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I just got my annual rejection from Cherry Creek and it got me thinking.  There is a problem in our business that effects many artists like me.

The last time I did Cherry Creek was 1992 (its second year).   I was 11 years into my art fair career and still showing tried and true photography,  That year I showed an ironic new image, that combined with a provocative title, caused people to see themselves in a whole new way.  My sales went up dramatically and I had my best show to that date at Cherry Creek.  

After that, I began to look for more image/title combinations and soon ironic turned to comic.  I became successful beyond my wildest dreams topping out a few years ago at Main Street; Fort Worth with a $21,000 show.  People come in my booth and chuckle constantly, then, before leaving, they say, "I love your sense of humor".

Well, 34 years into my career, my body of work has progressed to the point where what I do is very popular with patrons of art shows, but because of the restrictions of 10 second viewing by jurors I can't include my titles and even if I could they wouldn't have time to "get the joke".  A glance won't do it!  So, of late I'm getting more rejections because I'm jurying with my new work assuming shows want variety and diversity.  Wrong!  It seems to me, that shows want the same-old-same-old work every year.

The problem with the whole system, is that the entire jury process is disconnected from the buying of art.  Shows choose their jurors from the same pool every year.  The jurors are all from the pool of people who are "suppose" to know art.  NOT people who consume art.  So, the same artists (many great ones) populate the best shows year after year.  However, the public is denied the experience of seeing a greater variety of artists (many great ones).  

We all know the serious type of people shows recruit to their juries (e.g. Museum directors, gallery owners, artists and academicians).  I don't believe they take humor seriously!  

If you have four eye-popping images that take no thought to process you're in.  It's the same with judges at shows, they glance at a wall of work but consume none of it.

I know the people of Denver would love my work, but they will probably never get the chance to see it. 

An artist friend of mine thinks the best shows are commission shows, because the public votes with its dollars and the top sellers are invited back.

Something to think about.

 I thought you artist friends who, like me, produce and sell our work, might be interested in a look at my studio. Warning: it might get ugly. 

  http://sandyartparts.blogspot.com

       I've heard it said by artists in discussing their future dreams: "I just want a small house and a big studio!"

    And why is it important to us artists to have that place to make art? So important, in fact, that a big studio is preferred over a big house. When my husband David got finished with art school in the '70's, he built a studio space in the pole shed at the farm. He enclosed a space, added a wood floor, put in insulation, a chimney and a Jotul wood stove. 

   Then he met me, married me, and embarked with me on an adventure that has taken 36  years to bring full circle. Now we are literally right back where we started. (Our first date was at the studio!)

      So we are older, wiser, and all that. And very much still needing a place to make art. Our art is varied;it requires supplies, time, and a lot of tools. And cats. Our art includes painting, jewelry making, mixed media collage, leather craft, decorative painting, and wood working. Our future art will include ceramics. There is no end in sight of the need we both have to make art. 

     The need to sell  our art goes hand in hand with the need to make it. Neither one of us is cut from the fabric of making art to just give it away. It's the selling it, the finding the right client for the work , that scratches the itch and completes the cycle.

   Of course all this comes at a price. When I think about the length I have gone to to get in the right shows so I can meet my ideal client, well, it makes me shudder. And if we were to count up the actual hours David has spent on his art that he would not, could not, get paid for, it's pretty insane. And yet there is this need to make art. So we keep figuring it out. How to make it, how to sell it , and how to have that big studio next to the small house.

   So we're doing a little bit of renovations. Like a new floor, insulation, rain gutters, varmint proofing, and lighting. Hopefully we will get it done before the weather turns freezing. 

I have to keep  my vision up of the big studio, because, as you can see, it's little more than a dirt hole right now. Our cats love it, they think it's a huge sand box/ litter box. My work area is the table in the upper right of the photo. Pretty primitive, huh? 

 But you should see the view from here.

 So what does your studio look like? Do you have a big studio and a small house? 

I am going to exhibit at the Woodlands Waterway show in Houston April 10th but since I am coming out from California, to maximize my trip, I thought I would apply to other Texas shows around that same time period. I was just accepted to the Lubbock Arts Festival for the following weekend but before I accept, I wanted to check if anyone out there has done this show and what they have to say about it. I could find no blog threads on the site relating to Lubbock. Anybody? Beuller... Beuller...?

