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"We, the under-signed artists, believe exorbitant jury fees are un-necessary and unfair.  Starting December 31, 2013 we will no longer apply to art shows that charge more than $35 for an application/jury fee.

We believe that with fair-warning shows can adjust their budgets accordingly and plan ahead as we, artists, have to do."

Anybody with me on this?  If sent to every show in the country, would they respond?  Would they, boldly, go ahead and release their new show announcement with a $40, $45 or $50 application fee?

You tell me....

September 28 & 29  
Madison, Georgia
10am-5pm 
125 Artists
Deadline: April 28

If you only do one show in the Southeast this year, this should be the one!   

• Developed through the input from dozens of top Festival Artists   
• dedicated to  showcasing the best in contemporary fine art and fine craft, while also  enabling the engagement and exposure of many local and nonprofit  interests.    
• In our first year we are implementing a Homestay Program for  Festival artists, with the aim of defraying some of the upfront costs  artists typically have to bear. 

Our goal is to create a national arts market that recognizes and rewards the investments artists make to being here, while also giving our art patrons and supporters significant value for their investments as well.

Admission will be charged, and will be offset via our Festival Merchant Discount Program, giving Festival artists and visitors a 10% discount on purchases at participating local restaurants, hotels, and retailers.

The setting for the Festival is the beautiful historic antebellum town of Madison, Georgia, known as "the town Sherman refused to burn," and "the #1 small town in America" (Travel Holiday Magazine). 

It has a reputation as an internationally select destination, and perfectly reflects the qualities of our Festival namesake...The Cotton South. Surely hope you will join us in our inaugural event.

For more info: http://www.cottonsoutharts.com/
Application:   http://www.zapplication.org

(sponsored post)

Mark Rogers and his company FrameDestination.com has been a sponsor of this website and our newsletters for many years. We thought you would be interested in their news and this opportunity:

Frame Destination Inc. produced and sold 12,000 GalleryPouch™ Gold premium bubble bags. To mark the milestone, the company has made $12,000 in e-gift certificates available for new and existing customers.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Mark Rogers, founder and President of Frame Destination says: "We're overjoyed to have reached this milestone for our line of GalleryPouch™ bubble wrap bags, and we're very happy to be able to extend a special offer for our clients in April and May."

GalleryPouch™ premium bubble bags are heavyweight bags made from 3/16-inch polyethylene that is smooth on both sides. The product was invented by photographer, author and consultant Andrew Darlow, and co-developed by Andrew Darlow and Mark Rogers after much research and testing. Darlow notes: "I feel very fortunate to have partnered with Mark Rogers and Frame Destination to develop the GalleryPouch™ line. What began as a something that I needed to protect my own work and the artwork of my clients has become a product that has been used to protect thousands items, from framed or stretched pieces of art to a host of other products. It gives me much satisfaction to know that I've been able to help many others solve the very common problem of being able to quickly and easily protect artwork, electronics, etc. with a bag fit to size, while still being able to see the internal contents."

Frame Destination has made $5 e-gift certificates available to new and existing customers in the form of a special discount code that can be redeemed on Frame Destination's website. The company has made the code valid until 5/31/2013 or after 2400 uses.

For more information, visit http://www.framedestination.com.

Congratulations to each of the artists. I'm pleased with mine! Each of the awards is hand-made by a fabric artist and comes with a nice monetary award as well. None of this store bought stuff!

In March, I drove from Virginia to Arizona, painting, doing a show and visiting my dad - and buyers paid for the whole trip in advance! 

I'm working with a prosperity coach, and he suggested the idea. It is somewhat along the lines of a Kickstarter deal, but much more grassroots. 

For each $100, a sponsor receives a 10-inch-by-10-inch painting, a discount on a larger painting, and a chance to win any piece of mine or a commission, up to 36x60. In addition, sponsors got postcards from me on the road, daily sponsor-only emails, access to a sponsor-only blog (this was essentially my daily Constant Contact emails, plus extra photos), a chance to win a paint-splattered T-shirt in which I painted, and a collage that I still need to figure out and create. 

I promoted this notion on my own blog, The Accidental Artist, on Patch, and on Facebook, and via Constant Contact emails I sent to buyers and friends. 

