Blog

October 10-12  

This is a high quality fine art event held in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, named as Missouri’s 2010 Creative Community by the Missouri Arts Council. Co-sponsored by Summit Art, an artists's organization, Downtown Lee's Summit and St. Luke's East. 

• Summit Art Festival will be held in Historic Downtown Lee's Summit, MO
• Our event is nestled in the Central Business District of Lee's Summit.
• We are excited to partner with the Downtown Lee's Summit organization to put on our 7th Annual event.
• With a population of almost 94,000 people and land area of 65 square miles, Lee's Summit, MO, is the sixth largest city in the state. Despite a rapid growth spurt in the past 25 years, Downtown Lee's Summit has remained the heart of the community.  

Greetings,

I was checking the weather forecast for the festival, and up pops this winner.  Pretty much a sad commentary on the current state of affairs, eh?

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/entertainment/arts/2014/06/26/arts-festival-need-to-know/11435827/

-just thought you should know...

This small show, which took place June 14 and 15, is put on by the New Milford Historical Society. It's situated on the green in downtown New Milford, a pretty, well-off, traditional New England town. It's in western CT, relatively close to Danbury. Lots of New Yorkers have second homes in New Milford. And they are lovely homes. 

Set-up on the village green was easy. Because of where my tent was, I did have to dolly, but it was a dolly of about 10 yards. The lawn was fairly even and the grass was thick and rich. You're not allowed to use spikes of any kind to anchor your tent, because of an extensive sprinkler system. 

I'm a painter who uses a palette knife to make contemporary, fairly realistic oil paintings and my sales were pretty good. Not great, but solid. Some people had clearly come to the show to buy art, and I was lucky to encounter some of them. The booth fee was cheap, and I had a free place to stay, so I count this as a successful event, though it wasn't among my top-earning shows so far. 

The one difficult point for me was that my booth was beside a gazebo in the park. This would be a prime spot, were it not for the group of homeless and alcoholically inclined people who hang out at the gazebo. My heart went out to them, but as each day wore on, they became louder, and their language rough enough that it clearly scared potential buyers away. If I'd been in a different spot, this would not have been an issue. 

Though this is a small show, it has a fairly long history, and it attracts people. This was the first year that crafters were allowed in, and the craft was of a pretty high quality. I'd encourage 2-D and 3-D artists and crafters to apply to this one, especially if you live in or happen to be in or near Connecticut. 

The Manayunk Arts Festival takes place along one very long street in Manayunk, a funky, hip village adjoining Philadelphia. I had thought it was a neighborhood IN Philadelphia, but people who live there said otherwise. 

I have to say that I had no idea how big this show was until I was leaving. I was near one end, and as I drove out, I could see that the show was at least three times as long as I had imagined or could see. The website says nearly 300 artists, and 300 artists on one street is a lot of artists (and food tents, too). 

Set-up is on Saturday morning, starting at 5, one of my least favorite options. But it was handled well, and in my area, was orderly. Parking was in a lot that was free for artists and very close to my booth. 

Tents are set up on both sides of the street, though there was a coffee house across from me, with an outdoor patio that precluded tents on that side; there were a few situations like this in my area, and to my mind, they were helpful. People tended to stop or at least slow down. Also, with no one across from me, I had a good chance to get potential patrons' attention.

While the initial check-in was easy, the later check-in, where you got your nametag and packet, involved standing in a line for about 30 minutes. This was after setting the tent up, and it seemed inordinately long. Later in the day, I saw roving volunteers distributing nametags and packets to people who hadn't waited in line. That's something to remember for next year. 

There were tons of people at the show, and my sales were fairly good. Not great, but OK. The people were very nice, and seemed to know art. I suspect that repeat artists get more business - this was my first year, and I would try it again. 

In the area of the show that I saw, some of the work and some of the displays were surprisingly weak. This show did not seem to have the percentage of very high-end work that many shows I'm in have - but it is possible that those artists were down the road. Jewelry was particularly weak, in my opinion.

