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WANTED TO POST MY OPINIONS OF ART SHOWS WE HAVE DONE ION THE PAST YEAR:

SCOTTSDALE AZ:  NOVEMBER 2012   BAD SHOW -  TOO SPREAD OUT I DON'T THINK MOST CUSTOMERS COVERED THE ENTIRE SHOW.  NO ONE SEEMED TO BE BUYING - NOT JUST AT MY BOOTH - BUT ANYWHERE - ALL THE ARTIST I TALKED TO WERE VERY DISAPPOINTED.  NICE ARE - VERY SMALL SALES

TUCSON STREET FAIR: DECEMBER 2012  GOOD SHOW - GOOD SALES, BUT SET UP AND TEAR DOWN WERE VERY DIFFICULT AND SINCE THEY PUT IN A TROLLY DOWN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET I EXPECT IT TO BE WORSE.  PAIN TO SET UP AND TEAR DOWN BUT SALES MADE IT WORTH THE EFFORT.

CHARLOTTE NC - ART IN THE PARK, SEPT 2013 - WORST SHOW!!!!  I HAD READ WONDERFUL THINGS ABOUT THIS SHOW ON THIS SITE A FEW YEARS AGO.  I SPOKE TO SEVERAL OTHER ARTIST WHO HAD READ THE SAME GREAT THINGS ABOUT THIS EVENT.  TRAVELED ALL THE WAY FROM CA TO NC WITH A FEW SHOWS ON THE WAY.  IT WAS AWFUL!!!!   TOUGH SET UP AND WORSE TEAR DOWN BUT THE WORST PART WAS THE ATMOSPHERE.  THIS IS NOT AN ART FAIR!!!  ITS A CARNIVAL!!!   KIDDIE RIDES ON ONE END OF THE PARK, CARNIVAL TYPE FOOD VENDORS,  COMMERCIAL BOOTHS FOR INSURANCE, LARGE FORD CAR DISPLAY, GIVING AWAY CRACKERS, YOU NAME IT!   WORST SHOW OF MY OVER 20 YEARS OF SHOWS.  CROWD WAS LITTLE MORE THAN PUSHING BABIES IN STROLLERS OR PRE-TEENS RUNNING FREE WITHOUT PARENTS.  I ACTUALLY STARTED KEEPING TRACK OF PEOPLE WITH ITEMS THEY HAD PURCHASED AND IT WAS LESS THAN ONE PER HOUR.  THE ONLY THING THESE PEOPLE BOUGHT WAS ICE CREAM.  THEN THE CHILDREN BROUGHT THE PRECARIOUSLY HELD ICE CREAM UP TO MY BOOTH AND SPREAD IT ON MY WORK.   DO NOT DO THIS SHOW IT IS NOT AN ART FAIR IT IS A CARNIVAL

I just came back from Glynn Art in the Park.  This was my 4th year.  I look forward to doing this show every year.  The venue is beautiful.  Set up and take down is super easy.  The folks who run it are the type of people you would love to have as your neighbor.  The reception is first class.  The quality of the art is top notch.  No junk here.  I always come out in the black.  And to make matters even better --- I took 2nd place in 2D this year.  Yeah for me!  And thank you Glynn Art Association for another wonderful weekend.  The weather was good.  The she-crab soup from 4th of May restaurant was scrumptious.  The gumbo delicious.  Jim and I really enjoyed the friendship and dinner at Iguanas with friends Patsy and Ed.  I sold my first large piece on Friday during set-up.  Saturday was a little slow.  Seemed to be that way with most of the artists I talked to.  It did not help that there was a GA game that afternoon.  But sales on Sunday definitely made up for the slow Saturday.  In fact my profit line was twice what I took in 2012.  My last sale was after we were well into the take down phase.  

Did you notice the shopping bags in hand?

Making the selection.

One happy artist.

We were at the Ohio Sauerkraut Festival in Waynesville, Ohio, and all set up... everything a go. Cell phone had 4 bars, square was up and running until about 11:30am when the entire bunch of us (440 artist vendors) lost internet and ability to run credit cards.  In fact, i lost everything but texting capability.  As we scrambled to rethink our processes we all realized this was an outage, or an overrun of the bandwidth of the internet provider/ cell towers.  Througout the entire weekend we experienced ups and downs. Oddly, after leaving Waynesville our cell phones returned to normal function, and all of the pended credit card transactions went through.   