February 6-8
McAllen, Texas
Art Studio by Design 

• We will be advertising on radio, paper and Beyond Magazine. 
  
• We are located in the heart of the art's district in McAllen.
• The McAllen Art Walk is 12 blocks long and people stroll up and down the street and in and out of the art galleries. 
• Friday night is our big night for showing and selling art.
• Saturday brings in sales from those who came to the Art Walk the night before. 
• Sunday is an after church group that is looking for something to do on Sunday...we have three churches within one block of the Gallery.  It should prove to be a great turnout for the event.

For many artists this is the down time of the year until the Spring shows come around. How to make productive use of it?

1. Get your vehicle ready. Clean it out. Refit it so stock packs easily for in and out.
2. Go through your inventory, clean everything, put new price tags on, make new signs. Remove anything that has been in your stock for over a year.
3. Analyze your 2014 sales to find your best price point and create work for that niche. (Listen to Alison Thomas and Leo Charette on this podcast to hear their tips.)
4. Prepare new images for jurying. Review your Zapp/JAS portfolio. Share it with a friend or a person you respect and get feedback. Rewrite your Artist Statement.
5. Get out a calendar and plan your year's schedule. Remember this is a business, be systematic in your choices. Does it seem a place where you can earn a profit? If you are new to the business do not overextend yourself financially. Be conservative. Here is a varied list of events in all price ranges: www.CallsforArtists.com.
6. Review all of your insurance: vehicle insurance, health insurance, business insurance, studio.  Try ActInsPro.com for event insurance and RLI.com for small business insurance. You saw the stories on this site this year: high winds blowing through shows, bad auto accidents, robberies, medical problems. Be prepared.
7. Review your business cards or other print materials you hand out to customers. Design/order new ones.
8. Close your books. Get your paperwork together. Renew sales tax licenses for the states you visit.
9. Find an open jury to attend. Read some books on sales.
10. ________ help me out here. What else?

Bored yet?

Has anyone ever done a show in Guntersville, AL called Art in the Lake? it takes place the 3rd weekend in April. It sounds small, but sometimes small shows can surprise you. I'd appreciate any comments. Thanks a bunch!

I'll be exhibiting at the Cherry Creek Art Festival for the first time in July. I wondered if anyone has suggestions about where to request a booth. It looks like the show is spread out all over the place.

Thanks,

John Leben 

Certain media and styles each have venues that lean towards them versus other mediums and styles.  For example, I did a show in Lexington. I thought that the location would be ideal for my work.  It turned out that the show was organized by a gallery that specialized in abstracts and the show was pointed toward, and marketing concentrated to, their customer base.  A lot of fine crafts, some photography but no realism (or very few including me).  Actually, the closest was an impressionist. A wood turned friend was there (does excellent stuff) did well. The turnout was fair - not great; but still...

 I read the comments/show reviews with keen interest; but when I see the comments are from photographers or people who do fine craft work, I have doubts whether those ratings/comments are germane to me.

I am interested to know which members do realist works and work in oils, pastels or sculpture so I could key in on their comments.  I also encourage those who take the time to comment, which I very much appreciate, to comment on the presence of other mediums and styles that participated and whether they had similar results.  I promise to do the same with shows that I do this year.

May 16 & 17 
East Lansing, Michigan
Downtown
Sat. 10am-6pm; Sun. 10am-5pm
200 Exhibitors
Deadline:  January 31

Established in 1964, the East Lansing Art Festival (ELAF) kicks off the festival season each spring in the beautiful streets of downtown East Lansing.  The popular festival attracts 80,000-70,000 attendees.  In addition to the 200 juried exhibitors, the ELAF encourages future artists through the Emerging Artist Program.

This non-profit event is beloved in the greater Lansing area and attracts devoted art buyers from across the state of Michigan as well as Ohio, Illinois and Indiana. Informally known as the "City of the Arts," East Lansing welcomes the finest artists in North America to exhibit at this highly promoted event.

