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3rd Annual "America's Best Art Fairs" Survey

WHAT

Hello;

I was accepted to Art in The Park (in West Palm Beach) in November. Does anyone have any experience with this show that can tell me something about it? (Is it a good show to be in?) How are the (average) sales? popular price points? Crowd? Artist experience?

I do photography and print it out on stretched canvas.

Best of Show

Robert & Tor Erickson - Wood

Judges Awards:

Charles Gatewood - Painting

Michael Wommack - Drawings/Pastel

Jenny Mendes and Mark Roegner - Ceramics

Emerging Artist

Joyce McCown

First Place

Matthew Hemminghaus - Photography

David Bryce - Sculpture

Grant Silverstein - Printmaking

Christos Palios - Photography

Joachim Knill - Painting

Ray Jones - Wood

Chris Dahlquist - Photography

Jill bedford - Photography

Robert Farrell - Metalwork

Sam Stang - Glass

Second Place

Bryan Griffith - Painting

John and & Erin Blackwell - Glass

Michele Friedman - Jewelry

Scott Amrhein - Glass

Susan Frerichs - Jewelry

Kina Crow - Mixed Media

John Herbon - Ceramics

Paul Eshelman - Ceramics

Roger Rimel - Jewelry

Beth Bojarski - Painting

Here is a great link with good images of the winners, including the one of my friend Charles Gatewood above:

http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/blog/2015/09/winners-shine-at-saint-louis-art-fair-gallery.html#g1

The really interesting thing about these prizewinners is that the majority of them have been in this business for a really long time. What does that say to you?

I just completed my first time doing the Marine on St. Croix Art Fair. Marine on St. Croix is a tiny little town on the St. Croix River, about 20 miles due east of St. Paul, MN. They've been doing this event for 40+ years to raise funds for their fire department. Sounds podunk, until you realize what a great little community it is, how much money there is in the area, and what a beautiful setting the show is in. 

Application is by mail. No Zapp. I juried in with my photography of European scenes, but I don't think it is a tough jury process at all. Communication is basic but effective. Show up on setup day and ask around until you find the registration in front of the Fire Dept. Traffic is pretty well controlled on set-up day, Friday. Lots of space around your booth and nearly all are on grass in the city/village park. Lots of time to set up. Everyone can start at noon. Count is maybe 100 artists. 

The show runs Saturday-Sunday, 10-5 each day. Plenty of parking for vendor/artist cars and trailers within 200 yards of your booth, max. Load-in and load-out are pretty easy, as there is little density on the grounds, depending on your location. Nice grass on the grounds and plenty of mature trees for shade. This was really a lovely setting. 

The patron mix is fairly upscale, though it was more blue collar on Sunday I thought, than Saturday. Attendance pegged at 5000-10,000. I have no way to check the accuracy of this claim, but I would not doubt it. This was my first time at this show so I didn't know what to expect in terms of artist mix. I figured out pretty fast that it was more crafty than I anticipated, but at least it was good quality crafts. 

Patrons came to buy, and did so left and right. Tons of people walking around with purchases. I sold a few prints in the $40-$75 range and one $400 20x30 canvas. Sunday I moved an $800 canvas. 

Across from me was a gent selling basic design furniture items, priced ridiculously low. He made at least 60-70 sales. That dude has it figured out, though his profit was truly thin. Next to me was a direct metal sculptor with items from $15-$850. She was surprised to have sold fewer small items than she thought was on tap, instead moving more mid-priced work. It seemed to me that this crowd is not afraid to drop $40-$100 on just about anything, and hundreds if they like what they see. The only downside is, it's a small crowd.

I'll be back next year as this is an easy 45 minute drive from home for me. Price point mix is the key here, but at the same time, I don't have a ton of data about what kind of items sell best. My guess is more practical things, as opposed to purely decorative. 

Not a bad show for me and I plan to do it again. 