I was hesitant, at first, and initially didn't promote it very hard. Though I am working full-time as an artist, and self-promoting All The Time, I still wrestled with the notion of asking people to pay in advance for paintings! But as soon as I posted it on my blog, people began to sign up. 

I ended up with 23 sponsors who signed up for 28 paintings! WOW! 

I made 20 10x10s while I was traveling, and made a few larger paintings, too, most of which sold at the show in Tucson. (To see my review, click here.) I took a ton of photos, and will make paintings from the trip through the end of the month. 

If the sponsors don't see a painting that they want from my trip series, they can have a 10x10 from any time throughout the year. This is a size I paint all the time. Started as a project (100x100, 100 10x10 paintings that I sell for 100) and has continued as a low-cost line for shows. 

It's a great idea, and one that I will use again. You can make it work however it works for you, of course. I already have a sponsor for my next trip. 

People loved getting the daily emails from me. They loved seeing photos of where I was, people I talked to, and the Dog of the Day, a part of the email I sort of fell into. They really loved seeing photos of my painting and my painting in the landscape (I will include one of each here). 

Questions? Ask away. I'll answer all that I can. I really encourage anyone to try this sponsored approach. It's great for plein-air painters, but could work in all sorts of situations. 

I applied for the Fourth Avenue Street Fair as a lark. It would be part of a painting trip and visit to my dad, who lives about an hour south of Tucson. 

I had a very good show, good enough that I would happily consider doing it again. 

When I told people here and elsewhere that I was contemplating this show, many discouraged me, saying that it really is a street fair, as opposed to an art show. And it was - but there were tons of people there, and they were buying everything from jams and jewelry and tie-dyed T-shirts - to sculpture and ceramics and, yes, paintings. 

It's a three-day show, in a funky, artsy, hippie neighborhood in Tucson. Parking is atrocious, set-up can be dicey, and take-down is a madhouse. For lots of reasons, I rented a tent, and while that came (as it always seems to) with its own share of issues, it solved even more issues for me. I did manage to get a good parking place, so my set-up was easy, and I dollied out and avoided the take-down madness. 

So that's the downside - and that's it! 

There were TONS of people at the show. All three days, from before the official opening to after the official closing, the street was jammed. People were friendly, interested, polite. 

Volunteers came by regularly with water, snacks and offers of booth-sitting. Saturday, there were not as many volunteers, or at least they didn't visit as frequently, but Friday and Sunday, I'd say they came by every hour. 

An odd thing at the start bears mention - homeless people, or I am assuming they were homeless, or at least down on their luck - came by, seeking work helping putting up. Several of my neighbors used these guys, and said they worked really hard and did an excellent job, for $20-$30.

Other good things included decent food, plenty of port-a-potties, and a restaurant/coffee shop nearby that was OK with letting people use their facilities. The merchants put on the show, and were generally happy to have us there, though the show does close down the streets for three days. Security was evident and abundant. 

The show was organized really well, it seemed to me. The director came by on Sunday and introduced himself, wanting to know how I was, how I'd done, and how the show could improve. 

I made about $3,000, and was pleased. 

An Open Letter to the Jury:

Part II:The Artists' Statement:

Again, our conversations have evolved quite a bit on this issue. As juries have become more and more anonymous through the use of application software like Zapp Management and Art Thingy, the conversation between artist and jury is, at most, limited and often entirely missing. Often, it isn't until you've been accepted and payment has been made before a bio and statement are even requested. Often, the only two words we read when checking our application status is: "not accepted."

For the first time in twelve years, I was contacted by a jury two weeks ago. I was surprised and frankly, caught off guard by their questions, but I was also flattered and pleased they took the time to discuss my art. Regardless of their ultimate decision, I was given an extremely rare opportunity to explain my philosophy; to tell them why I choose to marry beautiful art and good business sense...why I prefer to buy gorgeous and completely unique glass from amazingly gifted glass artists who create their pieces for artists like myself. This gives me time to create a body of work and to make good business sense. While components may look similar to a casual eye, the possibilities of color and design are virtually infinite. Combine that eye for design with technical skill and adeptness and the work around a single focal bead evolves into a wearable work of artistic beauty. I like to call myself an artisan. It emphasizes creativity and originality for designs with a practical application; endowing the practical with beauty.

