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Peachtree Hills Festival of the Arts was the end of May in Atlanta.  It is the third year  for this show.  I have done all three and this will be my third review for the show.   The show is on the streets in a really cute neighborhood with smaller old homes, but very very nice homes.  ADAC is down the street.  It is a small show with only 125 artists, a small acoustical stage,  a few food trucks and there are restaurants.  Trees line the streets so most of us can find shade to help beat the heat if necessary.  Since this is the third review of the show  if you want more details check out old reviews on layout.

Set up is really easy at this one.  Lots of room to move around so no getting stuck and set up is all afternoon on Friday.  Tear down was also pretty easy.  I was driving away 30 minutes after the show closed, but my booth spot was in the best location to get my van in and out.  Booths are across from eachother on both sides of the street.  Plenty of room on the sides and behind the booths.  You can blow out if you want to.

The weather threatened rain and many areas got it but not this show.  Saturday stayed dry but was hot.  The crowds weren't  big but most of the people who came bought.  I sold two big ones on Saturday and Sundays are usually my days.  Saturday night rained and it brought in cooler weather.  Sunday was dry and great temps.  More people came out and they didn't disappoint me, I had a great Sunday. 

The people in this neighborhood really want this show.  The owners spruce up their areas before the show and the neighbors thank us artists for supporting the show.  I rarely have neighborhood patrons actually thank me for being at their local show.  On my deliveries I noticed that many had been collecting from artists at this show for the past 3 years. 

I am all done with Spring shows.   Out of the 8 shows I did this spring the three AFFPS shows , Ponce, Buckhead and Peachtree, they were the three strongest.  They know how to get the right customer to come out and buy original art over $1k.  Not sure what they are doing but it works for me.  They always have the best food trucks, higher end and no funnel cake or food on sticks anywhere in sight.  The live music is a plus and doesn't distract from the art show, but is a place for the patrons to take a break and recharge before they go back to shopping. 

Finally I was totally thrilled that I won a free booth to one of the AFFPS shows  for pledging to AFI!!!  How perfect!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm sure you are tired of hearing me say that one of the very best things about this business is the variety of events that make it up. I love big festivals in big cities and I hunt out small boutique events and gallery hops and studio tours in more rural areas. Earning a living as an artist requires great flexibility and developing multiple streams of income. Sort of like the stock market - diversify and when one part of the market is cool hopefully another part will bring you what you need.

Saturday - June 7 - Ella Sharp Museum, Jackson, MI - Art, Beer and Wine Festival

The Ella Sharp Museum sits on a 10-acre campus that was once part of the 530-acre Merriman-Sharp farm. In her will, Ella Sharp expressed her wish that her home become a museum and that the majority of her property become a public park forevermore. It is a lovely place and includes a mini-Greenfield Village with historic structures.

The Festival:

This day is a day of sampling area vintner’s wines and craft beer, purchasing creative work of regional artists and much more, all on the beautiful grounds of the Museum campus.

Admission: $5 or $25 gives you a glass and five chips that entitle you to the extensive tasting areas around the grounds.

I arrived around noon. Perfect weather. The grounds were swarming with golf carts and drivers ready to deliver you to the door of the museum. Very hospitable. 

Live music on the steps of the museum, while we gather our wine glasses for the tasting to come. There was a steady stream of arrivals.

This show is mostly about the wine and craft beer, nonetheless, the setting was very classy and the attendees well dressed and the parking lot had just the "right" cars.

It was a pleasure to meet AFI member, Brian Goins with his very cool Steampunked sculpture and jewelry. He told me his show schedule and it was a veritable listing of the smaller southern Michigan shows with low booth fees and interested buyers. He is on the verge of bigger things as he learns the business.

Jane Robinson who seemed to know everyone who was there as she is a big piece of the arts scene in Jackson and is very entrepreneurial using connections, good business sense and talent to flourish in the area.

Julie Koleszar who had lots of the components in place for success. Nice banner, flowers,
not too much work in the display and some exciting work. She also had some beaded jewelry created around the wine theme. Very apropos to the show.

Deb Green was doing only her second show. She is working with glass beads and had a very cool line of work that incorporated Czech Republic glass buttons with embroidery. Her booth was very busy.

Can an artist make money there? That depends on what you bring to the show. This is a crowd who can be lured to purchase if you have the right thing and you've gauged the market correctly.

I did see packages leaving. I saw exhibitors who were not "art fair ready", meaning they had nice work, but not a developed style or display that was attractive that would compel a visitor to come closer to see the wonders that were there.

Charleston, S.C.

I was accepted to, and sold at, both weekends of this famous art fair (famous in its region). I sell very expensive, beaded jewelry, to put myself in context. It was my first time there. There was no assigned parking for exhibitors; just fend for yourself and hope you don't get a ticket or a boot. That was nerve wracking. The weather in Charleston, around Memorial Day, is so variable, and on set-up day it was 94 degrees with 87% humidity, very exhausting.

The venue was a dirt park, very little grass, so everything that touched the ground, including your shoes and feet, tent sidewalls, purse, etc. became instantly filthy. No one in the "office" tent seemed to know much of anything about anything.

