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WHO: AFI artists at Estes Park Show, and prospects
WHERE: Dunraven Inn, 2470 Highway 66, Estes Park, CO
WHEN: Saturday 7:00 p.m.
WHAT: The best Italian (and American) food
RSVP: This restaurant will be packed, so I need to know ASAP how many will be joining us in order to make reservations. Reply below, or contact me via email: weldon@weldonlee.com

A fun time to get to know other AFIs and talk art shows.

October 12 & 13    
Norfolk, Virginia
Ocean View Beach Park
10am-5pm
75-100 Artist
Deadline: September 11

Join all your favorite artists from the Mid-Atlantic area and beyond, at Chesapeake Bay Art Association's 51st Annual Ocean View Art Show.  75-100 artists are expected to present their work on the grassy lawns of Ocean View Beach Park.  Be sure to join them this year! 

• Over $2,000 in cash Awards, Special Awards, and Purchase Awards
• The park borders the beautiful Chesapeake Bay where locals will be enjoying the beach, the many sailboats cruising the bay, and fishermen plying their craft in the waters--all just feet away from the tents and displays of the Art Show Artists.

• The Ocean View Art Show is run entirely by artists.  The members pride themselves on being open and welcoming to everyone that participates and attends.
• The artists tents on the grassy lawns, next to a paved path.
• Spaces are described as 10x10 with "walk around room", usually with nothing but open grass behind the artist.
• Music is provided all day from the pavilion, across the lawn from the artists tents. A wide variety of music brings out many families to enjoy both the fine art and top entertainment.

 begins on Friday at 4pm, with the chance    to drive up to your spot.  Saturday setup continues at 7:30am, with

The Ocean View Art Show is the only local show donating the proceeds directly back into the art world, encouraging a new generation of artists every year.  The Show also welcomes students to display their work, with over 30 local students participating in a group tent for the 2013 show.

For more information and an Artist Application: www.oceanviewartshow.com  
Email: info@oceanviewartshow.com  Show phone: (757)912-5363
Ocean View show Director: Sheila Nash, email: s-nash-@cox.net
Publicity Directory:  Dave Hinde, email: naturephotos@cox.net  phone: (757)461-7222 
For more information on Chesapeake Bay Art Association: chesapeakebayartassociation.com

Behind the scene, breaking it down at an Art Fair. Fun video submitted by Michael Terra:

I wrote about this show before. Last year I had my "no.more.trinkets, ever" revelation but got the idea of reproducing my collage on cards from a fellow AFIer and that has proven to be a cash cow. Who knew? And I just have to print, glue and package. Yowza. This year I added 8 X 10 prints of the collage and they sold, also. This is a revelation for someone who has always done one of a kind work. I may get the hang of this business before I'm too old to climb up on my artsy chair.

Anyway, this show is beautiful. The setting is beautiful. The organization is beautiful. The welcome tote bag is beautiful. The glossy catalog of our work is beautiful. There is absolutely nothing that they do wrong. The volunteers are so charming you want to adopt them. But you can't snag the  customer's at the gate, turn them upside down and shake the money out of their pockets. My sales were average for a Summer Festival, but since I have this ungodly upper resp infection of some sort, it was good to have enough time to duck behind the tent for some quality hacking time. Most of the folks I talked to enjoyed the show immensely and said they would do it again regardless of anemic sales because we are treated so well and the show is soo...well, you know. This is a crowd that I never thought would utter such a sentiment. 

There is an artist reception with wine, beer and munchies, courtesy of every Upstate NYers favorite market: Wegmans.  Last few years, the buffet was cleaned out before half of the artists even got to the site. (Ya know, you say the words "free food and booze" to a bunch of artists you deserve what you get) So this year they doled out the food and it was a hoot. Picture a teaspoon of taco dip and one chip. One cube of bread, pre-dipped. Deserts were unmanned, though. Phew!