The volunteer force was strong and visible. I did not ask for a booth-sitter, and there was no system for getting one, but I believe I could have had one, had I asked. The head volunteer in my area, Ed, was excellent. He was visible and present, he communicated well, and he was supportive.

The first day, we were given tickets for two bottles of water when we checked in. Like many of the artists, I took my bottles right then and there. Later in the day (it was hot and sunny all day), volunteers came by with water. They wanted to charge me $1 because I'd already used my tickets. This really seemed penny-ante. Many shows I've been in hand out water right and left, to keep the artists from keeling over. Sunday, the volunteers distributed water for free.

Take-down was a little more chaotic than set-up, but most people adhered to the take-down-your-tent-first rule, and so it was not a total disaster.

As an aside, the neighborhood where the show takes place has lots of excellent and funky restaurants and shops, and was a pleasant place to spend a couple days, showing and selling paintings.  

December 5-7 
Columbus, Ohio
Ohio Expo Center
Presented by Ohio Designer Craftsmen
Fri. & Sat. 10am-8pm; Sun. noon-5pm
400 Exhibitors
Deadline:  July 8

Ohio Designer Craftsmen invites artists to a rewarding experience selling their high quality, original, handmade work at our "Columbus Winterfair".  Now in it's 38th year, the show attracts an audience of 18,000 who look forward to holiday shopping at Columbus' premier fine craft event. 

Winterfair is held at the Ohio Expo Center, a well-known location with easy access from major highways and ample parking.  Visitors shop throughout the weekend using free return passes.

The show is supported by a powerful marketing plan, including:

• Direct mail postcard sent to 60,000 past customers.  Additional postcards and e-cards made available to artists for their own customer lists
• Email blast reminder to past customers the week before the show
• 12 billboards seen by thousands of drivers beginning one month in advance
• Television and radio commercials reaching over 1 million viewers and listeners an average of 4 times
• On-air ticket giveaways on television and radio
• Reduced price tickets sold in advance through newspaper, online and at the Ohio Craft Museum
• Print ads in major local newspapers, magazines and entertainment tabloids
• Online ad campaign reaching 150,000
• Listings on all area events calendars
• Twitter and Facebook promotions beginning two weeks before the show
• PR campaign attracting media coverage of the event

Artist amenities include:

• A wide selection of conveniently located hotels and a lot for RV's
• Convenient hours and setup, allowing artists to enjoy fine restaurants and entertainment in the Short North arts district and Polaris shopping area near hotels
• Six cash awards for excellence, two judge's choice awards and a drawing for one "Dinner Winner," who enjoys a great meal for two, on the house!
• Convenient parking, now including some under cover
• Friendly, helpful staff with experience running a well organized show; Booth sitters
• Printed directory listing booth location for every artist and offeringartists individual ad opportunities
• Online directory on our web site with photos of artists' work and links to their web sites

What exhibitors say:

• "You guys put on a classy show, and we love being a part of it.  Thanks!"
• "This is an event that we do not want to miss.  ODC has been wonderful!"
• "This year's show easily outpaced last year's for me, and last year's was my previous best!"

For more information:

Contact: John Barr, Fairs Manager

(614)486-7119

jbarr@ohiocraft.org

Applications available at:  www.ohiocraft.org

Chicago - June 14 & 15, 2014

Digital Art, Drawing/Pastel & Painting:

Best in Show - Katie Musolff, painting (in photo)

Second Place - Taylor Mazer, Drawing/Pastel

2D Mixed Media, Photography & Printmaking:

Best in Show: Mikel Robinson, Photography

Second Place - Chia Haruta, Printmaking

Ceramics, Fiber, Glass, Stone and Wood:

Best in Show - Steve Uren, Wood

Second Place - Norman & Hetty Metzger, Fiber

3D Mixed Media, Jewelry, Metal & Sculpture:

Best in Show - Theodore Gall, Sculpture

Second Place - Ann Marie Cianciolo, Jewelry

and maybe the best award ever!!

