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G3 Studios - a small woodworking business in Northern, MI  is asking for your vote for a chance to win $150k from Chase. We need 250 votes for a chance to win. Do it because, you can, you want to support another artist.... Just do it!  All votes are greatly appreciated. Vote here!

I just found out about The Festival Of Trees, held by the Junior League of Duluth, Minnesota.  I believe it is too late to enter, as it is held in November at the DECC.  I can't wait to check it out for next year!

I am still really a puppy to all of this - November 8 marks my one year of showing. I do the art shows, I do the arts and crafts shows... I do it all to try to really figure out my niche. With the fine art shows pretty much over for the season, I am embarking on the crafting circuit (this is a pretty special circuit... I never realized the seedy underbelly of the crafting circuit until I stood toe to toe with it. - another blog post, I am certain)

My question is this.... While I am fine art reproductionist (on furniture and cigar boxes and, well, guitars) I am feeling a little pressure to have a few "holiday" specific pieces for upcoming shows, more to ensure a sale rather than anything else. At these arts and crafts shows I am competing for attention with so many holiday geared vendors. Granted, I am keeping the cigar boxes to the holiday stuff, and the larger more unique pieces to the fine art repros... but have I jumped the shark here? Have I succumbed to mass appeal, rather than to my own convictions? Simply because I want to ensure booth space to me made? Ugh...

February 4-8, 2015
Tubac, Arizona 
Historic art colony of Tubac
10am-5pm daily
175 artists
Deadline: October 20

• 56th annual event
• Jury/Booth fees:  $35/$600 (corner: additional $75). Double booths available at additional charge.  (additional jury fee of $15 for 2nd and 3rd medium)
• Estimated attendance: 60,000
• Setup Tuesday, day before
• Drive-up to all booths
• Horse Drawn trolleys
• Volunteer booth-sitters
• No Commission charged
• Welcome Party
• Invitational Artists jurors will select their choice for the top 10% of artists who exhibit each year and those will be invited to participate in the next year's show with their application fee waived and will receive awards ribbon and first choice of booth location
• Load-in guides/greeters

The Chamber advertises this festival in newspapers throughout the state, runs TV ads, radio spots, a digital billboard, online calendars, our website and through social media.  An event program listing all artists will be available at the festival. 

The annual Festival of the Arts is Arizona's longest running arts festival, drawing tens of thousands of visitors each year.  The event is held concurrently with Tucson's internationally reowned Germ & Mineral Show which brings visitors from around the World.  

Many Tucson guests come to the festival seeking a break from the hustle and bustle of the Gem & Mineral show.  The Tubac Chamber of Commerce, our volunteers, Village merchants and residents work together to create a welcoming atmosphere for our visiting artists.

 

What they're saying about us:

"Very nice, always enjoy the show.  Gets better every year.  I love showing my work there."

"The finest juried (art/artisan) art festival...Seek no further!"

Please apply directly thru Zapplication (note artists will continue to submit their booth fees directly to event producer at time of application but will submit the jury fee thru ZAPP.)

www.Zapplication.org/event-info.php?ID=3380 

 

Notification: November 21, 2014

For more details visit: www.tubacaz.com ;

Email inquires to:  assistance@tubacaz.com

 

You may also contact:  Angela Kirkner Executive Director  (520)398-2704

Well, this show gets a lot of press.  

I read a great post on Facebook that had about 30 plus comments.  Some good, mostly bad.

Facebook is thin, you never get a lot of meat.

I am gonna give ya the whole feast, and dessert too.

No Papys, since a 23-year old Papys is now getting $85 per shot in Louisville restaurants. Pleez!

FIRST A LITTLE HISTORY

I first met my wife, Ellen Marshall, at this show more than 18 years ago.  So I have a romantic angle to it.  Hard to let go of the show.

May have too.  Read on.

At one time, every important artist out there did St. James, hereafter referred to as SJ.

The crowds came and bought, impressive sales numbers were made in all media.

Sadly, those days are a distant memory for most of us.