Please let us make a statement with our submissions, it may be the one thing that separates a hobbyist from a professional. I am convinced the worth of someone’s art or craft is whether the artist takes his or her work seriously. Trying to distinguish between fine art and fine craft may require different vocabularies, but they meld, cross over and are intertwined.  When it comes right down to defining or even doing art, every artist has an emotional, subjective prospective. But better art is about creative thinking, depth, spirit, skill, discipline and patience. Longevity depends on being able to make good business decisions. Photos alone cannot indicate dedication or how we've met any of these standards.

Unless we know them personally, we never get an opportunity to meet the judges; to elaborate on our desire to be included and why.  I'm sure that after carefully listening; mulling things over with my artist neighbors at the many art fairs in which I've been lucky enough to participate, and from being an avid reader of artists' blogs, that I am speaking for hundreds, if not thousands of us. If we are given an opportunity to shine, we will.

Thanks for allowing me to be thought provoking,

Gayle Weiss

Gayle Weiss Designs

July 5 & 6  
Muskegon, Michigan
Downtown Muskegon
Noon-7pm
300+
Deadline: April 15

For 51 years, Art in the Park has been held in historic Hackley Park.  This year, the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce is taking over the historic event and making it into a true Lakeshore Arts Festival.

A unique blend of arts, crafts, music, food and fun along the shoreline in historic Downtown Muskegon.  More than 300 artists and crafters will be showcased with fine art in the park, crafts, children's activities and Michigan food market all wrapped up in a street party atmosphere.

Event Categories:
Fine Art: Art in the Park
Art in the Park is held in historic Hackley Park, a grassy square block that features beautiful mature trees, interior and perimeter sidewalks, and a center circle. It is located in the heart of downtown Muskegon's Heritage Village, home to the city's library, art museum, county museum, and theaters.

Crafts: Craft Fair, Children's Lane / Michigan Food Market
This portion will flow through downtown Muskegon and will include various forms of entertainment in designated locations along the way. Crafters will be selected in 3 different areas 1.) Arts & Crafts, 2.) Children's Arts & Crafts 3.) Michigan made pre-packaged food.

Location/Space:
Each vendor display space at least 12'x12'. Spaces will be allocated at the discretion of the Lakeshore Art Festival organizers. Requests will be considered and met whenever possible. Corner spaces are not charged or allocated as prime locations. See exhibit rules regarding the sharing of display space. Electrical or water service is not available.

Registration: www.lakeshoreartfestival.com Apply: www.Zapplication.org
Lakeshore Art Festival Director: Carla Flanders; email: artfest@muskegon.org

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Looking for more shows for your 2013 summer schedule? Visit www.CallsforArtists.com

Hi all,

Just wanted to post a review of my experience at Fest for All in Baton Rouge, LA this past weekend. It was my third year doing the show and this one reached a new personal best for me.

Saturday was a bit slower than I had expected but still very steady. I sold 9 pieces beginning at 10:15 and ending around 5:00. Lots of interest all around. The show has long hours but luckily the show organizers provided lunch for all of the artists. The sandwiches were a great boost and considering I had left my water in the car, I was grateful for the bottled water they provided for us. I do think that the show could have ended a bit earlier on Saturday....maybe 6:00 instead of 7.

Sunday was fantastic. I sold another 9 pieces and received two commissions. Sales were steady starting at 12:30 up until 6:00. Two pieces were higher price points, (over 1k). My work is 2D mixed media, works on paper.

Load out and load in were very straightforward and easy. I was really impressed with how accommodating the organizers were- they even let me set up early knowing that I was on my own. One of the show organizers even stopped by to help me load up my vehicle. I thought that the show was run well and am looking forward to returning in 2014. I hope they will accept my application next year.

Dear Jurors;

My name is Gayle Weiss and I am a Chicagoland jewelry designer with 12 years of art fair experience. Erin Malloy was kind enough to offer to forward this email for your consideration. The reason I am writing is to foster a meaningful discussion around the criteria for show acceptance. Because having a conversation without input from the decision makers who most impact our outcomes is just plain unproductive.