People's Choice Award - a trip for two to Barcelona

Jeff Zachmann - Jeff's work is kinetic sculptures that stop people in their tracks
http://www.zachmann.com

Congrats to all of them.

i would like to weigh in on this topic as it crosses many categories, not only photography.  I believe honesty is the best policy and it should be reflected both ways, in the jurying: quaifications and in the artists booth: by price and format (like the difference between a print and an original.) If the show does not allow prints or restricts the proportion of prints to originals then those are the rules.  If something has been licensed to someone else I would expect to pay a percentage of an original and certainly not more than another licensed piece of art.  The artist who finds himself in the position of selling something someone finds in target will be losing that future sale if he misrepresents it The art world has many levels of prints from famous artists like picasso, miro, etc.  you can find it on a postcard, a lithograph or even a poster.  The prices are reflective of the medium.  It doesn't make the art any less good.  I would be happy to own a litho or painting version of the dove of peace by picasso.  The fact that it has been reproduced does not lessen its value but probably the opposite.

A couple of months back I wrote about selling my first piece through a gallery.  As exciting as that was (and it was REALLY exciting), I recently had an even more exciting experience. The person who bought my image called me up and asked if I’d sign the mat board that surrounded the picture.

I’ve seen other pieces where the photographer did that very thing, but it never occurred to me to do it myself.  While I don’t mind having a signature on the back of the picture, I personally feel that writing on the mat board detracts from the overall image.  But, hey, if someone buys a photo of mine and wants the autograph, I’m not gonna tell him/her “no.”

So I was cool and collected when I told my buyer that, yes, I would be happy to sign the piece, but inwardly I was floating on air for days.  To be honest, I’m still flying.  We made arrangements to meet so I could sign the mat for him, and he graciously agreed to have his picture taken with me, so I could commemorate this awesome event.  Craig joked about me being his “famous baby,” but there was definitely some aspect of fame in what I was feeling.

As I mentioned before, as an artist, it’s wonderful to hear that someone likes your work; whether it be a book, movie role, or piece of art.  Then, when someone likes your work enough to buy it, you feel like you’ve “arrived” somehow.  And it goes a long way to making you feel like you’re a professional artist.

But to have someone ask for your autograph on said piece of art is a whole level unto itself.  You find yourself speculating whether or not others will want your autograph when they purchase something of yours, or if this someone will become a collector of your artwork.  I found myself wondering if this buyer will look for more of my pieces in other exhibits.  There’s a level of excitement that comes from thinking someone might own more than one of my pictures.

And now that Craig and I are gearing up to work art fairs, there’s an even bigger possibility that people will like our work enough that they’ll buy more than one print.  The thought just makes me giddy because it’s our dream to be able to make a living off of our art.

But for now, it’s enough to know that someone wanted my signature on a piece of my work.  Here’s hoping that it won’t be the last time.

"Welcome to the ___ Art Festival! We hope you enjoy the wide array of fine art and craft we have presented for you. Please be considerate when visiting each booth; do not photograph or touch art work without permission. Please keep your children and pets under control. Please be respectful of our artists; each of their booths are their "gallery" spaces; not a public space to check your email, visit with friends or have lunch. And, if you love art and want us to continue to bring you an exceptional event, BUY ART TODAY. Please be aware, each of our professional artists and crafters have paid for their space here today, and many of them have also paid for travel expenses just for the opportunity to sell their work to you. Our express purpose for organizing this show is to create a relaxing venue where you can shop for art. Please support our artists!"

Perhaps the T-Shirts you distribute this year to volunteers could include your logo and the words BUY ART TODAY as a not-so-subliminal message.

