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The great thing about Art Fairs is standing in your booth for eight hours and having the opportunity to visit with people. Now this may sound like tooth extraction to some of you but I love to talk to people... random strangers at that. It might be about the weather or even better about art or, best of all, my art! Nothing defines your philosophy and message of your art more than explaining it 30 or 40 times a day. And in these days of automated tellers, self checkout at stores and self-service gas stations when do people even talk to each other anymore? It's a leisurely setting, people are relaxed and not in a hurry and it makes for pleasant conversations. It's human contact. With all of our online lives and busy schedules it's a wonderful respite from our self-imposed isolation.

Well guys, I might not be the right person to write this review because it was my first time at Broad Ripple, in fact my first time doing a big Mid West show, if you don't count Paducah, Kentucky a few years back, when I was just starting out. Set up was easy and the organizers from the art center were on hand to help direct you to your area ( Yea Kile), which was color coded. This was a massive show, spread out in all directions. I lucked up and could drive my car right in front of my booth, but many were among the trees and gardens and had to dolly in quite a ways. It was scorching hot on Friday for set up and although I got  there early, and had some water, I was on the verge of heat stroke a few hours later and had to leave everything and get in my car for a Gatoraid run. It came on fast, headache, stomach-dizzy, word to the wise, always bring a cooler and if it doesn't look like rain in the forecast bring your EasyUp instead of your Crafthut! Dang Crafthut, a love /hate relationship at best, but it did help with the storm on Friday night (once I got the thing up- it was only my second time and I was by myself).

The doors opened on Saturday morning, the weather was cooperating and the crowds zoomed in, I think everyone thought it was going to rain later in the day and came early. Sales were good and I saw many people buying and packages going past. It wasn't as hot as the day before and it sprinkled a bit but the crowds kept coming. After three o'clock the crowds kind of died off but I heard it was a Pacer's game and well, that made sense, since they are in the playoffs. I had lots of small sales and a few medium priced work sold but nothing big on Saturday. People were great, interested and many cash sales-people came to buy.

Sunday was a beautiful day- a bit hot, not too much breeze but that didn't stop the crowds from coming. So many people said they would come back but I couldn't imagine that they could find me again, the show was so spread out and big, but they did and I had some really good big sales in the afternoon. It was busy all day. I never got to the other end of the show, to see the layout and artists, I would have liked to, but it was too busy to leave, I think most were in the same boat, nice problem to have.There were booth sitters galore but who wants to leave when people are buying. Load-out was easy, breakdown, and then a tag to get your car into the grounds to pick up. The tent going down was a lot easier that going up-why is that? All in all I was pleased with the professionalism of Broad Ripple, it was a first class show, smooth as silk, great crowds, great venue, lots of advertising and people came to buy. It was my first Mid West show but it certainly won't be my last....in two weeks Summerfair Cincinnati- Woo Hoo!

Odds in the recent Powerball lottery were 1 in 175.2M! 

Odds in winning a prize in the Birthday Party Pledge Drive are more like 1 in 3! You not only help support this website that helps you in your art fair business you are really likely to be saying soon, "Wow! I won. I never win anything!."

Some of the Prizes:

• a fabulous new TrimLine canopy from our friends at Flourish
• 20 free booth spaces from Paragon Art Festivals, Howard Alan Events, Amdur Productions, Rose Squared, ArtWorks, AFFPS (8 shows in Atlanta), Holiday Art Shows (4), American Art Marketing (2), Boulderbrook; paid jury fee from Broad Ripple (3)
• Art Fair Sourcebook (2)
• Gift cards - Amazon, Frame Destinations, Binders Art Supplies in Atlanta
• Consulting:  Larry Berman, Connie Mettler, Scott Fox (consulting on websites), Patrick Dennis
• Art supplies: frames, canvas wraps, slide & negative scanner
• Subscriptions & E-course: from ArtsyHome.com's site, a marketing course for artists from the Arts Business Institute, festival network online membership
• Donations from artists:  leather messenger bag, Honduran rosewood fountain pen, pottery, oil painting, mixed media, jewelry, knitwear, wood bowl, sculpture, photography from Allan Teger, an etsy.com shopping spree, glass, more ...