I have done the show for 20-plus years.  I am on the court in a great spot.  Next to my wife--very important.  I get fresh kisses by the hour.  We have our backs to the SJ mansions.  Plenty of storage room.  We have electricity  (Most do not).  A neighbor lets us use her bathroom.  She feeds us soup, sandwiches, even beer.  We get in very easily and setup.  Teardown is a piece of cake too.

So what's not to like about the show.

It always comes down to dollars spent versus dollars earned.

SJ gets a big "F" in my book.  The dinero is longer there, for what it costs.

In the old days this was a solid show, $4K plus every year.

Sadly, that does not happen any more.

OK.  A LITTLE MEAT ABOUT THE SHOW

SJ Court is only one of five art fairs run at this location.  Altogether, you have more than 750 exhibitors.  Just like Ann Arbor.

The Court show has exhibitors on both sides of the two streets on the mall.  The mall has two rows of artists.  Newbies get put here.  They do not always get the whole crowd.  It is a rite of passage.  You get on the mall, at least one time, and then hope for a better spot after that.  I was on the mall, once.

There are artists on a show called Belgravia Court.  This is a narrow strip of artists, tightly packed in back to back.  Just off the court on the south end.  It is considered a prime show to be in, along with the court.

One street over, to the east of the court is Fourth Street.  This show has artists packed in on both curbs of the street.

Then, another street to the east is Third Street.  There are two shows, one north, one south that have artists setup off the street facing the sidewalk.

Then there is an old church along Magnolia, which has their show with artists around its parking lot.  Then, there is  a scab show under an old filling station on Hill Street.

Lots of competition for limited spending by the attendees.

In the Court show there are lots of corner booths, double booths.  Most artists have ample storage behind.  Many have some room to hang on at least one side wall.

LETS NOW LOOK AT THE SALES SIDE OF THIS SHOW

First, I am a photographer.  I have very colorful images, many are tropical, many are humorous, some are hand-colored.  After 40 years in the biz, I have many friends in all media who do this show.  I  walk all the shows every morn.  I get reports from folks.  What is hot, what is not.

Also, when people come into my booth, I greet them, tell them about the work.  My nose is not in a book or on a IPhone.

I am a closer.  Give me an opening, and I will make sure you go home with one of my pieces, been doing 36 shows per year, for 40 years--and, making a living at it.

For most of us, this show is sliding into oblivion.

Yeah, about 10 per cent of all exhibitors make some serious money there.  The rest of us are struggling to make $3K now.  This used to be a $5K show for years, and then I saw it starting to slide ever downward the last five years.

A LITTLE MATH LESSON ABOUT SALES.

Lets just say you did $3K there.  Sounds decent for a three-day  show now.

Remember, $3K is now the old $5K.

Trouble is, the $3K does not buy you $5K of anything.

Back to the math.

Show fee is $550 for the booth, plus the jury fee.

If you live a five hour drive away (Like me) or longer, then you are looking at a  $200 plus gas bill.

Lodging.  Show is three days, plus a day before setup.  Many of us come in the night before the setup--especially depending on your Thursday set up time.  First ones, go in at 9 am, then next group (me) goes in at noon, then final group goes in at 3 pm. So you can have 4-5 nites of hotel bills.  I stayed at a Sleep Inn with a great rate--with taxes it came to $69 per nite, or nearly $350 for the five days.

Food, gonna run ya $40 per day easily--so there is another $200 gone.

You gotta replace that $3K of inventory you sold.

You are losing six per cent back for sales tax.  The another 2-3 per cent on the MCV processing fees.

All  told, when you add it all up, you clear about $1200-$1400 for the show.  And you were away 4-5 days.

Not a great return on your money.

That is why this show no longer really works for most of us trying to earn a living out there.

For the booth fee charged, there should be a far better return on your money.

Sadly there is not.  And, I do not see it improving in the near future.

SO, NELS, TELL US ABOUT THE FRICKING SHOW, I CAN NOT HOLD MY BREATH MUCH LONGER.

Thought you would never ask.

This year we had very cold weather two of the three days.  I think it affected crowd turnout.

Friday, we lucked out.  It was supposed to rain most of the day--never happened.  Crowds were thin.

Saturday, we had clear skies, winds, and a high of about 58 degrees.  Brrrrr!

