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Just returned from The Kenan's Center 100 American Craftsmen show in Lockport NY and thought I do a review.  I've done this show for 4 years and it is truly a pleasure to do.  There are only 100 artists and it is located in the skating rink building on the grounds of the Kenan center.  Load in is extremely easy as you can pull right up to one of the garage style doors that open on all around 2 sides of the building.  Set up is Thursday and Friday till 3:00 so you have all kinds of time. We set up on Thursday and had Friday morning free, so we went to Niagara Falls (about 1/2 hour drive). This show has some of the nicest artwork I've seen in my travels and a lot of it compares to the ACC show in quality.  There is a preview night on Friday night that runs 5:00-9:00 and my sales were about $1,000.00 for that evening opening, so they do buy then.  After we close, we all go over to the Kenan Mansion (BEAUTIFUL) for a dinner party with lots of good food (Sushi if you hurry), an open bar and live music.  Sunday morning they have a meeting and provide breakfast.  The artists are asked for our suggestions or comments which are written down and many times implemented for the following year.  During the show, there are floor aids that will bring you complimentary ice teas, water or coffee all day, every day.  they also will watch your booth for bathroom breaks.  I personally have never been treated so well by a show!  

The skating rink has a metal roof, so using the square in 'offline' mode saved me this year.  In previous years, it was a struggle to process credit cards and probably was this year for the artists that don't use square.  Also the building is not air conditioned and can be a little toasty, so dress light and bring your fan.  Sales were good for me this year, but not up to the previous fantastic years I've had there.  Maybe the weather was too nice, I was really hoping for rain and we had perfect sunshiny days.  Anyway, really worth a shot for high quality work.

http://www.kenancraftshow.com/Pages/default.aspx

This is a Howard Alan show located in the outdoor Legacy Village lifestyle center (ie shopping mall of the 21st century).  It's a Saturday-Sunday show with set-up availability on Friday morning, Friday evening and Saturday early morning.

Although many show promoters say their shows are situated among wealthy neighborhoods, in this case they really weren't kidding.  This place has so much money that even the cop who stopped me for speeding one morning said, when he learned I was going to Legacy Village, "man, I can't even afford to drive down the street up there."  The expensive speeding ticket was handed over shortly thereafter.

Turns out this area is home to a large Jewish community, some who arrived directly from Jerusalem.  Wish I had know that before I brought my bread-and-butter Xmas-ornament sideline product, which is usually a great impulse purchase that adds over $1k to my show totals.  Not so much, this time.   But that's okay.  There was quite a bit of other ethnic diversity at this show as well, so it was an interesting weekend in that regard.

Although artists who know me know that I'm not a fan of shopping mall shows -- Robert Wallis, remember my exhortation to back away from the mall regarding Easton? -- I must say that Howard Alan seems to do it as well as it could be done.  Artist parking is a mile and a shuttle ride away, so that obviously adds a layer of complication when it comes to set-up, tear-down and day-to-day back and forth.  But you can drive right to your space for loading and unloading, and the HA staff was so organized and the logistics so meticulously thought-out that the whole shuttle thing was barely noticeable.  Staff was professional, helpful, friendly and always on the ball.  A pleasant change of pace.

Weather was perfect all weekend.  Sunny, low 80s and slight breeze, so no excuses for anything but a great show.  Attendance and sales were steady all day on Saturday.  Seemed as if the crowd could have been bigger, but those who attended were generally ready to buy rather than just look and move on.  They knew what they were doing and knew what they liked -- overall, an educated and easy-to-deal-with group.  The show continued until 8 pm, which was a couple of hours too long in terms of ROI.

Sunday attendance was surprisingly brisk for the first couple of hours, then the families with small kids who thought we were free entertainment descended.  That was pretty much the end of the steady revenue flow.  Sales still happened here and there, but the periods between sales grew longer and longer as the day wore on.  By 2 pm, artists were groaning that they had 4 more grueling hours to go and some were looking for alcohol or bullets to end their own misery.  In the end, most artists said they did "okay", which in some cases meant several thousand in sales but less than they normally do at shows.  Others, who were showing great and very creative work, said their results were lousy.  I ended up a couple $k to the good, so at least it was better than sitting at home.

