Hi. I'm preparing for my first art fair in 2 (!!!!YIKES!!!!) days. Math has never been my strong suit. Is it ok for a person to charge a price ... let's say 40.00 for a piece, and have it include the tax which you would then subtract from your profits? I just got a smartphone with the square card reader, but haven't even activated the phone yet, so I don't know if it's easy to calculate tax with that or not.
.... really starting to sweat now.....
Thanks for your help!
Sandy
I sat down at midnight on Wednesday night the 5th of June to write down my thoughts before the 2013 Columbus Arts Festival began – though this entry may have been filed away for me to look back on years from now – I thought it was worth sharing since so much of it rang true…
Its midnight…35 Hours before we open the doors at the 2013 Columbus Arts Festival. A mere 2100 minutes before the first of what will be more than 400,000 patrons passes through our gates to enjoy the 52nd annual Columbus Arts Festival.
I check the countdown clock daily, it reminds me how fast the time passes between the closing of one year’s festival and the opening of the next. I stopped to ponder though, and realized that a festival year really is close to a thousand years all rolled up into a nice tight 365 day package.
We have more than 280 artists who have spent an entire year creating the art that is shown and sold in their booths – hoping that their work will catch the eyes of our patrons and find its way into their homes. Tens of thousands of hours are spent throughout this short year by these talented artists creating pieces for patrons to enjoy for the rest of their lives.
There are hundreds of performers who will grace our three stages, who have spent an entire year in recording and dance studios, in theaters and in front of their bedroom mirrors practicing and honing their skills so that they are the best that they can be when they perform at the festival. They work very hard all year long so that perhaps they can give their audience a moment of happiness while watching their performance.
Hundreds of food vendors create new recipes and perfect those that have been handed down to them from generations of cooks so that they can see the smiles on their customers’ faces when they take that first bite of their delicious creations.
More than 300 volunteers have spent their year being devoted to the notion of giving their time so that others can enjoy all of the wonderful events that Columbus has to offer.
The countless electricians, tent professionals, cleaners, police officers, production workers and other vendors who help us put this event on; spend the year perfecting their skills and services as well.
Hundreds of people who work for our sponsors have spent the year earning profits that they then share with us so that we can afford to pay the nearly half a million dollars in costs that the festival generates.
And most important to me are the more than 60 members of the Arts Festival Coordinating Committee who have each spent the year creating and implementing new ideas that make the Festival one of the finest in the country. This wonderful group of people gives a great deal of time throughout the year with the sole purpose of putting on a wonderful event for our artists, our patrons and all who enjoy the three days of the festival each year.
Yes, it’s midnight and many of those committee members are out on the streets preparing for the arrival of the artists early in the morning, and I praise them for their dedication. Tomorrow, it will most likely rain and they will be out there smiling and happy, knowing that at 11:00 on Friday morning – when the sun once again shines on the beautiful Columbus Riverfront – their year of work will all be paid back by the smiles on the faces of everyone who comes to the festival.
It did rain on Thursday, in fact at times it poured! I saw all of the dedicated Artists, Vendors, Police Officers, Electricians and of course, our happy group of Committee members with big smiles on their faces, making the last preparations for the 2013 Columbus Arts Festival. It rained all night, and through the final set up on Friday morning the sky was still spitting on Columbus.
At 10:45 AM – just 15 minutes before our Festival officially opened, the clouds parted and the sun broke through as if to say thank you to all of the people who worked so hard preparing for The Columbus Arts Festival – a thousand years in the making.
I will add my thank you to that of Mother Nature – The Columbus Arts Festival was by all accounts one of the best ever – To those artists who joined us this year - thank you for being a part of it.
I wish you all the greatest success throughout the year!
First off, the weather was the best I have ever seen for this show.
It is a well-produced show and they do a good bit of advertising.
I have done it off and on since the 1980s.
I showed up with 30 new pieces of art, I wasn't just churning old stuff. I had my second worst show sales ever this weekend at Boston Mills.
Last year was the worst. But it was 95 degrees every day and I was slowly dying of congestive heart failure. So I had a good excuse.
This year, great weather, a healthier heart and sucky sales. Go figure.
This was just me. Other people did darn good there with big sales and numbers, like Wilbat Glass, the Sterns, Vick and his Loungers, Betty Neubauer and others.
I felt the crowds were thin all weekend. There was no real buying energy. Very few be-backs.
Will I do it again. Probably. Will try for the July 4th weekend in 2014.
This is one of those shows where you have to try it yourself and see what happens.
Hopefully, others who did this show this past weekend will weigh in with some helpful comments.
But don't bet on it. More lurkers out there than ones who contribute.
A person on my previous post took umbrage with me because I called it a "Walmart" crowd.
Sorry, that is the way it looked. I just call them as I see them.
It was nice to see Larry Berman, in person, at the show.
The one really nice thing about this show is its location.
It is in the floor of the Cuyahoga Valley outside of Cleveland. The scenery is breath-taking.
