Years ago I had done shows hosted by Downtown Boulder, Inc. on the Pearl Street pedestrian mall but gave them up due to the fact that they were underwhelming. The last time I did one was 7 years ago. In the interim, 4 years ago, the OpenArts people decided to expand on their mission and held a show that no one attended. It was held in a nice open area adjacent to a shopping mall in Boulder but apparently the word didn't get out.

OpenArts is known, at least in part, for hosting the annual open studios tour in Boulder every Oct. They partnered with Downtown Boulder, Inc. to breath life back into a show that had gone down hill quality wise. I'd say from the little bit that I was able to see of the show that they did their homework. The quality was as good as most shows I participate in.

Now for the Facts:

Show Hours and Dates: Open Arts Fest, Boulder, CO July 19, 10-7, July 20, 10-5

Logistics:

The show is set up on the pedestrian Pearl Street Mall and also on 14th street. If you opt for the 14th St. option (which costs less) you get to set up Friday night. The bad news is that setting up on the mall means getting there at 6 AM on Sat. The good news is you can drive right up to your booth space if it isn't blocked by someone else down the line.

Amenities:

LOTS of water,  snacks and volunteer booth sitters for the occasional break. Additionally, Alfalfa's sponsored a great Sunday morning awards breakfast. Clean (sorta) regular restrooms on the mall as-well-as some porta potties around the corner. The staff came around quite often to ask if you need a break and they make a special note at check in if you are doing the show alone.

Storage, Booth Space, Load-In/Out:

Depending on your location, most booths had some storage space behind, not a lot of space but it was there! No space between booths to speak of on 14th, they were shoulder to shoulder. There didn't look as though there was much storage behind booths on 14th. Some booths on Pearl St. have more storage available then others on the mall. These booths are scattered throughout the mall so some are stand alones with flower beds next to them and some are 3-4 next to each other. Just depends on where you are located.

Demographics/Buying Trends:

This was a show of two faces. Saturday, all day, there were a lot of strollers and lookers and not much purchasing energy. I felt as though I were just a backdrop to a day of visitors on the mall and I was ready to write the show off as another bad encounter with the Boulder market. Sunday, however, was a different animal. Serious buyers were looking at the show and were making purchases. Although there were dead zones in the day there were sales throughout the day, enough for me to reconsider throwing in the towel.

Quality/Range of Art:

This was a mid to high end FA show rather than a craft show with some FA thrown in. The work that was there was well done and as good a quality as most shows I choose to go to. I've seen some of the artists at such shows as: Omaha, Oklahoma City, Park City, etc. Many of the artists at this show are going to be at the Affordable Arts Show in Littleton, CO at the end of August.

Food:

Boulder is a town with plenty of restaurants within spitting distance on the mall and there were some fine food wagons between 13th and 14th just for the show. Lindsey's Deli would deliver and Lindsey herself came around with % off coupons for the artists.

Reflections:

As I said it has been 7 years since I did my last Boulder Mall show. I gave up on them as I never saw any significant sales out of any of the shows I did there. I took a chance on this show as I had nothing else scheduled and nothing much to lose. I'm glad I did the show as it turned out to be profitable for me and worth the time. My neighbors (ceramic artists) said they've done the Boulder mall show for years and it has always been good to them.

Okay, now for the Dave Piper star rating! I'd give this show ✩✩✩ out of 5 and that is because of the nice job of logistics by the volunteers of Open Arts, great amenities, booth sitting, etc. Why only 3 out of 5? I think this show has room for improvement and I want to give this show another try and see if buying energy improves.

Well, this was attempt #3 at this show for me and I'm pretty darn sure it is my last. 

This show is held in Downtown Kalispell, MT at Depot Park. It's a great (mostly shaddy) area. The layout is always tricky and easy to get lost and miss booths but this year the organizers did a much better job to help keep dead zones from happening. The volunteers come around every so often to ask if you need reprieve. I was in an area close to the food, music stage, and right next to the wine/beer garden so I saw volunteers and promoters a lot! They are so nice and accomodating. 

There was music at the stage which was much better this year...I hate it when they get acts that make you want to take a nap instead of sell art. But the volume was WAY too high. There were times I was shouting at my customers and they were shouting at me to have a conversation. Didn't sell much of anything at that point. 