This was my first HA show so I must rely on the opinions of other artists for a comparison to other HA events.  In general, this one is viewed as an under-performer, mostly because the $450 booth fee, plus app fee, hotel cost and gas quickly takes you to $1k or more in expenses and the revenue doesn't quite live up to that investment.  But if you don't travel too far from home (I was 4 hours away), it can be a nice little filler show.  I did hear from several people, artists and shoppers alike, that this show is usually plagued with horrible weather of some sort, so that's another piece of the puzzle to consider.  The quality of exhibitors is good, there's live (and good) music, and the food booths are upscale.

I may very well apply to this show again as an alternate to my hometown Summerfair show next year.  But, more importantly, it's made me a fan of Howard Alan and I'm now taking a closer look at their other offerings.

Okay, I was warned about this one, but oh-no, I had to try it anyway. It had one thing going for it; cheap booth space at $110. If you're local, give it a shot, otherwise stay away.

Booth space was unusual at 15x10, so the prospect of having two extra sides available to hang work sounded good, so I sprung for it. Sort of like a mouse going for the cheese. My neck still hurts.

Okay, so I get the usual acceptance letter, and given that it looked like some locations required some heavy duty carting in, I asked for something close that I could load in easily as my knees and back aren't amenable to long walks on the beach and in the rain. I luck out; I'm only about 8 spaces from the curb. The letter said set up time was 7:15AM on Saturday. Damn! My wife and I decide to drive up to Chicago from Indy on Friday and get a room instead of leaving in the middle of the night on Saturday morning. Despite spending over 2 hours in rush hour Friday afternoon traffic just getting from downtown Chicago out to Schaumburg, we figured it would be a good idea to scope out the location and see where the booth is located.

Damn good thing we decided to stop by, for as we pull up to the site it looks like half the show is already setting up. WTF?? Some folks got emails saying they could set up Friday, but we certainly didn't. I went to the sign in table, no one there, but all the badges were laid out. Okay, get the badge and start unloading. We get the first load from the curb to the booth location, and we notice a few vans pulled up on the courtyard. The letter said cart in only. Okey-doke; when in Rome.. I pulled the van next to the space and start unloading :-)

Ah, the fun is just starting. The 10x15 space didn't include any space between the rear of the booth and the one behind it. A quick consultation with the guy behind me and we both moved away from the back; I moved 2 feet and he moved one foot. Now we had storage space. To hell with the marks on the pavement; when the booths across from you are about 35-40 feet  away, a couple of feet isn't going to kill the traffic flow. We get the booth and panels up, and decide to hang the next morning.

Next morning rolls around and I realize there is not a lick of shade on this courtyard and it's going to be hotter than hell in the direct sun. I usually put up an awning behind the booth, but no joy there due to the narrow storage, so the back door becomes a side door and the next door neighbors who are placed at a 45 degree angle to us agree that attaching their side tarp to my side awning (the side tarp) and the pole assembly would work just fine to get both us a shaded area almost 15 feet wide between our booths. Hell of a deal ;-)

Now for the show. I never saw any of the organizers from the Arts Center come around. No one, Nada. I did talk to one of the judges for a moment, but the other one was a surly looking schmuck who wandered around with a scowl and didn't so much as even glance at my booth. The lady who juried the entries came around and introduced herself, and we had a wide ranging discussion that went on for about 15-20 minutes. Outside of that, none of the show people came by that we could tell. Their office was just inside the entry way on the way to the indoor restroom, and I would see one or two people in there. I guess they were too busy sipping their Starbucks to bother with the plebian artists on their grounds.

The best way to describe the organization of this show is slipshod and ineffectual. The best thing is that their lackadaisical attitude allowed those of us on the courtyard to bring our vehicle up on the pavement and get the hell out of there mach schnell, not to mention setting up. The facility is beautiful with a pond in the middle and artists set up around that, sort of like Loring park in Minneapolis. Another artist said for the last 20 years they struggle every year to get themselves organized. Sounds like it may never happen.

