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In conjunction with the 2014 Columbus Arts Festival, the Greater Columbus Arts Council will present the first Annual Health Fair for Artists. The Health Info Fair will provide free access to health related information and services for local and participating festival artists.  While planning is still underway, efforts are being made to include mobile units for general care, as well as health screenings and information booths about important health and well-being related topics, services and resources.  The Health Info Fair for Artists is free of charge and will take place on Friday June 6 from 9am-12pm on the grounds and indoors at COSI, Columbus' Center of Science and Industry located within the festival venue. 

Let's talk about money...

Totally stolen from Hugh MacLeod's blog along with his narrative:

Unless you’re Evan Williams or one of the other big Twitter stakeholders, you’re probably not a billionaire either, nor soon to be one.  Gasp indeed!  As if the key to happiness was nine zeros…

Will my art make me a billionaire?  Never.  Yet I’ve never been happier in my life, because every day I am doing what I love to do.  If your net worth is how you measure your worth you’re playing the game all wrong.

That doesn’t mean you can’t become a billionaire doing what you love.  Just make sure it’s the latter you’re after, not the former.

Along with this image:

And on that note could a white tent be an art incubator?

That's what the snotty GPS lady says whenever we veer off her predestined route. I say "snotty" because sometimes I swear she sighs in exasperation. She seems to want to say "make up your mind, twit, I have things to do". She has a point because I have already veered off my topic here.

I am rethinking my whole art biz thing here. I'm not talking about a slight deviation, I'm thinking of reinventing myself as a working artist.

About 15 years ago I decided to develop a profession outside of the government job I hated so that I could move on. I started as a papermaker which led to the book arts and I settled into a niche. I stopped making my own paper, concentrated on journals and various specialty books, along with some peripheral items that were paper related. For a while it was pretty lucrative. The inherent low materials cost with having a paper-based specialty allowed me to make less gross money with a healthier net. And I loved my books. Still do. But I think the journaling craze may be about over because my books are selling a lot less than before.

I tried making new items, using imported Italian text blocks for diaries and photo albums, etc. They sold but very slowly. When re-thinking product I always concentrated on functional because I had confidence in myself as an artisan but never called myself an artist. (unless I was asking where the artist parking was. Someone here said that once. so true.)

A couple of years ago I started playing with collage, using the scraps from my bookmaking. I never expected them to sell, I just needed to have a back wall and I have always been drawn to mixed media.  They started to sell. I experimented with making prints of them to bump up the bottom line. They sold very well. I made cards of them. Bingo.

So, holiday gifts shows are winding down and I have some hard choices before me. My journals used to sell like crazy as a gift item. Not this year. I just finished a three day show that earned me gas money and little else. Outside of stocking stuffer items, I sold more collage- - framed, prints and cards, than books.

Now I'm thinking that it might be smart to spend the next couple of months working on the craft of collage and doing a show or 2 early on that focus on them.  See how it goes.

This is a scary detour because the collage is totally about the art itself. As we say here, nobody needs our stuff, and they need stuff on their walls the least. And rejection of these works would be a total rejection of me, because they are totally me and not a widget someone might use.

But I think I'm going to do it, and you know why? Because when I go up to my studio on the days I am making collage, I have a little bubble of anticipation in my gut and I am happy. When I finish one and hold it against the mat to see how it will look, I am happy. When customers comment on little things in the design, yep...happy.

I know happy doesn't pay the bills, but if I can do this right, maybe it will. Because if it was just about the bills I would still be occupying a 10 X 10 cubicle instead of a canopy.

Time for a legal u-turn, I'm thinking.  

As always, the Winterfair show in Greater Cincinnati was held on the Friday-Sunday after Thanksgiving.  A loyal following of shoppers routinely spend Black Friday at Winterfair rather than at the malls. 

Put on by the Ohio Designer Craftsmen (ODC), many out-of-town artists make the two Winterfairs in Cincinnati and Columbus a one-two punch since they're held on consecutive weekends.  The Cincinnati Winterfair is the smaller of the two with just 200 artists of high quality work.

As an aside, the Cincinnati Winterfair is actually held in Covington, KY just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati.  Years ago the show was held at the Cincinnati convention center and it was always packed with shoppers.  Then the center began renovations so ODC moved Winterfair to the Covington convention center and never returned to Cincinnati.  I'm sure the rent is lower in Covington, although their center is fine in terms of design, cleanliness, etc.  Having a Cincinnati event held in Covington doesn't seem particularly weird to the locals, since Cincinnati's airport is also in Kentucky.