The weather was topsy turvy. The Jet stream blew in smoke from those fires in Washington and it was REALLY smokey Friday night to early afternoon on Saturday. Then a huge windstorm came through and blew all the smoke away. Of course there were a few art fair newbies with inadequate weights on the tent and they, a few friends/other vendors/customers were all holding onto the frame to keep it from blowing away.  Sunday every flippin' weather forcast called for 1 hour (mid afternoon) of thunderstorms. Yeah, it rained ALL DAY LONG. 

Friday was the best day for me. With promising results...made booth fee. YAY. I was optimistic because Saturday is always my best day and that is the time I normally sell larger pieces (Oh, I sell Watercolors bytheway). Saturday was ridiculous. There were a TON of people the first couple of hours buying a little here and there but then it died. All the vendors would pop out of their tents every now and then, wondering what happened, and quickly return to their booths in hopes of not missing a sale. The last 3 hours of the show we didn't care anymore. We all were wandering the lot, chit chatting with each other, discussing this or that, but mostly wondering where all the people were and why no one was buying anything. I spoke with at least 8 other artists who either hadn't made a sale from noon on or sold only a few items. Sunday....Surprisingly I sold a few small items even though it was rainy. 

All in all, this was a disappointing show for me. I know an acrylic painter that "killed it" last year with "$26,000 in sales". Not really sure if that's true but I would've expected to make more than $403 last year. This year was the best year for me of the 3 years I've participated and I only made a couple hundred over booth fee. (hangs head in shame and silently cries). Obviously, this isn't the venue for me. I'd like to say that 2D art doesn't do well here (several others I know didn't sell much of anything) but that acrylic painter "killed it" again. Hmmmmm... 

It's a bummer really because this show is sooooooooooo close to me. Just a 15 minute drive down the highway. But sitting for three days in the elements for just over $500 seems like a big waste of time. Oh well, 3rd time was not a charm at this show and maybe that means I'll find something great in an area I've never been to before!

Cackling and horrified, I untied the loose knots holding up curtain backdrop as quickly as I was able. Thankfully and blissfully, the curtains dropped to the ground. I clipped the curtains shut and hung as much weight on the bottom of the curtains as I dared.

Giddy laughter would not stop bubbling from my lips. Again and again I looked in disbelief at the photo I had just snapped of my booth. I could not have set up, framed or imagined a more perfectly horrible image of my booth.

A gigantic, stomach churning, revolting butt crack was perfectly centered in the middle of my booth.

The take away lesson boys and girls? Always, always, ALWAYS, take a moment before the show begins to step back and look at what YOUR booth looks like from the aisle. ALWAYS!!

I went to Artegon (Orlando) yesterday and talked to Zack Goldberg about getting a space. He is very helpful and friendly, if you have other questions or want to talk to him, his phone number is 401-368-9071.

Mall - they are refurbishing an old mall. Construction is looking good. Mall looks like an * asterisk from above, with anchor stores on radiating out from a central flattened ellipse, which is where artegon will be located. right now there isn't much traffic at the mall, Bass Pro Shops seems to be the major attraction. There is also a movie theater, but since I was there in the early afternoon, I am not sure how much business it attracts at night. seems like plenty of parking, it will have a new façade. Anchor stores also empty into the center ellipse.

Traffic - yes, it is close to I-4, and the attractions in Orlando. It is a mile north of the Universal exit, and 10 miles north of Disney exits. Kitty corner across is an outlet mall. Lots of traffic, made worse right now by construction on some of the bordering streets. Kind of congested right now, but hopefully that is more due to construction and hope the new traffic pattern makes it easier.

Layout - Artegon is inside, with a layout reminiscent of an art show. Instead of white tents, you have wire mesh (3"x3"inch?) "cubicals", for want of a better word. Sizes available are all 10' high, with 10x10, 10x20 and 10x22 being the square footage available. I have put a pic of a showroom cube below. The doors expand and contract on the sides, and you lock your own cube when you aren't there. you are responsible for the cleaning of your cube. There are sides and endcaps as locations, no corners per se. you are allowed to place items on your porch (in front of your cube) to a 4 foot distance. They just need to be able to be put back inside when you are closed. Sometimes you share mesh wall sides, sometimes you don't. You have access to electricity in your booth.

