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does anyone have any info on either of these december florida shows? 

palm harbor is 12/6-7

St pete is 12/20-21

any info would be great.

June 19-21
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee Art Museum
180 Exhibitors
Deadline: November 25

Patrons enjoy the festival rain or shine! LFOA features jury-selected work of 180 artists from across the country.  The festival is a fundraiser for the 501(c) 3 non-profit Milwaukee Art Museum and is presented by Friends of Art, the museum's primary support group.

LFOA has an aggressive public relations campaign including targeted online and print publications, TV, radio and social media.  In 2014 LFOA media coverage included 107 television/radio placements, 87 print/online placements, 2,163 Facebook friends and over 6,651,000 impressions.  Last year's festival attendance had over 22,000 gated qualified visitors.

View a video clip of festival highlights, artist comments and patron remarks: www.youtube.com

A total of $10,000 in awards are presented each year!

The top TEN award-winning artists are each given $1,000; commemorative pieces of artwork designed by a fellow LFOA exhibiting artist, and are invited back to LFOA for the next year. ONE participating Sculpture Garden artist will receive a single $500 Award.  Jurors also select Honorable Mention award winners, all of whom are automatically invited back to LFOA for the next year without jurying.

Artist's Benefits...  

• Artist Breakfast
• Booth Sitters
• Electricity
• Guest Housing
• Museum Admission
• Program Image
• 24 Hour Security
• Drive up to your booth to load in/out

Sculpture Garden

The Lakefront Festival of Art extends an invitation to artists who are interested in showcasing their work in a professionally designed and installed Sculpture Garden.  The outside garden will showcase outdoor and large scale work allowing artists further representation.  Previous years have included artists working in mediums of glass, ceramics, wood and mixed media.

Online Silent Auction

Featuring numerous works of art donated by talented LFOA exhibiting artists.  Online bidding is open to the public, and available prior to festival weekend as well as throughout all three days of the festival.  The auction offers all art lovers a chance to bid, from home or onsite regardless of attending.  The silent auction provides the public with a highlight overview of the festival artists.

Interested in applying to the 2015 Lakefront Festival of Art? Here's the link:  www.Zapplication.org/event-info.php?ID=3546

Learn more at:   www.lfoa.mam.org

Join us  #milwaukeeart and  Facebook.com/lakefrontfestivalofart

Thank you for your interest in our festival, please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.  Best of luck to you in all your future artistic endeavors!

lfoa@mam.org

Krista Renfrew-Festival Director

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Find even more art fairs looking for artists:  www.CallsforArtists.com

With 4 wholesale crafts markets scheduled between January & mid February, how does one decide which show to choose? If you are a first timer there are several factors to consider.

Just spent three hours hosing off all my panel covers, tarps and awnings--after the dust-bowl at Pensacola.  I guess it was worth it, would have rather been working on my short game--but, that's show biz.

Read on, it's worth it.

This show is on a weekend in November with lots of options for doing fall shows in Florida--this is still the best of the bunch, for most of us.

That is why you see all the circuit's heavy hitters here, in all media.  People who do Cherry Creek, Ann Arbor, Winter Park, Saint Louis, et al, are here.  Must be a good reason.

Most years you have the following shows on this weekend (meaning when, most years, it is the first weekend of November).  I know, this year it was the second.

Still, you usually have Dunedin, Halifax(Daytona), South Miami, sometimes Gainesville (depending on the Gators schedule) and Pensacola.  There are smaller promoter shows too.

This year, with an extra weekend, you had both Dunedin and Halifax last weekend.

If Disney still had their usual show, it too, would have been this weekend.  Lots of choices.

For me and many others, Pensacola trumps all.

Cannot exactly tell you why.  Except that when I add up the receipts after the fat lady sings, Pensacola  always comes out first.

It is a homey feeling show in a wooded park in an old historical town in the Florida panhandle.

Hell, let's just say it, it is more like Alabama then Florida.  However the locals would just likely retort, "Hey its Pensacola, we are not fast and slick, but we get the job done, and have fun too."

You will see more Auburn and Alabama wear then you will see Seminoles or Gators (Florida's preeminate teams, Football-wise).

It is an easy town to get around, the pace of life is moderate, very enjoyable.  Traffic is easy to navigate, even at their peak rush-hours.

Food is heavy on fried, Southern and fish with lots of hush-puppies thrown in.  Beer is king. Anything else is secondary--although they sell a shit-load of bloody marys at this show with champagne right behind.

