Blog

The 21st annual Art on the Mall took place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, July 28, on the main campus of the University of Toledo.

UT's Centennial Mall is beautiful in the summer, and makes a great setting for an art show. The event is organized by the UT Alumni Association and is the association's biggest fundraiser, according to The Blade. Many of the artists were wearing ribbons identifying them as UT alumni.

I saw a wide variety of price points, from $6 notecards to a handful of pieces marked at over $1,000. A little over 100 artists were listed.  Mostly Toledo-area, but some came from further away -- the furthest I saw was Florida.

I was just a visitor, so maybe an artist who exhibited can chime in with that perspective in the comments.

October 5 & 6  
Portage, Indiana

The spectacular fall colors, the lapping water of Lake Michigan, the hum of an active, vibrant community all beckon the artist and the art lover to Portage, IN, 30 minutes from downtown Chicago, South Bend and Michigan.  

Just the words, "Fall Festival" conjure up warm memories of the good offerings of our farm heritage....wine, cheese, chocolate....combined with a celebration of the creations of many skilled, talented and selected artists and artisans from throughout the region. Come join us for a sampling of all this and more.

Portage is proud to offer a wonderful weekend venue of juried art showings, a wine, cheese and chocolate tasting, live entertainment, all indoors. The Harvest Festival is open to art in all media. Much as the city itself is a melting pot and crossroads, we wish our show to reflect that milieu. Portage is 30 minutes from Chicagoland, South Bend and Michiana!

This is an indoor art fair with an easy set up and take down for artists.

Please put this event, the Portage Harvest Festival, October  

5th and 6th at the top of your fall calendar. Come, relax, and enjoy the talent, creativity and virtuosity of art as you've not experienced it before.

Important Dates:

August 22nd: Entry Deadline

August 30th:  Notification Date

September 6th: Booth Fee Due

Artists Amenities:

• A secure building/police monitored alarm system
• Booth sitters
• Set up on Friday 10am-6pm or Sat. at 6am
• Advertised in NW Indiana, Chicagoland, Michiana areas
• Coffee, doughnuts and refreshments on Sat. & Sun.
• Lunch on Saturday

For more info:

Pam Passera

Recreation Program Coordinator

      219-841-5361 x-303, 219-841-9017 fax

Learn more and download the application:

Find more shows for your 2013 season at CallsforArtists.com 

      This is the only thing I'll miss about Ann Arbor.  You never knew what you'd find in that alley.

Well, I thought I'd post my first art fair review, despite the fact that it was my first juried art fair and I don't feel super qualified to do an art review.  And despite the fact that I didn't do well at all at this art fair.

I had heard good things about Thunderbird Artists, so when I learned they were doing a new show in my hometown, it seemed like the perfect incentive for me to try to get into a juried art fair.  It was very convenient for me that this show was in the town where I live, since it took a lot of pressure off me in case I forgot something. And I could sleep in my own bed at night, too. :)

Load in was pretty decent. They had a whole parking lot next to the soccer fields at the Surprise recreation area, and the row right next to the sidewalk wasn't too busy to get unloaded.  They also had City of Surprise Recreation staff there with golf carts to help people get to their booth spots.  I ended up dollying in my stuff because I didn't feel like waiting.

As for the art fair itself, the City of Surprise isn't known for art collectors, more for families with kids and a lot of retirees.  So I wasn't sure, going in, how I would do in sales, especially with it being my first art fair and being new to it all myself.

Crowds were pretty slow. I would say Friday we had a lot of retirees, Saturday a mixture of folks but mostly families, and Sunday was off & on rain, and a lot slower.  The slowness did allow for me to meet a lot of fellow artists and kind of pick their brains about everything and just to talk and hear about their experiences.  I also had some critiques of my art and advice on selling techniques.  I did sell one small piece the first day, making back only 1/4 of my booth fee.

I mostly saw lots of lookers.  I saw small bags in people's hands, I think mostly food from the food vendors and some prints.  And of course wine glasses, since this was a Fine Art & Wine Festival.  The man across from me was selling copper discs he had bought somewhere in bulk (much to the dismay of my copper artist neighbor) that he had used a blow torch to make colorful patterns on, and he was quite the salesman!  He and his wife could hardly keep the walls covered with them, they were flying off the walls so fast.

The woman next to me had done a number of art fairs and didn't do very well.  I think she made her booth fee.  And the copper artist next to me (not the disk guy) didn't do well, sales-wise, and said he wasn't coming back.  He has been in the art fair world for over 20 years.