I hope it doesn't sound like sour grapes, but please understand that none of us have any argument with competition for limited opportunities or coveted spaces  and none of us are strangers to a full category. But, when all else is equal, many of us are mystified by a rejection and many of us are prized participants at seemingly similar shows. I've been listening to this evolving conversation amongst artists pertaining to submissions and how guidelines impact judges' final decisions. There's a growing feeling that art fair decisions can really come down to two crucial components. First, having a single booth photo from which to judge and second, disallowing a meaningful statement with a submission about artists' work and approach. In actuality, these may be the only substantive determinants when it comes down to a difficult choice for a judge, especially in the most crowded category of jewelry design.

So, the following thoughts are based on my distillation of this ongoing community conversation, as well as my own feelings on the topic.

First the booth issue:

Some very high end shows seem to value uniformity and a "jewelry store" showcase model for booth layouts. As beautiful and professional as this approach might be, there's a sense of distance that's created when a potential customer is separated from the art and the artist. And, of course, I realize each artist makes a decision as to how they wish to display their work, but there are only a few layouts of this type for a 10' x10' space. After a while they all begin to look alike.

This past summer, I had a lovely opportunity to work the Port Clinton show with Sandy Matasick, an award winning jewelry designer from Gainesville, FL. As the proud owner of one of her pieces and as a fellow artist, we've become great pals and she now stays at my home during this Amdur Productions show.
Not all shows are like this, but while I was helping Sandy with her sales, I noticed an almost benumbed crowd. I recognized a feeling like this in myself while walking through art fairs and noticed the similarity of the jewelry displays. It seems the less interactive a booth and the more space that is put between an artist and their wares, the less engaged the audience. I couldn't help but notice that booths with inviting, open space are far more accessible, active and engaging than booths that create a separation with glass cases or the likes. Yet, the professional look and a great booth photo would never indicate there might be a concern.

In my own booth, I highly value openness because it invites a conversation; I get an opportunity to tell the stories behind my designs. It's a great choice for me because of the unique and vintage elements in my work. I search long and hard to find components that make my designs different and inimitable. It's true that I am not a metal smith, also true that I cold-connect my work, true again that I construct similarly to other jewelry artists. What makes me different is exactly what my client values....that no one else will ever have what they have....alone, they own the bragging rights to a one-of-a-kind piece. I cannot make that happen if I cannot let my client touch, feel, try on, and allow me to help them adjust and visualize their accessories. A closed off booth cannot foster that kind of interaction and it would hurt my sales.

I guess what I'm saying about judging booth photos, is that unless there is a statement allowed to support an artist's booth choice, it wouldn't be fair to exclude them based on only a jury's aesthetic. On a point system, one judge's consistent opinion of what a booth "should look like," can kill an applicant's chances.

To Be Continued - Part II: The Artist's Statement

Have any members of Artfairinsiders done this show? Anything I should know about it before accepting the invitation? Any info would be appreciated. TIA. Judy Peterson

Ok, y'all!! Still have the accent in my head, I am going to break this down into two sections, the positives first and then the negatives and I will warn you now, there are a lot of negatives. 

The Positives:

Set-up and check in for this show was a breeze.  I had no issues at all and was alone with no help from any volunteers and I got the whole display up and polished in about 2 hours.  Security was very evident and I felt totally comfortable leaving all the art there overnight.  I had about $10,000.00 in inventory.  My neighbors were all very nice and friendly and the weather was perfect.  The weather for this show was perfect all weekend actually.  No rain and temps in the mid-upper 70's with a light breeze.  I returned Saturday and not a thing was out of place in my booth.

Saturday crowds were light and thready.  I would have a bunch of people in the booth, then a trickle and then a bunch more.  I recieved countless comments on my work, the people were very polite and kind and the compliments were flowing freely and seemed genuine.  Parents were controlling their children and their dogs and I met some very nice people and petted some wonderful dogs.  My neighbors were friendly and chatty and I enjoyed them.  Greg Little, AFI member was two booths down from me with his wife Carol.  Greg and Carol are wonderful people, very nice and fun to talk to.  The three of us had dinner Saturday night at a Greek restaurant and visited and ate good food.  I really hope to meet up with them again.  Greg had a great show and won the award of distinction.  Greg's work is amazing and I am so glad he won.  He said it was his first award.    

I had one sale on Saturday evening, toward the end of the show.  It is funny, I was in the bathroom when the sale occurred and my neighbor actually handled it for me. 

Sunday was more of the same.  Light, thready crowds, lighter than Saturday.  I had a zero sale day on Sunday, but again nice people, warm compliments and good weather. 