Please help support our mission to bring patrons to the art fairs - so you can continue in the lifestyle you love. Click here to learn more.

We'll be drawing names during a podcast on Thursday (May 23) at 6 pm ET. Hope you'll be listening!

Spent the previous weekend in lovely Prescott, AZ (pronounced Press-kit) at the 35th Annual Arts Guild show. The show is located on the lawns around the courthouse in the center of town. People know that it is an annual event and being the first show of the summer season it seems there isn't art show fatique. But that isn't the reason for writing this post. As if there aren't enough shows in AZ these days for promoters to promote it seems that there was another promoter promoting a show adjacent to this one! I mean kitty corner from this show! I've seen this other promoters shows when I've done shows in Carefree, AZ and they were down the road a bit but this is ridiculous! When I was participating in the Sonoran Arts League Show in March there were two other shows taking place no more than a mile away from each other!

The larger issue here, and we've probably all acknowledged it at one time or another, is the proliferation of shows that are taking place! Paragon is on the move, Amy Amdur has a show in just about every corner of the Chicagoland area on any given weekend, Howard Alan must own Florida by now and has had a presence in the Colorado high country for a number of years as-well-as trying to make in-roads at Lake Tahoe and Park City for a couple of years. I did his Park City incarnation one year as I wasn't invited to the Kimball show that year, it was behind a shopping center, I mean REALLY BEHIND, apparently it wasn't a good gamble as I don't see it on his calendar anymore. Now the same people that bring you the Rio Grande shows in Albuquerque are making a play for another show in the Denver area, lets see, that makes at least 6 shows in the same market! Jim Delutes did such a good job of resurrecting the Downtown Denver show at the Pavilions that they decided to kick him out and do their own show on the very same weekend (ArtStir) and just a few blocks away!

Now I read a blog about how all these shows are diluting the market for fine art (craft) and we all want to vilify promoters for their shameful gluttony but, artists share responsibility for this land grab as-well-as the promoters they want to string up. Truth be told, if artists weren't so willing to run to the latest and (presumably) greatest show on earth there would be less shows and less dilution of the bottom line.

As I think about this issue I recall the Ken Burns PBS production on the Dust Bowl. In addition to changing their tilling style so that they were tilling the soil less deep, farmers were also planting many more acres. Then, when the price of their crops went too low to make a decent living wage their answer was to plant more acres! Guess they never heard of supply and demand. In the end when the rains dried up with an extended drought and tilling the soil went on unabated the land gave out and blew away. In fact there are still areas of South East Colorado that have not recovered from the ravages of the dust bowl era. Seems to me there is a lesson in this. Those that ignore their history are doomed to repeat it, no matter what business their in. So who's responsible for the bottom line becoming smaller? Probably all of us, promoters and artists alike. I let you draw your own conclusions as to how to answer this dilemma for yourself. But it seems to me that not applying for these newcomers in an already diluted market might make the most sense. Or, as has been suggested, if a show does not support you, don't support it. I was wait listed for the Downtown Denver show this year and I didn't plan on applying to ArtStir, the next startup in an already diluted market, instead I'm attending a small show in New Mexico in a market without any other shows. But that, as they say, is another story.

For most it was a weekend for a decent paycheck with no scary things going on -- whoops, I forgot to mention this report in from my friend fiber artist, Sandy Moran who was at the Tulsa Mayfest:

Most of the stock was salvageable, though the tent was twisted and upside down across the street, pretty much destroyed on its maiden voyage.  And it was so pretty and clean, too! The first time I've lost a tent in 41 years of doing this!

The staff at Mayfest and other artists were wonderful in helping pick up the mess from Saturday night's storm.  The festival ended up closing early on Sunday because of threatening hail and tornadoes.

After seeing the horrible aftermath of tornado damage in our own Granbury, TX, and the next day in OK CIty, I feel very grateful and humbled.  This is nothing in comparison, just a lot of time to spend on restoring stock and ordering new equipment.  It's not our lives or our homes.  Thanks to all our artist family--show staff, volunteers, and fellow artists--who cared for me.