As for me, I have applied and gotten into two Thunderbird Artists' art fairs for this fall in more established parts of the Phoenix art fair scene.  I still haven't applied for the Surprise one for 2014 and haven't for sure decided one way or another.  I just think there are more families here looking for something fun to do, and not so many looking to buy art.

September 14 & 15
La Grange, Illinois
Intersection of Burlington & Brainard Ave.
Sat. 10am-5pm; Sun. 10am-4pm
90 max. artist

Celebrating its 18th year, the West End Art Festival is a La Grange tradition whose purpose is to bring a quality, fine art event to the Village of La Grange and surrounding communities and highlight the west end business district.  Artists from across the country participate in La Grange's late summer festival that attracts art admirers and patrons each year.

Presented by the La Grange business Association and held in cooperation with the Village of La Grange, the festival is held in the shadow of the landmark Stone Avenue Station along Burlington Avenue between Brainart and Spring Avenues.  The charming and historic West End area of La Grange provides a picture-perfect setting to showcase art.  Other highlights include live music, food from local La Grange restaurants and children's art activities for an event to be enjoyed by all ages.

This show is one of a series of Chicago area art fairs managed by Erin Melloy of EM Events. EM Events are held in partnership with local business organizations bring close interaction between each community and its' local art fair and ensuring you loyal patrons. 

Learn more and apply: http://emevents.com 

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I thought I would wait a little bit.  Sort of bide my time before I put my two cents in.  Here it goes.

I have done this show for 25 years.

First the State Street show in the 80's and early 90's.

Then, finally after waiting ten years, on the wait list, the Guild finally called me up.  That was norm back then, you could join the Guild, start with a waitlist number that could be in the high six hundreds and then wait for it to slowly come down.

In those times, Ann Abor was the show to do in the summer.  

Michigan economy was super.  Everybody waited for the A2 shows and then they turned out and bought like crazy.  It was win-win proposition.

Then something unique happened.  About the time the Michigan economy started going south, the A2 shows raised their booth fees from $450 to where they are now--$750.00.

Ironically, his was when our grosses went down, and the booth fees went up.

This is the White Elephant that sits in the room and nobody wants to talk about it.

Nary a person who has blogged about the A2 shows has mentioned that $750 booth fee.

Well folks, I am discussing it, and I will tell you what.  It is a blatant ripoff.

The A2 shows are worth about $450 and should be a three-day show at best.

For ninety percent of the exhibitors who show there, they are making $2.5K-$5K at best.  The other ten percent are doing better.

Trouble is, when you add up that booth fee along with auto expenses, along with parking, along with hotel and along with food--you are up to $1.5K-$2K for that show.

Add in the long hours, the always extreme heat and the dwindling number of "good shoes buyers" who attend--you end up with a poor business number for a return on your investment.

Oh, and we did not mention cgs or time invested.

For most, it is a bad gamble, a bad investment.  And, it will only get worse.

That is why, for after doing this show for 25 years I am giving it up.  

It finally went under a set number, for sales, that is unacceptable for me.

The good customers that attend are very slimmer.

 It will only get worse, each successive year, as more of the quality exhibitors drop out.

The shows will gladly take your money and fill the slots.

Trouble is, the majority of newbies who get the spots will not be up to snuff like the ones who left.

Increasingly, more good buyers will come, and the sales will tail towards the low-end.

It is a downward death spiral.

I mentioned this in my 2011 post on the A2 shows.

Did not do A2 last year, because of heart problems.

Came back this year with fresh new work at reasonable price points  and saw it be blissfully ignored by most of the crowds.

It was reminiscent of the  Arts,Eats and Beats crowd.  Most of them were going to the county fair.  Very few were looking for art.

Why most of you are willing to accept, and pay, $750 for this show--and then be happy if you pull $2.5K-$4.5K eludes me.

Your time and money is not getting a fair return.

You are better off going to Petoskey, Sheboygan or anywhere else.

I think it would make a great bumper sticker--  ANYWHERE BUT ANN ARBOR.

Oh well, you pays your money and you takes your chances.

But the game is rigged at Ann Arbor.

That is all I am saying.  It is a mouthful.

But somebody ought to shoot that White Elephant dead in the room, he is bad for our business.

Congratulations to the Olympic champion of art fair reporting - Elle Heiligenstein, whose review of Art in the Park in Columbia, MO, was chosen as "post of the month" by our members.

Also, congratulations to Carrie Jacobson and Margaret Luttrell who were chosen Community Leaders for their generous sharing of information on the site.