You are surrounded by nature every where. Saw lots of deer. Got stood up by Siri, but I will get over it. At least I still have Ellen. Jeez! Do ya think she reads my posts. If she finds out about Siri, I could be in some deep do-do.
Later, Gators.
So June 30th was notification day for the Bethesda Row Arts Festival. I was rejected yet again.
The application fee/jury fee/seed money generator was $40.00.
The whole application/jury process was done through ZAPP.
I have applied several years in a row.
I have been at the show once in an end of the row booth show position which functioned more as an exit rather than an entrance.
Due to location, my booth was in shadow until 5 PM approx., both days of the show. My sales from the show all came once the sun shone on my booth. I believe I would have made money on the show if I had either had a lighting system or had a better booth position relative to the sunshine.
Despite the negative experiences of my first exhibit, I believe the show has potential in my exhibit schedule.
So here's what I got from the ZAPP system on June 30th... My emphasis is in bold and/or underlined in the quote:
"Dear Artist,
It is with much regret that I must inform you that the jury has not accepted your application for this year’s Bethesda Row Arts Festival. The jurors assigned each applicant a numerical score based on creativity, originality, technique, design and presentation. The applicants receiving the highest scores in their category were invited to exhibit. Many artists who receive this notification are curious as to why they did not obtain a higher score. We do not request the jurors to explain or record the reasoning behind their decisions. Consequently, we can offer no insight on the juror’s scores.
In the past sixteen years, the panel of jurors has never been comprised of the same three people. This gives the Bethesda Row Arts Festival an opportunity to change from year to year. The panel of jurors this year included Rebecca Cross - DC Gallery owner, Jane Milosch - Director the Smithsonian's Provenance Research Initiative, Office of the Under Secretary for History, Art and Culture and Susan Goldman - a working artist in print/graphics and Professor at the George Mason University School of Art and Design. The show received a record number of applications this year, making the process more competitive across all categories.
We thank you for applying. We use a new jury every year, so we do encourage you to apply again next year.
Sincerely,
Robin Markowitz
Festival Director
Contact Info:
Bethesda Row Arts Festival 2013
14803 Southlawn Lane Suite L-N Rockville, MD 20850
info@bethesdarowarts.org
301-637-5684"
So, they made money on the jury process due to the huge number of entries.....
They do collect and obviously retain numerical scores for categories that they use to jury entries, or they would not be able to notify the entrants who juried into the show...
So, I wrote Robin Markowitz back requesting my scores...Here it comes
"From: Mark V Turner [markvturner@yahoo.com]
Sent: Sunday, June 30, 2013 8:58 PM
To: Robin Markowitz
Subject: Scores please
Hello, having recently receive my notification that my entry failed to score sufficiently high to be admitted to this years Bethesda Row event, I would like to request my scores for each category and my composite score. I would also appreciate knowing what the scoring cut-off for the composite score in acrylic painting was in order to perhaps understand what the judges were looking at.
Being a multi-award-winning artist, I am constantly seeking to improve my entries and widen my audience
Thanks,
Mark V Turner
markvturner@yahoo.com"
And, here's the all too familiar reply... except, it's misleading and doesn't say what the ZAPP notifications says. Again bold and underlined are by me:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Hi Mark,
We do not release scores. There are no comments or feedback from the jury. You should know this was a record breaking year for artists applying to the show. In the Oil/Acrylic category we had 198 applicants for 22 spaces. This was a numbers game and the jury changes each year.
Your work is obviously amazing and we are certainly hope that you will consider the show for the future. The best and most frustrating part of this show is that there is significant artist turnover each year because the jury changes and we have an exceptional group of artists each year that apply to the show - like yourself.
Best Regards
Robin"
---------------------------------------------------------
So, because I am a glutton for punishment and hate the lack of transparency which is involved in the process, I wrote back:
"
Many artists who participate in fine art exhibitions feel that the jury fee pays for more than just an accept/reject letter after the jury makes its' decisions. This consensus has developed after analysis of jurying costs and subsequent potential revenues realized in the jury process.
I just have admit that in the past when I had kids coming to my booth and started touching everything would drive me a little crazy, but it is not always the case. I have learned to listen to them, pay more attention and explain them why I love to paint and do shows. Sometimes they look and after couple hours you see them coming back with their parents and their cash. I am so proud when I see them the next year, taller, more grown up, more mature and to purchase a second piece. They see the artist with respect and admiration, something that I wish some adults will do. These little guys won't try to bargain with you or tell you "I could do that" (like a woman just told me this weekend "40.00 dlls for this?? It's only a piece of wood with paint!") They just watch, listen, learn, look at you in a WOW way and can't wait to come back to see you the following year. I see a good future in art :) Cheers to kids! And cheers to their parents that teach them to love art young :)
Best of Show - Aaron Hequembourg 
Aaron has intriguing work, mixed media, painted on old wood salvaged from sharecropper houses and imagery he has rescued from old family farms in Georgia.