East Lansing is a charming university town with a variety of shops, restaurants and galleries. The beautiful Michigan State University campus is right across the street, which is now home to the renowned Eli & Edythe Broad Art Museum.

The combination of the University and the State Capitol nearby brings a well-educated population to attend and appreciate the handmade work.

At the ELAF---ranked #54 by Sunshine Artist magazine---exhibitors can expect:

• well-educated visitors, including professional people
  from state government and the university
• friendly volunteers who welcome artists and make load-in and load-out run smoothly
• perks such as booth sitting services and Friday set-up as well as free artist parking, coffee and break area
• affiliation with local public TV and radio---bringing the right people to you
• eclectic live music that enhances the art rather than distracts from it
• international flavors in a unique food court
• a hand-on area for children
• a festive mood---this is the kickoff of the local festival season!

Apply today:  www.Zapplication.org

For more information please contact:

Michelle Carlson, Art Festival Director

East Lansing Art Festival

410 Abbot Road, East Lansing, MI 48823

(517) 319-6804

e mail:  info@elartfest.com 

www.elartfest.com 

The festival is presented by the East Lansing Art Festival Board in cooperation with the Arts Commission/City of East Lansing.

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Find more art fairs around the country looking for artists: www.CallsforArtists.com

Well, what a difference one weekend makes.

It seems, most of us there made money.  How refreshing.

Bonita Springs is an oldtime SW Florida community just a wee north of Naples, not far from Ft. Myers too.

An art league sponsors it and there only director for the life of the show, Barry Witt, runs it.

Originally it was held in an upscale shopping plaza right on Route 41.  Lots of traffic, lots of high end neighborhoods, golf courses, yada, yada, yada.

We all made money there..\

Then the plaza closed, got sold, new owners wanted to rework things--so, aloha to the show being there.

Now, it is on Old 41, the original old Tamiami Highway that goes through an old-time downtown.

A little market, laundry mat, retail stores, kayak outfitters, local artists' studios in old huts.

The lazy flowing Imperial River is just up from the show, complete with an old-time Florida tourist stop--se local wildlife, nature, flowers, and of course fauna.

Me, I'd just once like to see Bo Derek floating on a kayak on the old Imperial.  I would even get up earlier then Dick Cunningham to shoot that shot.

Oh well, one can dream.

Barry took a calculated risk moving the show off a well-traveled venue--but hey, you gotta have parking and room for a couple of hundred booths.  So the location works.

They close off Old 41 to traffic for three days so we can leisurely set up all day on Friday and then do the show on the weekend.

Originally, people, well some, were poo-pooing the location.  They were saying all the merchants windows had burglar bars on it.  The locals were  not to be trusted once it got dark.

None of that is true.

No crime, no thefts, it is a very mellow location.

Most booths are on concrete with plenty of storage behind.  The northern end of the show winds down a grass path in the park.  Nicely shaded.  You can almost hear Tarzen calling out to Jane.  Wait!  Did that wily chimp steal Cunningham's tarps.  He's got plenty of money, he can buy more.

BTW.  Dick Cunningham is a wonderful photographer that I admire, and he lives in Bonita Springs.

There is a mellow little coffee shop/ restaurant tucked back one block down from the show.  Great for a breakfast, snack or a beverage.

According to my good friend Lou, they sell a hell of a fine giant can of beer too.  Such a deal.

I guess you could call that a mini-Tequila Report.  Look out!  I may revert back to a few new ones in 2015.  Just without the salt.

Where was I?

Oh, the show.  Come on Nels, tell us more.  Tell us about the moola.

What I like about this show more than the recent Naples show are few really good things.

One, no lousy 4 AM setup time Sucks, Naples, really sucks.

Two.  It is a more compact show.  Easier to get back around to booths, you can actually get "be-backs."

Three.  This is no dog walk show.  The people actually take time to look at the artwork.  What a concept.  Do ya think it has any chance of happening elsewhere.

And four, an extra, most artists are selling.

I saw mucho packages go by my booth both days--big change from Naples.

The level of your fellow  exhibitors is very high here.  You see all the big boy/girl artists on the circuit here.  They know a good thing.  They certainly are not here just to see some alligators.