P.S.  Y'all will love this: the cameraman who was interviewing me on Sunday morning pointed out that I looked somewhat despondent as I was hauling dripping jackets to the car.  You'll notice my response wasn't included in the broadcast.

More about that storm: http://www.newson6.com/story/22292893/mayfest-blue-dome-festivals-closing-early#.UZocprjdyvc.email

Anyone watching the show reviews on this site and making plans for next year, here are some news stories about some of the bigger shows that took place last weekend, besides Reston (reported on by Elle H.), E. Lansing (reported on by John Leben) and Belleville. We're still waiting to hear if anyone was there ;)

Indianapolis' favorite, hosted by the Indianapolis Art Center, the Broad Ripple Art Fair in one of Indy's hippest neighborhoods: http://www.ibj.com/lou-harrys-ae-2013-05-19-notes-from-the-broad-ripple-art-fair-hilty-on-stage-parking-garage-art-etc/PARAMS/post/41444

A bunch of AFI-ers were there. How was it?

Springfield, IL's, 52nd Old Capitol Art Fair - heck this show is almost as old as the Old Capitol. The show is held on the grounds surrounding the Old Capitol building (where Lincoln served and Obama declared his quest for the Presidency): The weekend's beautiful meant "Old Capital draws record crowds!"  http://www.sj-r.com/breaking/x776192136/Old-Capitol-Art-Fair-draws-record-crowds

And the prizewinners were:

First place: Jill Bedford, $1,500

Second place: Maria Bedford, $1,300

Third place: Robert Trisko and Ian Lieberman, $1,000

Best new artist: J.D. Nolan, $750

Children’s tent

First place: Lou Zale, $500

Second place: Jay Thomson, $400

Third place: Steven Martin, $300

We did this show many times. It is full of the old timers and many AFI-ers were there also. You know who I am talking about -- how about a report?

Howard Alan Events hosted one of their coolest shows in the Kansas City Power & Light District (the 6th Annual) - and kept the show going despite storm warnings. Whether to stay or to go was a concern for artists, the brave did prevail!  http://www.theolathenews.com/2013/05/19/1939697/art-show-at-power-light-district.html

Hush, don't tell anyone about this sweet small show in Marion, IA, Marion Arts Festival. Yep AFI-ers were there too -- learn its secrets: http://hooplanow.com/2013/05/16/marion-arts-festival-its-art/

The 29th Annual Stockley Gardens art festival in Norfolk, VA, hosted 150 artists. Can anyone tell us more about this well-established event? http://www.wavy.com/dpp/news/local_news/norfolk/many-attend-stockley-gardens-art-festival

For all those participating in the St. James art festival I've arranged a discounted hotal rate of $59 ($30 off normal rate) at the Sleep Inn on Preston Hwy. The hotel has recently been renovated all rooms have fridge& micro, breakfast, free parking, it's safe, clean and only 3 miles from show site. If interested call the hotel directly at 1-502-368-9597 and ask for the artist rate. Last year the hotel sold out very quickly so if you're interested make you reservations now.

Hi Friends.....here is my review of Reston...

I arrived Friday morning to a very well organized check in and nice volunteers.  This show is one of the most impeccably organized shows I have ever been to.  There are about 220 artists in the show and they have the check in and set up down to a science. The show is on the streets of the Reston Town Center, an affluent shopping and office area.  I drove up to my booth and unloaded and set up.  I met my neighbors, all of whom were very nice people, professional and fun. 

Friday evening the show opened at 5pm and ran until 8pm.  Weather was good and the crowd was good.  I sold a decenet amount of my small pieces Friday night, no standard size pieces.

Saturday we had rain and cool weather.  This show is definitely affected by the weather.  Crowds were light all day.  Sales were slow and I was lucky.  I managed to finish Saturday at the break even point with the addition of Friday night's sales.  I was greatful to have covered costs, but very surprised to have only done that, after what was billed as a major show with great sales.  Those around me were not as fortunate by the end of Saturday.  Two of my neighbors were still at zero. 

Artist amenities....the show has a great amount of volunteers who booth sit and are willing to help you in any way they can.  I was impressed with the number of volunteers, their willingness to help and they were all very friendly.  Security was evident and professional.  Continental breakfast offered each day as well as water delivered to the booth.  Free t-shirt at check in.  These were the only amenities. 