Best of Show Emerging Iowa Artists - Sodam Lee
Awards of Excellence
Don McWhorter
Shellie Bender
R Michael Wommack
Taman VanScoy
Susan Hill
Juror Awards
Sarah Rishel Juror Award - Jim Ochs
Rebecca Ekstrom Juror Award - Michael McKee
Ann Harmon Juror Award - Seung Lee
Storm takes out $25,000 in glass
My old friends Mark and Julie Glocke had nearly $25,000 in glass destroyed by a wind gust.
A sudden gust sent a half dozen glass sculptures by Mark and Julie Glocke shattering onto Grand Avenue, prompting a collective cringe from everyone within earshot.
At Arts, Beats & Eats in 2011 Mark and Julie's glass got caught up in high winds also and they had to pack on Saturday night and head home. Julie got hit by flying debris that time. Hope this is the last time this happens to you two. Best wishes.
I had to share with you an email I rec'd this morning from a young man that was looking at my artwork, with his family at the Gold Coast show in Chgo. As I talked with his parents about my artwork/life/how they're visiting out of town, I noticed their son fixating on one of my antique pieces. A small metal item with an antique griffen, embellished with a crystal. My small, affordable items. As they were saying good bye, I asked him why he was so absorbed by the piece. He told me he loves mystical creatures and recognized the griffen. I told him I want to give it to him as a gift from me to him. He couldn't believe it. His dad kept trying to offer me money and I said that no, his appreciation for the arts was priceless.
This was his email:
Hi Friends...Here is my review of this show.
Spring Green, Wisconsin is a small town of about 1,675 people. It is a resort destination for people visiting various attractions nearby and those vacationing on the river. At first glance, this looks like a small town with not a lot to offer, that perception would be very wrong. Read on....
I arrived in Spring Green on Friday evening for set up and was able to unload at my booth and park less than a block away. Easy, straightforward set up, no issues.
The show ran from 9am-5pm Saturday and 9am-4pm Sunday. Saturday crowds were very impressive. I don't know where all the people came from, but they were out in droves. Very busy crowds for the 200 artists. We had good weather, with a light rain that lasted about 10 minutes in the afternoon that did not seem to phase the crowds. Buyers were out, although mostly lower priced art was selling for myself and most others with some exceptions. I had the dream client here, with a single very large purchase of what amounted to 90% of my inventory. Yes, I sold 90% of my inventory to one person. This was, for me, the mythical buyer we all dream about come true. I was over the moon with excitement and also a bit of concern because I have withdrawn from my show this coming weekend, due to not having enough work to show. A good problem to have, but I hate to cancel. I will be working non stop to get ready for the rest of July this week and next week. God give me strength and inspiration.
Anyway, after the big sale, I sold one larger piece and a few smalls and that was it for the rest of the day and Sunday. The crowd is conservative for the most part in spending. Lower priced work was selling ok for my neighbors.
The show is well ran and organized and easy to do from an artists perspective. Make hotel reservations as early as you can, because reasonable rooms (less than $100) are scarce. I stayed 17 miles away in Dodgeville and was just fine. The Super 8 there is clean and comfortable for $79 per night.
The show has "hostesses" that wander the show and will answer questions and booth sit for artists. They were all very nice and accommodating. They wear green sashes that say hostess in white letters. Kind of a throwback to old times and I thought they were adorable and charming. I hope they keep the hostesses and the sashes, it was quite a welcome change.
Load out was a breeze to do. I pulled up about half a block from the booth and used the dolly to load up. I had the whole thing down and packed up in 50 minutes.
Overall, I give this show an A and will apply again. My only concern for others is to bring as much work that is lower priced to ensure success. The crowd does buy larger work, but I think you need the lower price points to basicly guarantee yourself a profit.
With regret, I am withdrawing from Boston Mills this weekend, due to not having much of anything left to show. I will be in Krasl in two weeks and will review the show here. Thanks for reading!
restaurants and vibrant nightlife. New residential lofts and adjacent historic neighborhoods also make the Downtown an excellent place to call home. A unique combination of preservation of history and place, with progressive attitudes and entrepreneurship, make Downtown Lee's Summit the perfect location for our fine art event.A Walk-Through At The Des Moines Summer Art Festival, 2013
Greetings,
Welcome to the Cooper studio, Jefferson, Iowa. Yup, that Jefferson. The one about an hour northwest of Des Moines, close enough so that it was perfectly logical to drive in and spend the day, just to review an art show that I was not exhibiting in.
And so, here we are: a review.
Saturday, 1PM. Husband and I park the car at the nearest parking ramp and head towards the southeast corner of the festival. First impression: food court.
We instantly ask the question: "why do we need this massive a food court in an area of Des Moines replete with excellent cafes and restaurants?" Later we realize there are TWO food courts. Hmmmm....
As we round the corner from Locust onto 15th, there is the green space with the "Interactive Arts Activities". Please insert "sponsor booths" at your convenience. Way more than a few.
Now let's talk art. We stopped and looked at every booth, except for jewelry (sorry y'all) and it did not take us long to notice something.