I had the distinct impression that they simply expected you to know what to do because they invite the same vendors year after year and most everyone who does this show DOES know what to do because they've been there and done that. I was disconcerted by their cavalier attitude, though, of course, in the end, you simply do find your space and set up the tent and display and carry on.

I am ever so thankful that I had the foresight to look on Craig's list and, prior to the event, hire two fellows to help me schlep my goods onto the park grounds and lug the heavy stuff, as there were some volunteers, but none sufficient to dedicate two to me for a couple of hours. 

Cons: The show was full of low end, bazaar-style crafts: children's name puzzles, soap, funky chipped glass "mosaics", wind chimes, I'm sure you know the type I am talking about. (I was rather afraid that I would stick out like a sore thumb having prices on my pieces that ranged from $400 to $2400.) To me, at least half of the merchandise that was "juried" into the show should have been shunted off to a farmer's market or street bazaar.

The title of the show does have the words "FINE Art and Craft" but this was belied by the actual merchandise being shown. It wasn't bad, it just was NOT fine. There was one other high-end jeweler there who had gorgeous, fine jewelry. One!

The rack card, or, postcard handout, had an image of a lovely beaded necklace printed on its front. When I asked at the "office" in whose booth this work was to be found, I was told by two lounging show promoters that the woman who made that particular piece wasn't showing this year. I was aghast! Why, I asked, did you use someone's work on the most important promo piece of the event who you knew wouldn't be showing at this fair. I was told that she "usually" did show at the event, (year after year), and was in their guild, but she was having problems this year and couldn't make it. You can draw your own conclusions; I, myself, felt a little murderous at that explanation.

This cannot be pinned on the show organizers, but is a fact that anyone who is thinking of applying to this show for next year should know: The second weekend of the show was rained out Friday and Saturday of the three day weekend. As mentioned beforehand, variable weather. Quite a huge and scary storm on Saturday so the selling had to all take place on Sunday.

Pros: Every couple of hours, once the show began, volunteers would pull a wagon around, to every tent, offering water, snacks and boothsitting. Very nice. Also, the Fridays and Saturdays were catered by lovely church ladies who cooked homemade food and offered it for reasonable prices to the vendors. It was all delivered to your tent.

Despite everything icky about this show that I experienced, I sold quite handsomely, and won an award. The very best Pro of the show is that the buying public seemed to LOVE their art fair and were quite loyal and eager to support the artists. It was a strange dichotomy to me: kind of low end, nothing-special merchandise, with an eager-beaver, kind-hearted audience that were just itchin' to take home something wonderful every year. Very loyal and supportive. I have never seen that at an art show before. It was delightful.

So, despite all my objections, I am going to apply again for next year. You can't knock making money!

Signe and Genna Grushovenko will be the featured artists at the Des Moines Art Festival, June 27-29.

Their original work, Downtown Stoll is a complex blend of retro imagery with a focus on Des Moines’ iconic State Capitol Building. 

“Through our collaborative work, Downtown Stroll emerged from our inspiration to incorporate our love for vintage imagery and urban settings with a landmark from the Des Moines skyline.” – Genna Grushovenko

“We are so grateful that our profession affords us the opportunity to travel the country and discover hidden gems like Des Moines." - Signe Grushvenko

How do you like it? 

Well, for the second time this year (Ft. Worth being the other) Sunday rain killed sales for a big show.

Practically all day rain on Sunday killed  the crowds and made sales almost nil.  Usually Sunday at this show can be a big sales day as the crowds have three days to walk around and make decisions.  Most exhibitors make more than half their sales on this day, so when you lose it to weather, it really sucks.  

And, it did.

LET US START AT THE BEGINNING--WEDNESDAY

Ellen and I were both accepted, and they actually put us side by side for once.  Although I had a 9 AM setup time and she had a 5:30 set up time.

We set out from Saugatuck in a hard rain that followed us all the way to Columbus.  It was nasty driving weather with all the trucks splashing us along the way.

Luckily, we made it in just as the rain stopped, and we saw a great sunset.

We stayed at the Westin hotel which is near the show and had a special artist discount--$99 a night.  Of course parking in their lot was extra--$24 per day for valet, or $12 a pop for each  time you went in and out.  Also, Wifi was $9.50 per day extra.  You could take your device down into the lobby or into the bar and get free reception, which is what I did.

We both have our own vans.  So we parked Ellen's in the free artist parking lot and left it there until teardown. During the day I parked on the street in a handicap parking area (Yes I am handi-capped, I am left handed and I know Gary Seidel).

At night I parked in an alley by the hotel.  The meters don't charge from 6 PM to 8 AM.  So that's how you do it to avoid the Westin's ripoff parking fees.

BTW.  The room is very small, with one dinky chair, no table, a dinky TV an an even dinkier ice box.  But it is a Westin, so I guess we are supposed to kneel down and grovel and be thankful for them letting us stay there.

The one good thing about staying at the Westin is that you have Dempsey's restaurant 20 yards away.

OK.  LET'S CALL THIS A TEQUILA REPORT--DEMPSEY'S RESTAURANT

One of the drawbacks to doing this show is its ridiculously long hours.  Friday and Saturday, they want you their around 10 AM (Sat.) and 11AM (Fri.) til at least--9:30 PM.  Artists have the option of staying open later til say, 11PM.  Woopie!

Well, when you get out at 9:30 that leaves your dining options few and far between.