November 28-30 
Covington, Kentucky 

• Now in its 36th year, the show takes place on "Black Friday," one of the biggest shopping days of the year
• An established and growing audience of 7,000 anticipates kicking off their holiday shopping at Winterfair, Greater Cincinnati's premier fine craft holiday shopping event
• The show is held in the Northern Kentucky C onvention Center, a modern, well-appointed facility on the banks of the Ohio River.  Located in Covington, KY, the convention center is just over a suspension bridge from downtown Cincinnati in a bustling entertainment area serving both sides of the river.

The show is supported by a powerful marketing plan, including

• Direct mail postcard offering $1 off admission coupon, sent to 36,000 past customers.  Additional postcards made available to artists for their own customer lists.
• Email blast reminder to past customers the week before the show
• Television and radio commercials reaching over 44,000 viewers and listeners an average of 5 times
• On-air ticket giveaways on television and radio
• Print ads in major local newspapers and online ads reaching 75,000
• Listings on all area events calendars
• Twitter and Facebook promotions beginning two weeks before the show
• PR campaign attracting media coverage of the event

Artists amenities include:

• A wide selection of nearby hotels, including the Marriott River Center.  The Marriott is attached to the Convention Center, offering artists affordable convenience, safety, beautiful river views and convenient parking
• Convenient hours and flexible set-up days, allowing artists to enjoy the many nearby attractions, from the Newport Aquarium to upscale restaurants
• Five cash awards for excellence and a drawing for one "Dinner Winner," who enjoys a great meal for two, on the house!
• Friendly, helpful staff with experience running a well organized show; Booth sitters
• Printed directory listing booth location for every artist
• Online directory on our web site with photos of artists' work and links to their web sites

What exhibitors say:
28-30

• "Customers loved being able to return the entire weekend with their passes."
• "Thanks for continuing to do an awesome job with all the advertising!"
• Loved and appreciate the show and all that you did to make it special."
• "It's a great show!  Plenty of visitors/buyers."
  
  

For more information: 

Please contact John Barr, Fairs Manager

(618)486-7119

jbarr@ohiocraft.org 

 

Applications available:  www.ohiocraft.org 

Milwaukee, WI - June 20-22

Award Winners
Scott Amrhein, Glass                            
Sandra Byers, Ceramics                     
Theodore Gall, Sculpture                     
Kyle Hawke,Wood                          
Nicario Jimenez, Mixed Media 3D      
William Kidd,Ceramics               
Frances Kite,Jewelry                       
Elisabeth Maurland,Ceramics                 
Mark Sudduth,Glass                              
Betsy Youngquist, Mixed Media 3D

Honorable Mention
Paveen “Beer” Chunhaswasdikul,Ceramics         
Micheal Paul Cole, Photography   
Stephan Cox, Glass                
Ron Dekok, Wood              
Nathan Grubich & Amanda St. Hilaire-Grubich, Ceramics         
Jack & Alice McLean, Metal            
Jeffrey Raasch, Ceramics         
Thomas Wargin, Sculpture        
Warner Whitfield, Glass               
James Wilbat, Glass               

Sculpture Garden

Tim Arnold, Ceramics

This will be my fourth and hopefully last time to give Strawberry Days in Glenwood Springs CO a chance to be a decent show.  When I did this show back in 2002 I was disappointed in sales compared to booth fee but if I could have made close to what I did back then I would have been thrilled.  

I know this show has a new promoter and it seemed she was doing her best and working very hard to be sure there wasn't any buy sell and that the artists/crafts people were showing what they juried in with. The quality of the show was decent though I didn't get a chance to walk the full show (even at a slow show I tend to stick to my booth because I would hate to miss a sale or opportunity).

I heard comments that the work was better than past years but really the key issue is the demographics of the show goers.  Generally they were very young and didn't have any inclination to buy even the lowest price pieces.  But they were very engaged and interested in my work- when they were there.  There were many hours of not a person in my booth... which to me is just no fun- even if I'm not selling I would like to at least be showing my work and talking to people.  