The show is held in a historical park in the downtown, maybe three blocks off the main street of Palafox.

Booths wind along concrete and dirt paths throughout the park.  Some choice ones are on two paved streets bordering the park.  The fronts of these look in at the park.

The park gets lots of use for special events.

The locals tell me there is a special event going on in the park at least two to three times a month.

You know what that means, don't ya?

The grass is not going to grow a doodle.

Couple that with the fact they had not had any serious rain for the past six weeks and you have--The Great Dust Bowl.

It is a three day event staring on Friday with a Thursday setup.

Now here is a little serious meat thrown in, especially for you newbies out there just starting to wet your shoes.

If you get a booth location in the interior paths of the park, you will have to setup at 10:30 AM Thursday morn, unless you want to wait til after 6PM when it is a free for all.  This means, usually, you have to come in the night before.  Another hotel night.

See, free food for thought.  Nobody else tells you that.

Others setup at 12:30 and 3 PM.

This year, showing how ANAL this whole show biz has become,most booths on the two paved streets were sold out on the first day of notification.  Just saying.

ANAL,ANAL,ANAL.  This biz is getting more like this all the time--it sucks, royal canal-water.  But that is the trend.

I can't wait til somebody (Probably Amy Amdur) comes up with a little extra service charge, say $75, that lets you pre-order a booth space BEFORE YOU ARE ACCEPTED.

Amy, I should get 5% of all these fees if you go with that idea.  Finders fee, I thought of it first.  You too, Howard, 5%.

OK Nels, get off the soap box and tells us more about the show.  Why are all the heavy hitters there.

Thought you would never ask.

Easy answer, sloppy pitching, anybody can hit it out of the park.

Not!

Just kidding.

This is a semi-small show in a town with plenty of money.  Most people have jobs and most have disposable income.

You have the Navy there.  Air Force base not far away.  You have a major college, University of West Florida.  It is a major port.

Also, a lot of heavy money is coming in there from nearby Alabama.

Also, they they don't have a million fricking little shows there chipping away at the heels of this show.

I missed last year.  Got juried out, drat, don't ya just hate that. Was there three years in a row before that.  Also was in may other times.

I noticed that in my year's absence, six new restaurants opened up.  Not on the cheap.  We are talking trendy bistros on the water, new sushi bar, a lunch trailer village complete with a hep oyster bar.  Also, cool new coffee shops, retail stores, et al.  The place looks prosperous.

I booked a Red Roof Inn out on I-10, minutes from the show, shared with my bunkie Russell Yerkes who I shared at Virginia Beach.  Got a good rate under $50 with of course, their $150 CLC surcharge, or something close to it.  Who's whining?

Left me more money for fish and Pho.

I had an interior spot, thus the early setup.  The ride from Tampa is under eight hours, you gain one coming across the Appalachicola River into CST.

Got there Wed. nite and went promptly to the Fish House restaurant on the docks, downtown.

Filled up on snapper, fried okra and corn fritters with a dose of bread pudding with a little rum sauce.  Yummmmm.

Was there early. Like 6:30 AM for the 10:30 setup.

I know.  Now, who is being ANAL?

Old habits never die.

I was born at 5:30 AM so I have always been an early riser.

Plus by getting there early I was able to snag one of the few, rare parking spots across from the park, near my booth.  Probably saved me an easy 1000 steps in setting up.

You try carrying those four 45-pound John Deere tractor weights very far.  See how long you last.

Anyway, I had Position A, someday I will do a blog about the art of Position A.  Those of us who have mastered it over the years, are the true artisans of the circuit.  One, old friend the painter, Rene, was the ultimate master.

I know, you newbies to the circuit are probably scratching your heads about now.  "What the hell does Nels mean about something called Position A?" Time, little grasshoppers, time, and then you will learn.  Meanwhile, we elders will profit from our superior wisdom of having done outdoor art shows for 30 years plus and have paid outrageous jury and booth fees.  But, we do Position A the very best.  I always get it.  Always.

Well Crimminy, crimminy Nels, that's all good--but, are you ever going to digress on the show?

Easy boy, my cat pays me by the word.

THE ART SHOW --A  SERIOUS BLOG--I THINK--UNTIL SOMETHING COSMIC INSPIRES ME.

Friday morn, show opened at 9 AM.  A cold front came by during the night and we went from cutoff T-shirts to every sweater and vest you could put on.  High, was about 62 that day.  It was crispy in the morn.  The outside tarps were crunchier than a bowl of cheerios when we rolled them up.