We are well into the second week of the Advocacy roll out. There are many so be sure to check them all out. You need to request to join the page (link in top post) but you do not need to be a member of NAIA to comment. We would love to have you support our efforts through membership. Thank you all who have joined our page.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/NAIA.Forum/

September 20 & 21
Adrian, Michigan
Downtown
Fri. 4pm-8pm; Sat. 10am-8pm
80 Exhibitors
Deadline: August 1

Art-A-Licious, a juried fine arts fair now in its seventh year is seeking new artists.

Art-A-Licious is a nonprofit art festival founded in 2007 and located in historic downtown Adrian, near the beautiful Croswell Opera House.  We offer reasonable booth fees and easy access for setup and teardown.  Our artists come primarily from southeast Michigan and northwest Ohio.

We have made a strong commitment to marketing this year:

• In addition to promoting overall growth in attendance
• we are intensifying our efforts to target likely art buyers.   
• We have committed a substantial portion of our budget to making sure our exhibiting artists have a successful weekend
• we will be advertising in the Toledo market as well as in southeast Michigan.

        Our approximately 80 artists are set up along Main and Maumee streets in the    center of downtown Adrian.  We welcome a wide variety of visual artists.  Media exhibited and sold at last year's festival included painting, photography, ceramics, sculpture, fiber arts, glass work, woodwork, printmaking, jewelry and metalsmithing.

To download an application, go to www.artalicious.org/application  

For more information, contact Nancy Weatherby at: 734-649-7054 or email: adrianartists@gmail.com

You can also follow us on Facebook at:

I have attended the Ann Arbor Art Fairs every year since 1976, 28 of those years exhibiting with my husband Norm Darwish in the State Street Area Art Fair (14 years) and the Guild show on Main Street (14 years).

Jody DePew McLeane explains her drawing techniques

After spending Thursday booth sitting with glassblower Andrew Shea on North University, where the work is very nice, the rest of the day I was with Elle Heiligenstein, mixed media, on State surrounded by some not great work, interspersed with good work, and it was HOT. I fell into bed that night and actually thought about just going home on Friday, but decided to renew my faith in the AA shows by seeking out the place where I would probably feel better about the future of this event. 

I go every year and take friends because whatever else it is (and we all have ideas about that) it is a kaleidoscope of everything that is good about the art fair business and everything that is bad.

THE GOOD:

On Friday, with my daughter, Farah Darwish, we headed into the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, the original. It was wonderful. You can see why people fly in to buy work at this event. Each booth was inviting and a prime example of why people love art fairs. The work was not "product", but art. This is the reason this show is so heralded by the public. It's the quality.

My friends Tina and Sandy meet up with Jim Parker

My intention with my sites is to bring people to art fairs to see the work and take it home with them. This is the kind of show that builds audiences of collectors. Is there excellent work in the other shows? Undoubtedly, but you have to walk many miles to find it, or pick your destination and not visit the other areas.

Let's say you've got money to spend and you don't have days and days to stay. The original show is the place to go. It took us six hours to view 200 booths. We did spend money here and part of it was the "Geri Wegner" factor. Geri has said many times on this site that she sometimes buy things just because of the "artist" and the interaction she has with that person.

My shout out goes to Elaine Unzicker, who works in chain maille, who was telling stories to the lone customer in her booth when we arrived and who proceeded to engage us and helped Farah try on her work. She was so interesting and so positive and making the best of the hot day that I had to carry away a piece of her jewelry. (Elaine's website is undergoing reconstruction but you can see an older YouTube video of her and her work here.)

For the future, there is good work on every street at Ann Arbor, but if you have limited time and want to see the best the original show is the place to go. You will soon realize why there are people who say, "I only go to the Original show."

This fair is "commercial free" - no vendors showing their wares.

The award winners and media:

• Christine Bartling, Park Ridge, IL

• Lisa Burge, Taos, NM, Painting/Printmaking

• William Kidd, Miramar, FL, Ceramics (in his booth at Lakefront)

• Natalia Margulis, Livingston, NJ, Fiber

• Jenny Pope, Ithaca, NY, Printmaking

• Eric Silva, Whittier, CA, Jewelry

• Heinrich Toh, Kansas City, MO, Printmaking

• Mark Traughber, Pittsburgh, PA, 2D Mixed Media

• Ann Tubbs, Ottawa Lake, MI, Ceramics

• Yamashita Takashi, Tokyo, Japan, Photography

THE BAD:

Way too much commercial buy/sell work all over the place. It is mind numbing. But the event got its start 54 years ago as a way for the merchants to attract people to their summer sidewalk sales and those sales remain. Intrusive for an art fair? You got to believe that. 