Sunday came with better weather and the crowds were light until about 1pm.  All of a sudden, all hell broke loose and the buying crowd was there with vigor.  I sold a lot on Sunday and ended up making a nice paycheck profit.  Not my best show of the year, but a profit that made the drive worth it.  My one neighbor did about 5K in an hour with photography, my other neighbor did nothing and the other neighbor who had been at zero sold a small amount of work that still did not cover booth fee. 

I was approached by a producer (identity and legitimacy verified) from ESPN's show Pardon The Interruption.  They chose my work for their set.  They would like a piece every six weeks to sit over the shoulder of one of the anchors.  This blew my mind and I am so happy they chose me.  There is no money involved, they will be borrowing each piece, but the exposure is priceless.  If you are interested the show is on ESPN Monday-Friday evenings and the first piece is Juggles The Juggler.  I will be sending them a sports themed piece again next month and so on.

Load out was just as organized as load in, we were not able to drive up to the booth until 5pm, one hour after closing at 4pm, due to pedestrian safety and the police needed time to clear the streets.  Wanting to get on the road as soon as I could, I chose to dolly out to the van which was parked in the artist lot a block and a half away.  I got everything loaded up and done in about 90 minutes.  I didn't mind dollying out, for me it is a good workout!  I said good bye to my neighbors and hit the road!

Overall, the show is professionally ran, organized and juried quite well.  There were some fabulous artists there, no buy/sell and no questionable work.  I made a decent paycheck profit and my work was picked up by ESPN.  I will apply again and if accepted, do the show.  I will expect average sales at this show. 

I am off next weekend!!!!!!!!! I will be at Summerfair in Cincinnatti, OH in two weeks.  I will review that show two weeks from today.  Stay tuned and thanks for reading!!!!

Saturday  

The weather was GREAT for this show on May 18 & 19 in the home town of Michigan State University. Spartans were everywhere. So was construction. It was a bit confusing finding our way into the art fair grounds because of all the street closings and construction on the main drag, but once we found our way in for Friday set-up, things went pretty smoothly. We took our time setting up on the street between 1 and 5pm Friday. Our biggest problem was the drastic tilt of the street making setting up the tent evenly a bit of an engineering problem. The terrible condition of the street, itself, was an issue as well. there was a big pothole toward the back of the booth that I nearly sprained my ankle in while setting up. I kept tripping in the thing. I had visions of patrons sprawling on the pavement when the art fair got underway with lawsuits as a result. We solved the problem (kind of) borrowing a piece of old plywood from the friends we were staying with in nearby Okemos. I put it under our grey rug over the hole and duct taped all around it. A few people still tripped on the plywood, but it pretty much solved the problem.

We had exhibited at the East Lansing Art Fair many times in the p[ast, and usually set up in the parking lot, but construction around town forces the committee to reconfigure the show and spread it out on local streets. We were worried about whether people would come out because it was hard to get into town. But the crowds did come... especially on Saturday. The show organizers had remote parking and lots of shuttle busses to bring patrons into the art fair.

Our sales were great on Saturday. We far surpassed last years Saturday sales and then far surpassed last year's total sales. We had visions of some great sales totals if Sunday was anywhere near as good as Saturday. But it didn't happen. Our Sunday sales were dismal, amounting to less than half of what we sold on Sunday last year. It always amazes me how an art fair crowd can be so different from one day to the next. There was great karma and buying energy on Saturday, but nothing on Sunday.

Packing up was pretty easy. I had moved my trailer on Saturday evening from the trailer parking lot (which was a good six blocks from my booth) and snuck it into a car parking garage less than a block away from the booth. I knew trailers were not allowed in that lot, but I took a chance. Unfortunately, I found a parking ticket on my trailer on Sunday evening when I went to retrieve it. While I was breaking down the booth one of the volunteers overheard me telling Marcia about the ticket. She told us that the Art Fair would take care of any parking tickets that us artists collected. I happily turned over the parking ticket to her, and thanked her. Nice policy.