If you were on the street you had to have your booth open at 8:30AM for the judges.  The rest of us got 30 minutes more.  "More grits waiter, and I will take another biscuit with honey."

The dust instantly rose like a crisp fog off the water.  It was insidious. It was like snorting corn husks, just less-crunchier.

People.  What people?  Sales.  What sales.  Judges.  I guess they were out there.  Somewhere.

Most artists are happy to make $300-$500 on Friday.  Some lucky ones, like a few jewelers I know, had $3K days.  Wish I could have eaten sushi with them later that night.

As it warmed up the crowds got crowdier.  People were smartly dressed.  There were a number of Good Shoes in attendance.  (Someday, newbies, I will tell you about Good Shoes)  Until then, ask your veteran neighbor.

I did not see a lot of big packages go out of the show.  Still, a number of 2-D artists were very happy at the end of the day.

I sold mostly out of the browse bins--all day.  Paid for my Pho and Sake bill that night.

The committee is very well organized, things run very smoothly.

Eats and coffee for breakfast.  A nice awards function Friday night replete with fresh seafood, beer and wine, with a cash bar.  Nice awards here, the heavy hitters are here for them.

I forgot to mention this.  How dumb of me.

This is not an easy show to get into.  Very Biblical.  Many are called, few are chosen.  You have to be at the top of your game for this one, did not see any blatant buy/sell here.  Booth for booth, the work looked great.

I found this great,cheap, Vietnamese restaurant near the Red Roof--thus the great Pho.

Saturday we awoke to clouded over skies with a high of about 65.  It was nippy all day, the sun rarely peeked thru the clouds.  Under the trees it was nippy and dark.  I thought about lighting one of my Portico Frames to warm the joint up.  Thought about it, only.

Crowds were thin, Friday seemed better.  For most of us, the early hours were wasted, most made sales late afternoon.

Used to be, you could have an easy $2K dy on Sat.  Not anymore for most of us.

There were a select few, they were good and they deserved it (Well, so should of we but, WTH), who killed them on Sat. had easy $3-5K day.  Lucky them.

This is what makes this show so special.  You can rock and roll here.  They tend to be on the conservative, very traditional side here. What else is new, it is Pensacola.

Saturday  night  met up with Mark McKinnon, Paul Shatz and Brad Kelly for dinner at another Vietnamese restaurant.  A regular Photographers Convocation with Pho and Digital philosophy.

This was also a pivotal weekend for accept/reject from major shows like Main Street Fort Worth, Winter Park and Coconut Grove.

I got my finger from Winter Park, made it to numero two on W/L for Fort Worth (been in four years in a row, previously) and never bothered with the Grove, I am in Artigras.  Miami does not speak to me anymore.  Wrong lingo, bro.

We gobbled up steamed Pompano with ginger, fried quail legs and lots of Pho and summer rolls.

Got out cheap.  Whew!  Because it was a piss-poor day for sales for all of us.

Sunday dawned--with the sun shining.  I knew it was going to be good day.  And, it was.

Had my best day of the three--and so did others.

Easy teardown.  Show ended at 4PM and I was out of there before 6PM, still made it to Happy Hour at the Fish House, met up with friends Lou and Terri.  They were very happy campers, too.

I think a lot of artists had a semi-off show this year, they made a little more than $1K per day.  Then there were others who hit it out of the park.

I would do it again in a heartbeat (even with a Pig's valve).

Love Pensacola.

Played golf on Monday with Paul and Mark and recouped all my lost monies from food and drink, love those guys, I hope they never improve their short games.

Made it to Destin that night and ate well.  Next morn, was up before dawn, got great pics there and at Grayton beach, Blue Mountain and Topsail.  Then home to the blonde.

I live to fight another day.

PS.  Just heard tonite from the Bluffton Show (site of my demolished booth), they are cutting me a check tomorrow.  Yippee!  I can buy the new canopy and print walls.  I am in there.

We recently hosted a podcast, "The No Mistake Mistake Art Fair Career: 10 Tips from the Experts"

Our guests were Larry Berman and Bruce Baker. Larry focused on getting into the show and Bruce focused on make the sale and connecting with the customer.

The podcast presented a countdown on the best tips starting at #10.

Our experts were Bruce Baker, a jeweler, who began consulting full time in 2005 sharing his retailing and business experience with a variety of groups ranging from Artists, Main Street Merchants, to Farm Market vendors. He has conducted over 600 marketing and production related workshops in the past two decades. His focus was on how to sell your work at art fairs and craft shows.