Do I buy from them? You have to believe that also. The original Borders bookstore was near our booth and it was a wonderful place to take a break from the heat and find good books. There was an upscale clothing store (Jacobson's) behind our booth where I used to buy my sons' back to school clothes at their summer sales. Summer shoes? Jackpot!

Did I like selling art in the "pants department?" No. Yet, the art work nearby was good and you really could see where the commercial work ended and the art show existed. 

As years went by and the shows expanded to their current size, the economy got bad, the shows had a harder time filling their spaces and now the quality of the work is not nearly as good in the "pants department." I saw work on Liberty Street that was part of the show, but you could hardly tell that it wasn't buy/sell. Really confusing and not good. 

I think this is the only show in the country where the merchants have gotten out of hand, selling anything that will bring in the dollars. This proliferates though only in two of the shows: South University and the State Street Area show.

The Guild show on State and Main do not have vendor booths interspersed throughout, as well as the Original show.

I know the organizations count on each space being filled to meet their financial obligations but as I stood on State Street in the midst of the show it was truly disheartening to see all of the "art" that was clearly "product."

I'm talking about in the show, not the merchants buy/sell areas. Booths full of "stuff." Please shows, can you resist the need to fill each space with anything you can get your hands on?

Even the City of Detroit was out to get us. The Emergency Manager Kevin Orr picked art fair week to announce the Detroit bankruptcy. How about a little more depressing news for this region?

A story on local artists responding to that.

Yes, the heat. What are you going to do? A story from AnnArbor.com:

Before we get too carried away I must say that many of us in this business owe our careers to this big summer celebration. The AA fairs have set the stage for what is good and bad about shows across the country. Many artists built their business on the lessons learned in Ann Arbor.

The Alpine Art Affair was held in Winter Park, CO July 20-21 in a small city park. This was the 40^th year for the show.  Show hours were 9-5 on Saturday and 9-4 on Sunday.  Winter Park is primarily a ski resort about an hour and a half west of Denver.  During the summer, mountain biking along with fishing, hiking and camping are popular activities.  A jazz festival is held the same weekend as the art show and this brings a lot of people into town.  The drive to Winter Park is pretty easy on I-70 and US 24. The latter is a typical mountain highway with switchbacks and steep grades to the summit of Berthoud Pass and down the Fraser River side. The uphill sides have passing lanes.  Going down the Fraser Valley are the towns of Winter Park, Fraser, Tabernash and Granby. Granby is at the south edge of Rocky Mountain National Park.

SET UP AND TAKE DOWN.  Set up starts at 7:00am on Friday. We were unloaded and had the truck off site by 7:30. The park has a single lane around the trees so it is best to get in and get out avoiding congestion that will occur later in the day.  Takedown was equally easy. Most were dolling to parking lots on both sides of the park or knocking down before bringing in a vehicle to load.  

WEATHER.  We got into a real mountain down pour around 3:00pm on Thursday as soon as we got off I-70.  It was fun driving up the grades in the rain.  It continued to rain most of the evening.  Friday was pleasant and in the mid-80s, and there was brief shower Friday evening.  Saturday and Sunday were clear and warm in the 80s.

THE SHOW.  This is a well-organized and managed show!  The crowds were good but not exceptionally larger.  I estimate around 5000, and there were buyers among them. The quality of the work was high and there was no buy\sell.  There was also a good mix of art without a dominance of jewelry.  Hawk Quest, a couple nonprofits, and a kid’s art experience were included.  Food vendors (4) were at opposite ends of the show.  The Lions had an all you can eat pancake breakfast for $6, and complimentary coffee for artists.  

This was the third consecutive year I have done this show and all three years I have had sales in the $2.5-$3K range.  I am a little concerned that the sales have decreased progressively by about $150 each year.  More analysis and comparison to comparable shows will tell me if I should begin to alternate this show with another.  I had several repeat clients who bought more stuff but others just looked.  Belts were the best seller with a good mix of gun leathers and personal leather goods.   As usual, I had lots of leads for special order work which may or may not develop over the winter.

The only complaint I heard was that people watching the Hawk Quest demos blocked access to a couple artist’s booths.  Management might consider moving the nonprofits down there. Nuts and bolts of the show are in the review on www.artshowreviews.com.

OTHER STUFF.   Besides Steve Appel (Bolt People), I met AFIs Weldon Lee (wildlife photography) and Fred Lunger (sculptor).  When we got home from Vail-Edwards show on Monday my allergies started bothering me. They got worse all week and I had a miserable sinus infection over the weekend. I can only remember one other show in twenty plus years when I was sick.  I lost my voice by mid-day Saturday. Got a doctor’s appointment Monday shortly after getting home and am doing better with antibiotics now.