Sunday, we had clouds, some wind, and it got into the low 60's.  Brrr!

Crowds were thin compared to years past.

Not a lot of good shoes people attending.

Forget about be-backs.  You got one shot at them.

Most of the crowds there could be called the "Walking Zombies."

They walked enmasse down the middle of the street, never looking into a booth.

A sorry state of affairs.

When they did come in, they bought very lowend.  Most of them  did not have lot of moola on them.

Louisville tends to be very Southern, very traditional and very conservative in their art taste.

Sadly, lots of art on the stick going buy.  Who juried these shows?

I saw very few gallery wraps go by me on any given day.  Mostly little matted pieces in bags.

I just do not see the quality people there anymore.

I also do not see a lot of the great circuit artists there any more.  They have written this show off.

IN CONCLUSION

Hey, you pay your $550 and takes your chances.

If you are a part-timer, then maybe a $3K return is ok with you.

If you live nearby, it is probably OK.

For the rest of us who try to make living out there--it is very questionable whether we should continue to do this show.

Bottom line.  The pie is being sliced way too thin.  There are not enough buyers out there for all the competition.

That said, Louisville is a wonderful town to be in, in the early fall.

I just don't know if I will be partaking of it anymore.

Who wrote the best post on AFI in September Thrilling, informative, helpful, thought provoking, etc.?

Let's award them and thank them for their contributions:

• "First time at Penrod in Indianapolis" - Matt Estrada - 9/7/2014
• "St. Louis, The Perfect Show or We Partied Like It's 1999"- Barry Bernstein - 9/13/2014
• "A modest proposal" - Reid Watts - 9/18/2014
• "Alexandria and Arlington, VA art shows" - Melanie Rolfes - 9/25/2014

As a follow up to my article about how to photograph your booth, I've put together a selection of booth image examples from different mediums:
http://bermangraphics.com/blog/clean-booth-pictures-for-jurying/

Sorry but I only have permission to post the pictures to my web site, not AFI.

Larry Berman
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100

Wow! What a difference the weather makes. Last year there was a lot of rain and I did only about $850. But the sky was clear this year and oh boy! Keep in mind that this is a one day show from 10 AM up until 5 PM on the first Sunday in October. The fair is celebrating it's 48th year.

But on the plus side, its a chance for my parents to visit me at an art fair. They live in the Cincinnati area. Hyde Park Square is an old neighborhood with a lot a wealth in Cincinnati.

The weather was gorgeous! A high around 60 and clear skies. Just a little passing shower around 5 PM. But, with this fair I marked my second $2K day of the year. (My first $2k day was Wednesday in Ann Arbor) And on top of that, I earned my third ribbon of my art career (My first for 2014).  I received an Honorable Mention Ribbon this year.

But I think the rain dampened my sales last year. I knew it was going to be a big day just at the number of sales I had at the begging of the show. Maybe people are noticing me more. After all this is the tail end of my third year doing art fairs. Two people came into my booth and said that my booth was the most awesome at the fair!

So, I do have to make a decision next year. Should I do St. James Court or Hyde Park Square? With the ribbon, I do not have to jury into Hyde Park Square for next year. But, since doing Ann Arbor, I want to get into bigger shows...

Has anyone been involved with the November Krasl Artisan Market? I was accepted to show there, but because my inventory is constantly rotating and I have an array of sizes, I am not sure if I should concentrate on small or have at least one statement piece and a few different pieces. So confused.

While working today I stumbled upon this job opening.  The Crozet Arts & Crafts Festival is looking for a new director.  They have 2 festivals a year.  This is a 12 month job and is part time.  They are taking applications until 10/31/2014. 

This festival is located in Crozet, Virginia.  This might be a great job for someone that still wants to participate as an artist themselves during a few weekends a year or needs some money but still is needed at home. 

To check out the job offer:

http://crozetfestival.com/now-hiring-festival-director/

You are invited to enter the 2^nd annual ENDANGERED Art & Photography Contest. 

This global, juried, online art contest aims to focus attention on the plight of endangered and threatened species/habitats.  The challenge is to interpret or reflect ENDANGERED through either a celebration of the beauty of endangered or threatened species/habitats or an Illustration of the threats faced. 