So my first question is - has this happened to you?

Second question - what is your backup plan? Do you go to paper, and process the transactions when the system comes up?  

Congratulations to Larry Berman, who received a special award at the Arts Festival Conference in Louisville, October 7. I was there. When Anthony Radich Executive Director of Westaf, the home of Zapplication.org, presented this first ever award, Larry was speechless. Larry has been a fearless nagger representing the interests of artists in getting the technology right. It has been a long battle fighting over pixels, downloads, uploads, calibration, laptops, screen images, etc., but Larry has never wavered. All artists who use the Zapp system have him to thank for leveling the playing field.

Who would have thought the gadfly of this organization would be rewarded for his relentless pursuit of fairness? When I asked him what he would do next he told me this story:

You know in the movie the Shawshank Redemption when Tim Robbins writes to the library every week for a long time to get books delivered to the prison library and then they finally do, the library wants to know if he will now stop pestering them. His reply, "nope -- now I'm going to do it twice a week."

Larry says that is exactly what he will be doing. Congratulations, Larry, for all you do for our business. This is a well-deserved award.

Was wondering if people know of any good shows for painters in the spring in Austin, Tx. I have heard about the show in Georgetown but it is in Oct. 

Would appreciate any suggestions.

Thanks.

ff

I am sad that one of my projects have come to an end. Maybe it's due to the bankruptcy of the city but it is still sad nonetheless. A few years ago, I was contacted by the Detroit Institute of Arts marketing department to shoot Lego minifigures at the museum to display on their blog. My work is still up there. They were impressed with my minifigure shots on flickr in the DIA pool.

But my work has not been there for almost a year now. I contacted the marketing department a few weeks ago because at the Funky Ferndale Art Fair, someone came into my booth and I stated I did the work of the minifigures at the museum. They loved that series. And it was good publicity for me too.

But I guess some good things come to an end. For that I am sad... 

Why yes! I do take custom orders. Here are some of my recent requests...

In  a community renowned for its devotion to the arts, Scottsdale has one arts festival that rises above them all. Now one of the top-ranked arts  festivals in the country, the award-winning Scottsdale Arts Festival  features 200 jury-selected artists from throughout North America, top-notch live music and entertainment, fun activities for kids and  families,gourmet food trucks and much more.

Scottsdale's glorious spring weather complements the beautiful park-like setting of the Festival, creating a wonderful environment that attracts more than 30,000 residents and tourists.

The Scottsdale Arts Festival is produced by the nonprofit Scottsdale Cultural Council and proceeds from the event support the programs of Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts and Scottsdale Museum of  Contemporary Art.

Up to 200 artists will exhibit in the 2014 Festival, including the invited 2013 award winners.

The professional staff of the Scottsdale Arts Festival provides an outstanding experience for exhibiting artists.

• Artists are treated to a special artist hospitality area offering a complimentary continental breakfast, beverages and snacks throughout the day.
• A  strategic marketing campaign targets local and visiting art consumers through media partnerships in print, radio, television as well as direct mail, visitor guides, concierges and social media. The average attendee  is a married, college-educated professional between the ages of 30-65 with annual income of $50,000 - $150,000.

• Local hotel partners offer special discounted rates for exhibiting artists and their guests.

• Dedicated hospitality and volunteer booth sitters also are available to assist artists.

I just read on another forum that Fairhope, AL had to cancel their art show last weekend due to weather and even though they don't have to compensate the artists they have decided to give full refunds or a free show space for next year. That's awesome!

I know it wasn't the call of the show organizers of St. James to cancel the show on Sunday, but I hope they follow the fine example of Fairhope and compensate the artists in some way for the lose of revenue. A little good will goes a long way.

Wow, where do I start? My head is swimming with art business thoughts and to-do lists since returning from the two day conference. Pile on top of that I will teach 120 kids art lessons this week and have my last outdoor art show is this weekend and I am one overwhelmed yet energized artist.  

First off, thank you Connie Mettler and AFI for providing the opportunity for me to attend this event. As a young (career) artist with a very meagre budget, the cost of attending would have been prohibitive for me. I understand this conference is focused on ZAPP's client, the show promoters, and as an artist I appreciate that artists are a part of the mix. Perhaps if ZAPP would like more artist participation at their future conferences they could consider a different price point for artists to make it more feasible? 