I'm not sure what they can do to boost sales for us. It does seem to get better every year. This is a pretty Finger Lakes cottage town and there is money floating about. They advertise and promote and run a quality event. Some did quite well, a few tanked. The usual.

You just think sales would be stellar at a venue that is so...yes, beautiful.

The Levis Commons art fair was held on Saturday and Sunday, August 17 and 18 in the middle of an outdoor shopping mall in the Toledo metro area. It was put on by The Guild out of Michigan.

Set up was on Friday afternoon and early evening with a nicely organized and managed move in. While the show organizers had their act together, the mall security folks had mixed signals and a few things in error, but nothing that some common sense couldn’t take care of. The booths were spaced up and down a central avenue in the middle of the town center type shopping area with ample space to park vans and unload. The only drawback was limited space behind booths for storage, which was more of an issue for the tents whose backs were to a store front. It was more of a neatness thing for the merchants than a space issue. Those of us down the middle with our backs to a center island were able to get away with a little more although most folks kept it to a minimum. It wasn’t a big issue, since parking was relatively close by.

Intentional or random, it was amusing to note that the section I was in was comprised of artists from Indiana, with five of them from Ft. Wayne or nearby and myself from Indianapolis.

Saturday started off a little sluggish with only a few customers walking around at 10:00AM. It picked up quickly and I made a couple of sales of framed pieces by 11:30 and thought I was getting off to a good start, but unfortunately it fizzled out from there. A woodworker next to me was doing okay with sales of lower price point wooden puzzles, but the rest of the row kept saying they were down from last year with the usual figure being about 50% down. A jeweler said that the show was never a huge success for them, but decent enough for them to keep coming back for the last six years. Having free lodging and meals with relatives was a major reason to come with the lower expenses for them.

Sunday was a bit better for me with several pieces from the flip bin helping the profitability. Unfortunately the total sales didn’t push itself high enough to turn a profit, although the best I can say is that the loss was the least I’ve incurred this summer. Just so it doesn't sound like I’m in the wrong business, there have been some shows that did turn a reasonable profit this summer. Just not enough of them.

For once the weather was perfect, in the mid 70s, no high winds and just gentle cooling breezes. It was sunny without being blistering, and overall it couldn't have been any better for an art fair. So you have to wonder why the attendance wasn't higher.

Traffic in the booth was slow, only occasionally getting more than one group in at a time. I didn’t see a lot of packages being carried around outside, and the attendance figures for the show may be optimistic. My gut feel for the numbers is more like about 5,000 to 8,000 across both days as I just didn’t see large swarms of people milling through the aisles. Another artist mentioned the mall is going through some financial problems with the banks clamping down on some of the stores. The story is that the shopping mall isn’t being patronized at the level of expectations it was supposed to have, and that’s reflected on the art show attendance.

Other artists seem to be doing okay at the show. The quality for the most part was high, with a few exceptions. Out toward the west end of the show was one booth that looked like it had teleported in from a flea market, and you have to wonder how much difference was from the jury slide to the real thing. The take away I received was this show is a mid level one in terms of sales, and that has as much to do with traffic as anything else. I was told that if the customers liked you here, they would support and buy from you. Somehow, that seems to be the case anywhere ;-)

I put my time to good use while sitting behind the booth. I set up a small table, taped some foam core scrap to the top, and proceeded to cut some mattes and frame some pieces. I managed to get seven 18x24 pieces done, so that’s help for the next show.

Getting that new body of work done is going slower than I thought it would, so in the interim, it’s a matter of pulling the slower moving pieces off the wall and making what’s there look stronger. Talking to R.C. Fulwiler gave me some food for thought and some ideas to try for the remaining six shows on the schedule.

Teardown went smoothly, although I was a little surprised to see a lot of people jump the gun and start tearing down at 15-20 minutes before the whistle blew at 5:00 on Sunday. Then again, there weren’t a whole lot of customers walking around looking for a last minute bargain. There weren’t that many walking around period.