The Categories for entries are:

Fine Art (including Sculpture), 

Photography

& Wearable Art (including Jewelry)

Deadline for entry is Friday, October 10th, 2014.  Please see full details at http://www.art4apes.com

The Jurors are world famous wildlife photographer Joel Sartore, Director of the Pérez Art Museum Miami, Thom Collins and Carolyn Benesh, Coeditor and Copublisher of Ornament Magazine.  Acclaimed artist, Bruce Helander, will judge the Young Artists category.

Cash prizes totaling $2,750 will be awarded in each category. Prizewinners plus an invited selection of other entries of significant merit will be exhibited in the Wynwood district of Miami December 4th-6th, 2014, during Art Basel week. 

Young Artists with birthdays on or after October 3rd, 1997, are encouraged to enter their work (in the Youth Category.  We will accept individual or class/group entries.  Please enter jpeg images of your work through the Juried Art Services website checking the category Young Artists/Youth. 

Cash prizes totaling $500 will be awarded in the Young Artists Contest.  First Prize will receive $250, Second Prize will receive $150 and Third Prize will receive $100.  

All proceeds, including entry fee will go directly to the Center for Great Apes, a sanctuary for orangutans and chimpanzees (http://www.centerforgreatapes.org).

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

Find more events/art fairs/competitions looking for artists: CallsforArtists.com

After 21 years of being a "Show Girl", or my hubby being a "Artist Slave", show time has come to The End!!

We decided to move back to "old country", in this case, Croatia. Not having kids or any member of family in this country, we always new we will go back home at the certain pint. My husband is going to retire soon, house prices went up, a bit, so we decided to try to sell it...and did it in a month and a half!!

 My September is always the busiest month and it was the same this year. I ended it in one of my favorite shows Peoria Fine Art Fair. It was very emotional for me to say good by to so many artists colleagues that I new for so many years. Most of them couldn't believe that we are  doing this, some of them envy us, all of them wish us luck and happiness.

It is hard for me too, it is hard to leave this beautiful country I lived 22 years in, my husband over 40 years. We had nice life, many great friends, lived in gorgeous, exciting, artsy city of Chicago. It will be hard to say good by.

My plan, after settling down in Zagreb, capital of Croatia, is to come, here and there for some shows. If I get accepted for 3-4 in a row, I plan to come once a year and get some $$. I'll see how will that work. I will leave all of my displays, my tent etc. here and do not want to close the door for myself for ever.

 So, I may be back, but for now, I want to thank you all for your reviews, comets for all of the years this blog exist, I learned a lot from this site.

Thank you Connie for handling this blog, I was dedicated reader. I think I will be able to follow you all and be updated with all the happenings in the art show scene.

Kiss to you all and have a great show, with sunny conditions, temperature of 75F, light wind and no rain in the forecast!!

Ana Buzancic Petercic,

Long time member Kathleen Caid, a jeweler from California, had her entire stock of jewelry stolen from her van before the St. James Court Art Show opened today.

More info: http://www.courier-journal.com/story/louisville-arts-bureau/2014/10/02/theft-keeps-artists-out-of-st-james-court-art-fair/16603711/

April 10-12, 2015 
The Woodlands, Texas
The Woodlands Waterway and Town Green Park

The festival has grown from a quality regional festival to one that is nationally recognized and ranked among the top ten festivals in the U.S. by Art Fair Source Book.  The Woodlands area is home to major corporations and an affluent and growing population. With unprecedented growth in residential and office construction there is a continuing appetite for quality art and craftsmanship. 

The Woodlands Waterway Arts Council, Inc., a non-profit organization with Board of Directors, Advisory Committee and more than 700 community volunteers, presents the festival. The mission is to provide regional cultural enrichment opportunities that encourage, support and promote the performing and visual arts.

Proceeds from the festival benefit our local charity partners involved in bringing fine art and experiences to the community, as well as extend scholarship opportunities to many aspiring young artists. The community is supportive and involved, and we have the greatest corps of volunteers in Texas!