So, I will attempt give a little background on me and why I wanted to attend the ZAPP conference in Louisville, KY. I've been participating Louisville region art fairs since 2008 and feel there is a huge learning curve the first few years unless you are fortunate to have a mentor. My mentors have been generous artists at the shows sharing the wealth of experience in those slow hours at shows (and sites like AFI!!). I typically do 3-5 regional shows each year currently. I also sell my work two local galleries, do a great deal of commission work, teach art classes and sell some art online (although I don't have an online cart on my website).

Switching from an engineering career then stay at home mother to a full time artist has been a blessing. Of course creating art is why we are in this field, the business side is where most of us struggle. So I was excited to see where this conference could build my knowledge of fine art fairs by meeting the show promoters and being engaged in the discussions. What I really learned was much much more than that. I just hope I can touch on a few relevant topics for other artists.

I had reviewed the session list online and knew I would get the most out of two: the Artist Track: Reaching Your Intended Audience and Jury Duty: Public Portfolio Critique. The first session actually turned out to be a very compacted session that was both about the intended audience and a discussion on Money 101 for artists. Sheryl Kosovski did a great job covering such broad topics in such a small window of time. I learned if I am to grow my business I need to do a better job of forecasting my expenses, not just throwing receipts in a file for taxes. She shared a great software product called www.moneyminderonline.com which forces you to consider every transaction. For only $60 a year, I think this tool will be very helpful used next to something like Quickbooks.

She also hit a sore spot for me about the mind set of being an under-earner and how to challenge ourselves to push our earning potential and price our artwork based on our goal income. Having an economic evaluator/engineer husband, I know this should have already been set in place but I now have a new perspective on how to approach my potential. Sheryl's second part of the session on intended audience was useful but familiar. I have listened to the radio segments on AFI that have covered how to market to niches and how to target certain demographics. I think hearing it again in this setting while with other artists discussing our experiences is very valuable.

The session on a mock art fair jury was eye opening for me! I noted in my paragraph for the AFI contest for the ZAPP conference that I have tried to get into St. James but I've only been wait listed. My dear husband is encouraging me to apply to shows with fine art as the primary focus, within a 10 hour drive. I have been resisting applying to other "Go big or go home" shows because I have been using St. James as my barometer. First, I am guilty of having a booth shot taken at a fair that I thought looked nice.

I had no idea that jurors primarily want to see three walls with a gallery style hanging with no other distractions. In the back of my mind I knew some shows do not allow reproductions therefore print bins in the photo might be a strike. Items to make sure are not visible: chairs, desks, dolly, tubs peeking under the walls are all a distraction to the juror. Basically consider photographing your booth like you do your artwork: well lit, staged and very sterile. I also learned the sequence of the images can be a distraction. The submitted images need to be sequenced so that they are balanced in design, color and orientation.

Second, and this one caught me by surprise, some shows have open jury sessions! So an artist can attend and learn from the process. I don't yet know how to find which are open but that is on my to-do list. Third, the facilitator was the St. Louis art fair director and she said if you have questions about what a show is looking for in a booth shot or the type of work they focus on in their jury process - call the director and ask! For a painter like myself, I intend to make a list of shows I think suit my work and make some contacts before the application deadlines start rolling around for next year.

Other unexpected benefits to attending: I found a potentially new and cheaper insurance provider that covers artists, even at unpredictable weather outdoor events. I knew it was very important to protect our images by having watermarks or low res images online, but the Symposium- Imitation vs. Inspiration, I learned that the copyright protection laws are not guaranteed to protect us in this digital era. In this same session I gleaned, there are lots of differing opinions from those who make a living on the backs of artists about what is ethically acceptable in arenas of promoting and selling. 

There were many other sessions that were more geared to the show promoters (both for profit and non-profit) yet they had much for an artist to absorb. We, as artists, are a part of a larger community effort in each of these fairs and it is up to us to decide if it fits our goals. Do you want to be at a huge festival where art is a small part of the experience but draws thousands? Maybe you want to focus on shows that where fine art is the focus.

