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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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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!

WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 5 PM ET

Most artists have made their peace with the digital upload systems, www.Zapplication.org, www.JuriedArtServices.com and www.EntryThingy.com. If you want to participate in the better shows you sign up and upload your images for the jury. 

But how did this get started and what is the relationship of the individual artist or individual art fair with these systems?

Here are our experts:

• photographer Larry Oliverson who was instrumental in introducing the concept of online applications to the art fair business by bringing artists, art fairs and Westaf (the agency which provides ZAPP) together
• painter Kathleen Eaton who is an artist member of the ZAPP Oversight Committee and is writing a book about the history of art fairs. During the past two years she has juried two shows that used the ZAPP system
• Leah Charney, Manager of ZAPP®. She oversees the ZAPP product and the 350+ clients, 570+ events and more than 60,000 active artists that use the system

These guests have a long history with the organization and can provide both historical data as well as current operating information.

We'll discuss the myths and truths about:

• how Zapp has changed the art fair business
• Zapp's relationship with the shows
• best practices on preparing your application and making digital systems work for you
• what an "artist advisor" does

Zapp is going to be around for a long time and understanding its processes and using it to its fullest is advantageous to everyone in the art fair business. 

Call into the show: (805) 243-1338.

Leave your questions in the comments below and I'll include them in the podcast.

For more details on how ZAPP uses artists to advise and develop their system:

HowZAPPworkswithartists.rtf

ArtBirmingham, the perennial favorite once known as the Birmingham Fine Art Festival, returned to Shain Park in downtown Birmingham, Michigan for the second season since the park was redone in 2011. The show is run by The Guild, by artists, for artists, and generally they did a fine job. Put on in conjunction with the Birmingham/Bloomfield Art Center, this show attracts well-heeled buyers from Birmingham, West Bloomfield and the surrounding communities.

Setup on Friday afternoon and evening is well-orchestrated and orderly. The folks in the middle of the park and near the bandshell get to come in first and then the folks on the surrounding streets. The layout is open, and somewhat spread out, so it's pretty easy to drive to your space (if you're on the street), or dolly if you're in the park.

Saturday morning was chilly, as predicted, and cloudy. It got up to about 58 degrees or so, and people did come out. Last year's show was moved to the weekend of Memorial Day, and attendance suffered as a result. This year, the show got moved back to Mother's Day weekend, largely due to the efforts of Annie VanGelderen, President of the BBAC, and Max Clayton, Director of the Guild. And the turnout seemed to reinforce that good decision.

I saw quite a few packages walking by, and a couple larger 2-D pieces wrapped in black plastic. But it was a tad cold, colder than normal for spring in Michigan. Frankly, I was surprised to see as many people as there were on Saturday. I sold a few pieces, one to a previous collector, and had some good conversations with others, considering a purchase. Others I talked to didn't do as well.

Sunday was a different story. With temps predicted to rise only to the mid-forties, and 50 being a far-off dream, Mother's Day turned up a much sparser crowd. The sun was out in the morning, and made brief appearances all afternoon. But overnight the wind had picked up, and took out at least four booths that I counted. One glass artist near the fountain had left work on shelves overnight, and much of it bit the dust during the evening hours. Another clay artist lost a shelf full of work with a loud crash heard round the world. Several artists packed up and left early, expecting the worst, or having tents unable to withstand the predicted 40mph wind gusts. And it was cold. Did I say it was cold? At opening, it was around 40 degrees. Brr, chilly.