Costs - basically, it is $10 per square foot, depending on location inside. There is also an option of doing a 20% of monthly sales instead of a set fee. Electricity is a mandatory charge, and is $187 a month. upfront cost is your metal sign, $400. You are also required to have 1 million in insurance. Not sure if orange county has any special requirements for operating a business.

Hours - Mall hours. I THINK the hours he told me was that the mall was open M-Sat 10-9, with the booths required to be open from 11-8.  Sunday is that same deal, just reduced hours. 7 days a week, 365 year. To me, that is the hardest part, as I don't have anyone to work the booth in my absence. You are allowed to partner up with another artist, split the hours and split the space. Shortest contract available is 6 months. Personally, I would have a hard time working those hours all by myself, but others seem to have worked it out, Zack says they are so far 83% occupied. 

Bear in mind, this is only phase one opening, 180? booths. There is another 100+? booths opening up in 2015.

All this being said, it is a most interesting development for an alternative to the traditional art fair. Can't get called on account of weather short of a hurricane, cool in the summer, warm in the winter. Easy parking, Zack said something about on site storage, but I forgot to get details. Either way you pay your fees, it is a fairly low price to get in such a setting. Big if's are whether or not you can man the hours, and if they can drive traffic to the mall. They seem pretty confident about bringing in the customers.

If anybody gets a space, I would like to hear their experience when it starts operation in October! I hope this info helps you all, and if you are interested in checking it out for yourself, just give Zack a call. :)

September 27 & 28

90 Artists
Deadline: July 31

Edgewater is a lakefront community area on the North Side of Chicago. Our event got its start during the economic downturn when residents of the area decided to fill our empty storefronts with art. This simple activity turned the neighborhood around as the storefronts soon filled up again with new tenants, leaving no room to display the art.

Building on this economic activity, in 2013 the Edgewater Fall Art Fair was started. In its first year it drew about 5000 people and was described by 48th Ward Alderman Harry Osterman and many attendees as "phenomenal."

• an eclectic mix of fine art and fine craft 
• local performing artists and area musicians
• beer garden

Spaces are $150.

This is your chance to be part of a newer event where the community is eager for a successful show that will show off their cool neighborhood. Spend a beautiful fall weekend in Edgewater with us.
 

The Alpine Art Affair was held in Winter Park, CO July 19-20 in a small city park.  This was the 41st year for the show.  Show hours were 9-5 on Saturday and 9-4 on Sunday.   Winter Park is primarily a ski resort about an hour and a half west of Denver.   During the summer, cycling, extreme mountain biking along with fishing, hiking and camping are popular activities.   A jazz festival is held the same weekend as the art show and this brings a lot of people from Denver into town.   The drive to Winter Park is pretty easy on I-70 and US 24.  The latter is a typical mountain highway with switchbacks and steep grades to the summit of Berthoud Pass and down the Fraser River side.  The uphill sides have passing lanes.   Going down the Fraser Valley are the towns of Winter Park, Fraser, Tabernash and Granby.  Granby is the gateway to the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park.

Nuts and bolts about this show are given in  Art Show Reviews on this site.

well-organized and managed show!   The crowds were smaller than previous years and not exceptionally large.   I estimate less than 3000, but there were buyers among them. The quality of the work was high and there was no buy\sell.   There was also a good mix of art without a dominance of jewelry.   Hawk Quest, a couple nonprofits, and a kid’s art experience were included.   Food vendors were at opposite ends of the show.   The Lions had an all you can eat pancake breakfast for $6, and complimentary coffee for artists. 

This was the fourth consecutive year I have done this show and in prior years,  sales have systematically declined from around $3K to a little less than my minimum of $2K this year, dropping about $150, $200 and $700 each year.   It is time to alternate this show with another.   I had several repeat clients who bought more stuff but others just looked.   Belts were the best seller with but without the usual two or three larger $200-$400 sales of personal leather, horse tack or gun Leathers.   As usual, I had lots of leads for special order work which may or may not develop over the winter.

