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After decades of service to the art fair industry, Connie Mettler, our Founder and Publisher, has retired. Learn more below about her years of pioneering work on behalf of artists and art fairs nationwide and online. Please click through at the bottom to comment and share your best wishes on Connie's retirement, too! 

In the beginning...

Connie participated in her first art fair in June 1978 in Royal Oak, Michigan, followed by the Ann Arbor Art Fair that July. Connie’s husband, Norm Darwish, exhibited photographs of rotten tomatoes taken in Detroit’s Eastern Market. Shoppers weren’t sure what to make of them and Norm eventually evolved his style to offer the often Victorian, hand-colored photographs that he was known for (often with Connie as the model).

 

After several years of exhibiting part-time, they decided to pursue art fairs full-time together. Connie retired from her position with Detroit Public Schools in 1984 due to the success and fun they were having. They juried into 32 shows in 2000, their peak year. The last event where they displayed Norm’s photos was Arts, Beats, & Eats in 2006. In honor of their retirement, they were granted the privilege to be the first to tear down.

 

The first chapter...

In brainstorming about what to do next, her son, Scott, recognized an opportunity: while most art fairs had their own websites, there was no national directory that helped art collectors and shoppers find shows to attend. He built the online ArtFairCalendar.com (AFC) website in 2004, initially focusing on Michigan and Florida only.

 

Connie had no intention of starting a business, but she had good mailing lists of existing customers for those two states. The new service quickly found a national audience and expanded into other states and regions, even internationally. The most popular art fair website in the US, ArtFairCalendar.com has been ranked #1 by Google for online searches for “art fairs” for more than 15 years. The monthly “What are You Doing this Weekend?” email that is published in regional editions was part of AFC from the beginning. It currently goes out to over 85,000 subscribing art patrons nationally.

 

The ArtFairCalendar.com platform and its spinoffs collected a first of its kind combined audience of working artists and artisans, plus top show directors and staff, plus art patrons from across the country. A winning pattern emerged: Scott would suggest an idea based on what he was seeing in the new media world, and Connie (being Connie), would run with it. Can you imagine learning HTML in your 60s? Plus, multiple software platforms, soliciting advertisers, keeping clients happy, social media marketing, and managing/training new staff to use software you barely had learned yourself? All while free-lance staffing and consulting with Art Fairs across the country? That’s Connie.

 

Chapter Two...

Meanwhile, social media chat rooms and online communities were emerging as important new ways to connect. Connie was busy with ArtFairCalendar.com and not enthused about another techie learning curve to build out ArtFairInsiders.com (AFI). But when helping Scott as an editor on his second Internet entrepreneurship book, she saw that he had used the new community forum for artists as a case study! The book demonstrated how anybody, even his mother, could build an online business. She learned the new community platform and recruited her many friends across the industry to use it. There were thousands of members in the first year and today there are more than 17,000. Remember this was before Facebook became widely popular – Facebook did not even become available beyond educational institutions until 2006.

 

Several more avenues...

Having built a unique new platform online, Connie was on a roll helping her friends in the industry, and supporting herself and a small team after Norm retired. 2010 brought the launch of another website at ArtShowReviews.com. The first free art fair reviews site online, it was designed to help artists share information and find the best shows for their work. 

 

Shows across the country were asking Connie for help finding artist exhibitors, and artists were using AFC to find shows. By 2010 her son built CallsForArtists.com (CFA) to help Connie help her artist friends and fellow show directors, too. In 2019 it posted over 160 events helping artists find fine art events to travel to and exhibit. Like the rest of the industry, 2020 was hit hard by the pandemic, but 180 events have been posted for 2022 thus far and the site is open for business to serve more.

 

ArtFairRadio.com began streaming in 2010 as likely the first podcast for working art fair artists. Connie’s hosting pioneered the call-in podcast and interview formats for the art fair industry. It played a valuable role sharing business information and building community in the art fair ecosystem.

 

In 2013 Connie launched the “Best Art Fairs” survey and competition on ArtFairCalendar.com. This publicity initiative continues to help top shows promote themselves, engage patrons, and attract publicity to ArtFairCalendar.com.

 

The goodwill all this work generated in the community was huge – it allowed Connie to hold an annual “Birthday Pledge Drive” on ArtFairInsiders.com. Artists, shows, and sponsors contributed prizes as rewards for PBS-style pledges the audience sent in to support Connie’s websites. She followed this up with a Secret Santa exchange on ArtFairInsiders.com to further help build community among the artists.