Bruce's Tips:

Top ten things to do to insure craft/trade show success

10. Brand your business

9. Send positive vibes always, without expectations

8. Post show follow up

7. Make your displays match your art, Find a unique look

6. Use your walls to display your work and promote your brand

5. Display your Art so customers don't have to work to see it
           Display for easy touch responses

4. Lighting. Have it. Focus it on your work

3. Create impressive work.
       Have an Impressive display

2.  Develop products that customers want to buy
          Pay attention to consumer trends

1.     Don't be afraid to sell your art

Listen to the podcast as Bruce explains each of these tenets for success.

Our other expert was Larry Berman, a photographer, who has has been exhibiting at art fairs for over 30 years and was one of the first to recognize the importance of digital imagery in the art fair business. and He has built a career improving jury images for artists and/or photographing their artwork. He has hosted seminars on jury images and does consulting with artists and art fairs.

Larry's Top Ten Tips:

10 – Choosing which shows to apply to

Research shows before you apply. Find out if it’s a good fit for your style or price range. Too often basic questions about shows are asked on the forums after the artist has applied and been accepted. 

It’s OK to apply to more than one show on a weekend to try and keep your schedule full. But choose your shows carefully to make sure they are worth the extra money if the shows you cancel do not have a refund policy.

9 – Understand how the shows you apply to jury so you can choose which images to apply with and what order to put them in. 

JAS uses monitors and the jurors see the images 3 over 2 on a gray background, large enough to see a body of work. The artist statement is centered in the second row between the #4 and #5 images. Some of the better fine craft shows include the artist name.

95% of the ZAPP shows use monitors for jurying, and for most of those shows the jurors work from home. The jurors see the images one at a time on a black background. So your first and last images should be the strongest for a good first and last impression. The jurors can spend time looking at your images.

5% of the ZAPP shows project the images for their jurors, and some of them are the top shows. The jurors see the images projected simultaneously with one image per screen. Therefore your presentation should be chosen to keep the jurors eyes centered. Your booth image should not have any distractions so the jurors glance at it and dismiss it as being professional. Jurors get to see your entire presentation for usually less than 20 seconds so the less time they spend looking at the booth, the more time they have to evaluate your art. 

8 - Black borders yes or no

It says on the ZAPP web site that black borders are no longer necessary. Because the shows that project the images haven’t changed how they jury since ZAPP started over 10 years ago, your images should always be uploaded at 1920 pixels square with black borders. If not, when you apply to the top shows that project the images, ZAPP will resize and add black borders to your images possibly degrading them. The more detail in your artwork, the more chance of the images degrading. Making a change to a JPEG and saving it degrades the image, no matter what quality level you save it at. 

The borders have never been an issue for ZAPP monitor jurying because the jurors have always seen the images on a black web page. The black borders are to make sure all images project the same size. Because JAS uses a gray background, if you want to use your ZAPP images with black borders, make sure they don’t distract.

7 – Good photography

It goes without saying that good photography is essential, especially if you’re in a competitive medium like jewelry. Good photography takes the photography out of the equation and lets the art work be juried on its own merit. Don’t be too creative with the photography because you want the jurors to say “wow, great art” instead of saying “wow, great photograph of that art”.

6 – Backgrounds should match and contain neutral tones and not introduce color. Gray, black, or graduated black to white work best as backgrounds. The artwork should pop off the background, not get lost in it or distracted by it. White background should be reserved for web sites or magazine publication. In a dark jury room white blinds the jurors and prevents detail in the work from being seen. 

2D work like paintings or photographs shouldn’t have any background. Crop to the edges of the art and do not include mats or frames. Your booth image shows the jurors your presentation. And don’t include signatures or any other identification on the artwork or in your booth.

5 – Photograph large or difficult to light objects under your white canopy. Your artwork looks great when set up at a show so why not use that same quality of light to photograph it for jurying. Hang 3 side walls and lay the fourth wall on the ground to reflect light back up. Just like using a 10x10 EZCube.

4 – Camera settings

Cameras are set wrong when new. Besides not being set to capture the most pixels at the highest quality, they are set to give shallow depth of field with a faster shutter speed so that pictures of your children or pets can be taken without blurring. The settings need to be the opposite to photograph art. Low ISO, stop the lens down for maximum depth of field and use a tripod so the camera can choose a longer shutter speed for the correct exposure. 