End result is I’ll apply one more time to see how it goes with different work next year.

I am unpacked from the 50th Annual Havre de Grace Art Show - which is put on by the local Soroptimist group (Women's Service Group). At one point in time, this juried event was very large with upwards of 300 vendors. These days, it is about half that number of exhibitors, with more craft than art. The show has shrunk over time as the volunteer staff has greyed and fine art draw has decreased.

The booth fee for the event is very reasonable (under $200) and the venue is a mostly level and somewhat shaded Tydings Park in Havre de Grace, overlooking a marina populated with large powerboats, and small yachts (which might seem a good demographic). The whole venue overlooks the northern end of the Chesapeake Bay, just south of where the Susquehanna River flows into the bay... There are plenty of eagles, osprey, heron, egrets and other cool birds to see... It is usually a two day event, with a relaxed set-up on Friday. There is food, music and kid activities. The event is held close to Aberdeen Proving Grounds (military base), which hosts a huge number of military personnel and contractors. Many of these folks were unaffected by the 'sequester', but you couldn't prove it by my art sales this year...

My wife and I did a booth apiece - side by side. She staffed the River Road Candleworks booth and I the Art of Mark V. Turner booth. This year being the 50th Annual, the management added a 4 sales hour stint on Friday night (normally just a set-up day) from 5 PM - 9 PM. There was a good latin jazz band and a very small fenced (as reqd by Md law) area which dispensed adult beverages.

Small Problem: It gets dark around 8PM.... Most vendors didn't have lighting. So most closed up as darkness fell. My wife and I used my LED lighting system off the deep-cycle batteries and were able to stay open until closing time. The soy candle booth did over 100$ that evening and I sold one $50 original acrylic painting. 

Saturday dawned to good weather and we arrived and set up uneventfully. The weather was good all day and the event was well-attended by the public. My wife did well selling our ~$6.00 scented, dye-free, hand-poured, all soy jar candles. We had lots of repeat business and referral customers. Meanwhile, I was only selling two additional small originals. However, I was awarded the blue ribbon for painting! This came with a check that was equivalent to selling two additional small original paintings.

(Photo by Leo Heppner, Heppner Imaging, Copyright 2013 - Used by Permission)

The show director also picked out a small painting for her grandson (no, she wasn't one of the judges). In fact, I didn't actually recognize any judges as such during the event... This is not the first blue ribbon I have collected at this event for painting. However, I am honored by the judge's decisions as there was good competition in the fine arts category this year. The show closed up on Saturday with the threat of rain overnight and into the AM on Sunday.  We buttoned up the booths and went home (Nice to do a show where one can go home and sleep in one's own bed).

Sunday dawned grey and overcast. It rained overnight a bit and also briefly on the way down I-95 to Havre de Grace. We left a bit late and were not quite set-up as the crowds came on. For some odd reason, this event seems to have a rain event in the overnight Saturday to Sunday time slot each year. However, this year it didn't come down in buckets like it usually does... Last year saw several tents wiped out from water weight, but none were noted this year.

Sales over at the candle booth were steady, while I racked up next to nothing for my part. However, I did get to flaunt my blue ribbon in my tent during the day and many folks stopped by to admire the work....just didn't buy....

In the end, our craft division sales were same as last year. However, my art sales were approximately 1/4 of what they were last year. But as so many know, fine art painting sales at any given event are a total crapshoot if you do not produce and sell prints...and I don't/won't...

There was some buy sell at the event - notably a male vendor with Virginia plates, who was selling colorful Ghanaian style woven baskets at high prices. He has won ribbons in times past for his merchandise (note I didn't say 'his work'). Many vendors have seen him before and knew him for buy/sell, but show management didn't seem to know and he got in again... I sent show management links to web pages where you can buy the merchandise he sells....

Overall, this event was good for my two businesses - the craft business b/c we made money and the art business because I was again honored for my creative abilities - even though my inventory didn't shrink much.