Bottom line is the sales. Mine was at the bottom. It sucked; big time industrial strength shop vacuum suck. A total of $300. That paid the booth fee back, paid for the gas, and one nights lodging. It didn't pay for the other two nights or the meals. I lost about $200 doing this show. The painter behind me did zip. I saw David Kay there and he was doing okay, and selling smaller flip bin pieces. I brought big pieces, with probably 30  12x16 smaller flip-bin pieces and those may have been too big. The crowd was either geriatric or stroller moms, and they all seemed to have short attention spans with the ones who walked into my booth sticking around for about 30 seconds.

It was not my crowd, and this is a one time show for me. I'm not going back, it's not even a good filler show. Too many artists around me were complaining about low sales. A lot of the artists around me were first timers although the potter next to me did okay and she had done the show for several years. She already had a following and was selling to repeat customers. I just don't see the crowd as high ticket or even medium ticket.

Lack of organization, apathetic management, cheap crowd, low sales make this a show to avoid. Another reason to avoid this one is the location by the picturesque lake. You can't drive there because there is no road, only a sidewalk too narrow for a van, and a set of steps to navigate. At tear down, a woman artist about 60+ was pushing a cart uphill on the grass, up the sidewalk, and then unload at the steps to carry up the steps and then reload onto the cart again. Bless her heart, she probably got her van loaded yesterday. What in hell are these people thinking with logistics like that? This is asking for someone to have a freaking heart attack.

This long running neighborhood show was held April 26-27, always the weekend before the Kentucky Derby. It's in the middle of the area called the Highlands, just a couple blocks off a very busy area known for it's eclectic shops, restaurants, and night life in an older section of Louisville with beautiful homes that is well maintained. Parking is an issue so the smart ones arrive early to make sure they can find a parking spot.

I've done this show for about 20 years and watched it change from a casual neighborhood show that had the fine art and crafts at the top half of the long street this is on and the "crafty" work at the other end. The quality work has become the entirety of the show with the "loving hands crafts" completely supplanted. There are still some unusual items to be found but the quality is good.

There are four rows of booths in this show, with one row along the sidewalk with little to no space behind you depending on where you are, and many of those are raised from the street by a couple of feet or so. Those have problems with access if it rains and turns the grassy strip between the street and sidewalk muddy. The more enterprising artists come prepared with a wide plank and nailed on cleats to make a set of steps so the customers don't fall or slip.

There is a grassy median out from one side of the street that has two rows of booths back to back. The inside row, facing the sidewalk, are even at the edge of the pavement and you have to contend with sloping forward about 6-8 inches and a downhill slope that drops another 2-3 inches, so you have a 2-axis tilt to contend with. Bring lots of pieces of 2x4s for shims, or if you have the space in your trailer or van, bring a pair of 2x6 or 2x8 by ten feet long boards. it's a lot faster shimming the boards to be level so the tent and the display panels are all easily leveled. Since the ground has a rounded crown, it is a tedious pain in the butt to get everything leveled. A point of aggravation that has developed over the last several years is that the artists on the far side of the median have been pulling their booths back from the edge of the pavement as much as 2 and 3 feet which means you have very limited space between the booths. For those who like to sit behind the booth or have some work space back there, this creates a problem. This is an issue I plan to send an email to the organizers about, since the inside row has no choice but to shim and level, and the outside row is moving to more level ground. Things need to be on a more even footing, as it were.

Once past the grassy median, the street is more of a wide boulevard and another row of booths are across the street on the sidewalk again. That location has wider sidewalks and there is storage room available behind the booths.

A nice benefit for the artists on Friday afternoon set up is $2 brats and $2 draft beer. The brats are local from a packer in town known for their excellent meats and brats. The brats are $5 during the show. Arrive early on Friday, have a leisurely set up and close down with the brats and beer :-)

There are bands present but they are off to the side with the food tents and not excessively loud. The music runs the gamut of blues, country, and rock, and surprisingly well talented. No objections to the way they do it at all.