Packages. All seven of them. We were there four-ish hours, and saw seven packages of note. Yes, again we are ignoring the jewelers - but this time, because as everyone knows, jewelry packages get tucked into a pocket or purse, and just aren't all that visible carrying around. But let's get back to my point: visible packages: seven (7). Yes, I know we were only there for four-ish of the 31 hours of the event. But do the math, and we sincerely hope that the hours we weren't there were a lot more productive. (math at the 7/4 rate equals 54.25 packages for the festival) Artists please utter in unison: ouch.
Okay, enough rant. Let's dissect. If you click on the festival map, there's a legend in the lower left corner to help you find things. I cut out the restrooms/parking/firstaid for you. At your leisure, buzz down the rest of the list, and note the things that will involve visitors time. Also please note that none of the performance stages were included in the legend.
Arts Festival Shop
ATM
Beer & Wine
Food Vendors
Information Booth
Interactive Arts Activities
Artist Village
Soda & Water
Hy-Vee Recycling Station
West Food Court
Interactive Sculpture Project
DMAF Sculpture Garden
Emerging Iowa Artists Demo
Nurturing a Student’s Vision
East Food Court
T-Shirt Painting
Artists, who wants to be the first to ask: are we exhibiting/selling art, or are we entertaining the masses for the weekend?
And I'm not out to get Des Moines, I like Des Moines. But they are a convenient example, an example of art festivals in general, and the now present trend of "how can we entertain them?" Attract the populace? Get that top ten rating? Be an award winning event? Because everybody knows you are not an award winning event if you don't draw a crowd.
- This statement is from the 2013 artist prospectus:
DMAF is a show dedicated to the highest standards and works diligently to maintain a positive environment for artists and their clients.
- And this statement is from the DMAF mission statement:
We strive to educate, inspire and engage our audience toward a heightened appreciation of visual and other forms of art.
I contend that art festival directors all over, not just Des Moines, are telling the artists one thing, and the patrons another. I believe in the back of their minds, the festival directors know that they wouldn't have much of a festival if all the willing artists and their little white tents didn't show up. And they think if they get the crowd, all's well. The crowd I saw was not buying art. I know, I know, I was only there four hours. But, still, they weren't buying art.
Possibly all the great art purchases were made at 5:07 on Friday, and 1:31 on Sunday. And I know we will hear from an artist who made thousands of dollars on the weekend - but I didn't see it. And I witnessed, all the rest were not.
So, what to do, what to do?
1. Personally, individually, artists can stop following the carrot on the stick - I had a lot of empathy for the woman who drove 900 miles from the south to help entertain a crowd that wasn't buying.
2. As groups of artists, we need to share with show directors that the size of the crowd is not nearly as important as the intent of the crowd. A carnival atmosphere discourages serious art buyers. Competing for sidewalk space with slushy sipping toddlers, and taco dribbling cell phone texters is not their gig.
Personal note: Omaha, I crossed you off my jury list this year because of that Nebraska Lottery sponsor roulette wheel that cluttered your event with non art atmosphere for the past several.
Are we entertainment, or are we showing and selling our art? You tell me.
And thanks for reading. :)
Cooper
Well, after a great Friday nite we were expecting big things on Sat. For most of us, we got the big fizzle.
Lite crowds, walmart dressers, most were not even browsing. There were a few isolated successes, but for the majority of us it was slim pickings.
It was eerily quiet by 4:30 with nary a buyer in sight. We pray for better today, because this is not a Monday show.
BTW, Connie, it is a big deal that Mr. King, he of being the Lord-high director of Des Moines, can't find the time to stick up for artists who were impugned by the article in the paper earlier in the week where the reporters told customers to definitely ask for discounts from the artists. What a load of donkey dung that is. Mr. King should have been back at them in a heartbeat.
Sadly, he was MIA. Gotta keep his head down low and count the moola. La La La.
Before we do any show, I send an email asking about accessibility -- bathrooms, parking, show itself - moving in/out and the terrain of the land. We have been told not to come and we've been told totally accessible.
Last week we checked in and Jay asked about accessible parking. He then had to explain to the young man what that meant -- the young man suggested that we talk to the next check in guy which we did. ACCESSIBLE PARKING WAS COVERED BY BLOW UP JUMPING AND POLICE CARS. Van was parked in a regular parking spot about two blocks from the booth. There was a small parking lot right behind our booth that was blocked off - not to be used. Our neighbor asked one of the promoter's workers why we couldn't park there -- there was a shrug - no answer.
After a time, Jay had to use the bathroom. He went up the hill. There was one porta-potty - not accessible. He went down the hill. There were two (2) porta-potties -- one regular and one accessible. THE ACCESSIBLE PORTA-POTTY WAS PADLOCKED. There was no one around to find out why it was locked. He came back to the booth to tell me what was going on. There were no crosswalks to see if any of the restaurants were accessible (and later I found out the the place across from us did NOT have accessible bathrooms). He said he was going to try to find someone to help him and left. Soon two of the promoters' helpers came by. I asked them about the accessible porta-potties - where they were. Another explanation of what an accessible bathroom was. Down the hill - was finally the reply after he walkie-talkied the promoter. But that one is padlocked -- so it's not usable. There was a shrug and they left.