All in all, we sold over $1000 more this year than we did last year, so it was a good show... especially since our travel expenses were so low. Travel was less than 2 hours from home and we stayed with friends instead of a hotel. It could have been a GREAT show if sales on Sunday came through but I'm happy. 

September 21 & 22  
Durham, North Carolina
Downtown Durham
Presented by the Durham Arts Council
Sat. 10am-6pm; Sun. 11am-5pm
135 visual artist exhibitors
Deadline: May 31

CenterFest is a competitive, juried festival attracting high-quality fine art and fine crafts.  In it's 39th year, CenterFest is the longest running outdoor juried arts festival in North Carolina.  Located in Durham's lively downtown district, the event is a favorite among visual artists, performing artists and visitors.

Durham's recent Creative Vitality Index score indicates Durham has grown to be a top creative community in the U.S.  In 2012, after extensive community planning, CenterFest relocated from the Central Park District to the City Center, aligning the festival with the new spirit of our entrepreneurial city.

CenterFest 2013 will leverage the extraordinary assets of the downtown district, including culinary arts components, exciting entertainment and historic districts, and a cutting edge creative community, to highlight the high quality of the visual artists and the sophistication of the creative class demographic.  The festival will feature 65 performing acts, locally sourced food vendors and a creative community expo. 

Durham has just been proclaimed the "Tastiest Town in the South" by Southern Living Magazine and the downtown district features many of the restaurants that helped earn that title. 

Our expanded marketing campaign includes support from:

• the Durham Convention and Visitors Bureau
• the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce
• Downtown Durham, Inc. 
• and radio, television and regional newspaper sponsors will continue to build an audience from a strong and growing regional market.  

Annual attendance at the Festival is over 24,000 guests.  A special VIP Breakfast for targeted art buyers and the Citizen's Choice Award will be featured again this year.

Artist Amenities:

• Easy Load in/load out  
• Free parking
• 24 hour security
• Discounted rates at sponsor hotel
• 1 complimentary breakfast and lunch per booth per day
• Booth sitting
• Merit awards totaling $2,500
• Artists and images listed and linked on CenterFest website
• Friendly and supportive staff

For more info:  www.centerfest.durhamarts.org  

Application:  www.Zapplication.org/event-info-public.php?fair_id=2404 

E-mail: Centerfest@durhamarts.org 

Phone: (919)560-2722 

Saturdays and Sundays May 25 thru Sept 2 2013

Art on the Star aspires to meet this desire of the tourist by offering direct dealings with the artist in a art fair atmosphere on a regular basis throughout the summer--much like a farmer's market. Also, it intends to give the artist a chance to show and sell their work in a art hot spot area at minimal cost ($25 per day for 10x10 space and no commissions). Artists can come for Saturday or Sunday or both. Payment is due before set up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From Connie: Lots of artists live in this area. Do you have an open weekend and live nearby? This might work nicely for the convenience and the opportunity to catch the summer crowd who loves this area of the Michigan shoreline. I've been on this route in the summer. People cruising along on vacation, checking out the antique shops and galleries. The owner of the property is an artist and wants to help you cash in on these beautiful summer days. Can't beat the price!

www.mirkosevicart.com

Ever hear of "free"? Yes, Virginia, a whole bunch of art fairs would love to see you at one of their art fairs and are offering free booth spaces at art fairs from Massachsetts to Florida to Kentucky to Wisconsin, Chicago, Colorado ... 

If you want to test the waters in Atlanta, look at this:

Florida, North Carolina & Kentucky:

How about Chicago?

Free booth space at the Gold Coast Art Fair Chicago, IL - June 29 & 30 Value $595 from Amy Amdur www.AmdurProductions.com

High end marketplace in Massachusetts:

Free booth space at Berkshires Arts Festival (2 weekends) Great Barrington, MA  July 4-6 & July 12-14 Value from $495 from Richard & Joanna Rothbard www.AmericanArtMarketing.com

Classy neighborhood in Sarasota:

Free Booth Space Sarasota Masters Art Festival February 1 & 2, 2014 Value $385 from Richard Sullivan www.Boulderbrook.net

Did you say New Jersey?