Saturday brought balmy weather and heavy crowds early.  Lighter after 1 PM but still sales were happening.

My new strategy for selling in 2015 bore fruit for me.  As I posted on FB recently, I was going to make bigger pieces, 40x50, and go after sales over $1K.  It happened here, twice.

Don't ya love it when a plan goes good?

Sunday brought a little breeze and the sniff of rain.  Also lighter crowds, more looky-lookers.

We got rain, from the east, yikes!, around 2:30, then less than an hour later, more, harder.  Streets pooled up, crowds kinda melted away.

Barry came around and told us we could pack out early, if you wanted to schlep out.  No vans in until 5 PM.  Most schlepped.

We were on the road by 5 PM.  Ellen did the show too. She also made moola.  Yikes!  I have a rich wife for the minute.  Gotta love it.

Also, consider this as a min-Tequia Report.

FIRST OFFICIAL TEQUILA REPORT SINCE GOD KNOWS WHEN AND FIRST IN 2015

Anna Maria Oyster bar.  Right off I-75 at the Ellenton Retail Outlets exit.  This is the first exit north of the bridge that separates Palmetto from Bradenton.

We have eaten two successive Sunday nights after doing Naples and Bonita.

Here is why it is such a deal.

Cheap, fresh fish.  What a concept in Florida.

Last week I had fresh Amberjack, this week fresh Mahi. 

You get great hush-puppies for 99 cents, six of them.

Cheap lobster, clams, oysters and shrimp.  i have found a new deal when coming home from a SW Florida show.

Easy to get to and get out.

Plus, the Pilot gas station has the cheapest gas anywhere for 50 miles around.  When we filled up on Friday, it was down to $1.99 per gallon.  On Sunday, it sunk two cents lower.  Meanwhile, Bonita was at $2.48 per gallon.

There you go, an authentic Tequila report.  I had a draft, just one.  Yumm!

Later Gators, Nels.

June 20 & 21   
Wheaton, Illinois
Cantigny Park
Saturday, 10am-5pm| Sunday, 10am-4pm
Deadline: February 2

Cantigny Park is pleased to announce Art in Bloom, an outdoor arts festival. More than 100 juried artists will showcase their work amidst Cantigny's beautiful gardens, grounds and museums. 

Cantigny is a 500-acre park and part of the Chicago-based McCormick Foundation. It is home to two museums, formal gardens, picnic grounds, restaurants and 27 holes of championship golf.

Art in Bloom is always among the park's most popular events. Quality of artwork will take precedence over quantity of artists so the show may vary in size somewhat. 

Friday night set-up is available as well as an air conditioned artist break room, snacks, andvolunteers galore. This event is located on grass under large trees. Ample parking is another valuable asset!

Our publicity campaign will include, but is not limited to, radio, newspaper, eblast, Twitter, Facebook, postcards, web, Cantigny Visitors Guide as well as our Spring and Summer Events guide, posters and banners. In addition we plan on working with many of Cantigny's partners, affiliates and sponsors to help make this art fair the best that it can be.

FESTIVAL FACTS:

• Deadline: February 2
• Jury Fee: $10
• Booth Fee: $300
• Artists: approximately 100
• Prints Allowed
• Ribbon Awards: $1100.00
• Attendance: 10,000+  

To learn more and apply:  www.emevents.com
 
Art in Bloom is one of a series of Chicago area art fairs organized by Erin Melloy of EM Events, a well-established promoter of art shows in the Chicago area. EM Events works closely with some of Chicagoland's most innovative and creative communities and organizations to produce premier art festivals of distinction. At EM Events, it's about the art. 

For additional information please contact:  
Erin Melloy, 630.536.8416,  emelloy@emevents.com

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Find more excellent shows looking for you:  www.CallsforArtists.com

This week’s blog is focusing primarily on how I price my polymer clay sculptures for sale. It isn’t an exact science and I’ve played around a lot with it. I have found that pricing my art fairly and within market value range is extraordinarily important.  

I really shot myself in the foot when I first started out. I waaaay over priced something to someone who very easily could have been a long-term client. Big mistake. My problem?? Was ignorance.