Here comes the Opinion RANT.... All jewelers and wearable vendors without thick skins need to go do something else now and not continue to read. While I admire most wearable vendors abilities to generate considerable revenue for themselves, they are like too many ants at a picnic. Show directors, I propose a way to weed out some of the plethora of wearables with an honest criterion for decision making

All the jewelers I spoke to did well in their sales, with almost all who would say, reporting thousand to multi-thousand dollars in sales. And as usual, there were a lot of jewelers, but most whined about the overall number of jewelers and all the other artists who had a 'jewelry' component as part of their merchandise mix...ie glass and ceramic artists with pendants. I have very little sympathy for them seeing as their booths probably took in 30-50% of the gross sales overall - while despite being best painter in show, I did less than $500.00 in sales...

I am looking for non-jewelry fine art events. Jewelers and wearables need their own events in order to understand what fine artists endure season after season. Fine artists take a beating at most events because of the number of jewelers and wearable vendors... If you look at the demographics, the majority of attendees at these events are women (most with non-buying or non-buying decision-making male companions). These customers will almost always buy something to wear in preference to or before buying something to put on the walls or on an end-table.... Wearables suck the revenue out of too many events - leaving very little for fine artists. The number of 'jewelers' at events is confirmation that artisans know where the money is to be made and many have chosen to go the wearable route b/c of the guaranteed sales factor - to the point of 'wearable; saturation at many events. Many events are at 40% or more of vendors having 'wearable' merchandise

Very few 'jewelers' make their own findings, settings, chains, pull their own wire or half-round ring shank stock, cut cabochons, cut stones or create other components for their products. It is the extremely rare and talented Jeweler with a capital J who does all of the preceding... Those rare birds are not part of this discussion....  The same goes for many wearable vendors. I do not include those who do their own weaving, spinning and dye-ing as part of their process as being part of the problem I am seeing - which keeps most fine fiber artists out of the discussion.  I also do not consider quilters to be part of the issue b/c they make their component forms out of what used to be scrap...

As a fine art painter, I use paint, hardboard and frame components. However, the only obvious store-bought item visible to the customer in un-altered form is the frame which I assemble myself and I minimize this aspect of my product. If a jeweler was only allowed to sell products which they made completely from feed-stock materials rather than incorporating out of the box ready-made components, there would be only a few who could compete at each event - rather than the over-supply of wearables at every event I attend as either an exhibitor or attendee..... Show directors if you are still reading, this aspect of outdoor shows has to change....

Plenty of jewelers and wearable vendors will tell you that there are too many of their discipline in any given exhibit or festival. Yet, none will suggest a method by which to reduce those numbers. This is one way to up the quality ante and increase the originality and hand-production aspects of the exhibitor. It would also reduce buy/sell wearables at all events... It would eliminate the store-bought "bead-ers", store-bought component assembler jewelers and most of the ateliers mass-producing jewelry in general...

I am quite ready for the flames - just look at the number of wearable artists on this board. So if you have a blowtorch out and at the ready because you buy most of your stuff ready made and only do 'creative assembly', I encourage you to make the most of your opportunity to cook me in the shell so to speak...

Hi all, I am a "newbie" to the Art Fair world and the Monroe Fine Art Fair was my second fair that I have done and I am "still loving it!".  I only made $130 which covered my entry fee, but my objective for my first year is to 1) decide if I really like doing this and 2) if the answer is yes, keep learning, learning and more learning. 

Both objective were met, but before I tell you about that, let me give a little bit of a critique of how I felt about the way the fair was organized.

