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I was wondering if anyone has done or heard about this show?   Someone commented it snobby ?

I’m excited to announce that LeHay’s Shaker Boxes has been picked as one of the finalists for the Martha Stewart American Made Awards.

The finalist selection ended on September 9th and the on-line voting has started for the audience choice award. The nine Judge Honored Category Winners and the one Audience Choice Award Winner will be announced on October 17, 2014.
By clicking on the link you'll be taken to my entry. On the right hand side you’ll see a “Vote” button for the audience choice award; any votes would be greatly appreciated. Voting ends on October 13th 2014. Thank you for your support!

http://www.marthastewart.com/americanmade/nominee/95029/design/lehays-shaker-boxes 

Nature's Path cereals are great... several weeks ago, I picked up a box to pour a bowl and read their slogan on the back..."We're so happy our paths have crossed."

For some reason, it made me think of my attitude about art festivals, and how frustrated I have been - and how obnoxious my silent stream of conciousness had become. I cut back on shows completely.

I know I probably picked a lot of bad shows during the last few years, didn't do the research, etc... But that slogan hit me where it hurt.

I do think, on a consistent basis, that my art is great...but it's not for everyone. Not everyone can afford it. Not everyone has wall space. Years ago, I was one of those people who walked every big art festival and hardly ever bought anything.

Most of the time, people walk into my booth and say WOW. No one walks in says...you've gotta be kidding, that's not art...no one says...you're a fraud... no one says...you have no talent. What was wrong with me?

So I decided to change my attitude. I would smile at everyone who walked in my booth. I would happily answer every [dumb] question. I would let people touch my work, I would not bark at people taking photos of my work, but hand them my card and say - everything is on my web site. I would cheerfully accept all compliments, and not expect them to turn into sales. I did try to encourage people who truly seemed interested to take my work home, but no pressure.

I recognize faces I've seen before, and talked with everyone who's purchased from me before... they are my fans, how cool is that?

I smiled ALL day, both days. I thanked every buyer sincerely. I did not care how well or poorly my neighbors did. They don't make my work - we're not in competition. I did pretty well this past weekend, not gangbusters...but I got a lot of good feedback, and gave out hundreds of business cards. For me, I actually make MORE money AFTER some shows doing custom work, or selling something they saw, but wanted to buy at another time.

Now...I have to say, I have a benefactor - a spouse with a JOB. He doesn't pay for the travel, the hotel, the booth fees, etc... I do. But, he does put a roof over our heads and pay all the household bills JUST SO I can do what I love. I know we don't all have that luxury. I am grateful.

I gotta go make some tea, take my morning pills and have some cereal.

How can this be?

1. A craft show rated by Sunshine Artist as #4 in the nation based on survey-reported revenue alone is still begging for applications less than two months before the show. (Craftsmen’s Classic in Chantilly)
2. Another art show, reported by Sunshine Artists surveys to be almost impossible to make any profit at (1/3 of the respondents reported revenues of less than $2000, and almost all of the respondents reported revenues of less than $5000), is widely reported be to almost impossible to be accepted at. (Coconut Grove)

TUESDAY - SEPTEMBER 16 - 4pm ET

Around just about as long as the Internet email marketing has been pooh-poohed as "old school" and no longer relevant. Our guests Mckenna Hallett and Scott Fox beg to differ.

In 1992, Mckenna launched her own business selling jewelry. Living in Hawaii she had to figure out how to reach a much wider audience. She turned to the fledgling Internet, built a website and developed an email marketing campaign. Since then Mckenna has sold more than 40,000 pieces of jewelry to more than 200 shops. Today she continues to sell steadily to over 50 shops and galleries across the nation. 

Best-selling author, Scott Fox was in Silicon Valley as the Internet was exploding into new opportunities. Instead of pursuing his intended law career he became engaged in strategizing on how to capitalize on the new technology, starting and consulting in many e-business start ups. Today he hosts a popular online business training forum, podcasts about online business opportunities, consults on new online businesses and coaches entrepreneurs worldwide.