Turning your skills into an income can be tough, and of course it all comes down to which industry type you are in, and if that industry is Art, then you are in luck. Very few artists actually earn an established living from selling their work but more often than not it doesn’t come down to how good those pieces are; it’s where they are selling them and what they are doing in order to promote them.

That is why you will see a lot of artists move into the teaching field in order to make a living but also provide their skills and experience to budding enthusiasts who are looking to establish an education and life in the field of Art.

If you are interested in the business of art classs, then we can tell you more right here in order to help extend your skills and boost your income. Best of all, it’s not as hard as you may initially think, so take a look at our 4 top ways you can make it big, with Art.

1. Use The Internet to Run Art Courses

In an age where the Internet has become such a dominating factor to peoples businesses around the World, it makes sense that if you are looking to head into teaching then you should look into the online world. This opens you a door of opportunity to reach millions of people around the world which won’t just help bring awareness to you and who you are, but it could lead to greater things in years to come.

Just imagine it…you could go on to become an expert consultant in your field.

An Internet Course runs in the same way as a private lesson, with the same workshops and course criteria. The only difference is that you won’t be present at the course; it will all be done online which gives more flexibility to you and your students.

For example, your students can start the course whenever they like, learn when they have the time, and you will only need to manage a select number of students.

In terms of how much you can earn, this comes down to methods, subjects and your overall experience, but you can charge in the region of $200 for online classes in some areas.

• Private Art Courses

We mentioned private courses above, and if the Internet doesn’t really stir you then you may want to look at private courses instead. These are usually a one-to-one based setup where you will be working with an individual for a set time (these lessons can be 30 minutes – 1 hour).

Depending upon how many students you have, and your skills as an Art Teacher you can charge anything from $50 - $100 per hour, so the more students you have under your wing the more you are going to earn.

• Lead an Art Workshop

The third point in our article is leading a workshop, which happens to be one of the more interesting concepts that skilled artists turn to, in order to help increase their income, skills, and to be able to freely travel across the country (which has many benefits as an artist).

If you hold a good, strong skill set then this could be the perfect move for you to make. Some workshops may last just a few days whilst others you can push for a week depending on what you need to cover off in that time period. This method allows you to interact with the artists coming to your class and share experiences and stories with them.

With workshops you will get to meet plenty of different faces as you will travel from workshop to workshop across the country, and most of these workshops will be hosted at art galleries or community centers such as public locations, churches, hotel conference rooms and other areas that allow for this type of setup.

For you as a teacher this is ideal because with each new location you can teach the same thing, this will help you tighten up your own skills but you also get to see how each different location responds to different methods.

In terms of what you can earn, it largely varies. Workshops in general can be the most expensive but the most rewarding type of teaching. You will have to think about setup costs, room hiring costs and other overheads, but these can all be made back by charging the right course fee to the students who want to enrol.

• Studio Classes

Finally we look at our 4^th concept, which are studio classes. These are very similar in manner to your workshop styled teaching environments but instead of travelling around the country you will hold them locally at a community centre or at the comfort of your own art studio (if you have one).

For these classes you have the freedom of holding them whenever you want to, whether it’s once a week, once a fortnight, or once a month, but you will have to come up with fresh ideas for courses as each class will need to be different. Why? Because you are more likely to be successful in teaching new methods, introducing new tools and experimenting with different ideas. After all, you are more likely to get regular students coming back to these classes as they will be held in the same vicinity.

Summary

Being an artist doesn’t mean that you can’t earn a good living from it, sometimes it’s about thinking outside the box and finding different ways that work. Remember, life is very much trial and error but never let your gift of art disappear. Art classes can turn you into an established artist who can consult, teach and learn more than you ever thought you could.

Take a look at become an Art Teacher today as it could prove to be the best decision you end up making.

At one time this was considered Michigan's top outdoor artshow--those days are gone, I think, forever.

Here is a quick synopsis.

They charge a $400-plus booth fee with nearly 300 artists.

Two many artists for too few big spenders.

So, that is the Cliff-Notes Version.