Like I said, this is my second show so I do not have a lot of fairs to compare this to.  Over all I was pleased.  Set up was the morning of the fair and you could pull your car right up to your designated spot.  The booths were on the street and very well marked.  Once the set up was done I had an artist parking pass to park behind City Hall which happened to be in front of my booth.  My location was right at the "T" of two streets used for the fair intersected and I felt the spot was great.  Because the fair was not too spread out, I did not feel that there were any locations that were particularly bad.  The art that was for sale was of very nice quality.  With pieces ranging from the low end $5 cards (like me) to high end beautiful $1000 + pieces.  I did not see anything that I would consider "buy/sell" items.  There were not any booth sitters, but I had my daughter with me so I could take some breaks.  The traffic was primarily consistent (but never what I considered crowded) and both Saturday and Sunday there were some "lulls" in the traffic all together.  (A lot of dog walkers).

My learning objective was met.  I networked with quite a few other artists, discussed display pros and cons, got a lead on some used display panels and set up and tear down was faster this time then the last.  I find that I am really enjoying the whole experience.  (Long hard working days make for great sleep at night).

I have one more fair to do this year, Art-A-Licious in Adrian Michigan.  Then I look forward to spending the Winter polishing my "display" skills, organizing my "stuff", purchasing better display panels ect.. for the tent and applying for more Art fairs, because "I Am Still Loving Art Fairs"!

I am just going to let it flow.

Some observations about last weekend's show.

Hope you enjoy.

                   THOUGHTS OF JELLY/FISH AND BELLY-DANCERS, AND ART TOO!

A great treed park in downtown Lexington.

Young, affluent, enthusiastic  and well-dressed crowd.  Lots of expensive dogs.

Easy setup and teardown, just belly up to your booth with your van.

Big shade trees, some of them well-dressed--see pic at the end.

Yum, yum.  Kentucky Hot Browns.

Holly (Ollinger) was happy, she brought her Pappys.  (A delicious sought-after single barrel bourbon.)

She was going to be my neighbor, booth 119.  I was 120.  Then I saw her broom--and left the room--got space number 2--better sales through and through.

Ramseys Restaurant.  One block from the show.  Great breakfest at 9 am.  Serves great fresh veggies and awesome pies.  Oh, and they do whopper cocktails too.

Ramseys is also home to the world's smallest jelly/fish aquarium.  See my pic at blog's end.

A hands-on director--who listens.  Thank you Kelly.

A show on grass--oh such class.  No admission fees.

What a hoot--the Watch People got the boot.

Was next to David Piper (since 1971) ace sandal-maker and demonstrator.

He has been in Main Street Fort Worth 23 years.  That is legendary.

Belly Dancers at 1 pm on Sunday.

Their bellies start shaking, and no sales I be making.

Intrepid reporter documented all the buy-sell on Saturday--then showed the Good Guys on Sunday.

Holly even gave me some Pappys--it made me very happy.

The Quinoa-tabuli salad for $2 was the deal of the show.

More a 3-D crowd than a 2-D crowd.

Saw lots of ugly "Brown Stuff on canvas" go by my booth--thank, God, it was sparingly.

For me, I sold lots of precious little pieces of paper--but, and a big but--no note cards.

They are not in my religion.  Just like Howard and Amy aren't too.

Broke up three dog fights in front of my booth.

I am a little scarred--and they are all barred.

Had a giant Yellow Jacket fly in my booth--he scared a lot of customers.

I called him the "Godzilla of Yellow Jackets."

I killa--the Godzilla.

Golden Colorado is home of Colorado School of Mines and the Coors Brewery, and it is the County Seat for Jefferson County. It is at the base of the foothills of the Front Range, and it is a gateway to the mountains for tourists. The art show is held the same weekend that students at Mines are moving back on campus. The show is held along three blocks of 11th Street which parallels a historic park and Clear Creek. It is one block west of Washington Street which is the main drag through town. Access to Golden is along US 6 and 6th Avenue off of I-70 west of Denver.