It was right around the time that lots of local people were seeing my work and I was tinkering with the idea of charging more than just the cost of materials. A lady saw my work and she wanted a logo made. {She owned a business of her own} She explained what she was looking for, we brainstormed and she seemed to love my ideas. She wanted to own the rights to the artwork and put it on all of her apparel. She asked me for a price, and I told her I would think about it and get back to her. Sounds pretty good so far doesn’t it?

On the drive home I spoke with my husband and told him of the opportunity. He being married to me thought as highly of my work as I did and saw first-hand how much effort went into them. He saw how many sketches I did before I ever put paint on the brush. He told me that I should look online and see what people charge for exclusive rights and logos. Still sounds pretty ok right?

This is where it goes wonky. I wish I could blame it on bad fish or temporary insanity, but nope. It was me being me. Darn it. I looked up logos and exclusivity.  What I found was an agency in New York who had created logos such as Nike and Abercrombie and Fitch. So those logos cost somewhere in the range of 4,000.00 to 10,000.00. I was blown away. I showed my husband and did a little dance around the living room. {Seriously… can I just blame the fish?} When I spoke to this lady again, I brought up what I had seen. Keep in mind I never looked past that one page. I never once checked out local artists, or even stopped to consider the fact that the lady I was speaking to was not any different than you or me. She was an everyday lady trying to be in business for herself, doing what she was good at. I sometimes wish future me could go back in time and slap past me.

{Deep breath…} I told her what I had found, and what ‘people were paying’. Not once did I actually give her a quote. But by bringing it up, the damage had been done, absolute and irrevocable damage. Fish anyone?

I have since tried desperately to regain them as a client even offering ‘freebees’ but to no avail. I had stepped outside of the trust circle. I had to accept what I had done and learn from it. It was a tough lesson and completely avoidable, had I done more research before biting off more than I could chew.

Ok. So, here is what I have so far, and so far it seems to be working for me. I am borrowing several bits and pieces that I have learned from others and adding a few changes that I have found that work very well for me. I want to share this with you in the hopes that you are able to figure out a pricing system that not only works for you, but also for your clients. They can be hard to come by. So we, as artists, want to take very VERY good care of them. We want to be able to explain why our art costs what it does. Just in case we are asked. At some point…they always ask. {insert wink}

EXPENSE    {we must count our expenses. This is okay. Don’t feel bad, because this is a business and people do understand and even expect it} 

Let’s say my monthly expenses are 1000.00, I divide that by 4{weeks}=250.00 I divide that number by/40{hours} giving me a base rate 6.25 per hour. {This number will vary depending on your expenses.} If your monthly expenses are higher and this is your primary source of income than you will have to adjust your expense rate. If you are just beginning to build your business and you have help or additional income to help you with your expenses then you can be a little more lenient. Your base cost should be this number and you should build the remainder of your piece’s cost from there

• {rent, electricity, gas, etc, I add my etsy/paypal/advertising fees into this amount }

Materials {always pay attention to what you use and how much. This will give you a great idea of what it takes to produce your art, and in my case helps me to avoid wasting}             

• {clay, glaze, metals if you’re making jewelry, paints, resin…etc, glass eyes I buy or resin eyes I make.

One standard sized sculpted figure typically takes me 1 1/3 block of Sculpey Premo clay. These are between 2.77-3.00 each {depending on where you are-I don’t account for sales or promotional costs because I can’t guarantee I will always be able to get them at that price} if I gloss the piece, I add .30, if I paint it or do detail work with the paint I add .30 {Remember this is just materials and not time.}

• Sometimes I will add little ‘trinkets’ to my pieces, for example miniature items or charms. These are things that I will make in batches. For example, it’s Valentine’s Day, and I have made a bunch of chocolate covered strawberries to add to figures. I can make a batch of 25 strawberries from one block of clay. So I will divide 3.00/25= so each strawberry will cost me .12 to make. The chocolate costs me .04, the headpin for the strawberry charm costs me .03 and the lobster clasp for the charm costs me .11  do you guys see where I’m going with this?