Friday night Steve Appel came to the condo to enjoy the hot tub and meet my family, wife Jean, daughter and husband, and three grand kids. We had a barbeque in the commons area at the hot tub. I think it would be fun to get a bunch of AFIs together down the road.   I found a neat Precambrian rock in the glacial till around the parking lot while waiting for Steve. It will go in the rock garden.

Winter Park has trains. The west portal of the 6.2 long Moffat Tunnel was about 150 yards from our balcony. The tunnel through the mountains was completed in 1927.  We went through it on AMTRAK a couple years ago.  Freight and coal unit trains of the BNSF go through around the clock.  I found it neat to hear the train whistles way down in the Fraser Valley and then hear them get closer until they entered the tunnel.  Also neat to have silence then the roar of diesel engines as the west bound come out of the tunnel.  

One of my clients now retired, had a ranch in the Fraser Valley. He told the story of how he went up St. Louis Creek to check his irrigation locks but was stopped by the Secret Service.  President Eisenhower was fly fishing upstream. I remember as a kid reading about how Ike would go fly fishing in Fraser, Colorado.

Ana Petercic (Fiber art), Connie Mettler, Elle Heiligenstein (3D Mixed Media) and photographer Larry Berman

"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds," motto of the U.S. Postal Service Creed.

Do you ever feel in the same boat? When I see my postal service worker at my mailbox on beautiful days I give thanks in her behalf just as when I wake up on a beautiful day and say to my husband, "a beautiful day for an art fair." Right? I'm sure you know what I mean.

Last Thursday evening, July 18, some stalwart artists showed up at Sava's Restaurant in Ann Arbor, despite it being 9:30 pm, they'd been up since 8 am meeting and greeting visitors to their booths through the heat of the long day. It was such a pleasure to stop for a few minutes and meet them. Here are some of the people who showed up. Some of us looking the worse for wear after the long day and others looking fabulous!

Jeweler Roger Rimer, his wife Alison (fiber), Connie, glassblowers Richard Ryan and Andrew Shea

My friend and often art fair companion Sandy Dunstone, Michael and Victoria Terra (ceramics), Elle, (standing Connie & photographer Scott Pakulski), glassblower Henry Levine, photographer John Bell, Farah Darwish

This is my first show review, and I just completed my first outdoor show at the Kohler Center in Sheboygan, WI. I have had some indoor show experience previously.

My medium:  Photography. I am a retired teacher, and among my duties was teaching photography for 34 years.

Dates/hours: July 20-21--Registration and setup begins on Friday at noon and goes until late into the evening if one needs the time.  Security guards patrolling on site Fri. and Sat. nights.

First: What a beautiful facility and art center! Although this was my first outdoor show, after talking to many of the other artists, the consensus was that many artists return to this show year after year due to the way artists are treated. Most I talked to said that they were having at least average to good sales. This is a major arts event in this Lake Michigan community and the number of people involved as volunteers is tremendous. And, yes, it's true. The restroom decor is and "art" exhibition unto its own.(Think Kohler Art Center of Sheboygan--then Kohler Plumbing Co. nearby in Kohler, WI.-- Paisely print urinals anyone?)

Booth sitters willing and present on request. Lunch options and delivery to artists at booths excellent.

Snack and water/beverage carts make the rounds all day.

The layout is on streets and grounds surrounding the large city block space taken up by the center and adjoining grassy areas. (I understand that this was different this year in that in other years, artists were located mostly on grass areas around the center).

Setup was easy (except for the 90+ temps and humidity on Friday---Great googaly moogaly--"So you wanna do outdoor art shows, eh, old man?"). I will consider a booth location request next year of the north side of the center where the streets do have shade trees and shady grounds. I was on the north side in the sun on the street and it was hot hot hot for setup. Did I say it was hot?

Sat. and Sunday were beautiful days, though, and at least for my experience, patrons were looking to buy. And those in attendance seem to look forward to this big annual event (40+ years).

Artists dinner on Saturday night (buffet and free beer, drinks) excellent, and cash awards were presented to artists.

Very, very good crowds came out as the weather on the weekend was a welcome relief in the area after a week or more of nasty hot weather. I didn't have much time to even take a break on both days.

I was very pleased and excited with my sales for a first outdoor effort, and hope to be juried in again next year.

Dale (Yak) Yakaites

Central Wisconsin.