They are both passionate about email marketing and see it as the best way to reach others - in their inboxes. They share a commitment to helping others use the power of the Internet to design successful lives. 

We talk about:

• building and growing your email list
• integrating your website with your email marketing
• ways to manage your list and possible providers
• best practices in reaching your audience
• the top reasons for using email marketing 
• email vs Facebook and other social media
• optimizing for mobile

OK!! So maybe it wasn't the perfect show. The perfect show would pay us to be there because of all the money artists generate by coming. That's not going to happen any time soon. However, there were so many things to like about this show that it is as close to being perfect, in 2014, as a show can get. I complain a lot that shows are not like they were in the 1980's and 90's. Most of you don't know what that means because you started doing shows after 2000.

The whole time during this show, I thought we had time warped back to the '90's and not just because sales were good. There was so much to like about this show, it should be the model for all shows. I think Cindy Lerick is the best director in the country and all shows, especially the mega shows, should hire Cindy as a consultant to fix their shows. More on that later.

The SLAF is a 3 day show. Setup starts at 11 AM on Friday. The show runs from 5 PM to 10 on Friday, 10-10 on Saturday, and 11-5 on Sunday. You have to register before you can start setting up. You can register Thursday evening or Friday morning. A lot of people registered Thursday and that turned out to be a good idea.

It pays to show up the day before, at this show, and get well rested for Friday because it can be hot and humid, in Clayton in September and setup can lead right into the show start. You want to be fresh for opening. Each 10' x 10' booth has 2 feet between each booth, and two feet behind for easy access to storage. This also creates a stress free, casual, environment that puts us in a really good mood.

Contrast that with Madison where they pack people in with no space between booths and a constant subtle tension the whole weekend. Setup and take down is really easy. You can drive right up to your booth. Booths are back to back in the middle and you park against the curb leaving the middle free for vehicles to come in.

Every section has its own entrance, so, there are no bottlenecks. Also, they leave it up to artists to work it out. So, there are no problems. We do this a lot and know what to do. I hate the shows that control setup. It seems that if we are allowed to manage things, setup takes 2 hours and there are no problems. If they control things, it takes all day to get in and out. Also, the police are extremely friendly and relaxed. At lot of shows, the police act like they are doing us a favor and treat us like the street people we really are.

The show opened at 5 PM and the serious buyers came out. There was nothing for the first hour, as people perused the show and then I started selling. I almost couldn't keep up with selling and wrapping, at the same time. I couldn't believe it. That hadn't happened since before 2000.

And then... we got a text message that they were closing the show at 7 PM. NOOOOOOO!!! There was a storm coming in. Unfortunately, it only lasted for 5 minutes and it was mostly huge gusts of wind. To be fair, the radar looked ominous and there was thunder and lightning.

The worst part missed us and why take a chance. So, the decision was the correct one. Three booths blew over. This is a show where every booth was properly weighted, so, it wasn't as if the booths that got destroyed were the $200 Costco specials. I know one booth was a Light Dome.

So, Friday ended 3 hours early. Too bad. Some of the veterans, who live in St Louis, mentioned that the Friday night people only come on Friday night. So, those sales were lost. The weather was good on Saturday and great on Sunday. My sales were good on Saturday, very steady, and great on Sunday, one after another. $200-$225 is my sweet spot.

Overall, my sales were very good, not great though. I don't want anyone congratulating me for selling like "gangbusters." It wasn't like that. However, if I had a full Friday night, I might have had a great show. The significant thing, here, is that everyone had a solid show. I know that some people had great 5 figure totals but most people had solid 4 figures. Most shows that I do have a few people who do great and the rest of us barely make expenses.

Here, everyone made money.