The weather was very nice this time, but for whatever reason attendance seemed to be down and so were sales. Most artists were saying sales were down 1/3 to 1/2, and mine were down about a third from usual. I had an order of canvas prints I had decided to farm out, 17 20x30 pieces, that were in delivery but didn't arrive in time for me to have at this show. The physical size of the packaging dictated it go by truck instead of UPS, and the extra 2 or 3 days on delivery time killed me. FWIW, I used to do St. James and I always did better at this show than St. James. It's a more leisurely crowd and people will take time to look rather than flow along with the St. James river of people.

Tear down is fairly easy with most artists getting out in about an hour to an hour and a half, although the inside of the median is congested. Take your time and enough people will clear out that you can get your van or trailer right up to your booth or very close to it. 

I never did see my groundhog buddy who has had a burrow in the middle of my tent for the last 4 years. I've noticed the burrow gets bigger each year as the portly furball keeps growing. One of the organizers dumped a bucket of gravel in the hole this year and the next day all the gravel was kicked out of the hole. They offered to move me, but a few 2x4 blocks stuffed in the hole with a a bunch of mulch took care of the hole so no one would step in it. They always have more than one entrance so he can go somewhere else, but you have to wonder if it would break through and get pissed enough to chew on the Propanels or flip bin.

This was the first year the show has gone to the dark side with Zapp and there were teething problems, but organizers pretty much got those kinks worked out. For a while they used slides like everyone else, then the person doing the judging moved and there were no slide projectors available, so you sent actual photos to them for judging, and they finally went to Zapp to try and streamline the process. This is a good dependable show ran by a neighborhood association as a fund raiser. I see many of the same artists returning year after year so that has to say something about it.

Many thanks to Terry Adams, Executive Director of the Cherry Creek Arts Festival, for joining me on yesterday's podcast where he shared lots of interesting information about running one of the most popular art fairs in the country. How much power does he have to choose the artists who are accepted? Listen to the podcast to learn.

On to the news! Using Random.org Terry drew the names of the winners:

1. Jean Black

2. Jacob DuChane

3. Bernadette Rogers

4. Jan Anderson

5. Mendy Marks

6. Robert Osborne

7. Michelle Dieter

8. Dale Yakaites

9. Candiss Cole

10. Richard Sherer

11. Patricia De Maria

12. AmyRenee Cornelius

13. Kay Cummins

14. Bill & Stacy McLauchlan

15. John Leben

16. Alison Fox

17. Megan Horan

18. Bruce Reinfeld

19. Art Map

20. Larry Smith

21. Joseph Kubis

22. Patrick McGannon

23. Rose Marie Lanpher

24. Mike Shearer & Triny Cline

25. Jennifer Ivory

26. Susan Kennicott

27. Gerald Mulka

28. Jane Johnson

29. Debra Ehmann

30. Margie Luttrell

31. Daryl Cohen

32. George Raab

33. Diane Rose

34. Gary Willcock

35. Alyx Morgan

36. Tamara Kelly

37. Judith Levitt

38. Sharon Tesser

39. Debbie Stillman

40. Elizabeth Tivol

& we still haven't heard from one of last week's winners, Roberta Starbird.

Thank you and congratulations to each! You may recognize many of them as they have been participants on AFI for some time.

The first 20 winners have already chosen their prizes, you know that SHOWoff and the Flourish black mesh panels are long gone, but there are still plenty left. The procedure to claim your prizes is:

• visit the discussion at this link: http://www.artfairinsiders.com/forum/topics/prizes-available-for-the-winners-in-the-2014-pledge-drive
• choose your top 4 prizes
• send me those choices: info@artfaircalendar.com
• I'll make arrangements for fulfillment
  
  

This will be "first come, first served!" So, let me hear from you.