I know that this topic has been beat to death over the years, but in searching for the thread, I came up blank. I am about to embark on my first show in a couple of weeks and am looking for a "beginner's list" that I think I have seen before. If anyone could assist I would appreciate it. Thanks in advance. I look forward to my maiden voyage into the art/craft show, after so many years of being on the outside of the tent, looking in.

April 3-5, 2015  
Indian Wells, California
Indian Wells Tennis Garden
Deadline: October 14
(60 spaces held for second jury's Jan.6, 2015 deadline)

Accepted artists will be provided the promotional opportunity to meet with an audience of serious buyers and collectors.

The Indian Wells Arts Festival is open to all media artists and showcases a wide variety of  contemporary and traditional fine art and high quality craft selected by jury in categories including painting, drawing, ceramics, weaving, sculpture, jewelry, glass, photography and original hand-crafted wares.  Artists are required to be in attendance daily to explain or demonstrate the techniques that created original pieces of artwork which are available for purchase.

With both an aggressive online and traditional marketing campaign, professional experience and a strong reputation, the Indian Wells Arts festival seeks out and brings together a wide variety of high quality artists to delight our audience of residents and tourists alike.  Over 10,000 attendance and $750,000 in reported art sales in 2013, the Festival incorporates a number of local charities as Festival Partners and donates to their art scholarship funds.

August 30 & 31, 2014 - Portland, OR - Art in the Pearl

Opening the show in the Pearl District

Everything is "Green" in Portland - ready for the crowds

Loving this festive tent

Art in the Pearl is a volunteer run show - for artists by artists

This is Randy Sedlak, his wife Lynn Sedlak-Ford, is an artist but on the committee. I never caught her in the booth. Together they keep this show running.

Another artist on the committee is potter Natalie Warrens. I've seen her in Ann Arbor dressed to match her colorful pots. This time I was the one dressed to match the pots.

Great to see watercolor painter, Patrick Clark, formerly of Hutchinson, KS, but now a resident of the Northwest. We were both surprised to see each other.

and Lisa Burge of New Mexico who I last saw in Ann Arbor, MI

I'm used to attending shows where there are artists from a wide swath of the U.S., many states represented. Here I'd guess it was 80% Oregon, Washington, Idaho. A very regional show, that is not to denigrate the quality though.

AFI members Marty and Patty Hulsebos making the sale

A fine double booth -- on a platform! Talk about labor intensive for setting up.

Another nice double belonging to photographer Chris Dahlquist. Pristine setup.

Shelley Martin and her "minimal modern utilitarian ceramics". Such a clean and attractive display. Shelley says her main marketplace is on Etsy.

This shot is especially for jewelers, see all the different display levels. This was a very interesting to look at. I spent a long time here looking at the work, a wide range of price points. As a shopper do you see the appeal of this booth? The work is by Susan Frerichs.

Gia Whitlock gets extra points for dressing to match her mixed media work.

Amazingly beautiful enamel bowls from Jody Stone of El Cerrito, CA

Jewel-toned Glass bowls by Patty Roberts of Marysville, WA

Shoppers carrying out the goods (did anyone say "garbage bags?")

Show directors Liz Rundorff and Kerry Murphy of Artisphere in Greenville, SC, and Sara Shambarger of the Krasl Art Fair in St. Joseph, MI

Look at this! Just what we were recently preaching in our podcast on email marketing. Chicago photographer Xavier Nuez's email sign up notice.

Worth a post in itself -- doing all of it right.

This is a one day show in september in conjunction with fall fest. the lady who runs it is so unbelievably nice that its hard to write anything bad about the show, but Garden city is a shitbox.  the town is all grain elevators and feed lots and depending on the wind direction smells like rotting cow flesh.  I was there for about 30 hours and that was far too long.  There are a few people from what I've heard who have lots of cattle or oil money but i saw no evidence of it.  I mostly sold cheap prints.  I'd say if its geographically super convenient to do, maybe do it. the jury fee is only $10 and $60 for the booth fee which i actually didnt even pay til i was at the show. and they had prize money! not a ton but compared to the booth fee it was okay.  I got 2nd prize which was $200 so that was nice. 
Just a little info for anyone considering this show. 
Although the jewelers near me seemed to be really busy, but i dont know how well they did.