Why do I consider this show to be so great? It isn't about the money even though it was, by far, my best show and a lot of other artist's best show financially. There are so many things that make this show the best show in the country. We can start with the fact that they limit the number of artists to 150 and that 1 in 10 get in. This insures that the quality of the work is good and that, in turn, brings out the real buyers.

There are no reproductions allowed. Everything must be made by the artist and they have quality control people who walk the show to make sure this is adhered to. I didn't see one S on a Stick go by me. Do you know how frustrating that is when it seems that everyone who walks by me has SOS? Broad Ripple had 5 SOS sellers. I will never go back to that show again. My customers do not buy SOS. It really feels good knowing that everyone who comes into my booth or even passes by, is a potential customer.

Another thing that makes this show great is that people thanked me for coming and hope that I come back next year. Do you hear that Cindy? This only happens at one other show and that is Smoky River in Salina, KS. The people who attend this show love it. They are proud of the fact that the SLAF attracts really good artists and they have a lot of quality choices.

Another reason why this show is so successful is because it hasn't forgotten what has made shows so good. It's still about the artists and the art. There are no beer hawkers, no stilt walkers, no loud music, no miles of unhealthy food booths, etc. There are some sponsor booths but they are limited. Cindy told me they turned away plenty of sponsors who didn't fit the image. Think about that one.

Parking is free and plentiful on the street. I did see parking for $5. Contrast with the money grubbers in some cities who charge $15 and up per day. And, the show is free. I guess when you don't have to pay for name brand music and other crap that passes for entertainment, you don't have to charge a gate fee and you get plenty of sponsors knocking on your door to underwrite your show because when art is the main focus, the show attracts people who contribute to the economy, people who may buy their products.

Any show director reading this should read this two or three times. It's the thing that makes this show great and is the same thing that is killing your show.

There are many other things that make this show great that I left out like the Artists Showcase, where you send a piece and it is on display in a gallery setting weeks before the show with directions to your booth. And, the great staff that works tirelessly to make the experience great, like Yehuda, who has to deal with all of us, making sure all the paperwork gets in on time. I want to publicly thank Yehuda for his time and effort.

Earlier, I mentioned that Cindy Lerick was the best show director in the country. She is ultimately responsible for all the policies that I mentioned that makes this show great. She's the one who keeps the quality of the art at a high level. She's the one who makes sure there are not too many sponsor booths and their placement. She's the one who sets the tone for this show, the one who makes this the classy event that it is.

I talked to her at length because I knew I was going to write this review and I wanted to know some things. And, btw, she will take the time to talk to any artist, not just at the show, but, during the year. Unlike other directors, she is available and accessible. I asked one simple question: Does the SLAF make money or do they lose money? After all, some shows, and we all know who they are, charge a gate fee, have up to 450 artists with a substantial booth fee, sponsors who pay to have the prime spots and they still lose money. Cindy tells me they make money.

I guess spending all that money to be a mega show doesn't pay off. I believe if you really want to be successful then go back to the roots of your show and make the art and the artists your focus. I think you should hire Cindy to consult with you to make that happen. She's proven she has the winning formula. While you're at it, bring me in, also. We can work as a team. I've done this long enough and have the training to help you make your show a success, like it once was.

January 24 & 25, 2015 
Key West, Florida
Whitehead and Caroline Streets
10am-5pm daily
100+ Artists

The Key West Craft Show, which attracts buyers from locals, cruise boats and tourists, was rated by Sunshine Artists in the top 100 shows, most recently at #45.  The 2014 show had attendance estimated over 25,000 visitors.  This show is popular with locals and tourists alike and only one block from popular Duval Street.

Since this is our 30th annual we have planned a special advertising section in a local paper that will include a two page spread with artist names and maps sponsored by local businesses.  

This is a two day juried outdoor craft festival.  This nationally recognized festival brings over 100 fine and skilled craft artists to this beautiful historic area of Key West.  Exhibitors set up along Whitehead Street from Greene Street to Eaton, and on Caroline Street through the famous Presidential Gates into the beautiful Truman Annex.  