Which, of course, also means that if you haven't pledged yet you have more time to help us support our websites. We really appreciate each and every pledge, no matter the size.

I know the spring show is nothing to rave about, but how about the fall show

August 16 - 17   

Atlanta, Georgia
Piedmont Park 

250 Artists

Deadline: June 6

The Atlanta Foundation for Public Space is proud to announce the Fourth Annual Piedmont Park Arts Festival coming up August 16th and 17th in Atlanta, Georgia. Named Top 20 Event by the Southeast Tourism Society, the Piedmont Park Arts Festival is the perfect summer festival for artists and visitors alike!

This is the ideal summer festival to enjoy the outdoors, browse for irresistible art and crafts, as well as appreciate the beauty of Atlanta's largest park.

Visitors will enjoy a wide variety of art and crafts from over 250 local and regional artisans and craftsman. In addition, the festival will include a children's area, local food and beverage concessions including "gourmet" food trucks and live acoustic musical performances all weekend. Best of all, the event is entirely free to attend!  

Artists will also have an opportunity to participate in a VIP Preview Party in partnership with the Piedmont Park Conservancy. The festival also includes artist amenities such as booth sitters, snack/water delivery, easy load-in, ability to drive up to booth space, and much more. 

Learn more: www.piedmontparkartsfestival.com

So, this year was my third Maple and Main Art Fair in downtown Sylvania, Ohio. It's a nice little fair to start my season. The volunteers there are awesome! They give us goody bags each morning and hydrate us with bottled water during the show! And they give us breaks too! For us one man shows, I am appreciative of this! I'm impressed with how they treat the artists.

By the way, Maple and Main was my first art fair in 2012. I've come a long ways since then. I was thinking this would be another about $400 show because that was my totals the prior two years. But I blew that number out of the water this weekend at Maple and Main. Yes, I'm getting ready for my BIG July. Two big hitters, Plymouth's Art in the Park and the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair.

Maybe this little fair is finally getting the exposure it needs. It's in it's third year just like me. It expanded to more booths this year too. I am happy to do the show for my brother lives in Sylvania and I grew up in the Toledo area. I meet a lot a friends at that show too. They all come out and stop by my booth.

But my sales totals surprised me this year. Yes my fairs in June are all re-investments for July.

I have no idea!

My sad looking booth in 2012... My first art fair...

Monday, June 2, 3 pm ET 

Terry Adams from the Cherry Creek Arts Festival joins me to talk about the business, his goals and new initiatives to keep his show at the top of the heap.

Even better, he will be drawing the names of the winners -- about 40 of them -- live! Listen, call in, leave comments, pledge -- and have some fun!

(805) 243-1338

It's not too late to pledge.

Right here: http://www.artfaircalendar.com/art_fair/pledgedrive.html

Has anyone ever participated with a show held at Opryland Hotel called "Treasures for the Holidays"?

I didn't notice this show mentioned on any previous blogs, so please forgive me if I have overlooked it.

I received an e-mail about participating with this show and I'm concerned about the ad that includes wording included "novelty gifts ranging from seasonal gift items . . .accessories . . . home decor . . . housewares . . . gourmet food and collectibles" as well as hand-made  novelty items. I'm afraid it sounds like some buys sells are in the mix.

I made the mistake of doing Gilmore's Holiday Market in North Charleston, SC last year because it literally was a flea market and I didn't know that when I signed up. It was my first time to participate and I thought all their shows only showcased handmade work instead of imports. Their Classics have handmade items in them--but even the one I did in Columbia had some commercial things mixed in such as canned soups, chowders and Virginia peanuts. Although it drew a crowd, it was not a savvy crowd. And, their shows are expensive for what you get. The biggest lines formed in front of the soup sample line. Now, I'm vary and don't want to make the same mistake elsewhere.

So, if anyone knows more about the "Treasures for the Holiday" please tell me if I should consider it or run for dear life.

Thanks a bunch!!!