Jay found the promoter. He was told there was someone sitting in his air conditioned car watching that porta-potty. If someone came to use it (and he saw that person), he got out of his car, unlocked the potty, emptied the potty with the promoter's equipment -- then and only then could the potty be used. The promoter felt this was perfectly acceptable -- he said otherwise, the teens used the potty for sex and making the potty dirty. He didn 't understand that everyone has a right to use a bathroom. Jay going to the bathroom took over an hour of time. Had the show been busy, that could have been problematic.
Jay spent much of the next few hours upset over the potty situation. He told our neighbors. And when he saw the promoter again, he explained how the situation was inappropriate. Again, there seemed to be no understanding. He even went over to Town Hall ... alas, he could not get to Town Hall... yes, indeed, another accessibility issue.
So our neighbor saw the promoter and asked him about the accessible potty. The promoter came up to Jay and said he would take him down to the potty and help him. I asked the promoter how old Jay was that he needed help to go to the potty - and Jay said that he was old enough to take care of himself going to the bathroom if there was one available to him. Then I asked the promoter if I was handicapped. He looked at me and said no. I told him that I had a blue hangtag saying disability for my very self. I had a hidden handicap - but it's there. I asked the promoter the percentage of people over 50 walking the street. He said it was high and then I told him that many people have hidden handicaps - can't see them but they are there - and sometimes a raised toilet and/or grab bars can be very helpful. He said again that the teens use the bathroom for sex and mess it up - but if Jay wanted to go into a messed up bathroom... He agreed to unlock the potty, empty it of the equipment , and left in a huff.
A short time later he came back to tell me that there had been five (5) people who had already used the potty and they were more able bodied than him. There is nothing wrong with an able bodied person using a wide door porta-potty. I told him good - because that's the law - to have an accessible potty.
We are sure that we have burned our bridges with this promoter over the porta potties. We cannot believe that in the year 2013 we are again talking about accessibility and having bathrooms available to those who use wheelchairs or have disabilities. We shouldn't have to even ask ... and yet we are forced to ask.
This is a double review b/c I'm too lazy to do two separate reviews and I better write it now before I start to forget. June was a rather disappointing month for me. I had such high expectations based on the last couple years, which is never a good thing to have...
Olde Worthington, aka Art on the Green, aka Worthington Art Festival (probably a bad sign when no one including the show staff know the name of the show) is held in Worthington Ohio on the four quadrants of the historic village green. My booth was in the very northern tip of the northeast quadrant. I was worried that I might not get much traffic being on the tip, but since the whole show follows a loop I don't think it really hurt me. The booths were nicely spaced so pretty much everyone got to utilize at least one corner (always a plus for me). I got to use both my corners. It was a pretty easy setup, at least for where I was located. You could set up the day before starting at 3pm and then also the morning of. I got there at 3pm the day before and most everyone was already set up. Guess they got the memo that 3pm was just a suggestion and you could actually come anytime. I did not. But it worked in my favor b/c there was no one my area setting up when I got there, so I got to drive right up next to my booth. Just 10 easy steps from the side road to my space and tons of room to spread all my stuff out. Easy as could be. My complaint is how far away artist parking is. You have to park down behind the high school and walk over which is almost a mile walk! I was told there were shuttles going back and forth, but for all my times walking I never once saw a stinkin' shuttle. That's a long walk if you're carrying anything.
Saturday morning the show opened and a good crowd was already there. I was very optimistic judging from the size of the crowd and people coming into the booth. However, my spirits started dropping as hours went by and no sales were being made. Very few, and I mean VERY few people were carrying any purchases. Not even small bags or metal on a stick. By the end of the day I was well under what I was hoping to do by that point, even though I had managed to sell two smaller originals (under $300) and a couple prints. The disappointing thing was that the weather was beautiful Saturday but was supposed to be rainy Sunday, so odds were not good that there would be much crowd Sunday.
I was right. Sunday was slow. It didn't end up raining much, just some mild passing showers, but people were definitely not there like Saturday. Still didn't see many bags. Plenty of artists were walking around and sharing in the disappointment. Several artists who had done the show in the previous years said that sales were way down. I got to meet Robert Wallis though and chat with him on a couple occasions. And met a really great couple who did photography in the booth behind me. Isnt it often that the saving grace for shows are the other artists you get to meet?
At the end of the day I did have a couple people come back who has seen my work Saturday, and also a very nice impulse buy literally at the last minute (we held off breaking down for 15 minutes as the wife tried very hard to convince her husband to purchase a 36x36 painting and did so successfully). All in all I did manage to sell over $2000 but it was hard earned money for sure and definitely not expected after the first day's lull.
Tear down was equally easy. There was plenty room once the food trucks moved out to drive right up next to the booth and load up. Everyone played nicely and we were on the road in no time.