Some artists complain about the annual $60 city business license required by the show, however; when combined with the jury fee ($20) and booth fee ($150), the $290total is less than most other  resort area shows.

Booth sitters are available and there is a wine and hors d’oeuvres reception Saturday after the show.  Awards of $50 are given for each medium and there is a $150 BOS award.   

OTHER STUFF.  We rented a house with a hot tub in the Rendezvous development with our daughter and family. The guys went fishing and we got to spend time with grandkids.  The BNSF railroad runs past the park and it is always neat to see the freight trains and Amtrak.  A young USFS timber cruiser bought a belt and I had the opportunity to talk with him about the fire abatement and beetle kill timber removal going on in the area.   This is a major problem in Colorado.   It is fascinating how they are using computers for forest management.   

Advice for other artists: Motels and restaurants in the resort areas are expensive.  I have found condos or rental houses to be more economical  (around $100/night) and  relaxing,  and making healthier meals available by eating in.  Steve Appel can advise you about hostels and other options in the resort areas.  

THE A2 art fairs are in a slow descending death spiral.

Very few exhibitors are selling high end work--very,very few.  Just look at John Leben's blog, and he was in the best show to sell high end at, and it went nowhere.

I have done the A2 Guild show for 27 years.  Have been there for the glory days and now am there for its death throes.

The bottom line is this folks.

The show is too long and too expensive for the return on your investment.

You are looking at 11 hour days (Wed.-Fri) and nine hours on Sat.

This year we caught a break with the weather, it was unusually cool.  Had to wear a wool top while setting up on Tuesday and then again on Wed.

Most years this show is during the hottest week of the summer--usually accompanied by various rain.

This year we lucked out--we may never see this again.

Guess what?  The cooler weather did not really help sales.  It did not increase attendance.

The expenses for the average artist with a single booth are anywhere between $1800-$2400.

It can vary, depending on far you had to come from (gas) how much you pay for a room, how little you choose to spend on food, and whether you have to pay someone to help you with setup, breaks, sales or teardown/loadout.

All four art fairs charge the same price for a booth fee.  With a corner spot you are looking at nearly $800 for a booth.

So, when you figure in those expenses, the time to travel and the time to do it, you better be hoping to make way more than $5K at the show. 

Guess what?  Most people I know this year were lucky to do $5K.  And most of it was all lowed.

In my case, I did about 10 percent better than last year, which was my lowest ever in 26 years.

For the whole show, I only sold two 16x20 frames for $150 and one frame for $450.  All other sales were precious little pieces of paper from my browse bins.

I am on Main Street under a beautiful tree.  Restaurants are behind me and across.  I had a good vantage point to observe the crowds and what they were holding onto.

It wasn't very much.  

Only saw a few gallery wraps go by me the whole show.

At times there where huge empty gaps in the crowd.  That used to never happen.

As glass artist Susan Gott sharply observed, it was a river of people walking down the middle of the street.  Very few looked inward at booths.  Even fewer bothered to enter and check out the walls or the bins.

They do like to use our booths as phone booths, so that they can text whatever to their friends.

The crowds love to congregate in front, with dogs and carry on in conversation.

Probably Leben's show is your best chance to be in if you are there to sell original art.

One other observation.  I did not see the usual preponderance of squatter booths.  The tie-dyes and bonsai booths were not there anymore.  Betcha, the landowners raised the booth fee on them and they knew it wasn't profitable to do.  Also restaurants were empty at times.

I could go on with more, but I have said plenty about the sorry state of affairs of these shows.

As long as the A2 merchants think they can draw in crowds, via us, to sell their castoff items, they will continue.

I don't look for any creative fixes to this situation.

If you have never been, then I guess you take your chance and find out.

Sadly, many great artists have stopped doing A2 because of the sparse sales.  More mediocre stuff gets in, the smart buyers kiss off the show and there you are--THE DOWNWARD DEATH SPIRAL.

The A2 merchants think they can get away with this forever.

I got news for them--they are wrong.

This show will cease to be anything more than a glorified county fair the way it is going.

Gee! Can you say, "Sabbatical?"