Set among historical attractions such as Audubon House, the Little White House and Mel Fisher Museum, the City of Key West closes two blocks of Whitehead Street and another block of Caroline Street to vehicle traffic for the show.  

Visitors can leisurely browse the beautiful displays of pottery, fabric, glass, wood, jewelry and other colorful handmade works by the selected artists.

The show, in its 30th year, is sponsored by the Key West Art Center and was created to complement the Old Island Days Art Festival held in February.  

2015 application: http://www.keywestartcenter.com/2015%20Craft%20Application.pdf
2015 Prospectus: http://www.keywestartcenter.com/2015%20Craft%20prospectus.pdf

This show is run by the Recreation Department under Lynette Santurro's supervision. (It is a Zapp show)

At one time I considered this one of the best one-day shows in the midwest, especially in September.

Times have changed.  It is still a good show, a little too craftsey, but not numero uno anymore.

The show is held on a big recreation field in Upper Arlington, which is a very monied northwest suburb of Columbus.  Think Jack Nicklaus.  He is from Dublin which is just around the corner.

Ohio State is also, just around the corner.  You have great homes around the area, many filled with young to middle-agers-- a welcome demographic for artists.

A lot of these folks won't bother going to the downtown June show and instead, will gladly walk two blocks from their houses to buy art here.

I have done this show for many years since the 1980's.  I have a great following here which never hurts to have.

In the old days, one could do $2K by lunch and be at $3K at show end.

You can set up leisurely, the day before, on Sunday.  Or, wait til Monday morn and do it then.  About 50% do it one way or the other.

Most have ample storage space behind, usually some hanging space on one side.

They feed you a breakfast and also a bagged lunch--sandwich, cookie and ice water.

They have a very zealous fire department which checks to see if artists booths are properly staked down in to ground.  No weights allowed.

So here is the only rub.

Too many booths, almost 225, for too few high end buyers.  Low end price points do best here. I only saw about five large framed pieces go out of here--one of them was mine.

You don't see a lot of pros from the circuit do it anymore--sales are not there for them--they will wait for the June show. In the old days I would see photographers like John Galbo and Luciano--those were the days.

There is a lot of loving hands jewelry and pottery in the show.  A majority of artists are from Ohio, Indiana and Michigan.

I always stay at a Red Roof Inn, nearby on the river--get it on the CLC card for under $40.

I would say it is a worthwhile bet to do if you live within 6 hours of it and only want to stay one night in a hotel.

I will always go back and do it again so I can be beside Peter, the Mennonite broom-maker.  The committee takes friendly bets on what time he will sell out of his stock, usually before 3 PM.  This year he had a lot of brooms leftover, but he also brought 400 more than usual. Even Mennonites can dream large.

We have been looking for a show in November to fill our schedule, and there is a show on Zapplication titled The Highland Art and Craft Show, in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania.  The primary jury deadline has passed, however the application indicates they will accept applications for several more weeks.

Have you ever done this event?  What has been your experience.  I recognize the experience can vary drastically dependent on what you sell.  I hand dye silk, and make funky fiber pieces.  My husband makes cold processed soap.    If you have done the show, would you do it again?  Have any recommendations?  I value all feedback!!!!

(Its a hike from Cleveland Ohio to this Philadelphia suburb, so i am trying to really do some research before i commit to this.)

I watched a documentary on an artist whose work sells for $65,000 - over $250,000 each.

I have seen his work before and it is interesting and really cool... I've always been so impressed with his skill, and the amazing amount of detail.

His work sells to collectors and museums.

I was really digging it until I saw the part where he is in China painting. They showed his a crew of like 10 Chinese painters doing all the backgrounds and the clothes.Wait, what?

The artist picks his models, he has someone else do the photography [he does art direction], imports his background images from wallpaper and/or other patterns. I watched as someone else put it all together in photoshop.

So how does he get the image on canvas? It looks like he uses a projector [!!!] and/or prints the images on canvas or fabric from photoshop.