Dempsey's fills the bill nicely.

They serve food til 11 PM with a full bar.

They have great menu and very reasonable prices.  There is something for everybody, even if you are a vegetarian or are on a low salt diet like me.

For instance, they served  a yummy risotto dish full of fresh veggies, which I had them add some roasted chicken  to for $17.  It was filling and lip-smacking good.

They have a great beer and ample wine selection, and cocktails are under-priced.

They serve breakfast too.  

I noticed a good number of artists who stayed at the Westin that ate there.

Also in your show goodie bag was a coupon from them that allowed artists 15% off on one meal.  Not a bad deal.

So cheers for Mr. Mark Dempsey.

He even went and got a prescription filled for Ellen while she was at the show.

Well, there you have it --a Tequila Report--now, on with the show.

OK. OK. Nels--Tell us about the show.

I thought you would never ask.

SOME SALIENT FACTS--THEN I WILL GIVE REVIEW OF SHOW STUFF, DAY BY DAY.

This is a well-run show.  It flows like a well-oiled machine, and it makes the show a lot of money.  They sell a lot of beer and food.  The artists are used as a come-on.  We make a little bit of money and they make mucho.

This is a big show, lots of exhibitors.  It flows over a large area--two streets on both sides of the river, plus exhibitors on both bridges, then a cross row on the west side of the show, and then two dead-end sections that run on Rich street and on the water.

It is an exhausting walk for the average patron.  Most of them are going to think a long time before they go back again to your booth  to buy that $40 photograph.

So, for most of us, you get one shot at them.

They have a volunteer committee that is very proactive led by Patty who has been the Artist Relations chairperson for 17 years.  They listen to you, they have prompt booth-sitters. Setup and teardown go very easy.  They stagger the setup times so you don't have a neighbor's van in your way.

The overall honcho, Scott, is hands-on.  That boy is everywhere checking on details all the time.

Here is some meat.

Practically everybody has ample storage room behind there booths.  If you don't buy a corner spot then your neighbor will be tight against you and you can forget about hanging anything on an outside wall.

Most of the spots are on curved streets, so things can be leaning with the angled slope.

Bring weights, it is all on concrete.  Bring a fire extinguisher, although they did not check on us this year.

They give ya free electricity so bring lights, bring the blender for smoothies and margaritas, and bring the electric wok so you can do some stir-frying in the rear.  Heck, sales are hard to come by, so maybe a little stir fry special of the day will get you throughout those long hours.

Just kidding.

But, I always thought, wouldn't it be kind of cool to be cooking a little tuna stir fry in the rear, along with some couscou and a shitload off siracha.  It would drive your patrons nuts.

You could look them in the eye and say, "Hey, how good is that Kettle corn your eating, and oh, did they cook that darn Turkey leg long enough?"

Show is three days, and on Sunday it ends at 5 pm, unless it is like this year where it rains all day and the show never really gets off the ground.

OK.  There is some meat for you.

SO, LET'S TALK ABOUT THE SHOW THIS YEAR.

A little perspective.

I have done this show since the early 90's, off and on.  It has always been a strong selling show.  Always in my top 10 of shows to do.

I am a tropical guy, I sell tropical images, I like bright pastel colors, and I really love Key West.

So do most of my patrons.

Many of them can winter in Florida especially on the west coast, Naples to Sarasota.  Even the panhandle.

For years, I have sold lots of big images here to folks who put them in their Florida home or their Columbus sunporch.  They always bought in a big way.

But, for the last five years or so, I have seen the big purchases drop off the face of the earth.

As my friend Bill Sargent is fond of saying, "They buy precious little pieces of paper."

This has become, increasingly, a low-end selling show for me, and  a lot of my fellow artists in all disciplines.

This year, I $30 and $50- ed them to death.  Sold a few meager 16x20 frames ($170 range) and not one large piece.  Last year I sold four large pieces.

Don't get me wrong, I had a good show, not as good as 2013, but I lost Sunday, when I made a mere $300 in sales and had to teardown with wet stuff.

On Friday, we saw sluggish sales, most artists were lucky and happy if they did $1K in sales.

Ironically, I saw more big pieces go by my booth that day, then compared to Sat. and Sun when I saw very few.

Most of the crowds had nothing in their hands.  If they had something, it was stuff in small bags, or art on the stick.

I know of at least 10 artists who had a killer show.  But for everyone of them, I know 10 others who were lucky to go home with $3K in sales.

A great furniture friend of mine, had a killer show.  He sold steady every day.

A good travel/nature photographer friend sold a biggie on Saturday and ended up with a killer show.

Most of my glass artist friends we're very disappointed with their sales.  Not enough good shoes people showing up.

Here is an interesting observation.

I did not have even one person the whole show come up and say, "We are looking for a piece to put over the fireplace or the bed."  Not a one.

Years ago, that was my bread and butter market.

I just did not see enough of the "Good shoes" crowd there.  Saw way too many tattooed-and-pierced-with-little-money there.  You get great compliments and zero sales.  Try paying your mortgage with that.

Ellen had one tiny flurry mid-Saturday afternoon.  Three customers in a row.  That was her entire show except for three other very small sales.

So the bottom line is this.

This a big EVENT.  Notice I did not say this is a BIG ART SHOW.