I did this art fair for the first time last year (after trying State Street and S. University in previous years). After those first two attempts I swore off Ann Arbor, but last year I relented and thought I'd try the Original. The weather was abysmal last year but I still managed sales of 5K. It was really tough to do this show. Long hours and hot weather.

This year Marcia and I thought we'd try again, but we would try to minimize the misery. We booked a room at the Bell Tower Hotel and secured a corner booth a block away on Washington. We thought the extra money for this expensive hotel would give us the opportunity to trade off and escape to the air-conditioned room during the long hours of this show. The Bell Tower booking added $600 to our expenses, but it was worth it. Bell tower provided parking for my car and trailer only a block away from the booth. We parked both car and trailer with help from the polite attendants on Tuesday afternoon after setting up. And we didn't move the car or trailer until Saturday when the fair ended. After the show ended each day, it was a short stroll to the hotel. A good breakfast was provided in the morning, after which, we strolled back to the booth for another day of selling.

Sales were brisk all four days with only a few dead spots. But the vast majority of sales were for small unframed prints (I'm a digital artist/Printmaker). My lowest priced product is a selection of 5x10-inch prints for $24, which I also offer at 3 for $60. I also sell lots of them framed at $56 each. These small prints constituted the bulk of my sales. I had 86 sales over the course of the show with the average sale being about $80. I only sold a few larger framed prints, and I sold zero large canvas prints (which are priced at $950 each). This was a crowd eager to buy, but not eager to invest much money. My sales were just short of 7K, so I improved on last year's totals. I was expecting to sell one or two large canvas prints, but that didn't happen. Deep pockets did not attend... at least they didn't find my booth.

Set up on Washington was pretty easy. so was break down. Lots of room for storage behind the booth. Seems like University had more foot traffic during the show than Washington, but the extra room and convenience of being on Washington at this long and difficult show would prompt me to ask for the same location. I've already booked a room at the Bell Tower for next year.

Just interested in how rjrush1 did?

Phil

August 16 & 17 

Huntley, Illinois

First Congregational Church of Huntley

Sat. 10am-5pm; Sun. 10am-4pm

75+ Artists

Deadline:  August 3

Huntley Artfest is a community event sponsored by the First Congregational Church of Huntley, a community in Chicago's western suburbs. It draws 8,000 art lovers-viewing the Fine Arts of participating artists, a full stage of entertainment and a vast array of delicious food from our Food Vendors.

This is a Juried Show ($25 non-refundable jury fee-if accepted jurying for that Artist is good for the current year and the two following consecutive years).  We ask that Artist send in 3 photos (or digital files) of their work and 1 photo (or digital file) of their display.

All work must be that of a Fine Art nature and fall into the following mediums: ceramics, drawing, fiber non-functional, fiber wearable, paper non-functional, glass, jewelry, acrylic, oil, watercolor, pastel, sculpture, wood sculpture, mixed media, photography, printmaking, creative writing, furniture (designed and crafted by artist).

REPRODUCTIONS ARE NOT ALLOWED unless they are a series of an artist's original art work.  The following will not be accepted-knitting or sewing from kits, resale items, non-original pieces.  Booth Fees:  $200 [10'x10'] - $300 [10'x20']; $30 extra for corner booth 

Huntley Artfest is free admission to the public with free parking; we also provide free parking (and overnight parking for all Artists as well as accommodations for RV's-overnight grounds security is provided on Friday and Saturday nights.

For more information and application:  www.huntleyartfest.org  

Chairperson: Joe Femali, P.O. Box 98, Huntley, IL  60142
Email contact: huntleyartfest@gmail.com 

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

Find even more shows looking for artists: www.CallsforArtists.com

This was my first year as an artist in the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair. I've been attending the fairs since 1998 as a customer buying art. There are many pieces in our house from the collecting over the years. Some are in storage in the basement because there is not enough wall space in our house.

The truth is that I was accepted into both the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair and the State Street Area Art Fair. But being a new artist at the Ann Arbor art fairs is both exciting and demanding at the same time. Oh boy... was Wednesday such a ride! Being this my third year of art fairs, I was surprised that I was accepted in! But Wednesday was my first $2000 day ever! Prints were flying out of my booth that day. It was difficult to enter in the invoices in Freshbooks. But... oh... was it so much fun! But Wednesday was followed up by three consecutive $1000 days!