Now I feel like I just found out my parents didn't really send my pet duck Donald to a "farm" after he broke his leg.

You know, there is that constant "artist" dialog about how using a projector is "cheating" - using any of sort of tool...except the artists that are making the most money in the WORLD all seem to use one, and a crew of painters, sculptors, fabricators.

So are the collectors really buying "his" original work or is it just his concept?

I work so hard, with my hands in and on everything. Why aren't my pieces selling for $250,000?

Hi my name is Kara and well I have slowly tried to enter this site and learn some things about art fairs, including whether I want to do them. I have been preparing myself to do them by going to any fair in my area for the last few years. I am just concerned to be honest. Maybe someone out there can direct me down the right rabbit hole cause I'm not making much progress on my own.

I am a very sensitive person, and to be quite honest it makes me sick to my stomach when people are rude to me. If it makes me somehow not qualified to do shows, that very well might be true. But for now, since I have created work to be shown, I still need to earn some kind of wage. I keep coming up against remarks as opposed to helpful information. What I am asking for is helpful information. I hope I can get that here.

For some reason many people seem to be successful in the fairs, if there are some magic recipes please share. My intent in life was always to do fine art and sell it, but I kept changing directions when I came against a wall. Generally I would get a sense I was choosing an art I enjoyed but didn't want to have solely as what I was known for, so I would move on.

I found moving on as an unfortunate repeated offense until I found clay and sculpture. I had to work on my talent, then I had to work on a plan. Well, I am as broke as they get so I don't have room for guess work. When it comes to fairs and getting started, that seems to be just how it is, guessing. I have lost many years running in a circle. Anyone who has known me, knows how hard I have tried but, I just don't understand how to make a living at being an fine artist. There is some little piece of information in my head that is missing, I just know it, but I can't seem to figure it out.

Here are my concerns

1. I am a victim of two very violent crimes, because of this I have panic attacks. I have to have someone with me, so I feel safe. Is there a problem or does it generally cost more , if I have someone with me at all times? are there rules I should know?

2. I can't sell my work cheep and then slowly raise my prices as I get known. I need to be in shows where the buyers purchases are approximately $2000.00 not $200.00.  I have been told that I need to be in little shows before I can be in big shows. Not that I know what a big show is.

3. I won't be able to travel a lot due to the chances of breaking my sculptures, they are truly fragile.

4. If you were going to suggest a show in all of the states, where where higher price art sells, and you are accepted on the quality of your piece not how well you are known, what show would you suggest?

5. Are any indoor shows in the states that meet these criteria that you know of.

I realize these are confuse questions, but I am stressed. I'm beginning to feel like I have been going down the wrong rabbit hole again.

We were excited to get in to this fair because we believed the reviews that it was truly a fine art fair. It is not. 

Although the show is well run and people really did their best to be helpful, the prevalence of booths filled with inexpensive craft items, especially in our row, hurt our ability to sell more expensive one-of-a-kind glass art. 

Positives about the show? Helpful staff, very good entertainment on main stage [only once was the volume enough to interfere with conversations with potential customers], a beautiful setting, easy loading, and a great value on a cooperating hotel. The promotional campaign is very strong and brings lots of people, as do the main stage acts, which seem to attract the families and friends of the local performers. And no dogs are allowed in the park during the show, which seems to invite more attention to booths.

Negatives? If we were the only ones to have poor sales, I would assume it was our work and that we were a mismatch. We talked with lots of artists with similar price points, however, and only one was having a successful show. When we spoke with artists who had been there before [with one notable exception], their sales were down. We're not knocking crafters -- our neighbors could not have been nicer. We just think that if we had been in a row full of higher-priced items, we might have done better. People spent time in our booth looking at our work, but our sales were abysmal, which has not been as true at other shows. Another negative: the hours are unnecessarily long: Friday night 4-7:30, Saturday 9-7, and Sunday 9-4. 