 

The big pivot...

When the reality of the pandemic became obvious in March of 2020, Connie had to do something to help artists stay afloat. AFC had 70 shows listed in April of 2020; only one was live. Art Fair producers and directors were quickly pivoting to virtual shows. The first AFC “What are You Doing this Weekend…?” email edition featuring virtual shows went out on April 2, 2020. A Virtual Shows page on AFC was added, too. Connie conducted a series of how-to podcasts on Art Fair Radio, with experts on Web design, using social media, and what government resources were available to help artists get through the crisis.

 

The Covid pandemic also prompted her to jump on the Zoom bandwagon in May 2020. Partnering with Sharon McCallister of ArtFest Fort Myers, she began hosting private virtual “Show Directors Community Calls” for show producers and directors. These are held monthly online with dozens of participants from across the country. The calls continue to give top art event directors a place to share experiences and learn about resources.

 

A lasting legacy...

Connie was on the board of Arts, Beats & Eats in Royal Oak, MI, and Art Fair Director there for 14 years, a Board member of the Guild of Artists and Artisans in Michigan, and a founding member of the NAIA. Connie has now retired after 44 years in the Art Fair industry. You will still see her fingerprints on the websites, but she has finally begun leaving home without her laptop. An avid world traveler, we still receive regular updates and assignments whether she is in Viet Nam, Germany, Argentina, or California. She went snowshoeing and cross-country skiing last winter, but managed a meet-and-greet with the Art Association of Jackson Hole.

 

As Connie would say:

“With freedom, books, flowers and the moon, who could not be happy?”

Oscar Wilde

 

Thank you, Connie!

 

Do you have a Connie Mettler or ArtFairCalendar.com story to share? 

Please say hello and congratulate Connie on her retirement here!

https://www.artfairinsiders.com/

https://www.facebook.com/artfairinsiders

Name: Estes Park Labor Day Arts and Crafts Show

Location: Estes Park, CO

Dates: Friday September 2 to Monday September 5, 2022

Management: Estes Valley Sunrise Rotary

Fees: Jury $35, Booth $375

Application: Zapp, www.estesparkartdandcrafts.com, starting 12/1/2022 for 2023

My Medium: Plain and hand carved western lifestyle personal, equine and K-9 leather goods, gun belts and holsters. Price range: $5-$10K.

Estes Park is the gateway to the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park.  There are many summer homes in the surrounding mountains and valleys, and it is a popular destination for metro Denver. The mix of contemporary and early 20^th century homes reminds me of the Adirondacks.  You encounter a broad spectrum of income levels, and foreign visitors.  I have been doing this show continuously since 2010.  I have also done the Memorial Day show in May during the same period.  The show is produced by the Estes Valley Sunrise Rotary, Inc.  The Labor Day crowd is usually large, and there is a constant flow of patrons through the show.  The show hours were 9-5 Saturday and Sunday and 9-3 on Monday.

SET UP AND TAKE DOWN

      One hundred four booths are set up around the perimeter of Bond Park and in the parking lot in front of the Town Hall and library.  This includes three food trailers at the NW corner of the park. There were also Rotary tents for HQ, silent auction, Polio awareness, ShelterBox.com and a “Kids Art” tent. There was a live music stage and performances all day. Since no headliners were mentioned, I am assuming performers were locals. People with trailers were given an option of starting set up at 7:00 Friday morning and could drive to their sites.  I was there at 8:00 and could unload at my spot.  Later in the morning, artists parked in designated areas and Rotary volunteers dollied artists to their sites and helped with set up.  Take down was Monday at 3:00 pm.  Rotarians were available to dolly artists to their vehicles in designated parking areas.  Later, artists could bring in vehicles to load up.  You must have paid taxes before you got a loading permit. The Rotary volunteers are experienced and the best group of any show I attend.

      Trailers park at the fairgrounds and there is a free shuttle back to the park. Artists park on streets or in paid lots away from the perimeter of Bond Park. Paid parking was initiated in 2021 and the rate is $2.00/hour, 10:00am-5:00pm. A free shuttle was available from an offsite parking structure. Electric charging stations are there.

ART, ARTISTS, AMENITIES, WEATHER

      There is a broad spectrum of art and craft at this show to meet the interests of a broad spectrum of visitors to Estes Park.  There were high end jewelers and photographers to handmade soaps and olive oils.  Many of the artists have done this show for several years, but there is always a mix of new people.  Ceramics, garments, glass, metal, wood, leather, edibles, and cosmetics were represented. 