Thank you to a late order of Tender Embrace # 7/125 selling for $275. That 24x24 frame is going to Boston. Oh the stories of where your art departs and finds a new home!I hope it makes the flight alright. But that late order put me ever so slightly over the $1K make on Saturday. Plus a Canadian bought my Lego minifigure Canadian Mountie print! And my neighbor's were congratulating me for a successful show. This was my highest art fair ever! And I hope to be back again next year!

My packed booth...

Tender Embrace...

Best of Show:  Faryn Davis / Mixed Media 

Second Place:  Jennifer McCurdy / Ceramics 

Third Place:     Donna Veverka / Jewelry 

Merit Awards:  Theodore Gall / Sculpture 

                      William Kidd / Ceramics 

                      Aaron Hequembourg / Mixed Media 

                      Joachim Knill / Painting 

                      Gregg Rasmussen / Ceramics 

Juror’s Award: Tim Byrns / Wood 

Juror’s Award: Katie Musolff / Painting 

Juror’s Award: Shadow May / Ceramics 

People's Choice Award: Erin Curry / Drawing

Does anyone know anything about the show "Cleveland by Hand" in November? I looked in the archives and didn't find anything here or on any of the AF sites. It's a pretty far drive for me and just wondering if it is worth it.....anything you can add is appreciated.

Okay. I guess I have a really good booth spot in the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair. I'm on State Street just north of South University. Booth location is C053. Well, the skinny is that I am really surprised by the sales totals I have received. Prints were flying out of my booth.

Wednesday was my first $2000 day ever. My sales totals were $2180! But wait... Thursday was a another big day! Wow! This is my first year in Ann Arbor. Thursday's totals were $1590. Being on the main drag on State Street has been pretty good to me. I am just waiting for the Friday and Saturday totals to come in.

Being a new booth in Ann Arbor is exciting. And I am running low on inventory now. Let's see what Friday and Saturday bring...

October 16-18  
Bella Vista, Arkansas
8am-5pm
325 Artists
Deadline: July 31 or till filled

The Bella Vista Arts & Crafts Festival is known for the highest quality, fully juried, art and craft work.  Since 1969 the Bella Vista Arts & Crafts festival has been steadily growing in size and reputation! 

• Arkansas' Premier art & craft festival
• Booth fees: $130-$190
• Extensive advertising
• Early setup: drive close to your space; high school students available for a donation for assistance
• Artist amenities include volunteers

 

This event is part of 10 local shows held on the same weekend with over

200,000 people attending. The Bella Vista show is known as the Premier event for the quality work where everything is handmade, bringing loyal buyers back to this event year after year. 

The Festival is sponsored by the Village Art Club, a Non-Profit organization that uses the profits from this endeavor to sponsor arts scholarships and the local arts club.  

A few pictures from Ann Arbor Wednesday. The one with Connie and the one with Greg Lawler were selfies. The one with Nels, Greg took and the picture from dinner was taken by one of Connie's friends. It was great seeing old friends again.

Larry Berman
http://BermanGraphics.com

Hi all,

I did a few small shows a couple of years ago and became very discouraged.  They were "Wine, Food, Music, Antique Car and Art Shows".  I found out all of you were right, the visitor's priorities were in that same order.  I packed up my Trimline and have been rethinking my approach.  I got in a good show happening this weekend.  I did a practice run on putting the tent up and discovered a zipper had bitten the roof just above the wall line.  There is now a short row of mini-skylights in the fabric.  I was going to pursue this issue after the fair but now there is a "slight chance of showers" Saturday night & Sunday.  Anybody have any quick fixes that could work for the long term too?

Thanks.  Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Bernie

Hey Yall!

Did a couple of shows a few years ago and now ready for some action in the art show scene. I have been reading the good the bad and the smack nasty on art shows on the AFI and want to do well next year. 

Soooo is a good price point of $25-$100 good or do we load up the big guns at $300-$500? I am just a painter but have 5 galleries now and ready to put ALL of the money in my pocket vs sharing. (They are doing well but it takes a while to get paid.)

Thanks again from Sunny Steamy South Carolina.

Heather