We did have a fierce storm on Friday night, and the staff and fire and police departments were attentive and helpful about closing the show down early. That didn't necessarily help sales, and the ground was damp all weekend, but there were crowds there nonetheless. 

We can't help but wonder if this show is living on its past reputation. Apparently it once was a first-rate fine art show, but now they seem to be adding a fair number of craft booths.

Suggestion: If you choose to do this show, ask for a booth in the main upper section, above the sidewalk. That had the best array of fine art and heavy foot traffic.

Ok, I am going to draw a lot of ire with this one, but I just have to.  Unless I am completely insane, you must dress for the event if you want to succeed.  If I were shopping for Art, Jewelry, or anything of quality, I don't want to buy it from an artist/craftsperson that looks like they got dressed in the dark in clothes that have been slept in.  You are not going to the beach, you are trying to pry hundreds of dollars out of my wallet.  If the average shopper is better dressed than you are, that should be a clue.  I won't listen to "It's hot", "It's cold", or anything like that.  The only appropriate T-Shirt is an event t-shirt from that event.  Men - buy a polo.  Wear solid color, non-faded shorts.  Ladies - there are tons of loose fitting, cool shirts.  Shorts need to be modest.  

DENIM SHOULD BE OUTLAWED!  Cleavage is not needed. Flip Flops are bad - and if you are not sitting all day, which is a good way to miss sales, your feet will kill you by end of day.

Same day setup?  Bring a change of clothes to change into after you have set up.

Cold?  Sweater, not sweatshirt or hoodie.  Really cold?  Nice coat or parka.  Cold weather is the only excuse for denim.

Of course, these are only the rules according to me.  But if you are next to me at an event dressed like a bum or like you are headed to the beach, biker bar etc., please don't complain to me about your poor sales!

After months of building inventory and putting together my 'outdoor exhibition gallery', I finally did my first art fair.

It was Houston's First Saturday Arts Market -- 2 miles away from my house; 40 artists; 11am - 6pm; good weather for the most part (being hot & muggy this time of year).

My inventory was decidedly light for two reasons:

1. I had another show that evening where I had a 12' x 8' wall to fill with artwork, and as I started all this only in February, I don't have a huge supply.
2. My medium is encaustic (hardened beeswax), and although I tested everything a month earlier with a booth temperature of 110 degrees, I did not want to risk the majority of my show pieces getting dinged during transport or sitting in hot cars.  So half my stuff was at the other show.

Sales-wise I only sold one thing, but it was the most expensive piece I brought, which more than put me in the black plus give me a shot of encouragement and satisfaction.

This art fair has been going on monthly for a very, very long time, and most of the artists were regulars.  Therefore the operation went very smoothly.  There were music groups that played a short distance from me throughout the day, so I was never bored.

The crowd was decent I guess, I have nothing to compare it to.

We had a brief rain.  It was just enough for me to see that the only place water was pooling on my tent was on the awning.

I was positioned with the rear of the tent flat up against a building, so I had no good place to hide away my packing/supplies.  Underneath the table was mostly coolers.

Lessons learned (in no particular order):

• Figure out a better place to sit, a place that doesn't block the artwork.
• My labels were constantly falling off, get them to stick better.
• Booking the earliest setup time in order to ensure a spot out of the afternoon sun was a smart choice.
• The temperature in the booth hit a high of 100 degrees.  I did not have any problems with the wax becoming tacky, nonetheless I think I will forego future outdoor shows in Jun, Jul, Aug, and Sept.
• I had electricity but my cellphone charger was bad.  Bring a spare one next time.
• Hide away all the non-art stuff better;
• My display table turned into a work table.  Keep the tape, scissors, water bottles etc off of it.
• I did't have any prints, just original pieces, and nothing was less than $150.  I guess it's time to think about prints and other lower-priced items.
• My first-thing-they-see pieces were pretty good eye catchers I think.  And every piece got at least one compliment.
• The husband & wife team across from me were really pulling in the people with their combination of unique art (alcohol ink), colorful display, branding, and chatty draw-you-in banter.  Not me.
• Be grateful for the one sale.  I think some of my neighbors had 0.
• Practice my artwork wrapping skills on various sizes of pieces.
• PayPal Here is A-OK for the customer sales experience, but I think I left it in a state such that the app was draining my smartphone battery.
• Pack plenty of fluids.
• My do-it-yourself make your ice cooler into an air conditioner was a flop.  Just use the fan as a fan.