Did you say Colorado?

A free booth space at one of Howard Alan Event's award winning Colorado shows:  Beaver Creek, Aspen or Frisco ($350 value) (provided the show isn't full, you pass the jury and display is acceptable)  - from Howard Alan  www.artfestival.com

Travel anyone?

A free booth space at any Paragon Fine Art Festival Anywhere, anytime  (provided the show isn't full, you pass the jury and display is acceptable) - from Bill Kinney  ($350 value)

And how about a clearance sale in Wisconsin this winter?

and how about this prize?

Complete TrimLine Canopy retail value $895 Includes steel Frame, heavy duty vinyl Top with skylight and heat/wind vents, and 4 zippered Sidewalls for all-weather protection. Many extra options are available to order for full customization. (Shipping charges not included with prize) flourish.com 1-800-296-0049

Flourish company is proud to support ArtFairInsiders.com and the art show community!

It's not like 1000's of people will be lined up to win these 80+ prizes. You could be the winner!

Click on this link to see them all: http://www.artfaircalendar.com/art_fair/pledgedrive.html

August 10 & 11  
Loveland, Colorado
North Lake Park
Sponsored by: Thompson Valley Art League
Sat. 10am-5pm; Sun. 10am-4pm 

230 Artists
Deadline: June 1

The Thompson Valley Art League invites you to participate in the 49th Annual Art in the Park.  This Fine Art and Craft Festival is one of the oldest in Colorado and is attended by collectors from around the world.  Art in the Park is in it's 49th year and will feature over 200 artists.  Their work includes pottery, painting, clothing, metalwork, jewelry and many other items of inventive art and fine crafts.

Art in the Park runs in conjunction with Sculpture in the Park and The Sculpture Invitational.  Together, these shows bring some of the best artists in the country together as well as attracting visitors from all over the world.

What to Expect:

• Over 200 juried booths of fine art and crafts hand made in the USA
• Delicious Food carts and live music during the event
• Local volunteers to help you set up and take down your booths
• Detailed map and thoughtfully designed brochure for visitors to easily find you

North Lake Park is full of old trees for shade, a spectacular view of the Rocky Mountains and activities for adults and children, including a playground and train.

 

Art in the Park is sponsored by the Thompson Valley Art League, a non-profit that works with Artists in Northern Colorado.

 

For more info. and application: www.artintheparkloveland.com  

Or Contact: Megan Tracy, Event Director, artinthepark@qwestoffice.net

I was on the wait list for a long long time. I checked Zapp this afternoon and the wait list changed to Invited! Yay! Trying to get into some larger shows this sophomore year. But this is one I really wanted to get into. After a lot of rejections (about a 70% not invited rate), this news came in very sweet! You can see my whole schedule here...

http://fatcatimages.com/schedule/2013-schedule/

Woo hoo! Amazing prizes available to all of you who pledge in our 4th Annual Birthday Party Pledge Drive, including:

From Greg Lawler at the Art Fair Sourcebook:

2013 + 2014 Online Subscriptio n w/Diamond Upgrade     Regional Editions  Value $278/Calendar Year from Greg Lawler More info: http://artfairsourcebook.com/about-us/art-show-craft-fair-book.html

From Amy Amdur of Amdur Productions:

Free booth space at the Gold Coast Art Fair Chicago, IL - June 29 & 30 Value $595 from Amy Amdur www.AmdurProductions.com

From Steve Sawusch at TPT Pro:

20”x30” Canvas Gallery Wrap in Float Frame  includes shipping Retail Value $294.95, Pro Value $238.95 Have your favorite image or best seller printed on canvas and finished with a beautiful float frame by TPT Pro. from Steve Sawusch -  http://www.tptpro.com/

From Carol Miller:

Leather messenger bag Perfect for travel, work and school. 13.5" wide, zip top closure, back outside zip pocket, fully lined inner zip pocket; strap is 2.75" wide and 49" long adjustable strap                 Retail value $195.00                  From Carol S. Miller              www.carolsmillerhangbags.com

From Larry Berman:

Imaging services worth $140 from Larry Berman www.BermanGraphics.com

From the Broad Ripple Art Fair:

From Richard & Joanna Rothbard:

Free booth space at Berkshires Arts Festival - 2 dates Great Barrington, MA  July 4-6 & July 12-14 Value from $495 from Richard & Joanna Rothbard www.AmericanArtMarketing.com

From Scott Fox:

From ACT Insurance:

$100 Amazon gift card for your art & craft needs from www.Actinspro.com Insurance for art & craft shows & festivals

From Susan Sharps:

Burnt Floral Clutch with Rhinestone Button This unique clutch, made from a placemat, is a perfect addition to your spring wardrobe. This cotton clutch measures 10 x 13" and is lined with a burnt orange recycled cotton. Velcro closure, interior pocket and gorgeous rhinestone button accent round out this cute clutch.  $18.00 from Susan Sharps For other beautiful things: www.etsy.com/shop/Pinoodles

Click here for more prizes and learn how to win: http://www.artfaircalendar.com/art_fair/pledgedrive.html

Did the 2nd Annual Dewey Beach Arts Festival (juried) last weekend with my hand-poured scented soy candles as my product. This is my craft business which supports my fine art show habit. So please don't make fun of a product which generates twice as much revenue as my award-winning fine art paintings... 

The scheduled Saturday show date was an off-and-on stormy rain-out and thankfully show management called off the event via text and e-mail very, very, early in the AM after apparently staying up late to watch the weather (I got both - just before I headed out the door at 5 AM for my 7 AM set-up time)

Sadly some folks read the Friday e-mail which said things were a "GO", but forgot that the e-mail also said check your e-mail before you leave on show day as things might change with the weather. So a few folks showed up on Saturday after a several hour ride to find the show called due to weather - and then checked their e-mail and texts...............

The scheduled rain date was the day following and after a damp set-up, the weather turned sunny, warmed up and was beautiful.... A perfect Mother's Day - unless you're related to Mother Nature....... There was music, kids art and activities, some free food, fine art, photography, craft and jewelry.

I saw a 'professional' tent rental company come in and rebar-stake a rental tent right into the asphalt of a town street...I was wondering why the underground utilities were marked....now I knew why... Couldn't believe I was watching this guy sledging rebar through the asphalt.. knowing there was a natural gas line running down his side of the street. The underground utilities mark-outs are only so accurate (as I know from my environmental geology days of drilling monitoring wells in urban settings) and you just don't go punching rebar into the asphalt several feet without a whole lot more information on the utilities.... Reviewed the show rules - there was nothing in there about staking in the street.........

Unfortunately, this beautiful weather was due to a frontal boundary passing through with very closely spaced isobars (this means it's gonna get real windy) The winds got to sustained 20-30 mph with higher gusts and they called the show 1/2 hr early...

To my knowledge, despite a preponderance of EZ-ups, nobody had any tent flying/collapsing/sailing - and this is because show management stressed bringing lots of weight. They also helped lots of folks, including me break down in the gale...  I had over 200 lbs of weight on my tent and it was still pushing it around - but not picking it up. Part of this was having my sidewalls up which kept the wind out from under the canopy top, but still acted as a sail.

As Robert has said elsewhere - rubber feet on your tent legs are essential to keeping skidding to a minimum when on pavement, but this doesn't help if your pavement is getting covered with blowing sand.

The event was juried during the application process and was judged onsite, with ribbons and gift certificates being awarded to the winners. Several jewelers said there was too much jewelry (a more common lament these days - yet lots of jewelers keep applying to events and juries keep overloading the category - but that's an entirely different discussion).

Sales were slow to start happening. Part of this was due to the weather changeover from marginal to beautiful and part of this was waiting for church services and Mother's Day brunches to be completed. I saw lots of packages being carried about; including lots of stuff with frames. Despite the slow start, rain date, and slightly early close, my sales were as good as the year before - which isn't outstanding, but I covered costs and made a profit.... I had multiple repeat business customers who had seen me at other events and had an events planner make an inquiry about wholesale... (Yay!) There's nothing like having people stand at your booth and praise your products to other potential buyers... You can't buy this sort of advertising for a consumable craft item - especially if you aren't kettle corn, corn-dogs, or sugared nuts

Show management (made up of local business people - The Dewey Beach Business Partnership) was competent, helpful and were looking out for the artists and artisans. They get good marks for keeping everyone well informed about the weather-related cancellation and showed good judgement in calling the event because of weather.