Let’s review what we have so far…

Say that I make a standard sized figure {glossed and painted} with an accompanying charm

4.00 + .30 + .30 + .30 = 4.90 {just materials} add that to your ‘expense’ 4.90 + 6.25 = 11.15

Let’s say that minimum wage is 12.50 an hour. I want to pay myself at least 12.50 an hour for labor. Add this to the amount above:

11.15 +12.50=23.65 Multiply this amount x2 and that will give you the wholesale price of 47.30 this is the base amount I must charge to by the skin of my teeth justify all other expenditures.

Theoretically for retail price it is the wholesale x2 so 47.30 x 2= 94.60

Ooooh… but here is where it gets a little sticky, because the more time it takes you to create a piece the greater its value, right? Not necessarily. I have not yet been able to charge what I am calculating retail to cost to be. I auctioned a piece off, and got close. In the meantime, wholesale lets me stay in business. Replenish what I have used and hopefully put money back into my business.

When I am trying to figure out what to charge, ultimately I have to take into account….’factors’ {seriously, that should be a four-letter word.} “What is a factor?” These are those annoying little things that effect what we can charge vs. what we want to charge.

Some examples of factors would be: Competition {take a look around you… see what some artists are getting for their work. I’m not referring to Picasso or Dhali… but you and me. The little guy with the great big dreams {encouraging look of…encouragement} Find work that is similar to yours. If you are using an internet based storefront, browse around and check out the other stores.

Don’t look skin deep. Really get in there and see if they are making sales. There may be one person charging 150.00 or higher for one piece but if they are only selling 1-2 pieces a month. This is not the way to go, for me at least. On the other end of the scale, there may be an artist selling pieces for 10.50 and has 100 sales in a year. Still not going to cut it, I mean great for them =) but I personally want this to be a monetarily successful business, so I want to find out what people are willing to pay for what I have on a consistent basis.

I’ve looked all over at everyone I can find… I’ve checked out as many online stores/sales that I can seek out who carry anything even similar to what I have. I write to the artists. It is probably one of the most educational and simple things I can do. Most of them are extremely helpful. Only twice have I run into artists who are so fiercely protective of their methods they’d sooner plaster their eyes closed than to give me information. But no worries, life goes on. I fell in love with the majority of the artistic community and I want to pay it forward.

Back to competition. I’m not going lie… there are a couple of people out there who can’t have their stuff up for 5 minutes before someone snatches it.. I’ve seen customers have bidding wars over their art... I’m talking 3-400.00 for one piece! This is my goal…seriously.

I know it sounds terrible but on more than one occasion I have just been beside myself wondering ‘why aren’t these same people wanting my stuff and paying that price? My art is just as nice as theirs.’ The answer is semi-simple. These people have worked their tushies off and in the process gained a fan-base {nothing but respect for these amazing artists} we’ll get into that later… back to factors.

Buyer’s Remorse… that’s an icky one. The more money a person pays for something, the higher their expectations, as they should be.  If they buy something from me and this ‘something’ shows up at their door in anything less than perfect condition, then the buyer will lose faith in me and I will have lost that customer for life. You don’t want this to happen. Word of mouth can go a long way, especially in the art world.

No worries!! Your talent and beautiful artwork captured their attention. So much so, they gave you money for it and that is a wonderful thing! Now it is time to capture their hearts. Because this is an area that we can really shine!  There are so many little touches you can give your packages for very little expense, and this can mean the difference between one time buyer and repeat customer!! There are lots of factors that can apply. It is up to you to figure out which ones will impact you/your business the most. In the long run, it will be the little things that keep people coming back. Be sure that you don't skimp on the little things. Take the time to talk to people who have questions. You never know who you are talking with or what connections they have. If you make a great impression, chances are they will get your name out there. That is exactly what you want. 

When I package my pieces, I use gift boxes. I get them in bulk either from the dollar store, or www.Uship.com great shipping stuff in bulk by-the-way. I decorate my gift boxes, something simple like glitter-tape that color coordinates with my business cards, a ribbon or seasonal fun from the dollar store… I love the dollar store… I add fun tissue paper and a personal hand-written note, and ‘TA-DA!’ It feels like a real treat when they are opening their packages. What a nice surprise for them! I like opening gifts..Don’t you?