SET UP AND TAKE DOWN. Set up officially starts at 10:00am on Friday, but in talking with other artists it’s as early as 8:00 as long as someone is there to check you in and confirm your space number. Eleventh Street is wide enough for two rows of tents and three lanes of traffic. As long as artists park close to their space, they can unload on site. I prefer to unload and get my truck off the street. “Traffic Czars” are pretty good about keeping the center lane open. There was parking in a Mines lot at the end of 11th Street. At several sites there are bushes 3 feet high back to the side walk in front of private property. You may only have a gutter width to store behind some booths. Another problem with the booth layout is that the booths are side by side for the entire block. If you need to get around back, you may have to walk a block. Takedown is generally easy but you may have to be assertive with some volunteers about stacking in front of your booth. Some assume you are going to bring a vehicle in too. I had to tell one guy “That stack of tubs is the right front tire on my truck!” One volunteer pushed a neighbor’s tubs back into his booth while he dollied a load out to his truck. He was upset as NO VOLUNTEER SHOULD TOUCH AN ARTISTS’ LOAD!!!!

WEATHER. It was hot for Colorado at 90 both days. Cloud cover and a few sprinkles Sunday afternoon broke the heat a little.

THE SHOW. This is a well-organized and managed show produced by the Golden Chamber of Commerce. It is well advertised in the Denver metro area and it is a destination for the weekend. The crowds were large, well into the thousands. There was seldom a time when there were no people in my booth, thus no rest for the old man. Although the show was open from 10:00am to 5:00pm both days, buyers show up as early as 9:00. The quality of the work is high and there is no buy\sell. There was also a good mix of art without a dominance of jewelry. There is a kid’s art experience. Food vendors and live music were at opposite ends of the show. I have done this show for nine years since 2004, and I have received two first place fiber arts awards (with cash) in the past. Sales have always been good at this show and in the $3-$5K range, and with custom orders throughout the year. Belts were the best seller with a good mix of gun leathers and personal leather goods. They were a few snarky artists this year which is unusual for Golden. Guess their sales were not so hot????? Nuts and bolts of the show are in the review on www.artshowreviews.com.

OTHER STUFF. There is a nice reception at the Table Mountain Inn on Friday night with wine and beer by Coors, of course. Saturday and Sunday there was a break room at the Golden Hotel with drinks and lunch. Some hotel staff came around with sandwiches for artists who could not get away. The Golden Hotel also provided morning coffee and bagels. There were also plenty of volunteer booth sitters. Besides Steve Appel, I met AFIs Pam Sharp, Dan Sawusch, and Jim Sincock. I had thought about having a cook out at the hotel Saturday night, but logistics were complicated. Six of us got together for dinner at the Mexican La Tapatio restaurant which was cooler and worked out well.

PHOTO NOTES. The crowds were like this both days. Looking east down 11th street, the building on the far horizon is the Coors brewery. Looking west is Lookout Mountain with the “M” for mines. Letters on mountains is a western thing. Freshman would whitewash the letter every fall at most schools, but at Mines the kids paint a fair-sized rock and haul it up the mountain.

Here are a bunch of articles about shows that took place around the country, August 16-18.

Outside Toledo, OH, in Perrysburg, you'll find the Levis Commons Show run by The Guild. Good article especially the part about member Chris Maher:

Perrysburg’s Clyde Vermillion is an inspiration for retirees looking for a creative outlet to start a new career.

The 68-year-old former steamfitter and welder was an amateur photography buff for years, fascinated by the work he saw on display at juried events such as the Levis Commons Fine Art Fair.

So he took some workshops

Read more at http://www.toledoblade.com/Art/2013/08/19/9th-annual-art-fair-draws-crowd-to-Levis-Commons.html#meSuqRe8LeFMA1Dd.99

Artstreet in Green Bay, WI, is a big street show with crowds, a mix of art and lots of fun. Here's an overview:

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20130818/GPG05/308180105/Artstreet-art-fair-adds-Friday-preview-night?nclick_check=1

PA - MT. GRETNA - Linda Bell could not have been more pleased.

Simply put, the pretty-as-a-picture weather on Saturday drew attendance that could rank among the highest the Mt. Gretna Outdoor Art Show has ever seen, according to Bell, the longtime show chairwoman. And that's saying something for an event in its 39th year.