You can make money here, especially if you have killer lowend line.

But this is an event.  It is more about the live music, the beer tents, the food booths--and, oh yeah, there is art you can buy too.

We have lots of competition--and it aint your fellow exhibitors.

And that is the biz we have today.

Would I go back?  Hell yes.  I would rather be in Columbus than Kalamazoo or anywhere in Amdur-land.

But this biz is changing, and in a bad way

I just don't think that American public prizes good original art, like they used to.

They would rather have electronic gadgets.  They bring them to our shows.  They are more engrossed in them than the art that is surrounding them.

We are just those people in the white tents, and there will be plenty more of them somewhere else next weekend.

Oh well.  It is on to the ocean at Virginia beach.

In fact I typed this blog while sitting on the Atlantic.

Let ya know how I make out.

First off, this show is not held on a farm ;-) It's held on the campus of Midway College in Midway, Kentucky which is a lovely campus. The show has had a high reputation, and was much larger at one time with almost 300  artists. The Lexington Art League ran it for a few years and had moved it somewhere else, and it had suffered. A local volunteer group has taken it over, and the show is a smaller and more intimate one now with a little over a hundred artists. It is a gem of a show, and more than likely will increase in size over the next several years. It's a regional show and draws from the wealthy neighborhoods in Lexington, Frankfort, and Louisville.

Set up was on Friday with assigned arrival times. We had some issues with waiting for the guide to take us to our spot, as some tents had blown over earlier and everyone was helping pick up scattered work and getting it sorted out. We had to wait over 45 minutes, and part of it was one of the helpers forgot we were there waiting. Finally we got to our unloading point, carted one load in, and then the guys with the tractor and wagon showed up and got everything else in one load. The sidewalks are narrow, so vehicles aren't permitted to drive in. On the positive side, there are crews of volunteers who will do the heavy lifting and take everything to your spot. The show director came by later and apologized for our long delay on getting moved in.

We set the tent and walls up, and came back Saturday morning to hang work, and were ready when the customers rolled in. It was a little cool and breezy, with rains expected off and on, so the rear tarp was stretched out with a set of painter poles and corner braces to make a closed in rear room to the tent, and a couple more tarps closed it in to make a 5x10 extra room for storage and a place to stay warmer and dry. All the spaces had more than adequate room to store inventory and set up chairs behind the booth.

Saturday took off well with a good buying energy and you would see a variety of work being carried by the customers. Our sales were good enough to pay all the expenses and still make a profit. Sunday started off okay, but the crowds were different, with either the very young or the much older. The middle age buyers with money weren't there on Sunday and most artists around us reported sales of half or less than Saturday. It still added up to a very decent show and I will re-apply for next year.

Tear-down was smooth, with volunteers constantly checking to see if you were ready to pack out. By the time we were packed up, the wait time for the tractor and wagon was only about 15-20 minutes, and a couple of young volunteers helped load the tubs and boxes into the wagon and drove to the van where they helped load everything in.

The show is a hidden gem out where you wouldn't expect to see a higher end show, it has moneyed and knowledgeable buyers who didn't price quibble, and volunteers who were extremely helpful. More shows could use their model :-)

Promenade of Art Arlington Heights in Arlington Heights, IL

Part One (before the show)

I started writing this review before the show started. Main reason I am heading to Virginia Beach two after the show because I will be part of Boardwalk Art Show in Virginia Beach.  

My home base is Chicago, IL. I do travel out of state. As I stated I do out state shows because my type work allow me to that and I believe that the Chicago market is saturated and had become a market for the tourist (this is my humble opinion). What I mean with market for the tourist. Your work will do well if you had post card art or art work that you relate to the city or Europe, social events and social awareness. You can still do well with other type of work but as an artist you need to work harder and not depend only in the art shows.

Art Fair Artist have so many reasons why to stay close to home (family, work, amount of shows, type of work, economy, etc). It is very personal choice and is up to the artist to make that choice. Why I make this statement because if you do only shows in Florida you will be bond to a show with Howard Allan. If you only do shows in Chicago you are bond to do a show with Amy Amdur. When I am out town I had been ask if I do shows with her and answer is yes. God, artist look me up and down and sometimes people spit fire. Same thing happen when discuss her in forums.

I had observed in the last few weeks how Amdur is promoting each of her shows and you can not ask to much more from her. I was told last year that when she does a show she get permits so the stores and other vendors  do not put racks on the streets and offer special sale at the same time that shows goes and why because she does want people to be distract from the artists. That sound weird but think what happen in Ann Arbor. She gave the artists post cards and the post cards now show one of your pieces. She does that for every show that she promote. Amdur taking over some shows not adding.  I believe in near future other of the One of  a Kind Show and sale in Chicago  if you come to do a art fair not a festival in Chicago you will be bond to a show with Amy or Erin. People are begging for Erin to take more shows but she wont do more than x amount shows no matter what. I also can tell you that is not cheap to put an Art Fair in Chicago (does not count politics). Every time you do a show there is a 25 license fee add to the booth fee and some residents do not want this events in the living areas.  