Greg Strachov really struck a chord in April with his post "Stealing Intellectual Property at the Art Fairs", putting forth excellent arguments, scholarship and images -- and bringing out a great discussion. Thanks, Greg. The other members chose your post as Post of the Month for April. 

And speaking of Greg -- Greg Little was awarded a Red Dot Community Leader for his continued contributions. Thanks to you also, Greg!

This the final part of what I think before the season start.

As the first show comes and goes, I am writing the final part. I finish East Lansing Art Festival and walk out of there happy. I was not expecting to much out this show but I reach my goal and little more. Now the real test starts. Each month for here now I got 3 shows per month. From East Lansing I realize what it will take do for me to be successful. I realize the social media is source to promotion and a source find the negatives of the art shows. I realize while I will like to chat with other artist at the shows I should only walk away from my booth to eat lunch or bathroom break. I realize that before every show I need to work in promotion and marketing. I realize that need to keep producing new work every week.

The most important thing is to be polite to fellow artists and remember even I belong to a great community at the end is just all about me. I am the only one responsible for my success and more important my failures.  

What it means to most in the life I choose is that I can let down the people that help me one way or other (Munks, Nels, Barry, Carla, Larry B,  James P, Marie J,  Connie, Therese, Carole, Mom and somebody very special to because every time I sit down in my computer to work I see his work Richard LaMartina). Is funny Richard I never see myself doing this type of work and every time I take a picture for this series I think of you old friend and tears come to my eyes because you are not here anymore.

If they had a casino up here I might have had a better return but as it was an art show my odds of success dropped exponentially! My spouse likes to go to casinos to gamble, not much, maybe $20 or so on nickel slots. I used to tell her to give me the $20 and we'd both be ahead, she'd have the satisfaction of losing the $20 and I'd have the money to take her to dinner. Then I got the joke, maybe I should have given her the booth fee!
Having just finished the Art Market show in Estes Park, CO I'd better get my thoughts down quick! First though just the facts!

Show Hours and Dates: Art Market of Estes Park, Estes Park, CO

May 24 - 26 (Memorial Day Weekend), 9-5 Sat & Sun, 9-4 Mon.

Logistics:

The show is set up on the sidewalks around Bond Park in downtown Estes Park. So, as far as locations go, this show had high visibility from the main drag through town. A real plus, or so I thought. The volunteer staff from the show do a good job of wrangling the artists into their spaces and as people arrive at their own staggered time frame there was never a problem of over crowding.

Amenities:

No water, no snacks, some volunteer booth sitters for the occasional break. Clean regular restrooms in the town hall or the library around the corner.

Storage, Booth Space, Load-In/Out:

Depending on your location, most booths had storage space behind, not a lot of space but it was there! No space between booths to speak of. This is a small park and they really tried to make use of all the concrete acreage available to them. No booths were on the grass, perhaps to keep it from being trampled or keep people from making it a soggy mess when it rained. Which is did.

Demographics/Buying Trends:

The whole range showed up, all ages and types. The few artists I touched base with seemed content with their sales. A painter across from me sold two larger pieces above $200 each, an artist working with wood sold several large pieces throughout the weekend and another photographer said he sold well with unmatted/unmounted work. As for me, well it wasn't "nada" but it wasn't pretty! Based on my experience with other "mountain" shows in the past I filled in my inventory with lower price point items ($25) thinking they'd pull'm in. I sold three of them...all weekend. There were plenty of lookers and admirers but that was it. Reasons, I could speculate from now till next Thursday be-that-as-it-may-be see my reflections.

Quality/Range of Art:

This was not a high end FA show rather more of a craft show with some FA thrown in. The work that was there was well done.

Food:

There was the usual "Fair Food", one over priced hot dog wagon (with lemonade!) and the ubiquitous popcorn van! Estes Park is a town with plenty of restaurants a few are within walking distance of the park and you can call an order in and pick it up.

Reflections:

Years ago after trying different venues in Colorado I gave up on them and developed two guidelines: 1) don't do mountain shows and 2) don't do holiday weekend shows (with some exceptions). I broke both rules to try a show I hadn't done before. I have two guidelines...I should have stuck to them!