More than 250 participants... http://www.ldnews.com/latestnews/ci_23882150/art-draws-crowd-mt-gretna?source=most_viewed

Pittsburgh, PA - Shadyside Arts Festival continues to excite, delight

Aug 17, 2013 (Menafn - The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --Artists often find inspiration from their surroundings.

Brett Mason found his while riding a bike.

Julie Keaten-Reed discovered hers after a journey to Japan.

Alexis Barbeau went under the sea to come up with hers.

Husband and wife Dusty and Val Scott ascended Mt. Washington to reach theirs.

Experience the result of these various creative stimuli ... http://www.menafn.com/58e12b45-03a4-4b16-b98b-2f63ccc8ba5d/Shadyside-Arts-Festival-continues-to-excite-delight?src=main

Lexington, KY - Woodland Art Fair

Elizabeth Foley says she "kind of flipped out" earlier this week when she read that 60,000 people attend the Woodland Art Fair each year.

"I was like, 'Am I going to have enough?'" she says, laughing, "and then I calmed down and realized only so many of them will come to my tent, only some will buy ... ."

Artists.wanted.com is looking for artists - here is a special opportunity to exhibit your work in Paris.

Where will YOU be when Art Takes Paris this November? You could be a part of it. Click here to learn more >>

Artists, Paris is Calling You. This November, exhibit your work in an internationally publicized solo show at Galerie 66 in the heart of Paris. You're invited to submit your best work to Art Takes Paris for a chance at $10,000 and your own exhibition, and an international publicity campaign promoting your work to over half a million people.                                 Click Here to Participate More artists will be featured than ever before through our network reaching Hundreds of Thousands of art enthusiasts from all over the world. Click here to learn more >> From November 6 - 13, 2013 the Grand Prize artist and his/her work will be presented in Galerie 66. Paris' 7th arrondessement is the most prestigious area of the city for emerging contemporary art and home to over 150 local galleries and museums, trafficked by thousands of art goers a day. Learn More >> Accommodations at the luxurious Hôtel San Régis in the Champs Elysées district, at the crossroads of culture and fashion.  Read more  >> Awarding $10,000, including a $5,000 production allowance for the  show and a $5,000  grant. Be a part of it >> The Grand Prize Artist will be selected by: Your work will be reviewed by leaders in the international art industry looking for the next great talent. Our jury panel comes from world renowned art establishments including The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, The Andy Warhol Museum, Lisson Gallery and Marianne Boesky Gallery. Learn more >>

Just for curiosities sake, how many Michigan artists would be interested in starting an annual Halloween art fair in Michigan?  Ghoul Tide is the only one I know of and they haven't been exactly friendly nor has the EHAG organization on line. So if I could find an organization to help us start one in a good location, would anyone be interested in helping me organize and run one?  I have to tell you I have no experience running a show but I have put on and judged competitions for shows.  Not quite the same but nothing ventured nothing gained.  So hypothetically speaking, would anyone be interested?

http://fineartamerica.com/blogs/expressing-your-artistic-inspiration-beyond-technical-excellence.html

Fine Art photography goes far beyond simply knowing how to operate a few controls on your professional SLR camera chassis.   This article explores the art of expression and taking your marketable prints to a whole new level.  Many, in fact most photographers stop at simply learning how to change shutter speed and aperture along with trying a few compositions. 

Does your enthusiasm for the subject reveal itself?  If you were to ask yourself aloud "What does this image say" or "how have I connected myself to this image" and you struggle with being honest to yourself to respond it may be time to step up your efforts.

Your invitation to participate ...

1st Annual "America's Best Art Fairs" Survey

WHAT

What can an art fair do to bring serious buyers to attend their events to buy art?  