I hadn't done this show for three years or so, and that year my sales were pretty good on Friday but Saturday was half of Friday and Sunday was half of Saturday.  This year Saturday sales surpassed Friday's and Sunday was the usual snore.

The crowds are thinner in recent years than they were in the good old days when the show was in Cincinnati.  But the booth and app fees come to only about $350, so it's not too hard to turn a profit.  I have the impression that many artists can bring home $2000-$3000 and of course some do quite a bit better than that.  If I'm wrong on this point someone please correct me.

The organizers make set-up as easy as possible given the logistical difficulties of the building.  You can set up on Wednesday before Thanksgiving or all day on Thanksgiving day or early Friday before the show.  The center has available quite a few large/long carts which help cut down on the trips to and from your vehicle.  However the loading dock and its parking that serves the back half of the show is quite small so there's a long line of vehicles lined up in the street waiting for their turn to enter the lot and unload.  A freight elevator takes you up one floor to the event hall, and when the elevator isn't working (which happens off and on) there's a ramp you can take to get into the hall.  I set up on Wednesday, arrived about one hour before the announced set-up start and was able to snag the fourth spot in line.  Artists in the front half of the hall must park on the street in front of the center and dolly their stuff in.  Some park in the lot right across the street and dolly from there.  Not an ideal situation but the artists make it work.

Upsides of the show include booth sitters, a nice environment and a Starbucks off the lobby.  The booth layout offered several corner booth possibilities as there were a couple of cross aisles across the eight rows.  The second floor of the center holds food exhibitors and food vendors for hot and cold lunches.

Downsides included the storage area that was only about the size of two booth spaces; way too small for 200 artists.  And, like the Columbus Winterfair, I believe that the Cincinnati show needs more promotion to rekindle shopper interest in attending.

All in all, I count this as a decent show at a reasonable price that allows you to make money on Thanksgiving weekend rather than spend it.

As a final aside, this was the show that rocked the exhibiting artists when word spread of the sudden passing of Indiana potter Jim Kemp on Friday evening.  Jim was a phenomenal talent and strong advocate for the local clay arts community, so his death was a sad event for many of us.  Jim was in the midst of preparing for the Columbus Winterfair show the following week, where he was memorialized in the booth space he would have occupied.  Rest in peace, Jim.

Many thanks to all of you who keep this community active and full of useful information and great stories about living the life of an artist.

Presenting this month: 2 show reviews, a report on an open jury and a philosophical discussion about owning art. Good job, folks!

Vote now for the people who won the weekly post of the week awards. Which one deserves to win "Post of the Month?"

• Ruth Finkenbiner - "Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival - October 19-20, 2013"
• Geoff Coe - "My Northeast Show Summer: Sandy and Sequester take their toll"
• John Hunsucker - "Ft. Worth Main Street Jury"
• Larry Berman - "The New Definition of Owning Art"

Next: 

Who has contributed the most to the community this month and deserves the Big Red Dot on their profile picture?

• nominate a member who has helped you most on this site

Click here to take survey

Deadline for voting: December 15, 6 pm

A friend of mine recently posted this message on her facebook page:

Let's buy Christmas gifts from small local businesses and self-employed people, for example, from your neighbor who sells online, a local craftsperson who makes jewelry, the stunning local florist's shop, the local baker that sells homemade cakes, buns and chocolates, the guys that run a cafe or salon.

Let's make sure our money goes to individuals and not multi-national corporations.  This way more locals will have a better Christmas...support real people. 'Like" and share if you think this is an awesome way to show community support.

I have taken this to heart and special ordered a pair of fingerless gloves from the friend who posted this and I am also working on a baby hat and matching scarf for a young couple that plan on using them in Christmas photos of their six-month old.

I also like to shop at the East End Studio and Gallery in Marshall, MI where I sell my creations along with other Michigan artists.

Let's do this and let's encourage others to shop locally, it shouldn't just be a one day a year thing, it should be an every day, every week experience that we foster and share with our children and grandchildren.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

This was a weekend for singing the blues, as 400 artists desperately looked up and down the aisles for three days wondering when the crowds would arrive.