The hours are very long and the three days just drag on.  At least I had great neighbors to chat with and could work on my clay.  But I can tell when I have a terribly slow show because I get too much done- not enough breaks to wrap up works of art for customers.

I would love to see this show come back- it fits very well into a CO show schedule and it's in a wonderful community but I think I will wait awhile to see if these young art show attendees can eventually turn into young art buyers.  

As you might expect from my previous post, I am being extra careful to be pro-active in the jury process.  I'd love to get feedback on something from other event coordinators and some artists.

Photographer  "___________" a talented artists regular in my events has some really cool prints.  I like them enough that I have purchased a few.

Then I found an identical image at Target on a cheaper substrate.

I ask. He tells me that he had licensed the image to Target for a short time five years back, and that it was no longer being licensed.

I tell him he cannot sell any image that had been ever licensed at the events I coordinate.  Simple enough.  It does not belong.  I am not showing his work to the jurors.  He is not eligible for my events. 

To be fair, I would like to try representing his thoughts.  He is welcome to comment on this post if he feels that I don't get it right. 

He says that "at least 20-30% of art fair artists license images or sell through- Fine Art America, GBC, Red Bubble, or Image Conscious".

He also pointed out that my prospectus does not specifically mention "licensed" art.

He is in some major fine art shows.  I won't mention them here.

Tell me event organizers, what's your thoughts on this? 

Artists?  I am confident that I am making the right decision. Your thoughts?

Okay. I see an interesting trend here. At Maple and Main Art Fair and at Crokcer Park Fine Art Fair about 5-6 people come into my booth and sings "Everything is Awesome" each day. I call this the Lego Movie effect. I even had one guy comment that he thought about my booth watching the Lego Movie at Maple and Main. I guess being in my third year at art fairs, I am starting to get a following... Yay!

But, I do love people when they sing "Everything is Awesome" in my booth. Here is a shot of my booth from Funky Ferndale last year...

recently part of the edina fine art show in minneapolis. generally described as 50th and france st in edina. nice show with high quality art and a high reputation in an upscale suburb of minneapolis.

the title of this blog refers to the MORE ART (arrow) that was positioned on 50th st pointing to the lund (grocery store) parking lot where 40 or so artists found ourselves. out of sight (other than the sign) out of the way(all of us) and out of luck (some of us). i cant and wont say that everyone had a bad show but the lack of the same crowd that was afforded those on 50th or france was definitely a factor for a lot of us.

maybe a newbie lot you say? why? same bad booth fee, same bad setup, same bad experience and more than many on the main drag. this kind of treatment is just plain wrong and im putting it kindly. we pay the same booth fee to have the same shot at the same crowd with a show setup that makes sense for the customer AND the artist. promoters and artists alike know from the get go that when a MORE ART} sign goes up, the setup is WRONG.

greed has wormed its way in and it has no place in a quality show like edina. we and others were sandwiched in like sardines, pull up to your booth option doesnt exist even though we were assured that it did and while 12 booths enjoyed a 20 ft aisle, the other 24 of us were graced with an 8 footer. i kept looking at it trying to figure out who couldnt read a tape. STOP the lund lot, edina. put us on 50th or france or dont put us at all. ill take my chances with the jury.

if you feel like your wallet has to have a lund lot, make it VOLUNTARY. given the option, i would have and should have stayed at home. just make sure the option is accompanied by a pic of the MORE ART} sign. well figure it out. and by the way, lunds is a GREAT grocery store.

Chicago, IL - June 14 & 15 - 65th Annual Old Town Art Fair - 250 Artists

This top-rated art fair is in the heart of arguably the best urban neighborhood in the country, built after the Chicago Fire, cheek by jowl beautifully restored homes and gardens, city living at its best. The show benefits the OTAF boys and girls club and is run by 750 volunteers. 60% of the exhibitors were reinvited from the previous year, making it tough to jury in.