If I had a $1 for every compliment or every business card I passed out at this festival I’d be one happy artist! This was my second year at the Gig Harbor Summer Art Festival. Last year I sold one original and not much else, this year I sold a number of smaller items and only one very small original. In both cases my total sales and the outcome was the same. I broke even, give or take a little. I really like this show. The town of Gig Harbor, WA is beautiful, the show is well organized, easy to do and the booth fee is reasonable. However, unless I get some follow-up orders, it doesn’t make financial sense. In talking to other artists at the show I got, "just OK" to not so good. Since the show I’ve heard reports of good sales.

I had some good moments at the show, like the one woman that really wanted to buy some original work, but couldn’t afford much. She ended up purchasing  a little 5x7 and a box of note cards. She was so happy it warmed my heart. And then there was another local artist, not participating in the show, that introduced herself  by saying that she had liked my facebook business page and how much she loved my art. She was just starting to do shows and was looking at doing this show next year. We talked and she bought a couple of boxes of cards... and there were others. The bad moment came near the end of the show when a woman was trying to get even more off a framed metal print I had. I had already discounted it quite a bit because it was a size I decided not to carry. I was happy to get it out of inventory. But she wanted to pay cash and skip the sales tax. I told her I wanted to stay above board. In the end I took another $5 off. It left a bad taste to what was an otherwise pleasurable show (even though I wished for higher sales.)

About the show... Gig Harbor is a nice little upscale town outside of Tacoma, WA, just west of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. As the name suggests it’s a harbor. The show has easy set-up and tear down, They give you a set-up time for Friday evening depending on which side of the street you are on, drive to your spot and unload. Spaces are EXACTLY 10 ft. wide but there is storage behind the booths. Fortunately it all worked out and everyone fit. They provide coffee and doughnuts on both days and a number to call for booth sitting. I had some pot holes in my space which I was mostly able to cover with my table and I filled the rest with sand. The art was variable in quality and type. There was soap and oils mixed in with the fine art. There was also some amazing work there. To me the mix seemed a little heavy on pottery and landscape photography. The attendance seemed down on Saturday from last year but picked up on Sunday.

I have learned from this show... it’s probably not the right fit for me, maybe I need to tweak my artwork, which I’m already in the process of doing, I need to work on my sales technique which I’m also doing and I need to learn to not let customers get to me. I’ll give this one a rest for a couple of years and re-evaluate. On to the next show...

Hot, hot, hot – a major sweat builder … that’s how I would describe this show.  The day started out with an 80+ mile drive from our cabin in Northern Minnesota to Brainerd.  Normally, I love this drive but we had rain all day on Saturday and the fog made the driving treacherous.  The show was to start at 10:00 AM, which means that you better be ready to sell at 9:00 AM.  We arrived at the park at 7:30 AM and found that we couldn’t get into the park with our vehicle as so many were already there.  We pulled up as close as possible and my husband started moving tent, grid walls and boxes of glass from the car to our spot in the park.  My husband was an unfortunate volunteer at this event, normally my son comes and helps me or I do the show alone, but I had major back surgery last January and I still have a weight limit requirement – the tent alone was double that limitation! 

Off we went, setting up, draping tables, working like banshees to get everything done.  The weather kept getting hotter (89 degrees) and more humid. I put up a couple of stained glass panels and turned around, they were gone … nope, not stolen, a couple (return customers from last year) had walked up and took them off the walls to hold them up to the sun.  By 8:30 AM, I had sold two panels … I was thinking, “This will be a great day!”  By 10:30 AM my booth fee was covered.  By 2:00 PM, I finally got a spot of lunch and started talking to other artists … the heat was on, literally and figuratively.  In talking with other artists, they weren’t selling … I felt embarrassed, because I was, but most of the sales were in the $50 and under category.  I’ve done this show many times and had learned that you better have those $50 and under items because the people purchasing at this show are mostly cabin owners … they like to buy, but they like the smaller items, lots and lots of smaller items!

I was lucky this time … this year I worked on small stuff because doing the large stuff was too hard to do after back surgery … and what I did sold.  One of my neighbor artists didn’t sell anything (I’ve been there before) and another discounted all his artwork to ensure that he sold enough to cover his booth fee, not something that I recommend. 