Winterfair Columbus comes courtesy of the Ohio Designer Craftsmen guild.  It's held in the Bricker building at the Ohio State Fairgrounds, a sizable facility with ample parking and several exits for load-in and load-out.  But the area outside those exits is fairly cramped, so there's lots of jockeying for a parking space and multiple trips back and forth with your cart.  The artists at this show seem to always be remarkably courteous though, and work together to get the job done.

Set-up is all day on Thursday from 11am until 8 pm.  The three-day show has fairly grueling hours -- 10-8 on Friday, 10-8 on Saturday and 12-5 on Sunday.  Booth sitters make it easier to make it through the day if you're on your own. The shopping crowd is usually pretty hefty, especially on Friday and Saturday, so the artists grumble a little less about the hours because a few more sales trickle in during the evening.  But there's a traffic jam of artists who are leaving after the show and many don't make it back to their hotel or home until 10 pm or later.  Therefore the show can be exhausting.

The quality of art is on the high side, with very few booths that make you wonder how they got into the show.  So at that quality level, and with a booth fee of $480, artists expect a healthy ROI of a few thousand at the least.  Some, of course, have solid collector followings that allow them to reach 5 figures regularly.

But this year it was not to be.  Friday brought the killer snow/sleet/ice storm that, at an accumulation of only about 6", would have made any reasonable person in the northern states just laugh and move on.  But apparently Winterfair shoppers are a meeker sort, because by mid-day artists were rolling bowling balls down the aisles and hitting no one.  Thankfully, the light crowd who showed up were prepared to shop, so some lucky souls were able to cover their expenses on the first day.

Surely Saturday will be slammin', we thought.  We'll have the usual Saturday packed house, plus all the scaredy-cats who wouldn't go out on Friday.  But alas, we forgot about the undying love affair between Columbus residents and their Ohio Sate football team which was playing in a championship game late Saturday.  Apparently it takes all day for the fans to prepare for their viewing parties, or get pre-lubricated or whatever, because Saturday was another slow, slow day.  Now the artists are getting antsy and depressed, lethargic and annoyed.  It was a bad day for most of the artists, and also for the OSU team, as it turned out.  The shortened Sunday hours were another typical-Sunday light showing, so in the end the Columbus Winterfair never quite materialized this year.

In general -- that is, other than this year -- this is a pretty good show with both high and low points.  Amenities include the aforementioned long set-up window and booth sitters, plus fairly savvy buyers,  food that's better than festival junk, artist-only restrooms, ample behind-the-curtain storage area, and a McDonalds right next door to pick up your morning coffee. 

Low points include: 1) the deteriorating condition of the building (especially in the restrooms where some of those faucets have been dripping for years); 2) the relatively low number of new artists each year, which seems to be getting on the nerves of the shoppers because they remark more and more about wanting to see something new; 3) the need for more promotional oomph to re-kindle the interest of the public for this long-running show; and 4) the huge number of artists who must be fed by the dollars of a too-small market.  Even in good years, the total revenue pie just isn't big enough to slice into 400 pieces.  The consensus heard in the artists-in-the-aisles conversations was that the number of booth spaces should be cut by at least a hundred to give the remaining 300 a fighting chance.

Most artists I talked to said they would probably apply again next year. Some were so disheartened or disgusted that they hoped they could find something else for their calendars.

This is a real pet peeve with me and I'm sure so many others out there. Any feedback?

I just finished the Lutz craft show this past weekend. All the neighbors around me were friendly, thought I couldn't ask for anything more…but...

Why when it comes to packing up at the end of the show, vendors leave their trash/junk behind. Specifically I'm talking about the zip ties they have to clip and then they leave them all over the ground (not a few that might have been missed, I'm talking about a lot) Both the vendor on my left and right did just that! They had room in their vehicle when they came in, make room when you leave, no matter  the size of the trash. So as always, I got a bag and proceeded to pick up all the ties, put the bag in my vehicle to throw away when I got home. I don't want "way to go etc" I want people to take responsibility for themselves. Are you going to throw that McDonald's cup out the window as you drive down the road? What's the difference?

I suggested to one of the ladies in the organization to send them a fine or add it to the next application. (you and I know it's not going to happen)

I use a lot of props and costumes in my work.

A few years back I made this giant parade

Menorah for the Vail Tree Lighting event.
It is fully lit with color changing led lights.

I used painted Great Stuff spray foam for the finish.