3 – Consistency in your body of jury images. Something I learned from listening to Bruce Baker when we’ve done workshops together – when you choose pieces to use for jurying, if you choose from pieces made at the same time they’ll look like they come from the same mind and they’ll go together. Also, not every piece that looks good to you will photograph well. Be prepared to photograph a few extra pieces so you can test which group will make the best presentation.

2 – In general, what sells well doesn’t jury well and what juries well doesn’t sell well. Artists tend to think their best-selling artwork is what they should jury with. Usually more commercial, popular, or cliché work sells well but experienced jurors look for something different. Something they’ve never seen before or something they’ve seen but in a way they’ve never seen it.

1 – The 3 deadly sins of jurying are sex, politics and religion. All three are topics people feel strongly about and are guaranteed to turn off at least as many jurors as are turned on by them.

A BIG thank you to Harry & Dena Abell, and all of the volunteers of the Friends of Cloudland Canyon State Park, for hosting a wonderful event!  In spite of the cold weather (we even had snow flurries early Saturday morning!) we had a profitable show.  Harry, Dena and the volunteers were friendly and helpful, and went out of their way to make sure that everyone was as comfortable and happy as possible - including providing a delicious, home-made breakfast and indoor bathrooms to the vendors.  The attendance for the two days was surprisingly good, considering the weather, the $5 entrance fee to the State Park, and the $5 fee to park at the Celebration.  The Fall foliage was beautiful up on the mountain - something we don't get to see much of in Florida!

Another perk was that our booth was next to the renowned artist Larry Dodson's, whom we got to spend some time with.  His validation of the artwork we sell and his advice and encouragement were very much appreciated. 

All-in-all, we had a wonderful time and will be back next year!

Who wrote the best post on AFI in October?

Informative? helpful? plaintive? sociologically appropriate? inspiring?

Vote today- deadline November 17, 6 pm ET.

• Ana Buzancic Petercic, "La comedia e finita, show time is over" -  10/3/2014
• Nels Johnson, "St. James Court Art Show - - The Whole Unvarnished Truth - - As I see it" - 10/7/2014
• Oscar Matos Linares, "What it means to be a hispanic artist in United States of America in year 2014" - 10/10/2014
• Kathleen Caid, "Bad News & Good News" - 10/20/2014
• Katy Perry, "The Greater Charlotte Fine Arts Festival...I think not." - 10/28/2014

CLICK HERE TO CAST YOUR VOTE

April 18 & 19
Ridgeland, Mississippi
100 Artists
Deadline: November 23

Held in the mild and refreshing days of early spring, the Ridgeland Fine Arts Festival presents artists and their work against the splendid setting of Renaissance at Colony Park, a regional lifestyle center renowned for its shopping, dining and entertainment as well as for its graceful Old World architecture inspired by the cities of Europe and the Mediterranean (www.renaissanceatcolonypark.com). 

The City of Ridgeland has grown from a quiet suburb of Jackson, the state capital, to a vibrant hub for the arts and a premier retail and dining venue.

The Ridgeland Fine Arts Festival is presented by the Ridgeland Tourism Commission who develops and implements a robust regional marketing campaign.  All proceeds are used to produce and promote the show.

Santé South Wine Festival, an international showcase of the world’s premier wines and some of Mississippi’s most succulent culinary delights, will be held collectively with the Ridgeland Fine Arts Festival.

• The timing of our show works well for routing with some of the spring Texas shows and events in Atlanta and New Orleans.
• The Ridgeland Fine Arts Festival was recently named a “Top Twenty Event” by the Southeast Tourism Society.
• Easy, convenient and leisurely load-in and load out
• Free, convenient artist parking
• Affordable $250 booth fee
• $7,500 Cash Awards for 12 media categories and Best of Show
• Wi-fi throughout festival site
• 10’ x 10’ booth spaces with 1’ buffer and ample storage
• Limited to 100 artists

For more info: www.ridgelandartsfest.com

Application Deadline: November 23, 2014 ($30 jury fee)

Booth Fee Due:  January 11, 2015 ($250 for 10’ x 10’ space)

For additional information and to apply, go to www.zapplication.org

Email questions to Bob McFarland at bobmcfarland2@hotmail.com or call 253-344-1058.

OK, 

#1: I have a very small market, so I try not to "Upset" them

#2; I don't want to annoy my friends.  
#3; I'm not asking for a new Kiln, Studio, Medical bills, or Funeral expenses.  

This is just the tips that I have discovered, I'm sure that there are Plenty More.    While I wouldn't complain, I'm ONLY inserting the campaign as an example.  I think Insurance is a better bet.  

http://www.gofundme.com/RoundPottery

Tips

#1, Try to Globalize your request.  "All Potters need your help"

#2, Hit your mailing list Hard.  They are Clients, not Friends.  They have proven to buy your stuff, and have money.  Suck it up and hit them hard.