Why not mountain shows? They are small communities with limited means. Its not that they don't appreciate the art, they just can't afford it on wait staff salaries. They're looking for items that fit their budgets. I thought this show would be different as it is a major tourist draw. I know that isn't entirely true as there are those who can afford higher priced items, they just don't show up in droves.

Holiday shows? Well...its a holiday and in my experience people are typically looking for entertainment and not art. There are exceptions to this rule but they are few and far between.

One glaring observation I made. Estes Park is the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. On any given weekend the sidewalks are packed with people crawling from one souvenir and T-shirt shop to another. You can hardly move! Not so this weekend. The place almost looked like a ghost town, there actually were more people walking through the art show than town. Even the restaurants were perplexed by this lack of traffic. This is mere speculation but it could have been due to a perception that Estes Park was "closed" due to the flooding and severe road damage from last September. CDOT went out of their way to reconstruct one of the major routes to town and had posted alternative routes to town. Could it have been that it was a rainy weekend in Denver? And so on and so forth.

Okay, now for the Dave Piper star rating! I'd give this show ✩ and that is because of the nice job of logistics by the volunteers of the art center.

I know it seems a bit far off to be thinking of hotel reservations for St. James but there are two conventions in town that week so the hotels are booking up fast. Again this year
I've managed to secure us a discounted rate at the Sleep Inn on Preston Hwy of $59 for a king and $69 for a double (the normal rate is $109 a night).
All the rooms have mini fridge, microwaves and flat panel tvs and they provide a free hot breakfast bar. The proximity to the show can't be beat about 3 miles away. It's safe, clean and free parking.
If you wish to book a room call the hotel direct at 1-502-368-9597 and let them know you want the artist rate approved by Sonny, the general manager.
As of today there are only 45 rooms left so if you're interested don't wait.

I didn't do East Lansing this year but last year vandals punched the backs of several tents overnight causing fragile items to break or fall to the ground. My pro-panels protected my work but the panels were pushed in slightly. Nothing but a good punch could jar my panels enough to move hanging work and some pieces were askew. I think the security needs to be stepped up a bit at this show since this is the 3rd year I've heard about vandalism.

Many thanks to all the people who sent support to our Pledge Drive. We drew the first 20 names in a yesterday and here are the winners:

1. Kay Gallagher
2. Suzanne Krongold
3. Marianne Caroselli
4. Andy Shea
5. Ann Light
6. Jill Banks
7. Pamela Burgess
8. Carol Joy Shannon
9. Robert Johnson
10. Maggie Zielinski
11. Gloria Danvers
12. Lisa Fair
13. Robert Stein
14. Susan Hohman
15. Sue Kroll
16. Laurie Leonard
17. Janie Manaski
18. Bonnie Eastwood
19. Lisa Loudermilk
20. Brian Miller

Congratulations to each! Several of them were winners last year too.

To claim your prizes visit the Prize Page, choose your top 4 prizes and send me those choices: info@artfaircalendar.com, and I'll make arrangements for fulfillment. While many people had their eye on the top prizes, we don't like to choose for you. So which one suits you the best?

Please let me hear from you before the next podcast so I can set your prizes aside.

There are many more prizes than 20. On Monday, June 2, at 3 pm ET, "celebrity hosts" will be joining me on a new podcast. They will share some info about their event and then draw the names of the next segment of winners. Hope you'll join us then to hear your name called.

Which, of course, also means that if you haven't pledged yet you have more time to help us support our websites. We really appreciate each and every pledge, no matter the size. Here's where you can do that: http://www.artfaircalendar.com/art_fair/pledgedrive.html

Tuesday - May 27, 5 pm ET

Hope you'll join me and Internet marketing guru, author Scott Fox (my son) as we celebrate 10 years of informational websites about the art fair business. We're doing a countdown on the Ten Most Informational Links on ArtFairInsiders.com with the stories behind them.

This site has hosted some fascinating writers over the years and we'll highlight their helpful info. 