For the seasoned artist who already has figured out their best shows and travels the entire country, maybe this conference would be a yawn for you. For emerging artists, I found there was much to absorb both from business development and the what future may hold for art fairs.

I met so many talented artists and people with a passion for creatives and I hope to stay in contact with them. I learned about new shows that may be a fit for my work. I found new resources to help me research fairs and grow my business. Thank you to all who  put this conference together and thank you again Connie for the opportunity!

All the best,

Amy Welborn

www.paintingsbyamywelborn.com

My perception is something I own. It is my right to be intuitive and have certain insights that others may not see.

It is my way of observing. It is something I receive through my senses.

Stay with me here…..

My perception will never be yours. We are different. Our minds are unique.

That is a good thing.

If we all perceived things from the same vantage point, it would be a very boring world. It would also be a stagnant world. No one would be able to come up with new inventions or different philosophies.

Art would all be the same. Books would all pretty much be based on the same school of thought.

I am inimitable due to my perception. Perception can possibly be seen the same as opinions. If I should give my opinion to you on a certain topic or issue, that would be based on my perception of that topic.

Hence, folks constantly complaining about jewelry at shows…you have a right to your perception of “too much jewelry” but I perceive “too many paintings and photographs”!! Do I constantly write insulting remarks…no. (Please see manners blog)

My perception is my stamp on this world. You say tomatoe, I say tomato. You see the glass being half full; I see the glass half empty. (Or room for more wine…whine?)

I choose to go through life trying to observe other people's perception of the way things look to them. Then I compare. After that I may discuss the differences in my perception from yours.

In this world of exhibitors/vendors, all basically paddling the same boat of our creations…why are some so snarky…. can’t we all play nice?  

Perception…..It's what makes the world go around.

Have a good show this weekend folks….

Lynn

I'm introducing myself!  I'm a new member, and my name is Erika!  I'm an acrylic artist and was wondering if anyone has any tips in finding art instruction DVD's at good prices. I always like to keep up with things. I was thinking of looking on YouTube, but didn't have a chance yet.  Was hoping someone had any idea's where to find them besides local art stores.  I'm retired and I'm always looking for bargains! Hope to see you on here!

I've done Hyde Park Square for it seems a gazillion years since we live only about fifty miles north.  It used to be (don't you just hate that?) a jewel of a one-day show.  We looked forward to it every year.  A wonderful procession of kids and dogs and usually a very upbeat vibe.  You could always get a tasty lunch, too.  Then the promoters decided to double the size by extending it all the way up Erie.  Not only have the vendors complained, but the customers, too.  Many don't like that it takes too long to go around to the whole show.  For the vendors, income is slashed - often rather drastically - due to a huge increase in competition.  A one-day street show isn't at its best with over two hundred booths.  Let's leave that for Summerfair back in June.  I wish the promoters would roll it back to its original around a hundred booths size which would be comfortable for all concerned, even though it wouldn't make as much money for the promoters.  More is not always better.  Then maybe we will apply again to do this otherwise great show.   

This is our second year at Savannah Riverstreet's Oktoberfest.  The weather was a little warm but with the help of our fan was bearable.  The set up was easy enough.  Parking not too far from the venue.  Tons of people.  The party part of Oktoberfest is in one area of the riverfront with beer and brats, (and other carnival food) umpah music and all the wonderful shops of Savannah Riverstreet just steps away.  The artists/crafters are just next door to the food/beverage area.  A good set up for those who prefer not to have ketchup with their photography.  This is a tourist and convention area.  There are a lot of "I love it - do you ship" questions.  But being the regular First Friday on the river front there were also a good number of locals coming to see the artists. This year we beat last year's figures and we did well last year too.  I talked to some of the other artists who also said they did well this year or even made record sales.  Others were still waiting to "break the ice" on the last day/afternoon of the show.  For me, Friday started out slow but ended up just fine thank you. The artists exhibit hours were 9 am to 8pm on Saturday. I sold my largest piece at 8:30 am and continued selling items till about 10pm.  I came home exhausted but it was well worth the trip.  Besides, my daughter lives near here so we get to visit and staying with her cuts down on the overhead.  Great combination - successful show and daughter visit.