So why I choose to do this show. I choose it because 57th St Art Fair or Community Section has lost his luster but it could bounce back when Obama get out of the office because of the rumors of the library coming to Hyde Park Area. The Hyde Park Area is in a transformation movement but I am sorry but big corp is taking over the area or been allow to come in. 57th is follow by Wells St and Old Town. I think for 57th St Art Fair the booth fee, lic and jury fee is 360.00 and Promenade is 495.00. Wow 135 difference so if you using this either show as a filler or pairing with Old Town 57th booth fee wise is the first choice.  Also keep in mind you can apply to Columbus and Edina. If you are local you may consider the Barrington and Millennium with Amy that go before this weekend.

The set up for Promenade is done Friday night. One group start at 6pm and another start at 8pm. You can only set up until 10:30pm. That means in my case I should be able to put the tent up but I may not be able to hang everything until Saturday morning. I already know that I will be next to a sponsor. God had Mercy of me.

Part Two the show is here:

Friday arrived I decided to take off at 4pm. Traffic is bond to get worst by the hour in Friday night. It took me 2 hours to get there and the GPS told me to get off the highway.

Set up day arrive and my starting time was 8pm. I got lucky and they let us start going in around 730pm.  I also find out that the sponsor was not  next to me. The main goal was to put up the tent up with walls. I manage to up almost everything up and just have tight up next morning. I end helping another artist I chatting I got out of there at 11:30 pm. The trip back home only took 30 minutes. Saturday came around 8am to finish the set up. I notice That I did some basic mistakes but one thing I learned was to use my lights during set up, I can always recharge the battery.

Both days of the show people show up around 10am and the traffic was great . It seems that the show was full both days. I only notice a less people around lunch time and end of the day. I think that very typical at any show. Some artist did very well and some did very bad. People was purchasing items under 100.00 for the most part and some in the 300.00 range. So to have a great show you need volume of small stuff. In my case I sold 7 small frames and lot of small print but no big ticket items (495). The sponsors and music was very low key. Bathrooms was available through different restaurants in the blocks.

The break down was very easy. You break down all the way down. Get a pass bring your car in and load. We got lucky because the weather was great and only rain over night. I did saw the candle lady but she was at the end of the row. She is very nice and yes see the point of some artists.

At the end I did not have time to look around and the show was well promote . I have a great time and easy both days. Nothing bad to post other that if you did not know is a blue collar area, There some money but people really watch how they spend the money. If you decide to the show do not expect to sale big ticket items because they do not move as much as you want to see.

Now to Virginia Beach.

I know that markets are not art shows. I combined work and vacation once (never again) and did the Saturday markets in Portland and Eugene, Oregon. The woman who runs Eugene reminded us that markets are different and were dependent on a recurring customer base instead of a rush of festival goers.  Fair enough. I think I made 80 bucks. Chalked it up to market research.   Oh quit yer groanin'

Anyway, when a friend of mine wanted to start a market here in Buffalo, on our newly fabulous waterfront, she asked me for info on how it was done and I was able to give her the nuts and bolts info on how the sellers are organized and chosen etc. She ran with it and, in partnership with another artist, has established a really lovely market. 

I hadn't been able to participate because of conflicts, but this year I signed up for 3. I live a few blocks away and probably would have spent a few hours down there anyway. The tents are lined up along the boardwalk with the grassy yard behind you and the water in front of you. It is a popular destination for locals, so you are guaranteed an audience. There is music, a food truck in addition to the restaurant options already there.

We had a great time. The weather was perfect, people came out in droves and there was an Urban Planning convention in town so we had those folks checking it  (and us)  out. A wedding party showed up to take pictures and wound up dancing to the band. I made a few hundred bucks which felt like more because the event was easy and so much fun to do. 

An unexpected benefit of doing a small show before the festivals start is that you learn just how unprepared you are for the season to come. We're out of bags? Seriously? Where are those business cards? That browse bin is too short for how you want to use it.  And so on. It's like when the Bills play scrimmage games in Rochester before the real season starts. Well, sorta like that except for the paycheck.

The only sour note came when a 50ish guy with a gray buzz cut and jeans belted just under what would have been pecs picked up a matted print and asked if I would sell it for 5 dollars less. Uh. No. I directed him to the bagged prints that were cheaper and he went for that. (I don't need no mat) Then he asked if he had to pay tax. I pointed to my tax certificate and said that yes, I had to collect it, and they did spot check us. (we're talking a buck here) I'm just gonna give you this, he said, holding out the money sans tax. I looked at it, assessed how important it was to take this guy on and took the money without a thank you. As he left the booth he said, condescendingly,  that he was a business person. I answered that so was I.( And that I must be doing better than he since I has just paid his sales tax for him. ) OK, so he was out of the booth by that last bit, but it made me feel better.

Bottom line is that if you live in the area and have no big show on a market weekend, it is a pleasant "grocery money" show run by high energy, awesome women who are also artists and know what we need. They had everything nailed, from load in to artist parking. (Parking down there is a nightmare. They got us our own little lot) Plenty of advance info. Ready to help with any thing you need.

I am looking forward to my next one on July 5th. Just hope Mr Buzzcut doesn't come back but if he does, I'm ready  for him.

Oh, what can I say? Much was touted and little came through except disappointment. Maybe it was a fluke with the poor sales, but the weather gods smiled, there were crowds at one time, but still at the end was much gnashing of teeth and wailing. More on that later, but let's get the logistics out of the way first.