However, my best, and most thought provoking, sale of the day was an $18 sale … a young teenager in a wheelchair came by, being pushed by his mother, and accompanied by his two sisters.  His mother explained that he loved color and insisted that he come into the booth (he was using sign language and you could see how adamant he was to visit my booth).  His mother was discouraging him as he had muscle tremors and this was a booth full of glass.  I encouraged the family to bring him in and started talking to him, with his mother translating.  He kept grabbing for a sun catcher, the piece consists of seven stars cascading downward.  I held the piece up for him and he pointed at colors and tried to verbalize the color out loud.  I got into the mix with the family, “So what color is this?”  “RED”, “And this one?” “GREEN,” And this one, “LOVE.”  Love?  His mother translated his next words; he LOVED the piece and wanted it.  No, Mom was not going to purchase it but he had enough money in his pocket if he wanted to buy it … he did.  I carefully bubble wrapped his purchase and put it into the bag and turned back to the young man and thanked him.  His response?  Through sign language, with his mother translating, he said:  “Thank you for treating me like a human, I am trapped in this body, but it doesn’t mean that I am not smart.”  I walked around the counter and gave him a hug and told him, he had made my day … I didn’t care if I sold another item; I had received my blessing for the day.  Thank you to my young friend for reminding me that customers come in all shapes, colors and bodies!  I cannot wait to see him again next year and promised to have another “Love” piece just for him. 

So now I guess I better start designing the piece because I really do mean to give him a piece that says, “LOVE”, in many colors! 

The Zero Show:

Ouch.  I knew better.

But the old adage says ‘hope springs eternal’.

I did the show last year.  Got a really nice commission job in the last ½ hour of the show………..

I was originally invited to participate last year by a really nice, diligent woman who touted her show as ‘a fine show, only the best’.  She wasn’t wrong.  The quality of the exhibitors was wonderful.  What she couldn’t control was the heavy spring heat, the ‘riverbugs’ and a supposed ‘down’ economy.  I went to the patron preview party on Friday night and met some seemingly interested people.  I watched the shuffling small herd with gasping dogs, walkers and a smattering of small kids go by all weekend in the heat.  I laid out water for the dogs, talked to a handful of people who noticed me in the corner of the lot.  Sold a small selection of prints and watched my neighbors sell nothing at all.  And then, there they were:  The commission job people.  They came late on Sunday.  I hear stories about ‘Sunday shows’ but really; that had not been my world until that day.  It was a beautiful piece I made for them.  Delivered on time & they loved it.

So, when invited to participate again after going through the jury process without a fee, I went back to the show.  I had watched/know of others in the show who had received ‘purchase awards’.  People had pledged money to spend.  I didn’t receive any of those patron bucks in 2012 but thought “why not me”?  I sell my work……….I am not an amateur.    How can I make this show work for me this year?  I convinced myself that the heat of 2012 would not be around for 2013.  Couldn’t happen two years in a row right? 

I brought a bit more ‘conservative’ body of work.  Watched as the weather forecast was not in the ‘searing heat’ category.  I had asked for a different spot in the show.  A better spot so I thought.  I got to the show to check in on a beautiful day.  There was someone else in my spot.  The beautiful corner I had anticipated had another artist in it.  To make a long story short there was a ‘mix-up’ of sorts.  Well, another artist decided that the corner spot was ‘more suitable’ for them.  Hmmm.  And, it was marked wrong on the map but not the packet info.  Hmmm.  There was no chance of moving to the other side of the show (which is where I would have preferred at that moment) so I gave in and backed away.  The booths were spread apart to give my sidewalls some visibility.  I tried to stay positive and not let the incident rattle me too much.  I enjoyed the very beautiful day.  I thought about great sales to come for the weekend.  Went to the patron preview party that night with my ‘show-stopper’ piece.  Again, met people I thought were interested.  Enthralled.  Asking questions about my work.  Went to the show that next day with high hopes of a big weekend.

Then it happened:  or should I say nothing happened.  After 2 days of standing around in my booth I had a solid zero.  The fair volunteers kept asking me if anything was happening sales wise.  I didn’t lie.  I told them the truth.  Nothing was happening.  I could not even sell a 25.00 print.  It was in a word: pathetic.  I wasn’t begging or pleading patrons.  I wasn’t praying but continuing to try and do my job.  At some point though later on Sunday I started coming apart.  I have bills to pay like everyone else.  Asking myself what I had done wrong.  Wondering what I was doing there.  Analyzing every aspect of the weekend.  Questioning my body of work.  Very late on Sunday another artist came by who I think was a jeweler…..praising my ‘beautiful work’ and asking about how my show was.  That brought the tears.  “This was not the weekend to be losing money” I said.  Bills to pay.  I hate to cry.  It gives me a headache.  She probably thought I was crazy and I still don’t know who she was.  Soon, it was over.  5 p.m. had passed.  Time to pack up and go home and still, nothing to report.  There was nothing on the plate. 