By compressing the curing foam, you can increase the

density and create some interesting effects.

  Last night our Menorah got a workout at the

Colorado Hebrew Chorale’s Festival of Lights

celebration last night at the McNichols Building

at Civic Center Park. It was a lot of fun greeting

the guests and Chorale members as they arrived for

this Chanukah celebration. Some light banter to set

the mood, opening the door and giving directions to

the elevator, all part of the service we offer as comedy greeter.

It was plenty cold, but I came prepared with multiple layers and a smile!

link

I am curious as to how many of us do other types of events to sell our wares.  I have found the need to expand my horizons to things from charity events, motorcycle shows, renaissance fairs to conventions.  Some venues were totaly awesome and others turned out to be the same as art fairs.  Attendance and buyers varied with each new venue that I did, but it did result in getting requests to have my things at other shows. 

Right now I have an opportunity for people to expand and try something new as I am in charge of Artist Alley at a convention called Penquincon which will be at the Westin Hotel in Southfield Michigan May 2-4, 2014.  We are looking for all types of art media except weapons dealers. 

We have extended the deadline to apply, and under events is more info on this venue if you might be interested.  Feel free to contact me for more information.

When I sell at these other than art show events I have noticed a huge variety of types of people who attend them.  It has been a bumpy road the last few years which is why I started seeking other types of venues. The crowds were different than what I had normaly experienced and those who looked like they were just lookers came back and actually bought goods, unlike some of the art shows I did where you always hear....I'll be back.  I will still always prefer doing art shows but doing these new things fills in the gaps and made me smile again.

We were at the Sanibel Masters Art Fair the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving, run by Richard Sullivan.  This was our 3rd year of doing this show.  Richard is very visible, seen walking through the show and helping to direct traffic at load in and out.  We appreciate the time he has spent getting to know and placing the artists.  The show was impressive in the variety and quality of the art work.  Load in and out could have been confusing, but was manageable because of the staff help directing things and the artists' patience with each other.

The absolute best part was meeting the other artists who happened to be the Stars of the Art Fair world!  We were right across from Fiber Artist,Shoshanna Matthews.  My husband bought me a beautiful wrap as an early Christmas gift.  Shoshanna and her husband were very personable.  We encouraged each other throughout the show, commiserating in the slow times, and giving each other thumbs up across the way when sales were made.  Just a little down the row was Geoff Coe, friendly as ever, whom we'd met at Estero last year.  Nels Johnson was a bit farther away.  I've been reading his AFI entries for several years so I made a point of going down to introduce myself and getting a picture of him. (If I only knew how to post it here :( ).  His writing is so forceful, that I sort of expected a giant!  Nels said that he's feeling well.  My next door neighbor was Alicia Renner who has amazing underwater photography.  Lots of other photos, too, and a great sense of humor.  A few booths in the other direction was John Di Carlo, who's been around the Art Fair arena for several years.  The first time we did this show he was across from us and generously offered some Art Fair insights.

I didn't get around to discover the other stellar personalities and art at the show.  My husband actually seems to think that I will be in the booth assisting clients!  Imagine!  If I didn't mention you and you were there, look me up at the next go-round!

Very cool infographic that will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about the St. Louis Art Fair:

April 10-13 
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock Memorial Civic Center, 1501 Mac Davis Lane
Thu. Premiere Night 6pm-9pm
Fri. & Sat. 10am-8pm; Sun. 12pm-5pm
Deadline: December 18

Why should you bring your artwork to Lubbock?  

Because we are the home of Buddy Holly, Mac Davis, Waylon Jennings, Joe Ely, Glenna Goodacre, Eddie Dixon, Jaston Williams, Barry Corbon, Susan Graham, and Natalle Maines of the Dixie Chicks!  Pretty cool, huh?

In addition to that interesting piece of info., Lubbock has a population of 230,000 and serves as the regional education and medical 'hub' for West Texas.  In fact, we have three major universities in Lubbock; the largest, Texas Tech University, has undergraduate/graduate programs, a law school and medical school.  We have also been selected as "100 Best Communities for Young People" by ING.

You can "Tour Texas."  There are plenty of other great shows after the Lubbock Arts Festival:

• Fiesta Arts Fair, San Antonio (April 19-20)
• Art on the Square in South Lake, Dallas/Ft. Worth (April 25-27)
• Cottonwood Arts Festival, Richardson (May 4-5)

So spend some time in the Lone Star state and enjoy the bluebonnets of the Hill Country along the way! 