#3, Post at appropriate times.  My original post was, late night on a Thursday.  But my post, 4AM on a Sunday, got 5 times the page views as all previous posts.  Evidently people have time to surf FB on Sunday mornings.  That way your post doesn't get lost in the shuffle.  15 page views vs 453 page views.  Got 30% of my total in one day.  Too significant not to share.  

I've only done this once, This is what I learned.  That is all.

Art show was in Pensacola, Florida, November 7, 8, and 9, 2014.

HERE'S WHAT AWARD OF HONOR ($800) LOOKS LIKE. WOOHOO!

Just when the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair has settled its "footprint" on the real estate of the University of Michigan campus, construction rears its head again! How many years has it been since the show moved to its new location, leaving S. University behind? Five? Six? The early years it had to keep changing its layout because of building construction around the university.

This just in -- new construction! What again? In 2015, there is planned construction in the Rackham/Ingalls Mall section of U-M’s campus, impacting the show.

What does this mean for the show and its director, Maureen Riley?

I don’t know the extent of the construction footprint yet, so I don’t know how much it will impact us at this point,” said Street Art Fair director Maureen Riley. “ …

We’re working with the University to determine the construction footprint, and seek out alternate spaces in our immediate vicinity that we might use.  … If part of Ingalls Mall is accessible, then that may allow me to create a whole different scenario than if Ingalls Mall is completely inaccessible.”

The University's plan:

The university is considering a project, which can only be done during the summer, on the utility tunnels in the area of Ingalls Mall. This is similar to work done in other areas of central campus the last two years. The work has not been finalized, but we wanted to give Summer Festival and Art Fairs leaders plenty of time to make alternative plans for this year.

The Ann Arbor Summer Festival will also be impacted. Its director is Amy Nesbit. How will this impact these two events financially?

Neither Riley nor Nesbitt, at this early stage, is able to estimate the financial impact of the adjustments on their organizations.

“It’s too vague right now, because I don’t know the ‘where,’” said Nesbitt. “Once I know the ‘where,’ we can build in real estimates on what this translates to for us in terms of budget. But no matter where we end up, expense will be there. There’s just no getting around that.”

Riley, meanwhile, said, “We do anticipate this having a negative financial impact, if for no other reason than additional resources that need to be put into developing an altered footprint.

Interested in the financial concerns of events, then read the entire article and be glad you are not trying to host a major event in the heart of a University campus. http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2014/11/ann_arbor_summer_festival_and.html ;

Tuesday - November 11 - 5 pm ET

How do I get into the good art fairs and how do I make money when I get there?

These are the universal questions that need to be answered for earning a living in the fine art and fine craft show business. Our expert guests Larry Berman and Bruce Baker lead the way.

Larry Berman lends his expertise on creating great images that will "wow" they jury and Bruce Baker shares his experience on creating a great booth and meeting the customer. Between the two you'll have the answers and there is only one thing left for you to do: make great art.

Larry Berman has a long career in photography, including being the staff photographer for the NY Nets ABA basketball team. He has been exhibiting at art fairs for over 30 years and was one of the first to recognize the importance of digital imagery in the art fair business, and was responsible for the ZAPP image format which displays all jury images the same size. He has built a career improving jury images for artists and/or photographing their artwork. He has done seminars on jury images and does consulting with artists and art fairs.

Bruce Baker began selling his jewelry at retail and wholesale shows in the 1980's. Taking what he learned there he began consulting full time in 2005 sharing his retailing and business experience with a variety of groups ranging from Artists, Main Street Merchants, to Farm Market vendors, conducting over 600 marketing and production related workshops in the past two decades.  He leads training sessions helping artists be more productive and competitive in the international marketplace.

Between the two you'll have all the answers and there is only one thing left for you to do: make great art. 

People wonder why ATL shows are hit and miss?  Here is a recent news piece that focuses on a group that has added 12 new annual events to the Metro Atlanta Art Festival calendar. Since the population has not grown at quite the same rate, many existing shows have been damaged. Shows like Dogwood, which by the way is preceded by an event organized by this group and is less than two miles away.

http://www.cbs46.com/story/27294043/money-to-popular-nonprofit-festivals-may-not-be-going-to-charity

Had not done this show in 20 years.  Might be another 20 before I try it again.