      The Rotary had coffee and donuts for artists every morning. There were two silent auctions of donated art every day.  Booth sitters were available.  Clean, indoor, accessible restrooms are in the Town Hall.  Sandwich boards with color brochures were at strategic locations around the park.  The brochures have an aerial view of the park with booths shown on one side and a list of exhibiting artists and booth numbers on the opposite side.

      Thunderstorms and wind are common at the Estes Park shows. This year, there were only scattered clouds on days in the 80’s.

SALES AND ANALYSIS 

      This was my last show for the summer after returning from a two-year COVID hiatus.  The Memorial Day Estes Park Show and Carbondale, CO were the other two.  

My sales over nine years have ranged from $2.7K to $4.9K with an average of $4.1K. This year’s sales were in the mid $3Ks and were within $100 of 2019 sales.  Belts and holsters were my best sellers, but I also sold billfolds, checkbooks, suspenders, canteens, spur straps, credit card cases, and napkin rings.  I only have one post-show special order for a belt.

      This year I was happy to break $3K because the crowd was smaller and I noticed a lack of foreign visitors, based on various languages I hear spoken. Other artists commented on the smaller less affluent crowd than past years. There was a rollover accident on US 36 Saturday which closed the major access from Boulder/Denver area. Access to Rocky Mountain National Park is now by reservation.

Everything in Estes Park was more expensive this year: Booth fee up $50, cabin rental up 25% or $50/night, paid parking, $10 parking at Stanley Hotel and the usual food and fuel. Our grandson, 12, helped with this show so we spent a little more than usual for his Estes experience. Overall, our expenses this year were $1K higher than our other shows.

      Although the show was profitable, sales did not meet my “rock bottom” criteria of $1200/day average to justify returning. We plan to alternate the Estes Labor Day show with a late August show that we can commute to in 2023 and going forward.  

FUN STUFF 

      We rented our current favorite Knotty or Nice cabin which has a hot tub. Friday afternoon during set up two cow elk and their calves wandered thru the tents and into Bond Park to graze. Monday evening during take down a large bull Elk was herding them along and he was bugling. The fall rut has begun.

      Every summer the Rotary has a raffle to support scholarships and other projects. This year the top prize is $10,000 and tickets are $100. Several years ago, I won $5000 with a $25 ticket.  This year, 350 tickets will be sold for a $10K first prize and $2500 second prize. Those are pretty good odds.

      TIP: If you plan to do an Estes Park show, or for that matter any Colorado mountain show, read up on “altitude sickness prevention”. Most mountain communities are at 7,000’ to 8,000’ elevation and you need at least one day to acclimatize to the altitude.

Photos: 1. Town Hall Parking lot booths

2.  Elk in the park

It is time to celebrate!  Art Fair Insiders just hit a new milestone.  We just surpassed 17,000 members.  

I started working for Connie Mettler and Norm Darwish way back in 1995 when they were heavily involved in the art fair business.  I did the framing and shipping.  Connie soon bought her first computer.  I remember she taught herself how to do so much.  She printed off address labels and kept lists of art patrons who purchased Norm's work at shows.  I remember her saying "Why do we have to learn how to do this stuff!"  It is amazing now to see how far we both have come since we didn't grow up on computers like the kids do today. 

Connie's first wesite was Art Fair Calendar.  Connie's son, Scott, was a website builder so he got her started and helped her all along the way.  She was rapidly surpassing the amount of computer knowledge that I had.  She would ask me at work if I had checked out The Art Fair Calendar.  I always had to say no because I didn't know how to find much beyond my email.  Eventually, Connie built five websites and they were all designed to help artists make a living selling art.

Eventually, Connie started building Art Fair Insiders, an online community around the nation's art fair business so artists and others could connect with one another for mutual support and fellowship.  She kept building it bigger and better adding new information pages along the way. 

Art Fair insiders was ready to launch in June of 2008.  It took a while to get the word out but eventually the artists came.  Artist CL Cunningham joined in September 2008.  By October of that year artists Carlye Crisler and Kayte Strong has joined.  The word began to spread.  Today, we have just a little over 17,000 artists, show producers, and art patrons using this website to find the information they need and to connect with each other. 