Do the show again? Yup. Howard Alan quality event - nope. Easy set-up and windy teardown. Well attended for a second-annual in a pre-season beach town. Well publicized in the area, but not in Wilmington, DE or Philadelphia to my knowledge. Wouldn't do this one yet with high-end high-priced items - I think there's a limited market for this at this event still.... However, I may bring my art and my craft next year to this event... This event has potential if management keeps working on it as they have for the first two events...

What could they fix? Hmm... They could work on the maintenance of the venue - by having better provisions for puddle problems for the next time... but they did ok considering the situation they were handed

Setting prices appropriately is often discussed on these virtual pages, so I thought I'd share this article written for online American Express members.  Somewhat to my surprise, the author even included an example from a jeweler at craft fairs!

Read it here. 

Aksarben Village/37th and Center
Sat. 10am-7pm
Sun. 10am-4pm
80 Artists
Deadline: June 1

ARTsarben is a high quality, juried fine artshow that features the work of 80 artists in a variety of 2D and 3D media.  The show features traditional fine art as well as fine crafts including offbeat, creative and assemblage artwork that attracts buyers of every age group. In its first year (2012), ARTsarben drew more than 20,000 attendees over the two days.

Noteworthy:

• Affluent Shoppers
• Mixed-use Urban Lifestyle Setting
• Established Neighborhood
• Multi-use Park and Amphitheater 
• Free and Convenient Parking
• Jury/Booth Fees: $30/$300
• Electricity is available for an extra fee of $75

Aksarben Village is a $300 million development that combines retail, restaurants, entertainment, 

residential and hotels to offer an exciting planned urban community in the heart of Omaha.

For more information about the Aksarben Village area, please visit: www.aksarbenvillage.com  

Established art fair presenters, the Omaha Summer ArtsFestival and Vic Gutman & Associates are proud to partner to present this fall event.  For more information, click on the appropriate links below, or contact Emily Peklo at epekio@vegagroup.com with your questions. Or call her at (402)345-5401 ext. 106 .

Now Accepting Applications: www.Zapplication.org 

Search "Participating Shows" Tab for: ARTsarben-2nd Annual-Produced by the Omaha Summer Arts Festival

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Find more fine art fairs for your 2013 schedule: www.CallsforArtists.com

I got distracted and didn't get around to posting this good story about behind the scenes happenings at the best St. Louis area art fairs. My apologies to Laumeier that took place last weekend.

Artists often brag about not doing first year art fairs - me, I brag about the ones we did do. We were there for the first art fair in the Laumeier Sculpture Park. It was started by Pat Macias who had run the State Street Area Art Fair in Ann Arbor and she invited us. That was probably 20 years ago and our participation and that of others that first year was the beginning of an event that remains strong to this day.

Here's a good article from St. Louis Today with interviews with Patty Gregory whose highly ranked Belleville (IL) Art on the Square will be held this weekend. (Any of you going to be there?) Coming up the first weekend of June is the 1st Annual Taste of Midtown ART FAIR in St. Louis, with veteran show organizer Dennis Gorg. Also included is info about Art + Air in Webster Groves.

Had to laugh over this comment from Marie Oberkirsch, “All I give them is a patch of grass that’s 10-foot-by-10-foot and an electrical cord." Of course she and the others also provide nice amenities, because let's fact it folks, artists talk!

Here are some other things they do:

But behind the scenes, promoters work to please artists, too. Art + Air offers visiting artists a great deal on lodging at nearby dormitories, Art on the Square serves a Champagne brunch and secures artist-in-residence gigs for many of its artists, and Taste of Midtown will deliver free meals. Most award huge cash prizes, too.

Sounds cushy, doesn't it?

http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/arts-and-theatre/artists-have-high-hopes-for-local-art-fairs/article_f19b5e7d-93f5-51b9-ad33-7353109bcceb.html

Fair winds and sunny skies to everyone this weekend!