For an in-depth analysis, read on.

In the glory days of Michigan shows--pre-2001- people went to Birmingham for the Shain Park show one day and then the next day they went to Rochester for Arts 'n' Apples (hereafter AA).

People bought like crazy and many artists had bigger shows at AA then they did at the Ann Arbor show.

That is now a pleasent past memory. Mind you, all the heavy hitters on the circuit were there, unless they were lucky enough to be at Saint Louis.  We are talking about last weekend, in case you are not sure.

Galbo and Luciano were down on the same row dukeing it out.  Photos weren't exactly flying out of either's booth.

Fact was, photos and other 2-D art weren't flying out of many booths, mine included.

Crafters seemed to do better.

Ceramicist beside me with raku sold steadily all thru the show.

Metal sculptor behind me killed them all show long (we will get to that later).

The Paint Creek Center for the Arts runs the show--it is a fund-raiser for them.

Trouble is, they are the only ones making out well.  Their booth fee is way to high for the average sales return.

When you are charged $400 plus for a booth--there are certain expectations.

You should be able to turn at least $3.5 K or higher for that kind of money.  Most exhibitors were lucky if they hit the mid $2.5K range.

It was mostly lowed sales.  Mostly in the  $50 and under range.  Good luck with that.

Setup is pretty mellow.  You can setup Thursday, day before show, or Friday before show opens at 4:30 going to 7:30.

Saturday show ran 9 AM to 7:30 AM. God knows why.

Sunday, show was 9 AM to 4 PM, vans got let in after 5PM.

Teardown can be hectic.  Booths are all on grass with ample storage room behind.  That was the one plus.

Their free food bag was a joke.  You got one over-ripe banana with some fruit bar that glowed in the dark and one other tiny mysterious package.  No water, no coffee. So much for the $400-plus booth fee.

Saturday was chillier than you know what, I had one five layers of clothing trying to stay warm.  It also did a little pissy rain that lasted about three hours and killed sales.  Overall, Saturday sucked.  Why we had to be there on Friday, I have no idea.  We just wasted a bunch of time.  Sunday brought good weather and average crowds, not tons of buyers.  It was Ann Arbor redux again.  Most of them just walked on by without really caring to look.  There were very few packages in anyone's hands.

My  take on it, is this show is not worth the loot charged.  Go to Saint Louis, go to Swampfest, go anywhere but don't go to Rochester.

About my sculptor neighbor.

He has a good gig going, except it drives all his neighbors batty.

Basically, he is selling a metal horn about 5 inches long anchored to a wooden tray that you then put your smartphone on with its new extra cover that has four tiny speakers in it and voila, you have loud music.

Trouble was, he only downloaded a John Phillip Sousa march song to be played on his demo model.  After listening to Sousa's march a million times in one day, I was ready to puke, so were my neighbors.

We told him how we felt about it and he listened well.  We heard no more Sousa the rest of the show.

Sorry, my blog is not more positive, but that's the way it was.  I won't be back, nor a bunch of others.

I did get a great Tequila Report out  of Rochester and that will come next.

Aloha.  Nels.

Can't stand it any longer, have to share: The Case of the Nomads

Member jeweler Casey Sheppard is having an adventure we all dream of. She's on the road with her pup combining her two loves: making jewelry and mountain biking and meeting artists in studios who then take her mountain biking!

Then she blogs about it, right here: http://www.caseofthenomads.com

If that inspires you check out your chance to learn more at these engagements:

• Sept 17th: Artist Talk and Demo at Carleton College in Northfield, MN
  
  
• Sept 22nd: Artist Talk at Western Michigan Univeristy Kalamazoo, MI 
  
  
• Sept 24th: Lecture GVSU in Allendale, MI
  
  
• Sept 25th: Trunk Show at Studio JSD in Grand Haven, MI
  
  
• Sept 30th: Lecture at Edinboro University in Edinboro, PA
  
  
• Oct 3rd & 4th: Workshop at Contemporary Craft in Pittsburgh, PA
  
  
• Oct 10th: Workshop at Flux Metals Arts in Cleveland, OH
  
  
• Oct 29th: Workshop at Guilded Lynx in Ridgefield, CT
  
  
• Nov 7th: Workshop at EatMetal in Hoboken, NJ

A year or so ago Casey tried a Kickstarter campaign to fund the trip. It didn't get funded but she's out on the road anyway. Kudos.