Daytona is an interesting, iconic beach town on Florida's east coast.

They love their car racing, big time here,and they love anything to do with the beach.

Unfortunately, art does not seem to fit into one of their abiding loves.

I am a photographer, so much of my report and perspective of the shows I blog about are based on 2-D observations.  Believe me, I monitor the 3-Dside as well.  After 40 years in the biz, I know a good bag of Kettle Corn from a so-so bag in a spectators hands.

I went to Photo School in Daytona in the early 80-ies.  So I did this show then.  It was a better juried fine art show then.

Believe me, sales were tough then, but now, they are absolutely decrepit.

In the entire show I saw less than a dozen 2-D parcels go down the aisles.  Some of these were  painted palm tree husks that were placed on a plywood base with a hanger.  That is how bad it was.

The show is held by the riverfront downtown.  Runs about three blocks.  Artists are back to back with a wide median in between.  Plenty of room for storage.

Easy Friday setup.  Mellow committee.  Nice awards, some free food.  They try hard and they have a loyal corps of followers.

This was my first show since the great car crash incident into my booth at Bluffton,SC.

I had a LightDome canopy, courtesy of Lou and Terri, and eight Propanels courtesy of my wife, Ellen.

It all went up with stock in less than three hours.  I tore down in one hour.

The potential customers there are thin, very thin.

Not a lot of interest in art or acquiring it.

That said, I barely broke even with expenses, and I was staying with good friends in New Smyrna Beach.

BTW.  Friday night, Hallow-ween, NSB put on a great downtown get together with parades and bar-hopping.  It was great, it put my Ybor City to shame.  No edgy drunks, just lots of people all ages having fun.

I would only recommend this show to someone if they are not coming from afar.  Don't expect a lot, and you will go home happy.

BTW.  I saw very little 3-D purchases in anybody's hands.  The Kettle Corn guy was the king.

I am now parked and waiting to register and setup in Pensacola.  Usually this is a very good show for me, and most others.

I will do a blog next week.

Aloha!  Nels.

I was all set to do "Best of the Northwest" in Seattle Nov. 14-16th. Sadly, I broke my left arm in an accident Nov. 2nd. Doctor has said not to do anything for 2 months. My left arm is immobilized. I immediately contacted them so they could fill my space. I had asked them to at least consider a partial refund if they filled it. They refused, saying it wouldn't be fair to other applicants, plus admin time. They filled it immediately the same day and received  another $400 booth fee. I am upset with their practices. I don't think this is ethical. I would like to know of any actions I can take, and your feedback.

Hi Everyone,

I just realized that I had not updated my e-mail and as a result, a post I sent a few days ago didn't go out--plus I realized I wasn't getting any blogs--and a day without AFI blogs is truly a day with out sunshine of the enlightenment kind. With changes under my belt, here goes a request:

I'm going to do a show in Deland, Florida this month for the very first time. Has anyone ever done this and if so, what advice can you offer? Art Fair Source book says the set up is tight and easy. I'm not so sure about the easy part since there's no prior day set up and that we will have to set up at 6 a.m. with only 4 hours till show time. My husband is concerned that we won't have room for a work station or chairs. We use a podium type work station that my hubby built (it holds my computer, cash drawer, scanner etc. in an orderly manner) and it's painted to match the frames I use for display. I use a computer and scanner because I use software that allows me to inventory everything I take to the show floor, create my own bar codes--I program it with the tax rate--it breaks things down for method of payment, tells me how much change to give--and so much more.

My hubby's concerned we may have to revert to belly bags and calculators (ugh) if space is really that tight. I hope, hope, hope, that won't be the case.

So, if you've ever done this show, please give me your advice.

Many thanks, Susan

Here is this years Chastain Park Arts Festival review. Links to past reviews for info on logistics like set up, break down, booths and the basics plus more pics are below. None of that has changed.
http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/chastain-park-art-festivall http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/chastain-park-arts-festival http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/buckhead-spring-arts-and-1 http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/chastain-park-art-festival

This location is where the wealthy live in Atlanta. Big houses many many mansions. There are smaller beautiful million dollar homes that are considered tear downs to build monster homes. This show is where the people in this neighborhood go to shop and it is one of those rare shows that people have a bunch of empty walls.

Since the show is the first weekend of November the weather is a crap shoot. This year it was COLD and windy on Saturday. First real cold snap so many hadn't been in their attics getting out the winter coats, gloves and scarves. The forecast was bad. Wind advisory and freeze warnings. It scared the citizens.