The Kalamazoo Institute of Art has had this show for many years and it has a high reputagtion for a quality show and for being organized and well run. No complaints on that score as they sent emails several times informing the artists of what was going on, what the booth assignments were, where good deals on lodging were and so on. All the work before the show was impeccable.

Set up was early on Friday morning, with set up time starting at 8:00 AM with a 3:00 PM show start time. We arrived at 7:45 with many artists already there and setting up at a leisurely pace. The show is held in Bronson Park with the artists arranged along the sidewalks, set up on grass and facing sidewalks. If you were on the interior of the park, as most were, you could drive on the sidewalk and unload. Heck of a deal. There was more than adequate space behind the booths, unless you had a flower bed behind you. We had room to set up an awning behind us that used the rear tarp as the awning, so we had a 7 foot awning over us to keep the sun off, and were able to stack tubs and boxes behind that.

It was a nice leisurely set up where we didn't have to fret about being done by the time the customers showed up. People started walking through about 2:00 or a little afterwards. Crowds were reasonably heavy, lots of lookers, but zilch buying energy. Some of the artists around me were getting a bit worried. I figured it was the typical Friday crowd as Fridays usually suck. Nope, I was told by the repeat artists that Fridays here are supposed to be a good day. Yeah, I sold a single $20 piece on Friday. 

The awards dinner was well attended and thank goodness they had alcohol, because it blunted the significance of Friday being off-stride for many of the artists. There was grumbling aplenty, although as usual there were some who were doing well. Unfortunately the impression was that the majority were not happy campers.

Saturday rolled around looking good. The weather was beautiful, and the in case I didn't mention it, the park setting was beautiful. Here's a photo I took that morning with the morning sun streaming through the trees and shining on the rows of white tents.

 Unfortunately the crowds were lookers and talkers, more interested in sharing stories of being in the same places I had been or wanting to go there. Hey, you talk to them and hope the connections will spur a sale. It wasn't happening. The best I did on Saturday was two small flip bin pieces at $29 each, unmatted no less.  The woodworker next to me sold three tables that were beautifully done, but with a double booth, that wasn't enough to salvage his show. A jeweler down the sidewalk from reported selling nothing for the final 3 1/2 hours of the show with disappointing results for the entire show. Several other artists said they lost money doing the show. There were other times I felt like I was still in the classroom teaching; talking to people only semi-interested in the work and not making much money.

The rush seemed to be from about 11:00 to 2:00, and the crowds tapered off quickly after that. No one seemed to be interested in spending much. I had a couple nibbles and even with discounting the price, still no takers. The parades, marching bands, the beer garden, and all the other entertainment are neat and fun, but the concern has to be if that is drawing too many people there for entertainment only, and buying the art work is taking the back seat. 

Things started slowing down quickly, and this snap shot is a telling image. It was taken at 3:30 when that's the usual last rush time on the last day for coming back to get what you looked at earlier.

When the corn dog and elephant ear stand is deserted, you know you're in deep doo-doo. The food concessions out in the street pulled the plug early and started tearing down about 4:30 or a bit earlier. When they opened the street barricades for the food vendors to get their trucks in, the artists joined in with a big rush of vans coming in before the show was over. A good 15 minutes before the show was over, there were vans already parked in front of my space. I commented about this to a couple of artists around me, and the answer was that they had done nothing for the last several hours, and the show was over when the food vendors pack up as those guys stay as long as they're selling.

This was the first time I've seen a quality show like this just fall apart at the end. I started packing up at that point also. There was a pretty disgruntled attitude among many of the artists, and more than a few were rushing to get out of Dodge. I was a bit miffed when someone pulled up directly in front of my booth as I was planning to stack panels against the street light and stack boxes on the sidewalk in order to save time and energy loading up. Another artist from further in the park asked one of the people who parked in front of my booth if she would let her know when they would move so she could park there. My wife who is normally a patient person (hey, she puts up with me), got her dander up and interrupted to let them know we had our van ready to move in there first. It wasn't taken well, but have a little consideration. A little after we got the van in, the person on the other side of us moved, so I was able to turn my van around in the other direction to let that artist get her vehicle in.  

There were several judges who came around inspecting for the art work itself, booth presentation, and some other criteria to determine who is invited back next year. This is supposed to be a hard show to get into, and the quality of the work all around is very high. While the KIA has the process of the show down to a near science delivering strong logistics in a very nice urban park environment with high production values,  they can't guarantee a buying crowd despite excellent weather. Without that buying crowd, it's hard, and damn hard, to justify going back when you had 3 sales totaling $78 before taxes.

I would be very interested in hearing the experience others had this year. One person mentioned in another forum post that they did the show last year, and it was their worst show plus getting bedbugs from their motel. At least I didn't get that bugged over the show.

September 5-7
Huntington Beach, California
Pacific Coast Hwy & Beach Blvd.
150 Artists
Deadline: July 31

For years, Southern California has showcased many smaller to medium community art festivals. This new event is built on current day models with an emphasis on visual arts activities targeting the most creative artists from around the country and providing all participants the best opportunity to sell to the large crowds in attendance.

The festival will emerge onto the Southern California scene in early September to put an exclamation point on the endless summer. The event will offer national marquee touring artists plus a host of California's own.  Foodies will be exposed to some of the best local restaurants providing  trials of their best cuisine and SoCal great wine regions will showcase their top notch supply. 
          