Sunshine Artist magazine just released their annual Top 100 Fine Art and Designs list. 

Congrats to the top five festivals:

1. Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, State College, PA
2. One of a Kind Show and Sale, Chicago, IL
3. Cherry Creek Arts Festival, Denver, CO
4. La Quinta Arts Festival, La Quinta, CA
5. Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival, Winter Park, FL

The ever charming Rick Bryant, director of the CPFA, said:

“The Festival is a great destination for both browsers and collectors. In addition to great shopping, people come to hear a wide variety of great music, see friends and enjoy both town and campus. Any Penn Stater will tell you that the Festival is a quintessential part of the Penn State experience.”

Congrats, Rick! and the rest of the winners who work at bringing the arts to the people and providing opportunities for artists.

This past weekend, my good friend and favorite jewelry artist, Amy Taylor and of course husband Tom, used their beautiful backyard garden and home as a small "show" for 7 artists.  The cost to us was $25.  That's it.  And that was for advertising.  Not sure how many times they've done their show, but it's at least 3 or more years.  My drive was an hour and one artist was from the Milwaukee area.  Amy lives in Glenview IL.

As a stained glass artist that exhibited, I have to say, what an awesome idea.  Talk about using your own property, minimally, to give a few chosen artists a new way to sell. One weekend, with Friday setup or Saturday morning.  Most of the art types were represented - jewelry, pottery, fibre, glass and 2D pen and ink.  Now I know, many of you have home shows to sell your artwork and maybe a few have done garden shows in your own backyards, but not many that I am aware.  Amy said her idea was to promote artists in every way possible and this was her idea.  

They had a cool, LARGE,  "OPEN", neon sign and a large banner, street signs etc to alert passerbys.  (They said I could borrow their signs if I wanted to do this.)  I live in Naperville, in a heavily traveled subdivision, and I'm truly thinking this would be a way to go.  People scout out garage sales and various art stuff, so why not this? We all had to bring a snack for customers which they laid out on a table with lemon water provided for drinking.  The influx of people was steady!  And we all won "awards".  It was a blast!  One of the artists' husbands brought a ton of homemade bbq and sides for a small dinner on breakdown.  The brownies were incredible!

Basically, how can you lose?  Ok $25.  Wow.  Even if local town newspapers and publications were used, I'm sure the artists involved would not mind ponying up a bit for that.  I'm seriously giving this alot of thought.  Sure it's a bit of work, she made a FB page, we used her home for the bathroom, etc, but I will be laying the groundwork for this in the next year.

Just thought I'd share!

This was the 49th edition of this show, named after a Booth Tarkington character, Penrod Schofield, a sort of Tom Sawyer type character set around 1900. I've done this show since 1988 and watched it become smoother and smoother each year. It has about 300 artists arranged around the grounds of the old Eli Lilly estate, now home to the Indianapolis Museum of Art, which is a beautiful setting. There are several groups of artists in different sections, each with their own entertainment, such as the Blue section with the Indianapolis Symphony and several choral groups. The Green section where I was has jazz groups playing. None of the groups overwhelm and are just the right volume. Attendance is $20 at the gate and $15 in advance, so there are no or few dog walkers, and little idle curious. Attendance is about 30,000 so the gate fee doesn't keep out too many.

Set up starts on Friday morning at 9:30 AM and you are expected to clear out by 3:30 or 4:00. We arrived at 10:00, and were finished hanging everything by 2:00. Shuttle service is provided to ferry the artists to a parking lot about 3/4 mile away. Set up was plagued by drizzling rain about 10:30, but I had decided to put the tent up and hang the side tarps before unloading anything else, and that was a good call. By 2:00 about half the artists had their booths up, and virtually all were complete on Saturday morning. This show starts early, at 9 and goes to 5. 

Tear down is a little different, as there are only a limited number of spots for vehicles to pull in. No one is allowed in before 5:45, and the volunteers keep tabs on available spaces so only enough vehicles are let in that the space will accommodate.  Unfortunately, some artists take exception to this and the volunteers have been yelled and screamed at for doing a difficult to manage job. The best way to load out at this show is to send a helper to the parking lot and get in line while you finish tearing down. if you're the only one present, this can add 45 minutes to an hour to your drive out time.

I wasn't able to compare notes with others on how well they did, but I did see a lot of large packages being carried. In a summer for me, marked by low sales except for a few spots, I was worried about infrequent sales at the beginning of the show but things started picking up and I wound up having the second highest show of the year. I'm revising my attitude about what size of photos sell, and it looks like smaller pieces (lower cost) is what is moving, but my luck says next year will be a different ballgame. I have two shows to go, a month away and then the two are back to back weekends with one being a brand new one day show here in town and the final one is in Bluffton, SC.

Here's a photo of the Green section which is in front of the Eli Lilly Mansion. I think it was around noon time or an hour later as the phone records the time in GMT time. This was during a lull in the crowd. I like the way people are pointing in the booths ;-)

Well gang, this was my first year doing Black Swamp Arts Festival in Bowling Green. Ohio. First year with a Honorable Mention Ribbon. But my sales were though the roof. I didn't know how this fair would went. But my sales total was $3397.50. Not bad for a two day art festival. I really like this fair. People were always within my booth. So many art fair patrons visited my booth. I am really amazed my time was invested into this show so heavily. Bringing in 155 5x7s and another 45 8x10s, And there was five new canvas prints too. One of then sold at the fair. I am definitely going to be back next year. And the volunteers were amazing. Sorry I don't have photos of the fair. I did not have time to take any photos.

I made a Facebook page today to share details for my new adventure - art festivals. I have my first show in Oct. at Winter Park, FL. I entered it in Digital Art - but I have been accepted in Photography at other shows. This category thing is a bit of a conundrum. Any advice is welcome.

I have tried to be prepared - but there are many areas of un-certainty. Pricing, advertising, setting up alone, handling shoppers, packaging sales (if I get some , ha). One area I am worried about is keeping track of shoppers/clients. 

Thanks in advance for any suggestions. L. Stewart Powers

https://www.facebook.com/lspowersart?fref=ts

www.stewartpowers.com

Here's a solid article about abstract painter Frank Stella who is putting together a retrospective of his work for the Whitney. What does he say about earning a living as an artist?

Among other things: 

People get excited about the high-end numbers,” he said, “but almost all artists, even the really successful ones, are basically hand to mouth. If you’re self-supporting, no matter how successful you are it’s not easy.

Read the article here: http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/sep/01/frank-stella-art-money-whitney-retrospective?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other&mc_cid=03fbdd49ba&mc_eid=68d259417b

Arts, Beats & Eats - Royal Oak, MI - Labor Day Weekend

Some of you may know that I used to be part of the "Art" at Arts, Beats & Eats. I came from a background of being the schlepper at the art fairs as my husband showed his work. One day when I was helping run the show I watched a fine man sweating his a__ off pushing a dolly up the street laden with his wife's art. 

How many times had I done that? That winter someone left a dolly behind at an art fair so I confiscated it, painted it gold and added "jewels." We presented the 1st "Golden Dolly Award" (plus a check) to that man. The next year it went to Mike Strailey, then Carol Weber, etc. You never heard of those folks? That's because they are the "woman behind the man."

Each winner added his/her touch and this year Nate Burch (assistant to photographer Jan Kaulins), last year's winner, did it up very well and presented it at the Artists' Breakfast to Jeff Kutno who hauls his brother's (Phil Kutno) "stuff" at the shows. 