You can "BEAT THE HEAT" The Lubbock Arts Festival in 100% indoors. YEP, you read that right...our event is held in the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center which has Air Conditioning and no porta potties (only indoor plumbing for our artists)!!  We also let you pull up and unload right at the back door of the Civic Center-heck, we will even let you park right next to the Civic Center in a reserved lot for the duration of the show.

Artists like us. Why? Aside from our witty prose, we bring 30,000 people through the doors and provide artist perks such as lunch on Fri and Sat; private hospitality room; event security that stays overnight; discounted rates at our host hotel; and $50,000 worth of advertising (we have even won a marketing award from the Texas Festivals and Events Association for our event program)  Most of all, and most importantly, we are just really nice people who want you to be successful!  

Check out what this artist said about us:

This event is the largest fine art, fine craft event in West Texas.  Over 30,000 people 
attended the 2013 festival. Artists enjoy a 100% indoor, air conditioned venue.  No commission is charged, only a flat booth rate.  The $50,000 advertising campaign for the event includes print, radio, television, billboards, and electronic media.  

Creating a welcoming and enjoyable atmosphere for visiting artists is one of our specialities.  The Lubbock Arts Festival features a private artists' hospitality area and volunteer booth sitters as well as other amenities.

The Lubbock Arts Festival is produced by the Lubbock Arts Alliance, Inc., a not-for-profit arts agency dedicated to fostering the creation, enjoyment and understanding of the arts.  Proceeds from the Festival provide funding for year-round educational and community programs.

Other important info:

• Acceptance notification date: Jan. 10, 2014
• Artists Acceptance and Purchase Deadline: March 10, 2014
• Booth Fees: $375 10'x10' Pipe & Drape.  Electricity provided
• $475  10'x10' (corner) Pipe & Drape. Electricity provided
• $700 10'x20' Pipe & Drape. Electricity provided

No, it's not from an art fair. It's my Etsy shop. I was surprised that I had three orders come in today. Normally my Etsy sales are slow. Yes, I do run an Etsy shop in concurrence to the art fairs. It gives me a little more income but not much.

But as an added bonus from my shop online is that one order went to Australia on June 1st and two orders went to Canada in the past few weeks. How many of you also have online sales to correspond to your art fair sales?

I was wondering if anyone has heard of MagicPay mobile processor? Their rates seem good, and they appear to have a nice marketing program with FanMinder (also a company I am not familiar with) that comes free with their service, but I can't seem to find many reviews or info on the company. I am currently using intuit, but need to switch because  they do not offer an easy way to collect customers' emails. I was also wondering if anyone has had much luck with email marketing their art? I was also considering using a better known business like Paypal who integrates with constant contact (a more well known email marketing co.) , but they charge more,. Doing research on this has slightly overwhelmed me. Any suggestions or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

I live in Asheville, NC and was wondering if there are any quality or decent art festivals in Charleston, SC.  (Or if anyone knows of a good website other than Zapplication, Jured Art Services and Craft Master News to explore festivals). The only one I can find is the
Piccolo Spoleto craft show and I'm a painter, besides it's a seventeen day event. 

Anyways, It's an easy four hour drive for me. I do a ton of festivals in Atlanta such as the Dogwood festival, Inman Park, Grant Park summer shade, Virginia Highlands Summer fest...  I'm looking for a festival in Charleston comparable to those to explore that market.

Any info would be helpful.

Cheers,

Erik

  I am accepted to the Coconut Grove Art Fair in February. Never did that one! Any advice, helpful hints? It is very expensive to even be in Miami, so any advice for lodging?  Should I be happy or worry?

 Thanks for any suggestion!!

Ana

OTAF from Dawn Smith on Vimeo.

Together with our friends at the Arts Business Institute we are pleased to offer you this opportunity:

This two-day intensive business learning experience is designed to help artists launch or grow a production studio business. Lectures include How to Wholesale, Pricing for Profit, Marketing for Artists, Sales Strategies, Gallery Relationships and more. A tour of the Buyers Market, the largest trade show in the country for handmade luxury goods, is included, as well as an invitation to attend the prestigious NICHE Awards ceremony. Personalized business consultations are also available.

Deadline to apply was December 15