Easton Art Affair, Columbus Ohio: I know this show has not been given very good reviews, but I honestly have loved this show in past years. This was my third year doing it. I don't mind giving sales figures to give you an idea of the difference this year was from previous for me; first year $4000 in sales, second year $6000 in sales, this year $2000 in sales. I know I should count my blessings that I did make ok money, but like I said, I had high hopes and they didn't come together. There were so many unhappy artists. there were a couple doing really well including a painter who made over $10,000 but that was definitely not the case for 80-90% of us.
For those who don't know, this show is held at Easton Town Center, which is an upscale shopping mall. I am local to Columbus, so both of these shows were really easy for me to do and didn't have much expense. There were a lot of things working against the show this year. For one, it was over 90 degrees each day! On asphalt! Talk about hot!! It was almost unbearable sometimes. During setup, Friday morning I told my helper to leave and go to Walmart and stock up on fans. She brought back 4 which were absolute life savers but it was still incredibly hard to sit there all day. Oh yeah, that's another point, these are looooong days. 4-9 Friday, 11-9 Saturday and 11-5 Sunday.
You could setup Thursday night after the mall closed at 9 or pretty much anytime Friday morning. I set my booth/panels up Thursday and came back Friday morning for the paintings.
The other things working against us were 1) the opening of the American Girl doll store (ick) taking up all the parking and 2) the gay pride parade. Its a huge thing in Columbus. Like HUGE! Like I said, I've done the show several times and I live here, so I shop at Easton all the time. It was the slowest I've ever seen it from anytime I've ever gone. I don't blame the people. I wouldn't come out in 90+ temperature to spend money either. I'd be at home in the AC or the pool.
So long story short, it was a disappointment for most, and I know a couple artists around me completely zeroed out. The people didn't come, those who did were pretty miserable and wanted to escape the heat, but I did manage to pull out a decent Sunday and pull out enough profit to keep up with my goal average for this year, but definitely did not compare to previous years. Which is really a bummer b/c we are closing on a house next week and I really needed as much money as possible to pay for expenses for the home. Oh well. That's what happens when you have expectations I guess.
Again I got to see Robert Wallis, and I met Elissa Brown which was a real treat. Neither of them had good weekends either :(. The best part of the weekend was getting to be next to my adopted "festival dad" Russ Shaffer (who did manage to have a pretty good show) and also having a client (she bought a painting from me the previous weekend at Olde Worthington) come by in the heat just to do a random act of kindness and bring me a smoothie! I swear, the people I meet are the best part of this job!
Next weekend I'm off to Boston Mills. Its my first time showing there and I'm not getting my expectations up again after Jersey Shore Fine Art Festival and now these two. Hopefully it will surprise me. At least its supposed to be cool for once!
Okay. I did it. I've been in the biz forever. But this was my very first outdoor show with a tent and walls and all the concerns we all read and talk about on this amazing site. And although I had read and researched and practiced and planned, my insides sweated it out and I totally wanted to back out of the whole thing. By the time we arrived at our friend's beach house with a borrowed van the night before the show, I was already exhausted, and soooooo angry. At what? At whom? No one, really. I was just disappointed. I was disappointed that it wasn't more fun. I hated the packing and unpacking and spending way too much time preparing. I'd read all about grid walls on this site and decided to go with that. But they were so heavy and cumbersome. Why did I spend SO much money on all this? Why did I even think I'd want to do this at all? I'm too old for all this bother. What was I trying to prove?
And this was only Friday night and all that was going on was early set up the night before the actual festival.
My husband came with me to set up the tent and put everything in place. With a few festival neighbors to help, we got the tent up and were even offered four heavy-duty twisty dog ties for the tent legs which I hadn't known would be allowed. We'd put up the grid walls and placed the weights but we could NOT get the tent walls to meet, to close and it had taken so long - before I'd asked for help, that is - to get the tent itself to stand straight and sturdy, and then to get the weights and stakes in place that the sun had set and it seemed that all the tents were up, the artists were gone, but we were still there. I was living a nightmare and I felt incompetent and angry and embarrassed. It was now dark and the wind was howling and the walls were blowing everywhere. I wanted to take everything down, put it all back in the van and run away. I hated everything about the process.
My husband, however, was amazingly patient. He was not about to let me quit. And then my inner artist warrior took over and I found myself making a decision. "Let's take down the sails and leave up the tent and grid walls. Batten down the hatches and let's get out of here!"
I slept not a wink that night but literally watched the full moon turn orange as it made it's way across the window and out of my line of vision. Every gust of wind startled me while I tossed and turned. I wanted to get up and paint the scene it but everything was in the van. I thought "I should be working, painting, sculpting, not doing this crazy art show thing." I awoke angry and tired and hungry and didn't have time to eat breakfast or even shower. I wanted to run away and not set up at all. I figured we could run over there, take the tent down and leave. I'd send an email later. The artist warrior side of me prevailed again, though. As did my incredibly patient husband. (He had actually slept that night.)