• Over 1 million dollars in local media will support event
•             
• Event is partnered with the local Huntington Beach Art Council who will be promoting to their database
•             
• The combined assets of Art, Food, Wine & Music will draw large crowds 
•             
• Target is 35-54 - disposable income
•             
• There is no other event like this in Southern California and will carry a model like some of the largest events in the U.S.
•             
• Nfuse 360 Marketing is a specialized event marketing company that knows how to produce top tiered traffic driving programs that deliver results
•             
• Perks program at event. Consumers that buy art will get complimentary special benefits at event
•           

          Forget your preconception of a typical music or arts festival.  This is anything but ordinary. Artists from all over the country will showcase their best and creative side in a juried event never seen before in Southern California. We believe in the arts and this iconic Southern California celebration. 

Learn more & apply: www.zapplication.org/event-info-public.php?fair_id=3474   

Art Fair Road Trip? If you are going to be at the Sausalito Art Festival on August 30-Sept. 1, what do you think about a beautiful drive down the Coast and being part of this brand new festival the following weekend? Think about it.   

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

Find more events looking for artists, fill in your calendar: CallsforArtists.com

Wow, I won! Thank you Connie and all who donated prizes to the pledge drive.

 I AM REWARDED AGAIN!!!!!!!  Sorry about shouting but I am so excited that I am a winner.  I have always felt rewarded with all the wonderful info here at Art Fair Insiders but to find I was rewarded again with free booth space at Sandy Springs...WOW!!! My donation was nothing compared with what I get from everyone here.  Thanks Connie and everyone who posts the helpful information here!!!!

I made a pledge to AFI because it is such a great resource for artists but never thought I would win.  I won free booth space to a show in St Augustine FL that I've heard great things about but have not yet experienced.  Thank you AFI and especially to Old Town Art Show for making such a great donation!

• Srey Tiep - 5/7/2014 "Zapp IE Exaggeration Uncalled For - 4 important updates you should not miss"
• Annette Piper - 5/14/2014 "An Aussie show with an organiser who MUST have read AFI"
• Ruth Finkenbiner - 5/20/2014 "Back in the Game - Started with a Double Header & our first Award!!"
• S. Brian Berkun - 5/28/2014 "Gambling on Estes Park, CO"

Thanks to Srey, Annette, Ruth and Brian for these contributions, keeping us all on our toes.

Deadline for voting - 6 pm, June 13.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE

I joined this group many years ago to help me move from being a "dyer" which many refer to as "indy dyer" over to Surface Designer - which is actually what I have always done for over 55 years, mixed with garment design. I have been afraid for too long to move into the art world with my work and everyone here has helped me transition.

People's supportive commenting about art shows, etc in this group couldn't be more generous. I know sometimes mine have been blunt and to the point. Many times out of protecting myself and keeping the goal in sight - my work, my business and making sure I don't get off track.

In the meantime, I welcome mentoring others, when the time is right (that is key), and as I continue to get exposed to more people on the "art" side, I am thankful for all the experiences I have had being on the side I am moving away from, the opportunity to learn sometimes painfully, and the opportunity to share with others. Part of my learning and experience process was putting boundaries in place.

I found too many times, I would get trapped in someones issues, without stopping and saying to myself - whoa, is this really where I want to go? That was one of the hardest lessons for me over the last 8 years, to comfortably (key) be able to say to someone that is "picking" my brain when I don't wish to have that done to me, "Oh, this appears to be turning into a consultation and we will need to schedule an appointment to continue." I am amazed at how that simple sentence can have so much power in an instant. It was one of the hardest things I struggled with when approached by someone asking a "non-product" related question far too often during shows. This was one of the biggest boundary issues for me, and since I started with this response about a year ago, I have seen major positive change in me and especially in my sales. Taking back control during these times, rather than going with that really old archaic school of thought - the customer, and everyone else is always right, and you just have to sit there and take it (how I was taught so many years ago in retail). I removed the everyone else factor, and it's amazing, the results I am getting in my sales - measurable differences, just by putting up boundaries. So, when I saw someone discuss this very topic in a recent post, and made me realize, as part of our mentoring, we need to explain to others in the business when it's appropriate and when it's not. While some of you may take offense to this, here are some stats, and perhaps you will understand how critical setting up this boundary may be if you are also trapped. I have improved my sales to date by 25% over 2012/2013 which were both flat-line years. I must be doing something right.

September 12-14
Ferndale, Michigan

Fri. 3pm-8pm
Sat. 10am-8pm
Sun. 12noon-5pm
120 Artists
Deadline: June 15

Noteworthy:

• Artwork leans towards the edgy
• 11th year
• Extensive marketing
• Artist amenities include free parking, beverages, free Sunday breakfast, respect
• Location: Nine Mile Road at Woodward, Ferndale, in the heart of a vibrant downtown
• 40,000+ shoppers flock to this hip destination 

Event Summary:  

Twice as funky as the average fine art show...  

Ferndale's vibrant downtown attracts young upwardly mobile professionals in their 20's, 30's and 40's. It is a lively community with varied shopping and exciting clubs and restaurants. Attendees have the means to purchase items that appeal to them.  Their taste in art tends toward less pastoral, more active work. While traditional images do sell, this show focuses on the unusual.