Five Hundred and Forty Nine people alone have joined us since last August 2021.  We really grew during the first year of Covid-19 when everybody was in lock down with time on their hands.  2020 was such a terrible year for artists that lots of artists were just looking for help where ever they could find it.  We began posting virtual shows on Art Fair Calendar in an effort to help keep artists in business and to try provide a type of art show for art patrons to attend.  Certainly the virtual shows could never replace the face to face in person shows but it was better than nothing.  Our goal is to evolve so that we are always useful and ready to meet any challenge so that we are always relevant and helpful to artists.

So, let's all celebrate this amazing milestone.  We will always try to be helpful.  We need your help, as well.  We need artists to be active in some way here.   The more active artists are here the more likely other artists will want to use this site.   So, please check in here at Art Fair Insiders and let us know you are using our website.  Post an occasional blog post.  Invite your friends.  Interact with each other, comment on the blog posts and discussions.  Let's all make this a great site.   

Carbondale Mountain Fair – Review 2022

51^st Carbondale Mountain Fair, Carbondale, CO, July 23-25, 2022

Fees: Jury $30, Booth $400, pick your space $425, corner +$100

Medium: Leather: plain and hand carved equestrian, K-9,

personal leather goods and gun leathers.

Price Range: $4 cast iron skillet pad to $9,800 silver mounted

saddle.

     The 51^st Carbondale Mountain Fair was held in Sopris Park, a grassy city-block park with large old shade trees. Additional booths are on main street and in Maker’s Park NE diagonally from Sopris Park. The big draw for the event is the live music.  The stage is at the NW corner of the park, and 107 artist booths are along the north, west and south perimeters of Sopris Park. Thirty-six booths are in the other areas. The booths are far enough away from the music, whose volume was well controlled, so artists could converse with clients.  All mediums were represented, the quality was high, and there was no buy/sell.

     Carbondale is a small town with a population of about 6,500.  It is in the northern end of the Roaring Fork Valley which extends from Glenwood Springs at the north on I-70 to the ski areas of Aspen and Snowmass to the south in the mountains. It is a bedroom community for workers in Aspen.  Forty-four percent of Carbondale is Hispanic. The Roaring Fork Valley is one of the most affluent areas of Colorado and the US. The Aspen/Snowmass skiing complex and summer recreation drive the economy of the region.  Carbondale is about 3 hours from Denver and about 1 3/4 hours from Grand Junction, CO by way of I-70 and Colorado 82. Travel thru Glenwood Canon is still subject to brief or total closure due to flash flooding. Debris from burn areas has closed I-70 when it rains in the canyon.

     Mountain Fair is a BIG COMMUNITY DEAL! Besides the live music there is: 4 mi and 14 mi runs, bicycle race, raffle, yoga, police-firefighter tug-o-war, salsa lessons, aerialists, and a creative art canopy for making headpieces and grass skirts. Then there are competitions for: singers/songwriters, pie and cake baking, garden mint, fly casting, hula hoop, horseshoes, limbo, pottery throwdown, and wood splitting by men and women. There is always something going on that draws crowds who then disperse to the artists’ booths.            

The event is ecofriendly.  Besides the usual “trash” and “recycle” containers, there were “compost” containers. No bottled water is sold.  Utensils and plates from the food vendors were also compostable. This year single use plastic bags were banned. Besides the artists, there were booths for massage, Gay for Good LGBTQ organization, Hemp/CBD products, and silent auction. Beer was sold and there was an alcohol-free zone. Crowd estimates are over 20,000. Besides locals I made sales to people from all over the US and I chatted with a woman from Argentina about horse gear used in the Pampas

     Locals refer to Carbondale and area as ”a bubble” different from everywhere else.  The crowd was a mix of 30 somethings Aspen chic; scruffy ski bums and snowboarders waiting for the first snow; a few bikers and ranchers; lots of ink, dreadlocks, wealthy retirees, young families, and everything in between and on the ends. Fashions, jewelry and bearing spoke of lots of money. Many arrived on very expensive bicycles and large bike corrals are provided.  Overall, I was thinking 1960’s hippies fast forwarded to 2022.  There were young girls, teens, young women and the older generation with flower crowns. Saturday the police wore “oil slick” as they described it. There were themes for each day and a woman wearing wings told me she was a firefly, and her tutu would light up after dark. I felt right at home with my “COVID locks” and headbands. It was not the usual western saddle maker image.