I even fell for it. Saturday morning I did something I never have done. I called my friend who was showing a couple booths away from me and asked her to open up the front of my booth and I stayed in my warm bed an extra hour. I figured there was no way anyone, not even the dog walkers, would be at the show before noon. I arrived at 11 am, an hour after opening, and was surprised that a women was waiting for me. She came and walked the show and had decided on one of my pieces and had already bought 2 more large 2D pieces from other artists.

An artist not far from me sold an original pen and ink drawing in the first hour of the show. Another artist on Friday during set up had a designer walking through the park and bought the entire booth before he had even finished setting up! There was even an artist who opened then left the booth to go stay warm.

One of the show directors made an $800 sale for this artist since they were A.W.O.L. Now it was cold, really cold to the bone. We couldn't really sit, had to keep moving. The crowds were not there. Mainly artists, but the patrons that did show up were on a mission. A photographer sold 5 framed pieces and I teased him that 80% of the people who showed up bought from him.

Back to my cold Saturday show, most of the people I talked to had already bought from me. I have showed here many many many times. I was starting to think maybe I needed to take a break from this show. Well I started to have people come to me that had been thinking about a piece or were finally ready to buy a piece show up and we talked commissions. Saturday I closed a few commissions. In the afternoon I sold the biggest piece I have ever brought to an art show, 65"x80".

The show closed at 6pm. It was dead and so so cold by 5pm. I decided to deliver my work early, and warm up in my clients home until 6pm then went back to close up for the night. If any of you know me, I am usually a Sunday girl, almost never sell on Saturdays. This was my Saturday. Almost every patron that came bought from someone, BUT there were not many patrons and not everyone had a good day. Especially those that had lower price points and needed a big crowd.

Sunday, daylight savings. I have found when a show is in a park and you are dealing with daylight savings you need to remember that the dog walkers still need to get up and walk the dogs at the same time. I don't like this because I am always ready for an extra hour in bed BUT I make it a point to show up early on these days. The weather was much better, sunny, no wind and a bit warmer.

Everyone had gotten their winter gear out of the attic. After I opened my booth early I walked the show and talked to the other artists. Like I said, the higher priced point folks had decent Saturdays, lower price points were hoping for a better day. By the time I got back to my booth, around official opening time, patrons were ready to enjoy a sunny late fall Sunday. Crowds were decent. Not huge like we all hoped but good enough. I saw my regulars and more folks ready to buy a piece.

After break down I delivered my three next largest pieces to a beautiful mansion that had an elevator in the home large enough to fit 50"x68" piece. They also had an amazing art collection and I walked around the home recognizing 9 different artist that I know. My point is this is an area where people collect art.

All in all a wonderful show again, but the weather kicked my butt. Recovering these past two days and no rest for the wicked, installations scheduled all week. Also wanted to add the show has added Nuloo. I love this trailer bathrooms. Usually I love it for the A/C but this show it was great to go in and warm up. They also offer wifi and a charging station for tablets, phones and laptops. Another thing to keep in mind for this show, it is the last one in Atlanta, people are wanting to get their homes ready for the holidays plus buy gifts. 

Take a look:

Historic Pewabic Pottery in Detroit looking for:

• Executive Director
• Community Programs Coordinator
• Development Associate and more opportunities

Ann Arbor Street Art Fair:

• Bookkeeper/Office Manager
• 2015 Program Coordinator
• http://www.artfair.org/main/main

University of Michigan:

• Associate Director of Development, Foundation & Government Relations at UM Museum of Art
• Web Software Developer
• Communications Marketing Manager
• lots more: http://www.creativemany.org/resources/job-opportunities/creative-job-opportunities

Ann Arbor's favorite co-op Gallery 16 Hands is looking for Holiday Sales Associates: 

http://www.16handsgallery.com/

Thanks to The Arts Alliance Newsletter for sharing this information, www.a3arts.org.

Think you're the only one? Hardly ... even the best marketers, most optimistic folks like Abraham Lincoln (well, not exactly an optimistic guy, but you know what I mean) and the fabulous Napoleon Hill experienced disappointments and complete failures. 

Surprised? or had that somehow eluded you? 

You push and push, you keep trying something new and what you had envisioned as a dream come true keeps ever in the mist leaving you with a huge sense of disappointment and regret.

Shall we dwell there? should we blame _____ and ____ and you know that worst one ____, your personal nemesis. 

What kind of perspective do you use, what do you believe in? What do you do so you are no longer as susceptible to the old patterns, and they naturally begin fall away? Any secrets to share?