50; Booth Fee:  $275-$775

La Quinta Arts Festival is held on the spectacular grounds of the La Quinta Civic Center Campus, a life-size picture postcard framed by majestic mountains, lush green lawns, and a lake.  This spectacular outdoor gallery extolled by Art Fair SourceBook as "the most stunning festival site in the country" is currently ranked #1 Fine Art Festival in the Nation.

Hosting 220 of the nation's foremost contemporary artists, this four day show attracts an affluent demographic and wealthy snowbirds who have second homes in the southern California desert.  The festival runs concurrent with the HITS Horse Show which attracts the most accomplished equestrian riders in the world and is the weekend before the BNP Tennis Open March 6-18. This ensures hotel availability for art patrons and artists.

Noteworthy:

• Gross art sales 2014-2016 averaged $2.9 million per year.
• Average art sales 2014-2016 was over $12,000
• Innovative online Jury process by qualified jury members per category who independently evaluate one medium over a three day period
• Dedicated 24/7 Artist Hotline-contact booth sitters by cell phone
• 24 hour private security and Police
• Leisurely 2 day set-up and tear-down. Paid Labor assistance with flatbed golf carts available
• Artist Hospitality includes morning and afternoon snacks, chilled bottled water throughout the day, a gourmet lunch box delivered daily to each booth. (Artist selects lunch order.)
• Impressive Artist Award Reception
• Booth fees from $275-$775-all booths located on lush grass!
• Year round exposure to art buyers on www.LQAF.com Artist Galleries, $100 annual fee.

Please note:

La Quinta Arts Festival requires the Artist to pay a show fee of 20% of all art sales made at, or as a result of participating in La Quinta Arts Festival. A low booth fee of $275 for a 12x12 space means minimal up-front investment to participate, and allows LQAF to be successful only if the artists are successful. The 220 participating Artists are the stars of our show. Art patrons come for the high quality art! 

I was very excited to get into the Sausalito arts festival. At least from my research this show was the show highest on my list. There were several bumps in my plans as I got ready and the stress I put on myself left me wiped out before I got started. I was going to have to learn everything a newbie learns at the one show my heart had always wanted to do. So how did I do?

Well first I want to thank Lucia Friedericy, her advice was very useful in pricing and Larry when it came to photos.

I think I did well, well meaning I stood nearly the entire time and spoke to everyone in my booth and I was polite to those who asked me details that shouldn't matter, for example: how long does it take you to do a sculpture? and how do you come up with your ideas? I have some of those answers on a banner by the way. I didn't get stressed even though one of my sculptures was broken by a volunteer. I didn't have any of my social anxieties flair up I was so concerned about.

The first evening after setup we had to run and get cleaned up and be in the booth for the gala party people who would be coming through as the went to the party. This was something I didn't know about, due to no paperwork given until we checked in.

That evening I had already been awake for nearly 2 days, I needed sleep. In my booth entered a very nice man in a tux and he asked me questions that just seemed like he wasn't serious, but he was. He handed me his business card and said everyone at the show knew him and he would be back to pay for a particular sculpture. I know I was shocked to sell something but also I wasn't convinced he was for real. I quickly googled him and found out indeed he was someone everyone but me knew. He apparently was someone high up in the duties of the show and he owned 7 food markets one of which my car was currently parked in front of. I became certain he would return so I wrapped the sculpture and was thrilled. The show hadn't started yet and I was in the race!

Day one I sold 360.00 worth of art, day 2 I sold nothing, and the man came back to check on me. When I told him of my sales he was disappointed. He said, he thought his purchase would give me a great start. Part of me thought crap he didn't like my art, it was a mercy sale! my mind spun out of control, do I just let him off the hook, after all he hadn't paid yet. day three came and just at the very end someone spent 800.00 with me and then the man came back. He said he hoped his wife will like it. I thought well he bought it as a gift to his wife, I know I like it. Okay, I will feel good about this. So in the end I sold about about 2235.00. It cost me in expenses 2500.00 plus all that generally comes with a show and I am not counting the broken statue at $1350. So okay it wasn't good but it was my first show.