There were a TON of people here.  And lots of dogs and strollers and babies.  There were so many excellent artists.  This is a high class show.  After seeing what the other artists had to offer I felt honored to have been selected.  I don't think I saw any B/S or cheap shoes.  The weather was perfect. Load in was a little tricky but well managed.  You just have to be a little patient.  There is just barely room for your vehicle/trailer to fit between the tents and edge of road.  No room to pull off.  If you are behind someone who is unloading just have a sip or two of coffee and listed to the tunes.  When it is your turn dump as quick as you can and get out of the way.  Then come back and set up.  This is just the way it is.  The folks that run this show did an amazing job.  They came by regularly to check up on you.  They were always pleasant and professional.  Load out was similar to load in.  Do it right.  Be packed and ready and THEN get your vehicle and when you get to your spot load up as quick as possible.  And it worked.  It worked because the people that participated in this event are first class artists and know how to work with their neighbors.  I really enjoyed this show.  We did pretty good here.  And then had a couple after show sales so that helped.

I love coming to this show every year.  I love the feel of the community.  I love the people who run the show.  I love the home cooked artists dinner served at the home of one of the hosts.  It is a sit down and chat, sip wine and re-connect kind of evening.  The community take their time enjoying the art and talking with the artists.  This is not a hustle bustle show.  This is a good old fashioned center of town spend the afternoon kind of place.  Saturday was good for us.  This year Sunday was kind of scary.  We had a terrible rain/lightning storm.  It got so bad we abandoned our booths and took shelter in the annex of the courthouse.  When the storm broke we came out to find the steeple of the church 1/2 block away was struck by lightning.  We count our blessings no one was harmed and very little damage in our artist community.  After the storm most folks went ahead and packed up.  Not much time left anyhow and we appreciated the early departure so we could get home before dark and lay the tent out to dry.  But we will be back next year.  Like I say.  I love this show.  It just feels good.

120,000 people   $10,000 prize money

We came.  We sold.  We went home happy.  We sold pretty good but in the end the profits were just OK.  The expenses took their toll with hotel, gas etc.  The people came rain or shine.  What we thought were good crowds must not have been because so many of the local folks kept apologizing for the weather keeping people away.  As if the weather were their fault. Well, maybe a few less while raining but those that came were prepared and having a good time. If this was a small crowd I look forward to another year and seeing a large crowd.  There were lots and lots of artists.  We had fun making new friends.

We had no trouble setting up or taking down.  But then we always get to our event way early and are usually among the last taking down.  Thus avoiding the jostling for position.  Easier on the blood pressure.  

We had our second year at Yellow Daisy Festival at Stone Mountain Ga.  Second year is infinitely better than first year.  We knew where we were going and what to expect.  We elected to purchase early set up again this year, which means we set up on Tuesday with about 99 other artists.  The rest of the  artists (about 349) all set up on Wednesday.  To us it is worth the extra money and night in the hotel to be able to set up without rushing and feeling pressured.  The weather was great - mid 80's and no rain.  The crowds were there.  They report 200,000 people attend.  I would say that is a conservative estimate.  Thursday and Friday consisted mostly of stay at home parents and senior citizens.  Friday there were quite a few young professionals taking the day off to beat the Saturday crowds.  Both days it got pretty quiet about 3pm - in time to pick up the school age children and get supper on the table.  Saturday was non-stop.  Sunday was quieter but we did well anyhow.  We made all time record sales and profits.  Most of the other artists I spoke with also made record sales this year at Yellow Daisy Festival.  Can't wait to come back again in 2014.

So, I participated in the 47th annual Hyde Park Square Art Show in Cincinnati, Ohio on Sunday, October 6. The same weather pattern that was plaguing St James in Louisville was also affecting Cincinnati too. But our show went on Sunday and St James was cancelled (at least that's what I hear). 

Setup and tear down was easy. I was able to unload right by my tent. And a bonus, I was able to park just behind my tent. So storing extra pieces from the rain was no problem in the vehicle.

The rain came down pretty steady from about 8:30 AM towards noon. I was constantly drying off my artwork. But a dry spell came in from noon until 4 PM. The show is just a one day event that runs from 10 AM - 5 PM. Another batch of heavy rain came in at 4 PM. And yes, tear down in the heavy rain too!

Fresh Books tells me I did $750 in sales for the fair. I sold one big piece too. I guess the residents of this little show really help it out. They were there in the rain and buying art! Yay!

So unlike St James, we went on!