That first morning, as we set up my paintings and my ceramic masks, I pretty much filled my mind with complaints. I had been amazed to see my tent and all the weights and display grids sitting upright and waiting for me. But I was still mad at myself. As I made my way through the bubble wrap, all my mind could focus on was how I hadn't bought shopping bags, I didn't get new business cards, I forgot to make price tags, I should have brought a cooler. I HATE THIS!
The weather was gorgeous and the crowds were quiet but pleasant. I didn't make a single sale and after this first 8 hour day of sitting in an uncomfortable chair, I felt justified in my disappointment. At the end of the day as I wrapped and packed all my artwork to drag back to the borrowed van - still couldn't get the walls to fit - I thought, why not just take everything down now and run away? I don't HAVE to come back tomorrow. I'm not in the Army, for heaven sake.
Oh, alright. It's only one more day. I'm fine. I'll come back.
My husband and friends went out to dinner after the show that night. I stayed in and went to bed. Confident that my tent and grid walls were securely in place and my artwork was bubble wrapped safe and sound in the van, I slept. Boy, did I sleep.
I awoke to the sunrise, had breakfast, took my shower and dressed like a proud and happy artist should. I even remembered earrings and mascara. I'd brought a better chair and went off to rule my day. I took my time, by myself, to set up my work on those walls and as the minutes went by people came in to watch, to talk, to admire, to compliment, to ask questions, and yes, to buy.
I made price tags out of my crazy out-of-date business cards and wrote my new info on the cards I gave out. I wrapped purchases in bubble wrap and twine. I had wonderful conversations with visitors as well as my fellow artist neighbors, enjoyed an ice cream cone from the local food truck and made new friends. And throughout the day, I sold stuff!
Before the first hour of the second day, I'd already made back my booth fee and had once again found my joy in talking with people about my work, selling with no apologies and proudly calling myself an artist in business again. "Oh, are YOU the artist?" "Yes," I beamed. "Yes, I am. This is my work." It had been so long since I'd been in the public eye and I loved hearing people tell me how "exciting and different" my work was. I even loved it when people said "Oh, these are kinda scary!" Thank you, I'd say with one raised eyebrow. Thank you very much.
At five o'clock on that Sunday afternoon, four volunteers ran up to me and asked if they could help me with anything and I said "yes, thank you. I think I could use help with everything." They laughed and got to work. The volunteers had been there throughout both days to give us breaks and bring cold water or hot coffee. When my husband arrived with the van, everything was folded neatly on the grass and I found myself relaxed and smiling with an inner peace I hadn't felt in ages. It had truly been an amazing day, made even sweeter by the turmoil I'd put myself through leading up to that last moment of my first show.
What I want to say to you here is Thank You. Thank you for this forum. For tips you've all shared, and the booth photos for Newbies, and the experiences of all the different shows you've all lived through, both good and bad. Thank you for your input on walls and weights and tents and displays, even when you've answered the same question a million times before. And, oh my God, thank you for telling us about zip ties! But most importantly, thank you for making it alright to be scared sometimes. And for making it okay to admit that we've never actually done this before.
Thank you for letting us understand that it's okay to ask for help of our fellow artists. And to accept that help graciously. And that the volunteers really DO want to be helpful. Thank you for giving me permission to say "Excuse me, but this is the first time I've used this tent. Could you help me?"
How sad it would have been to have given up and never had this crazy experience. How helpful it was to come here to this forum every couple of nights for months with a question, or just an hour to read about things and then be able to actually use what I learned here. If I can pay it forward I would say this: Don't be afraid to feel your feelings but then get past the negative stuff and move on. Get a good night sleep, eat a good breakfast, don't forget your sunscreen. Drink lots of water and know where to go when that catches up to you - because it will. Ask for help when you need it, offer help where you see a need, be grateful and mindful of how lucky you are to live your life by your own standards, to spend your day in the shade of a tent surrounded by your own creativity and joy. Talk openly and happily with everyone you meet, be nice to people even if they say silly things and don't seem to "get" your work. And when things get crazy - which they will - stop for a moment, find your center, take a deep breath and just have a ball. The answers will come. Always remember that you are an artist and that's just an incredibly cool thing to be.
Thank you again.
Robin
Its my first year at Wickford RI art show in July any advice
AWE GOT FREE WIFI AT THE SHOW so I can give an on the spot report.
We could setup all day Thurs and Friday morn,show started last nite with wine preview party from 6-9.
When we got here on Thursday the damn gate to the parking lot for the south tent was locked.
Show said too much rain, too mucky for vehicles. Told artists they had to schelp all stuff in thru main building entrance than across pea gravel to proper tent--daunting.
TOOK US 5 HOURS TO SET UP. WE WERE BEYOND EXHAUSTED.
Returned Fri. morn along with everybody else and finished setup. Lot was now open-yeah. Got position "A" for the van.
It rained hard right before wine preview party. Then let up as people came filtering in, by 6:30 the joint was rocking, people were tippling free wine and also buying. Best buzz for a Friday opening that I have seen in a long while.