The negatives:  Stop reading this now if you don't want to be depressed or very mad.  If you are contemplating doing this show, please read it word for word and e mail me for pictures.  I have proof of everything.  I am not the type to critique without proof.....

I drove 650 miles each way for this show.  I chose to do that willingly, so no one is to blame there.  I arrived Friday night and while I was setting up passers by in droves going to and from a concert kept asking me and my neighbors, "What's all this for?"  They seemed to have no idea that there was an art fair there that weekend.  My neighbors were concerned that either they didn't promote this show or the promotions were centered on the music festival going on and not the art.      

Saturday was light, thready crowds as I mentioned earlier.  I would not say this show was well attended at all.  I was surprised at how many people were carrying these lawn chair in a bag things.  I had never seen these before and then it happened.  A very careless woman comes into my booth with her lawn chair strung over her shoulder and knocks over a pedestal.  She destroyed a $300.00 piece.  My claws don't usually come out, but they did then.  I told her she needed to pay for it and of course she refused.  I said some very unpleasant things told her where to shove her lawn chair and to get the blank out of my booth. 

Compliments galore all day from everyone who entered my booth, but these people were not buying.  I saw very few packages going by and most of them were carrying beers and ice cream cones.  I know a few people had a good show, but I did not and several other artists I spoke to didn't either.  One painter came up to me and was noticably upset with lackluster sales and I tried to council her as best as I could.  It was very hard to not break out in tears several times throughout Saturday.  I almost did once and had to go to the restroom and then call my husband. 

Due to the fact that they had no booth sitters and no volunteers checking on artists with the exception of the free lunch that we will get to later, I had to leave my booth unattended or under watch from a neighbor multiple times to use the restroom or take a refreshment break.  This made me nervous and I felt bad imposing upon my neighbors so much.  They were gracious though and I appreciated that.  My one sale from the show came late Saturday evening and was sold by my neighbor, Shirley while I was in the bathroom.  Go figure.  Thanks to Shirley for being an angel.      

Lunch:  Ok, this is where I get insulted.  This show gave the artists lunch both days as one of the very few amenities it offered.  It was a joke.  I recieved a 2 inch square sandwich/hors d'ouvre and a bag of crushed potato chips and a bottle of water each day for lunch.  I know how this sounds and it was so absurd, I took a picture of it, e mail me if you want to see the proof.  I am not one to be ungracious or unappreciative of anything.  I have manners, am polite and appreciate the effort, but come the f**k on!!  If you are going to do something, do it right or not at all.  I would and I am sure anyone with a modicum of class or respect for another person would have been embarrassed to serve that.  My advice to this show is to spend the money for the lunch on a volunteer coordinator or better advertising.  We can fend for ourselves and do much, much better.  Just about everyone I spoke to ended up getting something else anyway.  We were all starving again in an hour. Thank god they had good popcorn available in the arts center for purchase. 

Amenities for the artists:  the lunch both days as mentioned above, a beer cozy that went straight into the trash and a little promo bag of coffee from a local coffee distributor.  It was actually good.  That was it!! No booth sitters, no director's cell phone number in case of emergency, no artist reception, no t shirt, nothing!!  Again, I don't need much and I appreciate everything that anyone gives me, but this show advertises southern hospitality and falls flat on its face in reality. 

Ok, I met the director of the show on Saturday after I asked her who she was and then introduced myself.  She was talking to someone else outside my booth and I approached her because I saw her radio and had hoped she was a booth sitter.  She was too busy to talk to me and promptly left and said she would be back tomorrow (Sunday).  I never saw her again.   She has recieved an e mail from me already, I will update this blog if I ever hear back from her.     

I met my first volunteer on Sunday night as I was packing up my van.  A lady named Nancy, who was very nice, unfortunately got an earful.  I asked her where she had been all weekend and where the other volunteers were.  She didn't give me a straight answer, but did help me load up a few things.  In all fairness, I was told by another artist that they had a hard time getting volunteers for this show.  Appearantly this show was moved up a month earlier than usual so as to not compete with New Orleans and this was the first year for the new date.  It would have been nice to know that up front. 