After a two hour pack up, I drove home the 3 ½ hours without getting out of the car.  No extra food or drink.  Didn’t need gas in the truck.  I got home with my family asleep but was greeted by two happy dogs and proceed to sit curled up with them on the couch at 11 pm and downed a big glass of wine.  I thought about the funny ‘Art Fair Neighbor’ YouTube video of the potter who was ‘now questioning his entire existence’.  You know, it is really difficult to have a ‘zero’ show.  It was not my first.  It was my second.  The first was worse.  That was a huge lesson learned but that is not why I am sharing right now.  I thought I had done everything right this time from the initial decision to go back. 

I remember telling one of the organizers at the show that I realized I was not in my market.  This was an older crowd.  I heard one too many times that “our walls are full”.  This crowd had already owned the big house but was looking to ‘downsize’.  Bought the wall art years ago, splurged on the furnished second home and now were looking for something else to spend their money on.  I heard rumors of big sales:  expensive jewelry or five-figure bronze sculptures.  I didn’t have the right stuff.  I could tell but didn’t want to believe it.  See:  I knew better.  I wanted to believe I had a chance for a better show this year.

Epilogue:  I moved on.  Like everyone else who does this crazy job full time there is little time to morn.  You have to get back on that bike and ride again.  On to the next show the next weekend and pull it together.  I didn’t even change the body of work.  Truck was already packed.  Ready to go.  Still held out hope that there may be a ‘follow-up commission job’.  By show end day three and no emails or calls I gave that up too.  What happened next do you ask?  I did what I do well:  I sold work at the next show.  Plenty of it; in all different price points.  A combination of small, medium, large and a commission thrown in made the next show the reason I keep going.  (Besides a talent for painting and my love of art of course). 

So you see:  I knew better.  Listen to your gut.  I wanted to believe that I was doing the right thing.  It is so easy to blame the organizers of a show.  Or, the volunteers, weather, economy, and the fact that the guy next to you stole your booth space or whatever it is beside you.  I knew enough that I should not have tried the show again.  Another artist that I highly respect shared with me some great philosophy last year: “If you have multiple shows with no sales you really need to take a hard look at your work and understand what is wrong with your art”.  

If you only have one really bad show it was just not your weekend or show whatever the reason is.  We as artists are gamblers anyway in some sort of fashion.  We play the odds over and over.  I’ve heard that in about 1995 every show was good and people were spending money like crazy.  I wouldn’t know what that was like.  I came to this business just a year before recession became the word of the moment.  I don’t know much of anything else and have built a business in trying times.  While I don’t have 35 years under my belt I do have eight years of art fairs behind me and like to think I have at least some knowledge of the business and a formula of what works.  I have tried shows that were not great and built clientele by being diligent.  I have chased leads, commissions and corporate work.  Taken huge chances that have paid off wonderfully.  Perfected a body of work and learned marketing and studied what I needed to do to be successful.

Well, I thought I knew what worked until that ‘zero’.  I like to think that ‘zero’ will never happen again but obviously I am still thinking about it so I want to make sure I don’t forget at the very least: the lesson.  And, on a more positive note:  I would like to not forget the good feeling of ‘moving on’.  J

P.P.S.... I showed this article to Connie while I was at the South University Show in AA...the first day I was there a big order for a commission piece came through finally as a direct result of the above mentioned show (although I had met them elsewhere).  This time though, I am still of the opinion that I will not got back. 

September 21-22

The Catalina Art Association presents the 55th Annual Catalina Festival of Art, this September, one of the longest running and most acclaimed art festivals in California. Join us for this World Class Art Event featuring more than 100 juried artists, several reception events, a Kids Art Show and Annual Charity Art Auction.

What you need to know to participate:

• Catalina is an island so it does require planning to participate in our show. 
• 10x10 popup tents and grid-wall systems are all provided as well as bench seating in most booths. 
• Booths are set up along side the main walking street next to the ocean, which provides amazing views and tranquil breezes. Storage is free and secure. 

Local and mainland press cover the show as well as many travel publications. Awards, ribbons and Cash prizes are given by a respected panel of judges as well as giving thousands of dollars in art supplies to kids! 

Catalina Island's resort setting attracts high end buyers, here on holiday or visiting by cruise ship. For 55 years, this show has been what most exhibitors call a "Working Holiday Show". The locals are extremely helpful, the show organizers are very professional and the show visitors come here to Shop!  

What's not to like about packing your work and heading out on the ferry to spend a few days on an island meeting people on vacation who are eager to meet you? Plus, no tent to set up.

Learn more and apply: http://www.catalinaartassociation.org