Ellen sold a nice little original and I sold a large hand-colored piece for over $500. We went home happy.
Lots of artists sold very well for a Friday nite. Who needs Des Moines. Too bad Steven King did not have the balls to stand up for all the deserving artists at the show especially when reporters from the Des Moines Register newspaper gave tips to the readers on how to get the artists to give them discounts on their wrk.
Come on Mr. King stick up for your minions, show some backbone. You shouldhave been out front in the media with a counterpoint. But i guess you were too busy counting allthe moola from jury fees.
More coming soon.
I had a great time in Milwaukee and saw lots of great art. Here is an overview:
If you want to know more about this show, including my analysis of why this show is so hard to get into check out this post: http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/milwaukee-lakefront
What show is hard for you to get into and regularly sends you rejections?
This is my second straight year doing this unusual mid-week (Wed/Thurs) show in Corolla, NC, a coastal town (aren't they all?) along the Outer Banks of North Carolina, about 2 hours south of Virginia Beach. Last year's show--which I could have sworn I reviewed, but I can't find a link anywhere--was brutalized by high, high heat and humidity, and the few folks brave enough to venture forth to the show were none too keen about stepping into an art show booth for more than a nanosecond. Not surprisingly, sales in 2012 were dismal. But the area has so much to recommend it that I thought it warranted another shot.
I was praying to the weather gods during the entire 970-mile drive from Fort Myers, hoping that the forecast held and that I wouldn't have that kind of budget-busting experience again. And we lucked out--though it was humid for setup on Tuesday, there were light breezes and somewhat cooler temps on Wednesday, and Thursday was perfect Chamber of Commerce weather--mid '70s, cool breezes, clear skies.
But enough with the meteorology. How were the crowds and sales?
Much better than 2012. Wednesday morning brought respectable traffic and moderate sales, though crowds and buyers dwindled after about 2 PM. For reasons unknown, this show stays open until 6 PM on its first day. The extra hour can be profitable at shows where there's an early-evening draw, like restaurants, but there isn't an eatery anywhere on the spacious grounds of the Whalehead Club. Nor were there customers.
Thursday (day 2) had lighter traffic and (for most folks) lighter sales, and many of us were on the brink of writing this one off by 1 PM. Then, out of nowhere, crowds materialized again, and brought their wallets. I had a number of decent sales between 2 PM and 5 PM; although the customer count was down from Saturday, there were more dollars in the till.
This is a show attended more heavily by vacationers than by Outer Banks residents. There are a couple of reasons--one being that there's only one road (NC Rt. 12) onto the Outer Banks, and traffic can be ridiculous in season (that's why they hold the show mid-week). Another reason is that there really aren't many residents, as one of my customers (a former physician and longtime resident, who does commercial and residental rentals now) explained. "The Outer Banks turns over 10,000 people a week during the summer," he said, "but there are only a couple of thousand folks here year round". The homes along this narrow, heavily-duned barrier island are quite large, and most of them sit vacant for all but a few weeks outside of summer tourist season, he advised.
A significant number of my visitors were down only for a week, and hailed from Pennsylvania and the Washington, DC area, with smaller percentages from Ohio and from central and western parts of Virginia. Very few folks from other parts of North Carolina; likely because the NC schools were still in session. That probably explains the high number of smaller pieces (2D and 3D alike) I saw being carried around. It helps to have a shipping service and to advertise it.
Most of the artists I spoke with were reasonably happy with their sales, which were deemed pretty good for a midweek event by most. Several artists who sold only large-format 2D had a tough time.
Smaller, beach-themed items sold best; as for me, sales of pelican images saved the show. The few large pieces I sold, as you might expect, were bought by year-round residents.
The show is casual, small (85 artists this year, down from 100 in 2012), well-organized, and pretty high quality. Amenities included an artist dinner on Wednesday night (which included an awards ceremony), two tickets for bottled water, and (if you had a trailer) free on-site overnight parking. The staff of the Whalehead Club helped out before the show with discount deals at a few local hotels and an "artist lodging" program in which patrons volunteered to host artists during the show. (I'm not sure how well that worked out; apparently there were more interested artists than there were available spaces.) In addition, artists could get a free guided tour of the Knight Mansion on the club grounds, which offers a fascinating look at duck hunting culture, architecture, Art Nouveau, tourism, and life in the 1920s on the Outer Banks...not only the life of the uber-rich, but also the local staff and families that they supported.
This isn't an expensive show to do from a booth-fee standpoint (under $200), but it's a long, expensive trip from just about anywhere, and the hotels tend to be in the $150/night-and-up class. (I stayed 70 minutes away, in Elizabeth City, for about $80 a night, including taxes.) I like the area, and the way the show is run (the staff went out of their way to solicit feedback on things like start/end times, lodging, and amenities). It's worth considering if you have appropriate work, you want to have a short working vacation, and especially if you can pair it with show(s) on the adjacent weekends.