AND we will begin the drawing for the Pledge Drive Prizes. 

We have 65 prizes. We will not be giving the prizes directly, but we'll announce the list and the winners can choose their own prize. Of course, the first name called will get first choice, etc.

Will you be a winner? Odds of winning are very good, maybe 2.5 to 1! 

Will you call in and tell us your art fair story? Has this site been helpful to you in ferreting out the best shows, staying away from the bad ones, finding the best resources, making some friends? If so, pledge and also call in to the live show. We'd love to hear from you. We're old friends by now.

CALL IN NUMBER: 805-243-1338

            

            

  A GALLERY SHOW 

             

July 26-August 17  

New York City, New York
Red Hook Waterfront, BKLYN
Opening Reception: Sat. July 26 2-6pm   
Gallery Exhibition: July 26-Aug 17, weekends 2-6pm
Early Bird Discounted Deadline: May 19
Final Submission Deadline: June 2

Open Call for Submission from artists all over the USA for an exhibit in our gallery, The Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition (BWAC) - an 8,000 square foot civil War-era warehouse on the Red Hook Waterfront. With its trendy restaurants, bars, boutiques and billon dollar view of the Statue of Liberty and New York Harbor, it's an exciting place to visit and EXHIBIT.  

The enormous space of the gallery affords us the opportunity to exhibit really huge work, and we welcome it.  We are pleased to be joined by a prestigious juror-Lauren Hinkson, Assistant Curator at Solomon Guggenheim Museum. With her experience, expect an exceptionally exciting exhibition.
        

Lauren Hinkson is the Assistant Curator for Collections at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York.  She conducts permanent collection research with a focus on contemporary and time-based art.  

        
Best of Show Silver: $500 at the Opening Reception, the artist whose work is juried "Best of Show Silver: by Lauren Hinkson will receive a $500 cash prize.

People's Choice: $250: The artist whose work is voted "Best" by attendees during the course of the show will receive a $250 cash prize.

Curator's Choice: $250: The artist whose work the Show Curators choose for excellence will receive a $250 cash prize.

Certificate of Recognition $1,000: $100 each for ten winners.  All selections will be made by the juror, Loren Hinkson.
 

Artists accepted into Color can also send one additional work that will be exhibited in our Affordable Art area.  All works must be smaller than 12"x16" and must be priced for sale at $500 or under.

"I think if pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it"- Alice Walker, The Color Purple

"Mere color unspoiled by meaning and unallied with definite form, can speak to the soul in a thousand different ways"-Oscar Wilde

"There is no blue without yellow and without orange"-Vincent Van Gogh

ELIGIBILITY:
This call for submission is open to all residents of the U.S. and its Territories, 18 years of age or older.  This is a juried exhibition for artists working in all traditional and non-traditional 2D and 3D media, including film/video when part of an installation.  

All artwork must be original in concept, design and execution.  Note: Crafts, kit work or reproductions of original works in other media (such as giclee print of oil painting), unless used as part of a mixed media work, will not be considered.  

Oversize Work, Assemblages and Installations are welcome at the discretion of BWAC, but must meet all other specifications and be delivered, installed and removed by the artist (or their agent) upon arrangement with BWAC staff. All work requiring electricity must auto on/off with the line power.

JURYING:  Entries that differ significantly from their digital images may be rejected.  Decision of the judges is final.

SUBMISSIONS AND FEES:  
Only original works may be submitted.    The Early Bird discounted fee is $45 if received by midnight, May 19, 2014 PST.  The regular fee is $65.  The fee is for up to three (3) images, plus $5 for each additional image.  Sculpture and installations:  artists may use two additional images for details, at no extra charge.  Contact bwacinfo@aol.com if you need them.  You must have already applied before you can request extra images.

All entries must be registered/received by midnight, June 2, 2014 PST.  All entry fees are non-refundable.

CONTACT/QUESTIONS:  
Please direct all questions to bwacinfo@aol.com
To Reach full Prospectus (PDF): click here
To Apply: click here