Financial:  I did not come remotely close to making expenses for this show.  I had one sale, had a piece broken that cannot be fixed and was told by several other artists that the sales were way, way down from previous years.  At least four other artists I spoke to said they would not be back.  In all fairness, my neighbor, Greg as I mentioned before, had a great show.   I am so glad he won the award too, he certainly deserved it. 

I had to drive straight home on Sunday night becuase I could not justify the cost of spending the night in a hotel.  I drove the 650 miles home and got in at 5:30 this morning.  I already had incurred so many costs, and with one sale, I didn't want to go in the hole even more. 

Blacklisting:  Here's the deal...I will never review a show or say anything negative about a show that is not true and that I can't prove.  I am someone who struggles every month to pay the bills and can't afford to do shows that are this bad on a regular basis.  Occasionally, we all have bad shows, it's part of the business, but I also think there are things shows are responsible for doing/providing when they take our booth fees and I will hold them accountable.  I have serious concerns, empathy and respect for other artists that compell me to share information that may help them avoid situations like this.  I think that when a show is this bad and underperforms what it promises/sells to us as artists, we need to be informed about it.  If a show director is going to blacklist me for speaking the truth, be my guest!  I do not deal with people that are untrustworthy or corrupt, so if you are a director and want to avoid having me in your show because you are afraid I will speak the truth, go right ahead and blacklist me forever, take me out of your shows if they are in the future and send me my booth fee back.  I don't want to do your show if it is poorly ran anyway.  I simply can't afford to.    

Ok, bottom line is this:  I had high hopes for this show.  I went into it with an open mind, a positive attitude and spoke kindly to everyone around me and everyone who entered my booth and complimented my work.  I willingly and happily drove a long way and took the risk.  My attitude could not have been better for this show.  I am sorry to have to write such a negative review, but it is true and deserved.  I will never do this show again and will never recommend it to anyone.  If you are local and have low costs and a free weekend, it may be ok for you.  I did not make booth fee and application fee for this show.  Advice to anyone travelling to shows, avoid this mess at all costs. 

I will be at Great Lakes Art Fair in Novi, MI this weekend, I hope and pray for a  better show there, look for my review next Monday here on AFI.  Thanks! Elle     

I was excepted into Leeper park. I am a Nature photographer. Does anyone have any knowledge or

experience that photographers especially nature photographers have a chance to do well there.

Is it a nature lovers area? Those who have done this show can you give me a idea what to expect.

Thanks

Joe      

This past Saturday at the Fairview Fine Art Festival (Paragon Fine Art Festivals) an artist had a $4000 original painting stolen from inside their booth. A tragedy no one wants to experience.  The next morning the director, Bill Kinney, went down to the security office and asked to view the security videos from the streets.  As it turns out no one had entered or exited the site.  This left one possibility – the high-end condominiums adjacent to the site.  After viewing additional security video on the street where the show was set up, they discovered and identified a man walking his dog as the culprit.  The artist was notified by police and this evening the police will be sitting in front of the culprit's home waiting for him to arrive so they can arrest him for grand larceny.  

PS:  Yes, there was security at the show.

This was my first time doing this show, so it was definitely a learning experience. It's located right by ASU on Mill Ave, a popular college hangout. Load in was Thursday night between 9pm and 9am Friday. Load in wasn't too bad other than the trailer a few cars in front of me falling into a small ditch with the construction going on in the area. Once I got thru I was able to park right by my tent, so unloading was pretty easy and the horrible techno music that was blaring from one of the clubs made me move a little bit faster. My booth was near the beginning and was one of the lucky ones to be in the shade for most of the day. It was a beautiful weekend but may have been a little warm for some out in the sun all day. It was a clear and sunny day in the 90's with a breeze every once in a while.

Friday morning there was people there at 9, the show didn't start until 10. Most of them were there to buy from artists they have seen before. There was a good crowd the entire day but I did all of my sales within the first 2 hours but it wasn't much. Although there was a lot of people, they just didn't seem to be buying large items.  Luckily this area is lined with bars so it was time to go grab a cold beer at the end of the day!

Saturday started off a little slower but it was definitely more crowded. I saw many people with bags in their hand and a lot of large art being carried out. This was a good day for me as a couple of smaller originals were sold. I even had something that probably rarely happens. A person that took one of my cards on Friday called me and wanted to see a piece that I had on my website but was not hung at the show. They actually came to pick it up with cash in hand!