We are committed to your success. Please feel free to call with questions or concerns at any time. We are artist focused and seek to provide a venue that enhances your work and simplifies your participation.

For more info:  www.MichiganArtShows.com 

Now accepting applications at: www.zapplication.org 

You may also contact Mary Strope for a paper application:  

Mary@integrityshows.com 

SO cool!  I like to donate to Connie's forum because I think it's a terrific resource for those of us in this business.  But this year I also won a prize!  In fact, I won an Amazon Gift Card for $100 -- and since I buy just about EVERYTHING on Amazon that is a really GREAT GIFT.  Thanks Connie and thanks Chris Taylor for donating the gift. 

I was one of the many people to donate to this year's Pledge Drive.  As I looked longingly over the prizes, I secretly selected which one would make it's way into my hands if my name was drawn.  I saw the first list of names and disappointingly, my name wasn't there.  I waited anxiously for the 2nd drawing (a whole week later!!) and lo and behold, my name was on this list!

99.9% of you don't know me - I rarely start any posts and don't comment often.  I'm a beadweaver in Pennsylvania and do shows part time (that pesky full time job gets in the way at times:) and I don't travel much outside of my 3 or 4 state area. I've been a member of Art Fair Insiders for several years and have thoroughly enjoyed reading people's reviews, funny stories of their adventures on the road, and have tried to buy things from the classifieds.  Even though I didn't win any prizes last year, I wanted to make sure that my contribution - no matter how big or small - would help to keep this great site going.  The prize I chose this year was the booth space at one of the Rose Squared shows in NJ.  Last year was my first year at these shows and I am so excited to be going back in two weeks. 

Thank you Connie for all of the hard work you do for this site daily and for pulling together these awesome prizes!!

First time at this show this past weekend (May 31-June 1). My category: photography-landscapes.

A review? phhhttttt --No--A novel: by Dale (Yak) Yakaites (I'm watching my Brewers get beat by the Twins and I have plenty of time.  :-)

The Racine and Kenosha, Wisconsin, areas have had some tough times in recent years in terms of businesses closing and a bigger than normal downturn in the economy. Racine is a little rough around the edges, and I didn't know what to expect giving this show a try. As it turns out, I have nothing but positives to say about the show—at least that was my experience.

Monument Square is in the downtown business area about three blocks off Lk. Michigan. This not a big show (80 booths), but the quality of art being shown was quite good. From what I understand this show had fallen on some hard times a few years ago after about 50 yrs. in existence. The previous promoters lost access to the Square to another venue, but it returned with new organization to the Square last year after a year or two near the lakefront.

Organization and artist emails, contact info, etc.–excellent   Check in easy. Friendly people!Plenty of volunteers on hand making sure things were going well for artists. Free coffee and bakery available each morning both days. Artist lounge available (artists only) both days. Dinner on Saturday night. Did not attend..Volunteers for booth sitters by sign-up---excellent. Water provided during the day for artists.

Easy enough Friday afternoon load in--drive up to booth--if you have just a little patience while others load in. Same for Sunday load out--show ends 4pm Sunday. Booth spots are 10x10 (doubles and corners available) with "a little" space available behind booths depending on where your spot is. There is daytime music both days, but I didn't consider it intrusive for artists--not blasting (although my booth was located at one end of the show away from the stage). A few food vendors are located just outside the square in street parking areas. Good separation between food and artists' booths.

Crowd? Excellent both days. Great weather and people were taking advantage of it. The setting is unique in that it is in a business area, but not what I would call a shopping district. After setup on Friday, I found myself wondering where the foot traffic would come from. Show opened at 10am both days and it was obvious the the promoters did a great job of advertising. The crowd appeared out of nowhere on both days and was very steady. Everything from "the good shoes people" and to retirees with money and local corporate people (SC Johnson Co etc) to young couples (who were my best customers--new homes) families, and some dog walkers. One note: I've never seen so many well dressed women of differing ages-- and men--with serious ink on their arms legs, shoulders--wherever--- in one location at one time!

Artists?  Yes, quite a few jewelry booths, nice fiber art, unique clothing, metalwork, excellent watercolor artists, but for a change a modest number of photogs. Otherwise a pretty good variety of art from high end to moderate prices. Booths of each category were well dispersed.

Sales?? I had a very good show and two other photogs I talked to did "okay". I personally would look forward to going back, but a number of other booths around me barely made booth costs for the weekend. People were buying quality it seemed because I saw some larger pieces being carried out. I also grossed about $5,000 in "my phantom sales" because I was keeping track of "attaboys--$0.50" "beautiful work--3$"  "you have an excellent eye--$4 and WOWs $5. I subtracted $10 though for each "so, you must have gone to these places, eh?

Only negative: free parking-- but about 3 blocks away. No shuttle or golf carts. I do have some back issues and a little trouble walking at times.

My biggest overall impression was that the people who ran the show bent over backwards to make artists feel welcome. Doing the show was a pleasant experience.

1 down---10 more to go this summer. A good start was had.singalong now---(cue Roy and Trigger---haaapppyyy saales…to you……until……I write again…

There will be quiz on this review at a later date.

RunAwaaaaay!

Yak