SET UP AND TAKE DOWN. Check-in was at 3:00pm Thursday and extended until noon on Friday when the fair opened.  When we arrived at 3:00, about half of the artists were already well along in setting up. Unloading on the south and east side of the park was pretty much a free for all but we lucked out with a vacant space directly behind our booth. “The Rules” say you have 30 minutes to unload before beginning your setup. Take down began at 5:00pm Sunday and artists were supposed to have everything down and ready to load before parking on the perimeter of the park. This wasn’t totally observed or enforced, Musicians played after 5:00pm during take down.  Professional security is provided Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. During the day Carbondale and Aspen police were doing walk abouts.

     Show hours are noon until “dark” Friday, 9:00am until “dark” Saturday and 9:00am until 5:00pm Sunday, but once the live music starts around 7:30pm there are few buyers wandering around. Electricity is not available.

WEATHER. The temperature was in the mid-70’s to low 80’s.  There were intermittent brief light sprinkles Saturday and Sunday. It has been very dry in Colorado.

THE SHOW.  This is a well-organized and managed show run by Carbondale Arts, a volunteer organization.  This was the third year I have done this show.  Sales tax of 8.4% is collected at the end of the show. This saves you from reporting it to the state.  They request that you have a FEIN or SS when paying your sales tax. Booth sitters were available.

THE NUMBERS.  Sales got off to a good start Friday and by end of the show they were $2K higher than 2019 sales (2-year COVID break from all shows) making it one of the top two shows historically. There were sales of belts, holsters, spur straps, canteens, check books, suspenders, billfolds, and small cases. Belts with sterling silver buckles and multiple item sales kicked up the gross. Yup, I even sold a pair of slobber straps. Sales ranged from $4 for a cast iron skillet pad to a multi-item $300 sale. The average sale was $51. I will apply to this show in 2023.

SHOW PROBLEMS. For the most part you could not ask for a better managed show but there is always room for improvement.

1. The no plastic bag rule was not observed by the popcorn vendor and some artists. I specifically bought Kraft bags for this show after I was told not to use my plastic bags imprinted with my logo.
2. The published 3:00pm check in rule is lax when a large number of artists are already setting up and filling parking spaces at that time. If it’s 2:00pm say so.
3. The 30-minute unload rule was not enforced while I set up. I would suggest extending unload time to 45 minutes because it takes some artist more time to hump their stuff to an interior site. My entry pass was only checked early Saturday and Sunday morning.

2 more days to apply. I'm holding a mock jury that can be watched on Zoom. The deadline to submit images is August 3rd and the jury is scheduled for August 4th at 4PM Eastern time. You can read more about it on my web site and watch the previous mock jury on YouTube. The new template has a larger booth image.
https://bermangraphics.com/blog/holding-a-mock-jury-on-zoom/
Improve your chances of getting into art shows. The Florida shows start closing at the end of August and some of the major Midwest shows closing in the fall. Jurors will be at least one show director and jeweler. The next mock jury won't be until the beginning of next year though I do critique images and booth pictures all the time.

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

If you know craft artists who suffer significant losses as a result of the flooding, please help us spread the word that they can apply for CERF+’s Emergency Relief grant program. Questions? Please contact relief@cerfplus.org.

Disaster Recovery Resources for Artists

In addition to our Emergency Relief grant, CERF+'s Studio Protector also has resources to support artists as they begin to assess and re-enter their damaged studios, including:

The Disaster Distress Helpline (DDH) provides confidential, multilingual crisis counseling and support for anyone in the U.S./territories experiencing emotional distress related to natural or human-caused disasters, including COVID-19. Call 1-800-985-5990 or text “TalkWithUs” to 66746 to reach a trained counselor 24/7, 365-days-a-year.

The jury has been scheduled for August 4th at 4PM Eastern time.

I'm holding a mock jury that can be watched on Zoom. The deadline to submit images is August 3rd and the jury is scheduled for August 4th at 4PM Eastern time. You can read more about it on my web site and watch the previous mock jury on YouTube. The new template has a larger booth image.
https://bermangraphics.com/blog/holding-a-mock-jury-on-zoom/
Improve your chances of getting into art shows. The Florida shows start closing at the end of August and some of the major Midwest shows closing in the fall.

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

Larry Berman's Zoom Meeting - Every Tuesday at 4PM Eastern time

Art show artists, feel free to drop in and tell your friends about it.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/4338895789?pwd=NXFRME9JRFdMK3VDUEJhdHJ5T2daQT09

Meeting ID: 433 889 5789
Passcode: art-show

Anything art show related can be discussed.

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