By noon, there were people walking the streets. Many of them walked quickly, only stopping at the booths they wanted to see. A $20 bill blew down the street, and I trapped it under my foot. (If you lost a twenty, contact me off-line with the serial number, and I will return it to you). Sales for me were pretty slim. Had lots of browsers, but it was too damn cold to do much but shiver. Then it started to sleet. Nice round white pellets of graupel. We took down some of the art in the front of the booth, as it was getting peppered by the wind and the sleet. The snow stopped quickly, though, and the sun came out again. A few more people trickled in, but generally nobody bought in our neck of the woods. My booth was on Martin Street, at the corner of Bates, near a new four-story condo, and got the full effect of those forty mile an hour wind blasts. It was a struggle keeping the tent on the ground, even with 75 pound weights on each corner. The wind was blowing straight into the tent. We left the back door open to vent the pressure, and that helped some. It was a bit like sailing a 40 yacht on Lake St. Clair in a gale. We kept trimming the sails, and turning the boat, to keep from capsizing. The sun went away, and it sleeted again, briefly. We did the shiver dance. A few patrons blew by the booth. As the afternoon wore on, we wished for an end to the deep-freeze. At three o'clock Max Clayton came by, and said, "Only two more hours!" Thanks, Max!

Saw a few friends. Barry Bernstein dropped by. His new work is captivating. He said he tried Nels' trick of running out into the street, and holding patrons hostage till they produced a platinum Amex card, but that didn't seem to work. Doug Remien was there, with his beautiful nature landscapes. Bruce Reinfeld, another photographer, was kitty corner from me, and didn't seem to have the trouble with the wind. Stephen Huyser-Honig was down the street with another double, showing photographs of Michigan in the lee of the condo, and didn't have the wind issues either. My advice? Stay away from booth 030 if you are accepted into the show! Elissa Brown stopped by and introduced herself. She had on the most marvelous blue hat. Unfortunately, I didn't have the opportunity to see her mixed-media work. Next time, perhaps. The inspiration for the headline came from Elissa's blog, though.

All in all, the show was a success for many. The weather definitely played a role, but I heard from several artists that they had good sales. Our sales were up from last year. Others did not fare as well. It did seem to prove the point that bad weather won't keep the serious buyers away, but it did keep the traffic down. The dog walkers were definitely there though. Lots of dogs. And a few strollers. Would I go back? Yes. It's local for me, and traditionally the start of the Michigan show season. There are buyers to be found, and the buy/sell seems to have been eliminated from years past. It's a nice venue, parking is within a couple of blocks, and there are many fine restaurants in the area. With the support of the artist community, this show could once again become the jewel that it was years ago. Certainly the venue is lovely, and the move back to Mother's Day marks the start of spring and the show season in Michigan.

After pack-up, we celebrated the warmth with painter Diane Sicheneder and her husband Gary with tremendous margaritas and mole enchiladas at Miguels in Rochester. Two pitchers of margaritas later, we rolled home and into our warm beds.

August 25    
Littleton, Colorado (Denver Metro area)
Sunday, 10am-4pm
125 Artists
Deadline: May 28

Since its inaugural show in 2012, the Affordable Arts Festival (AAF) has created quite a buzz in both the art community and the art buyers in the Denver area.  With 115 artists from more than a dozen states attending the event last year the artists and buyers immediately found out how much fun it can be to have such a buying frenzy at an arts festival. 

Why the frenzy?  Because every piece of art is priced at $100 or less.  We invite you to get the whole story on our website or see the feature article about the show in the March 2013 Sunshine Artist Magazine: www.bluetoad.com/publication/?i=146315

The Festival benefits the Arapahoe Community College foundation. 

AAF has partnered with the Arapahoe Community college to host the show on their campus and in return the proceeds from the admission fees ($5) go to support students, especially their art school.

And then, consider these items:

• Over 60,000 vehicles drive by the show location daily and the show is advertised on 2 LED screens on that street for weeks leading up to the event
• With TV (CBS4 is a sponsor), radio and print ads plus extensive PR, social media, online promotions and more than $30,000 in total advertising this is a well publicized event
• The director, Jim Delutes, a former art show artist and the director of the successful Downtown Denver Arts Festival brings his expertise to this event.
• Application fee is $25-Booth fee is $195 (15x15 booth space) and you have the option to set up on Saturday. 

Application is available on: www.Zapplication.org  

Get more information and see our galleries of last year's artists at: www.AffordableArtsFestival.com

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Find even more art fairs for 2013: www.CallsforArtists.com

Jim Delutes-   Director (303)330-8237