The guests are from two of the top rated shows in the country. The La Quinta Arts Festival is a 4 day festival held in an affluent area in California. Art on the Square is in Belleville, Illinois, a small town near St. Louis with nearly the opposite demographics, yet both shows excel at bringing collectors to their events and the sales figures are "above average."

Similarities:

• non-profit foundations
• they market the show and network all year long
• they give scholarships to local students
• their cities buy sculpture for public art
• population: La Quinta 38,075; Belleville - 44,000
• city website features the art festivals
• receive around 1200 applications

Differences:

• average household income in La Quinta $93,000; Belleville - $48,000
• La Quinta is home to an international tennis tournament, second homes, a tourist destination
• Belleville is in rural Illinois but near a large population area that includes St. Louis with many large businesses and industry
• La Quinta's budget is $1,000,000; Belleville's $300,000 (this does/does not include "in kind" services)
• La Quinta charges a gate fee and commission. Belleville is a free event
• La Quinta is part of a foundation with full time staff. Belleville is a volunteer run event
• La Quinta - 230 artists; Belleville - 100-105 spaces

Yet, they both bring dedicated buyers to their events and artists. Listen to this podcast and learn what they do to bring collectors to their events and keep the excitement going all year long for their festivals.

My thanks to Christi Salamone, Executive Director, La Quinta Arts Festival, La Quinta, CA; Kathleen Hughes, Events Manager, La Quinta Arts Festival and Patty Gregory, Director, Art on the Square, Belleville, IL, for sharing their time and information.

Last weekend, I participated in my first outdoor art fair (I have, before, only participated in the inside, small art fair at my church in Madison, WI, First Unitarian Society, called Art in the Wright Place). It was an experience. Before hand, I had purchased a brand new Trimline canopy with mesh walls, French door--the whole shooting match. It arrived a couple of weeks ago with a shipping note indicating altogether it weighed around 200 pounds. My wife and practiced assembling it by watching a video they supplied. We would watch one step, turn off the video, go outside and complete that step. Then we returned for the next step until we had the whole thing up.

Also, before, the fair, I printed many new pictures (I am a photographer--www.photographybyjohnwoods.com). I got them matted, purchased frames and glass, and did that as well. I also purchased some new canvas prints of my work. I also created sets of note cards of my pictures. My work, by the way, is somewhat eclectic, with a lot of pictures from Europe as well as Wisconsin and other places we have traveled to. The night before the fair, which was last Saturday, August 10, 2013, we set up our booth. Though my vehicle for doing is a Prius, I got it all the back of the car, with the backseats down. The venue for the fair is a small town south of Madison on the Sugar River, and there is a park along with river, and that is where the fair took place. It is an attractive and tranquil place. It took us about 2-3 hours to do this as it was our first time and we were trying to figure out everything. We set our prices quite reasonably.

The next morning we arrived early, put up our pictures, organized the booth, and waited for customers, who started arriving a little after 9 AM. Paoli is in the midst of many farms with vast fields of corn. To make a long story short, we did not sell one framed piece nor any of the canvas pictures. We did sell most of our cards ($16 for 8) and we did sell some 11x14 ($30) and 16x20 double-matted prints ($60). At the end of the day, we had sold about $430 worth of stuff. I guess you could say I was disappointed. I thought we could do at least $1,000. However, this is a small fair, and the amount of people who came, while steady throughout the day, was probably around 1,500. In seeking to understand what was going on, we have attributed the small sales to both the number of people attending and the demographic, which I am not sure is taken with nice European prints.

Tomorrow we will participate in the Agora Art Fair in Fitchburg. We will take to heart the lessons we learned last week. We have even more cards. We have more matted but unframed prints. We will also have a good selection of framed works and some very nice canvas prints, including one 30x40 print of a restaurant on a bridge in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, Provence. This fair is much better attended, and is situated in a town with many high-income residents. So I think the demographic will be more favorable to what we have. This fair has been well reviewed here in the past. I am hoping for better results, and I will continue to learn from this experience. I will give a report on my continuing adventures after the dust settles on this one.