And the there was Sunday. Again the crowds were big but this time not as much art being carried. I had a lot of interest, probably more interest than Saturday, but no sales. Several people spent 15-20 minutes talking to me but when they asked were I am located, which is nearby, they said "oh so we can see you anytime, do you have a website and a card?". This happened over and over, I felt like lying to them. At the end of the day I had a small commission and some people to follow up with, but only $50 cash and carry. As badly as I needed a cold beer, it was time to tear down. Tear down was easy as we could again park our cars in from of our booth and load up.

Because I didn't have any travel expenses this show was good for me, bringing in a little over $2k. I know many would think that's not good, but I'm just getting started in this business and learning the ropes. I had talked to several of the painters at this show and they say many of their sales come from people coming back and buying at the next show. Two of the painters I talked to brought in over $10k but they have been doing this show for several years.

All the artists near were great and very helpful, even got to meet a couple AFI'ers. So over all I consider it a successful weekend and hope to get into the next one in the Fall and increase my sales!

This has been rolling around in my head for weeks, it's Monday and I'm looking at what seems to be a huge mess of red tape of things that I have to do and un-do. So what better than to air out my thoughts on a subject that has perplexed and annoyed me for years right?

Okay, so my issue. When I was going to college, I was in the Fine Art Department and quickly learned the professors there were snobs. So much so, they deemed photography NOT a fine art and put it into the Visual and Communications Department. While taking that class, the professor let two senior students teach the class most of the time. On one of our "lessons" was how to mount, matt, frame and sign our work. These things came easy to me being as I had worked for Dad and Connie for years, but it was interesting to hear it coming from someone else. 

So the girl who was teaching the class that day, was telling us that we were to sign our prints on the BACK of the photographs....NEVER on the front and don't EVER sign in ink. I wanted clarification. Was she talking about the actual prints or the matting? She had been speaking of the prints. I waited patiently until they were done and asked how someone was suppose to know who the artist was if the photograph was signed on the back of the print and it was mounted. She said that was just what you do. Then I asked what happens if the photograph is slip matted because then the artists signature needs to be on the photograph if the customer chooses to frame it a different way. Again, that was a no-no. I asked according to whom and her response was, " That's what the purists do." I said, "Well, that's how my Dad and/or most of the artists I've seen at the art fairs sign them." Her response? "That's why they're in art fairs."

I wanted to punch her.

My point was, who cares how you sign your work, number it (unless you're in art fairs and it's required) or what you use to sign it with. And who the hell decides what's considered "fine art", what's not and that's the end of it, period. I found this to be extremely irritating and cruel to the person creating, well anything they consider art.

Now don't get me wrong, I realize that some things are really not cool to put in art fairs. For example, the things that are all bought in pieces from China or Japan and glued together to be sold whilst sitting in a booth next to an artist that's been making say, sculptures from metal, by hand, for their entire career. However, as far as I'm concerned, most, if not all art is subjective. A topic I brought up in a critique in ceramics class. One persons pile of dog crap might be another persons piece of art they've been looking for their whole lives! 

My whole point ( and this ended up being a point reiterated over and over again in school) was that the "Purists" attitude sucked and as far as I've read, most of them died poor.

I remember when I was going to school, my Dad and I had taken a day trip over to a train show going on in Toledo. While we were in the car, I told him about that day I was in photography class. My Dad is not one for long conversations or answers unless you make an extra effort on the question. Then you might illicit more than a "yes" or "no" answer. But I wanted to know his response being as he's been a photographer since he was 13...he's now 75. His answer? "This has been discussed forever. It's a moot point." 

There ya go.

I am not the most experienced artist out there, but for some reason I have gotten us into all the shows that we signed up for this year, this is a first for us.  The answer (for us) is that I listened to other artist when they had a suggestion...that simple.  We ha\/e friends that argue that the problem is with Zapp or the jury system, etc.  always an excuse.  Sorry honey that is not it, I don't care how long you ha\/e been doing art shows, sometimes a friend can suggest something that works, please listen, you may not ha\/e so much to grip about in the future.  If someone suggest  a new picture, think about it, if someone says maybe a different booth shot, listen, if someone says try a new show or a different area, we just might know what we are talking about.  We are friends, wanting to help, please don't tune us out...

Thanks for letting me get this off my chest,

a friend