Thanks for everyone that critiqued my home made display panels.  They worked out pretty well.

Well, it was my second year in Mundelein. Last year, I did about $1300. This year it was much lower at $805. Maybe they are tired of seeing me? I had people come into my booth this year said they bought my prints last year and then leave. Okay, maybe I will take next year off from Mundelein. Maybe I will apply to Arts and Apples in Rochester, MI - that would be a lot closer to home for me.

I did have some misfortune there! Hotel was $205. I had a flat tire Saturday night. $75 for putting the spare on the vehicle. Plus $452 for two new tires on the Escape. $30 for dinner Saturday and I only made $43 for the show. Okay I knew the tires were getting bad but to pay for new tires from my business account - well that just eats away at the weekend. Plus I spent close to $75 in gas for the Escape. So now I am -$32 for the fair.

I think I will cut this show out of next year. I was hoping for much more form this little show. It's a five hour drive for me to get there. Well, Christa does treat you good at the show but my sales took a dive. The crowds were there, but not too interested in my art...

Am I the only one out here that thinks it's kind of heartless to email rejections (oops - "Not Invited") to us on Saturday afternoon?  We all need the best attitude at every show, and if you were really counting on a show and got this love note at 5:00 on a sweltering Saturday with a beautiful forecast for Sunday is it possible that it would spoil your attitude?  How big a deal is it to hit "Send" late Sunday or Monday?  On the other hand, an "Invited" email would have the opposite effect, wouldn't it?  While the email we got on Saturday did not negatively impact US, I can imagine it would some (did not really expect to get in, took a wild stab in the dark but it was a Zapp show, and of the 5 shows we have been "not invited" to 4 of them have been Zapp, so hopes were not high, and an alternate in the wings).  So - am I just crazy?

Best of Show: Aaron Hequembourg, Mixed Media

Jurors Awards:

Dr. Stacey Tull Award: Steve Jones, Mixed Media

Chris Chapin Award: Mary Jackson, Fiber

David Glenn Award: Sue Mersman, Wood

Emerging Artist Award: Rachel Zolotov

First Place:

Deborah Mae Broad, Printmaking

Kina Crow, Mixed Media

Robert Farrell, Metalwork

Amy Gillespie, Mixed Media

Nicario Jimenez, Mixed Media

William Lemke, Photography

Julie Seymour, Jewelry

Thomas Wargin, Sculpture

Kimberly Willcox & Kevin Nordhausen, Sculpture

Betsy Youngquist, Mixed Media

Second Place

Michael Bauermeister, Wood

David Bjurstrom, Drawing & Pastels

John Costin, Printmaking

Robert and Tor Erickson, Wood

Michele Friedman, Jewelry

Richard Gruchalla & Carrin Rosetti, Ceramics

William Kidd, Ceramics

Suro Kim, Painting

Leon Niehues, Fiber

Justin Teilhet, Ceramics

A good story about the show and its economic impact on the city:

http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/blog/2014/09/clayton-art-fair-fills-hotels-stomaches.html

Here is one of the nicest TV stories about an artist I've seen in a long time. A TV reporter who "gets it."

VIDEO: Great story about emerging artist program that just happens to feature Rachel Zolotov who won the "emerging artist award". You'll see why: http://www.ksdk.com/story/entertainment/television/show-me-st-louis/2014/09/05/st-louis-art-fair/15129841/