Now for what I learned, Yes there was foot traffic, loads of it. I would say I have visited maybe 15 shows and this was the busiest I had ever seen. I would say wealthy people with good vocabulary skills not fake wealth. Polite people, people I would like to live around. No one said one rude thing to me. Where I live rude is all you hear. People especially the wealthy were uplifting and encouraging. I told several people that is was the first real show I had done and not to feel uncomfortable, that I just was people to see my artwork that I have never had the opportunity to share, so please take their time in my booth and look my art. Most people responded to that and actually I felt less pressured.

At least a hundred people asked for my card, not just picked it up as a collection. I felt like I was taking my time to get to know the people that came to this show. I would say that at least 20 people said to me, are you new I don't ever remember seeing you, and I always come to the show. There were people who had been coming for 30 years. People shook my had and gave suggestions. It was a very good experience for me. 

When I first came to art fair insiders I was just at the beginning of learning about shows and building courage to show my work. I was an introvert hidden away for many years. It had almost been 28 years since a violent sexual assault crime was committed against me by a customer of mine along with 6 other men (I was a sign painter). I had lost my memory, but my body felt the trauma and I was in constant fear.  fairly soon afterward closed my business. When my children grew up and I had told myself I would resurface and get better. I waited 20 years and went back out to the world to paint signs.

The first sign I painted was at a restaurant. While painting that sign in broad daylight I was assaulted again, my shoulder was dislocated and drug down the street by my throat then, I was doused with alcohol and I was afraid I would be lite on fire. I was rescued by the cook. I went into shock and stayed in that state.  No one really knew how traumatized I was cause everyone was so busy in my life. I stayed home most of these years afraid to drive, afraid to go outside, even though I did those things they made me scared. I have spent years trying to move forward with a completely different direction sculpture. Being among this many people and being able to be okay for my husband to run off and have fun at the show was really nice. I felt like I was going to get my life back. So even though the business numbers don't add up to a good show for me it was. So when you read what comes next you'll understand a bit of my concern.

So the last night at the show it had already ended by minutes we were closing up. I had planned to pack the next day because there would be security and this was an option offered. I had planned on sleeping one more night at the trailer park and loading my trailer with my sculptures the next morning. Unfortunately there was a volunteer who said he was drunk but he wasn't he was drugged. Anyway this volunteer walked into the lady next to me tent and walked into her back area. The lady followed him and I started hearing her yell security.

I had spent years jumping to everything and being scolded to stop over reacting, so when I heard her I thought she was just playing with this guy. finally I walked over to check things out and he was flat on his back in behind her wall of her tent and she was trying to coax him out of her tent. He had tried to climb the 18 foot fence around the festival and fell. He got back up and  had a very dark sense about him and said he wanted to walk on top of the tents and proceeded to try to climb her tent. He climb a painters tent as well that was next to her. He destroyed a lot of merchandise and her hand was seriously injured.

I asked my husband to guard my sculptures and went looking for security. They had already been told and were slowly walking to the scene. The lack of energy and response very much bothered me. So I had no confidence in leaving my sculptures. The show it's self tried to help the artist and well they were in constant communication until the end.

So I know I decided to expose myself in this post, it is how I originally showed up here at art fair insiders and felt it was time to explain a bit why I had to go slow and do things in just a certain manner. And why I look at this show in it's value for me the way I do. The weather was pleasant and over all I think the show has a possibility of being better next year. Next year I will have pieces a prices more around 400.00- 800. and if the election year matters then that won't be an issue. This was the going consensus I walked away with and it seemed to be in agreement with people who had spoken to me before the show.

Bottom line is: you need first to work on how to become irresistible to the art fair audience, how to get their undivided attention, how to become relevant.

Can they get something similar at TJ Maxx or Pottery Barn? Whoops ... something missing here!

People need to understand what you are about, why does it matter to them and what is in it for them. Have any time for social media? Show off your new work on FB -- and how is that website?

If there are people at the art fair it isn't because they didn't have anything else to do (think Saturday afternoons in the fall in America ... college football comes to mind for me) and they are walking down Walnut Street or Westheimer or Meramec or State and glancing around ... 