I don’t add the cost of the shipping materials to the purchase price of the piece itself. I add it into the shipping cost. I add the box < 1.00 depending on where I get it, .05 for the tissue paper {if I get a box of 20 from the dollar store} .05 for the ribbon or glitter tape. It is inexpensive for me. It is a little extra effort on my part, but this is what I want to do. I am sending a small part of my soul that I created and I want the new owner to treasure it as much as I do.

I hope this is helpful to those of you who are struggling with the idea of pricing your art for sale. For me, this venture has been a most humbling journey. I hope that in some way you will have benefited from my mistakes, and found this material useful. Your feedback is always welcome.

Remember, you are a beautiful and creative soul, truly a gift among people. Here’s hoping you all have a wonderful week full of fresh ideas and inspiration.

As always, until next time,

XO ~Alicia, LDA

May 16 & 17
Indianapolis, Indiana

Grounds of the Indianapolis Art Center

225+ Artists booths
Deadline: January 25

Established in 1971, The Broad Ripple Art Fair, the Art Center's largest fundraise, is Indy's kickoff to the summer festival season!  Now in it's 45th year, the Broad Ripple Art Fair attracts over 15,000 visitors annually to the BroadRipple Village cultural district and showcases more than 225 artists from the U.S. and Canada.

Points of note:

• Top 100 Art Fair (Sunshine Artist Magazine 2014)
• Jury is open to public and scores are released to artists
• Jury/booth fees ($35/$370)
• Over $250,000 in marketing and promotion
• Features 225 fine artists
• Second day pass-back for patrons, gated fair average of over 15,000 attendees
• Heavy item pick up service
• Staff and volunteer supported load-in and load-out
• Over 400 volunteers

Application Dates: 

• Applications Open: October 1
• Application Deadline:  January 25
• Notification:  February 27
• Booth Fee due:  March 22

I know we spend our lives focused on art fairs, presenting our product, production, development of image, and the like, but I have a serious question for you.  Is your studio space in your home, or outside of it?  

Our studio space was half of the basement, but as our business has grown we find that half the house is being engulfed.... and it gets stressful to just find a quiet place away from the action..... So we have begun to consider a studio outside of our home.  Im just curious how everyone else copes with this dilema. 

July 9-12
State College, Pennsylvania
Downtown State College & Penn State Campus
305 Exhibitors
Deadline: January 23

Going to the Arts Festival is a rite of passage for Penn Staters. Students don't miss it and Alumni return for "Arts Festival Alumni Weekend," a program of the Penn State Alumni Association, the largest dues paying alumni association in the world-over 170,000 members strong.  

Some other things to consider:

• We're consistently ranked in the Top Ten in the Sunshine Artist magazine rankings (#3 last time around!)
• We hand out over $17,500 in prizes.  The top prize is $2,700; our second prize is $1,500.  We hand out over 20 prizes, and 50 people will be invited back as jury-exempt artists in 2016 based on on-site jury scores.
• We provide lots of amenities including one of the best artists' receptions on the circuit.
• In a recent survey by ArtFairCalendar.com art fair patrons chose us as one of the nation's Best Art Fairs that they love to attend.

The event also includes a full day of activities for children, performances by international, national, and regional acts on three outdoor states and at four indoor venues, a book festival, and a celebration of Italian Street Painting. And if you're up for it, there's a 5k/10k/10 mile run bright and early Sunday morning with over 500 entrants.

 

Notification is March 16

Booth fee is $525 for 10x10, $1,100 for 10x20

Learn more:  www.arts-festival.com 

Apply:  www.Zapplication.org

Bayou City is moving on with its plans for an even better festival in Memorial Park March 27 & 28.

A recent visit to their website shows a new director and art fair contact. 

Susan Fowler, former executive director, was terminated at the end of the year. She had implemented the board's decision to expand the show to 450 artists last winter when a shortfall in the budget needed to be met. Kelly Kindred, the former executive director and most recently art fair director who had worked for the Art Colony Association (parent of the show) for seven years, was also laid off at that time. 

This was the board's decision as they continue to meet the financial needs of the organization. The new executive director is Joseph Plumbar, the chair of the board of directors.

Kelly will be missed as she sincerely worked hard for the organization and always was there with the artists needs foremost.