Many thanks to all those wonderful people who help us look good. Congrats to this year's winner.

The rest of the prizewinners at Arts, Beats & Eats:

Best in Show:  Carl Crawford, Columbia, SC - Mixed Media  

1st. Place:  David Barkby, Dover, PA - Wood

2nd. Place:  Michael George, Scottsdale, AZ - Sculpture

3rd. Place:  Sidney Carter, Powder Springs, GA - Painting

5 Awards of Excellence:

1.  James Parker, Rochester Hills, MI - Photography 

2.  Don and Serena David, Cleveland, OH - Jewelry

3.  Jack Valentine, Akron, OH - Ceramics

4.  Meredith Kuntsch, Lago Vista TX - Painting 

5.  John Wayne Jackson, Black Mt. - Sculpture 

Spirit of the City:  Debbie LaPratt, Commerce Twp., MI - Ceramics

Golden Dolly (Best Helper):  James Kutno, Phil's brother, Tucson, AZ

Street Judges:  Sara Shambarger, former Director of Krasl Fine Art Show, St. Joseph, MI

George Barfield - Former Consultant from Krasl also

Jurying for a total cash amount of $7,500 spread over all categories.

So how did you ever learn the art that you take to shows? I'm sure your style has evolved over time and that you could write a book on how much your work has changed.

Here is a post I wrote about one of my best (not favorite) teachers. It's not the work I currently take to shows- I am a jewelry artist. However this year I am transitioning back to painting and plan to spend my off show season doing watercolors of the woods.

http://sandyartparts.blogspot.com/2015/08/one-of-my-best-teachers.html

So, what's your story?

Estes Park is the gateway to the east side of Rocky Mountain Park and this year was its 100^th anniversary.  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.  Gross sales at the September Labor Day show since 2010 have been in the $3-$5K range, and I have considered it a good solid show.  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.  The show is setup with 103 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.

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.

     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 yellow ticket.  When your booth is knocked down and you are ready to load you get a blue pass to bring your vehicle in.  We loaded around 7:30pm.

WEATHER.  Temperatures were in the 70’s.  There were brief showers Sunday.  An unweighted booth went over in a gust of wind Friday night and another had breakage knocked off a wall. 

 THE SHOW.  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, spur straps, and several custom orders thrown in.  My sales were in the $4-5K range, and my largest sale was $475 for a silver mounted headstall and two breast collars (horse gear).  There was a good balance of all art/craft mediums including edibles like jellies and salsas.  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.  I have come close to hitting the “home run” of $5K gross sales at this show a couple times.  My inventory of flasks and checkbooks was pretty lean by this, the last shown of the season.  Most of the belts sold were plain, and only a few were the more expensive carved with or without silver buckles.  I sold out of some sizes and some styles of buckles but didn’t loose and sales because of that.  The Estes crowd is definitely middle class and families visiting the park.  It is also a destination for Denver motorcycle clubs making the run up Big Thompson Canyon and over Trail Ridge Road.

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.  Our son and his family came up for a cook out Saturday and we got to visit with our college and high school age grandsons.  Tuesday after the show we headed to the park and drove up Fall River Road (one lane dirt one way) up to Trail Ridge Road.  We saw elk and mountain sheep.

I cannot emphasize enough the need to be in top physical condition for doing shows.  I will be 72 in a couple weeks and Jean is 68.  Set up takes us 7 1/2 hours of steady work and take down is 4 1/2 hours.  We don’t diddle around, but we have lots of inventory.  At the end of the days we are still energized and not exhausted.  We do yoga 1-2 times a week and work out with a personal trainer once a week.

Photos:  1. Setup Friday morning, Longs Peak. 14,259’

             2. Saturday crowd

             3. A pampered dog with green paws, pink and purple tail and ears.

             4. Fall River Road

             5. Longs Peak from Trail Ridge Road

             6. Bull elk 

             7. Bear Bottom Cabin