P.S. unless you missed John Baun and John Houle's discussion about this marketing last week, here it is again: http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/apples-to-apples

Estes Park is the gateway to the east side of Rocky Mountain Park.  There are many summer homes in the area and it is a destination for a broad spectrum of nationalities, income levels, and interests.  I started doing this show in 2010, and I have done it every year since then.  I also do the Memorial Day show in Estes Park.   The show is produced by the Estes Valley Sunrise Rotary, Inc. and they do an all-around EXCELLENT job!!!!  The town is packed for the weekend, and leading up to the show there was a lot of promotion on Facebook.  Este Park is a destination for families visiting the park and Denver motorcycle clubs making the run up Big Thompson Canyon and over Trail Ridge Road.

SETUP AND TAKE DOWN.  Set up officially begins at 9:00am on Friday but Rotarians are present to check you in as early as 7:30am.  If you are early you can park at your site to unload.  Street parking is available within a block of the show, but oversize vehicle and trailers have to park at the fairgrounds.  Free shuttle service is available from there, and in town.  Volunteers are available to assist with unloading and set up.

Note to Rotary: If an artist does NOT want assistance please have volunteers help someone else.  I encountered a persistent new fellow who was very eager to help, but he was really a hindrance for set up as my bins etc. were totally disorganized on the site. I didn’t have the heart to tell him to go away.

Takedown begins at 3:00pm on Monday and volunteers were there to help.  Like set up, traffic was controlled and vehicles were not allowed in until you were ready to load.  After paying your sales tax, you get a hot pink  ticket.  When your booth is knocked down and you are ready to load you get to bring your vehicle in.  We loaded out around 6:30pm.

WEATHER.  Temperatures were in the high 60’s to low 70’s.  There was a misty rain Friday morning during set up, and it rained Friday night.  There were a few sprinkles on Saturday.  There were occasional gusty breezes.

THE SHOW.  The show has 106 booths set up around the perimeter of Bond Park and in the parking lot for the town hall.  Clean, indoor, accessible restrooms are in the town hall.  The town was packed with people and thousands went through the art show.  There was seldom a time when people were not in my booth, and I had several repeat clients.  Belts were my top seller, with holsters, suspenders, flasks, reins, and several custom orders thrown in.  My sales were a little over $4K range, and my largest sale was $360 for two belts, silver buckles and a flask.  

There was a good balance of all art/craft mediums including edibles like jellies, pastas and salsas.  Silent auctions run twice a day with donations from artists. There is no buy/sell at this show.  Nuts and bolts for the show are in www.artshowreviews.com.  The Rotarians have coffee and goodies in the morning, and booth sitters. All taxes are paid to the Rotary at the end of the show.

ANALYSIS.  This was our last shown of the season.  Gross sales at the September Labor Day show since 2010 have been in the $3-$5K range, and I consider it a good solid show year after year.  Most of the belts sold were plain, and only a few were the more expensive carved with or without silver buckles.   The Estes crowd is very middle class and price conscious.  Over the three days I had 65 sales with an average sale of $65

   THE OTHER FUN STUFF.  There were lots of different dog breeds and babies at the show.  Interacting with both was fun.  We were able to rent our favorite cabin that is just up the hill from Bond Park.  It was built in 1898 but it is modern and cozy. The hot tub is great after a day on the street.  We drove down the hill to Loveland Saturday evening for an engagement party for our oldest grandson. Driving back up Big Thompson Canyon at night with a stream or cars exiting Estes Park coming down was a different experience.

Photos:

1. The crowd

2. The “village coming to life”. Longs Peak (14,255') in distance.

3. My new booth arrangement with center island

4. Bear Bottom Cabin

5. Spike bull elk outside of cabin

     Somewhere along the line (right here on AFI!) I learned that jury images need to show a constistency. The pieces need to look like they are all from the same DNA, so to speak. Ever since hearing that, I have had a concern that my jury images are too dissimilar, and that someday I should make them more cohesive. 

So this month, “someday” arrived. I designed and built new statement pieces that are similar to another jury image. In the process of designing, I gave thought to my design and thought processes. Then I started to wonder if anyone else has a similar process. Here’s mine: 

http://sandyartparts.blogspot.com/2016/09/harmonious-blends-making-show-piece.html

It would be very interesting to hear from the rest of you, as to your creative process, as well as thought process when it comes to making a show piece. Please share!