One of my favorite booths, paintings by Jerry Brem. Nice work, very nice look (did you see that rug that repeats the colors in the paintings?)

Did you say serious buyers? I met this man in Carol Boucher's booth early on Saturday morning. He and his wife had a complete schema including measurements for the work they intended to purchase.

Beautiful glass by perennial award winner Tony Cray.

I took this photo of mixed media artist Lisa Norris' booth because I loved her panel covers (and then I saw the cool work), linen draped over the Armstrong panels and tied on with simple cotton ties. It really complemented her work which harkens back to dressmaking days with the pattern collages.

Who is one of the most famous collectors at the art fairs? Here he is, Don Kinder, with his crony woodworker Matthew Hatala. 

Sarah Kaufman, how tall IS that booth? The logistics of setting this up overwhelmed me.

Ted Gall (in the background) with the intriguing bronze sculptures has been at this show for nearly 40 years. His collectors showed up to lighten his load for the trip home.

Photographer Steven Daniel with his traveling companion, Jasper

I know Kristina Robinson isn't going to like this photo of her, but photographer Mikel Robinson carried off the Best of Photography prize. I believe it was his first time at this show.

Meet Sabrina Zhou, an AFI member, participating in her very first art fair. How does an artist end up at Old Town as a first fair? She said she reads everything on this site and used all the info you have shared. She also had a sterling assistant. 

It was great to see old friends and members of AFI: Steve Olszewski, David Curles, Carol Boucher, Beth Crowder, Anne London, Amos Amit, Andrew Shea, Doug and Renee Sigwarth, Mark Sudduth, Christine Bartling, Jack and Joe Forney, Frances Kite, Harry Roa, Jerry Scavezze, Linds Steinworth, Frank Strunk, Chris Bruno, Kina Crow, Chris Dahlquuist, Cherie Haney, Marjolyn van der Hart, Amy Flynn and Phil Crone, Dawn Adams, Kathy and Jim Eaton, Charlie Gatewood, Signe Grushovenko, Sarah Kaufman, Michael Bryant, Chris Coffey, Steven Daniel, Ray Hartl, Clif Henri, Cali Hobgood, Jerry Maschinot, Allan Teger, Daryl Thetford, Chia Haruta, Marina Terauds, Phil Thompson, Ted Gall, Jennifer Ivory, Matt Hatala and Jay McDougall.

Jennifer Ivory did a show review with more details that you can see here: http://www.artfairinsiders.com/forum/topics/review-of-the-old-town-art-show-held-last-weekend

October 4                    
Jacksonville Beach, Florida
Pablo Historical Park
10am-5pm
100 Artists
Deadline: June 30

The Beaches Art Fest is a new juried fine art show being presented by The Beaches Museum and Driftwood of Jacksonville Beach.

This is a new event which we are promoting as an upscale show,  partnering with organizations that "get" what a fine art event should  be. We'd love to have you join us at our inaugural show. Jacksonville does not have a fine art fair and we want to be the one.

One hundred fine artists (including gallery artists) will be exhibiting in the Beaches Historical Park on Beach Boulevard. 

The Park is only two blocks from the Atlantic Ocean and beautiful  beaches, and in close proximity to fine dining and quality hotels, in a highly visible location at the intersection of A1A and Beach Boulevard. 

A two block stretch on Pablo Avenue will be closed off to traffic and lined with canopies and tents each revealing it's own little world of treasures, and in the picturesque park with little indoor "Galleries"!

Finding quality art fairs in October in Florida is a challenge. We hope you will join us to kick off what we plan to be a destination art fair.

There will be performing arts, along with savory refreshments to purchase.
         

Ruth's thorough post, "Back in the Game - a Double Header and an AWARD!" was chosen the winner for May. It is a thorough review profiling two California shows with lots of helpful information that applies to many other shows. As you can see below, Ruth has a very supportive partner: