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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

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

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

Jim Delutes-   Director (303)330-8237

I am in a few shows which have judging for art awards in a central building. I don t know how to choose what to drop off. My largest work? Most expensive? Least likely to sell in my booth? My personal favorite? Most popular with buyers? It seems like a tough decision about what is likely to win and what isn t in my booth. Open to all ideas. Thanks. Sharon

Hi Friends...I am fresh out of the van and home from Tupelo.  Here is my review of the show...

I arrived Friday afternoon and checked in at the information tent with nice staff.  I had been assigned a booth on the very end of a row (bonus corner booth), so I was able to pull up right next to my space, unload and set up. 

After set up, I went to my hotel and freshened up for the GumBall.  The Gumball is a preview party for artists and patrons.  If you donated a piece to the silent auction, admission was free.  I donated a piece as did Robert Wallis, so we went together.  Gumball is a classy event with free food, very good food btw, and a cash bar.  The silent auction was impressive.  There were many good pieces there and people were bidding.  I was glad to see my piece sell for a good amount and Robert's did too.  Robert and I had a great time chatting and having dinner and cocktails.  He told some great stories. 

Saturday the show started at 9am and the weather was fair.  It had rained the night before, and was still a bit drizzly, but cleared to a nice day.  The crowd came as did the buyers.  I would say they had a good crowd and good buying energy for reasonably-moderately priced art.  On Saturday, I covered all expenses and moved into profit.  There were some artists though, that had sold little to nothing on Saturday.  I heard a lot of people say that last year was better for them. 

Saturday evening was the artists award dinner with a nice meal and free wine/beer.  The show gave out 1st, 2nd and 3rd place awards in all categories with cash prizes for each and one best of show with a $1500 purchase award.  I have to say I thought this was generous to do all three awards per category and have money for each and have a nice artist made trophy for each.  I get the feeling that whatever this show makes on jury fees and booth fees goes right back into it for artist amenities and awards.  I would like to congratulate fellow AFI member Suzanne Ens for winning First Place in fiber!!!  It was well deserved, her work is amazing!!!!!

Sunday the show began at 10:30 am and the crowds were not there until about 2pm and even then they were very light.  I do not know if Mother's Day had anything to do with that or not, but this is a very church going community and nothing seems to happen until afternoon there anyway.  I had only one sale on Sunday and there was a significant shift in clientele from Saturday.  This crowd was much older, many more families and 99% lookers.  Typical Sunday for many shows.     

Load out was just as easy as load in and I had the whole thing packed up and was pulling out in about an hour.  I ended the show with a very modest paycheck profit.  I was very impressed with the hospitality this show offers.  Free dinner on Friday and Saturday nights, The Salvation Army served free hot breakfast Saturday and Sunday mornings for artists and water was passed around several times.  I think the awards were very generous and I found the staff to be very friendy.  I liked this show.  This was not a very big money maker and I will keep it in the maybe category for the future, but I still thought it was a nice show and I liked it.  There was a lot of good work there and some very nice artists.  One caution for those that have higher end work (over $500.00), I heard many artists with these price points were doing little to no sales.  There were a few artists that zeroed at this show, sadly that happens sometimes, I have been there too and it sucks.  Overall, I give this show a B+, they did everything right and the only thing keeping it from an A in my mind is low sales, but I am grateful for the little profit I did make. 

I will be doing The Northern Virginia Fine Arts Fair in Reston, VA this coming weekend.  Due to the very long drive for me I will probably be posting that review next Tuesday.  Stay tuned........   

No one would have guessed when we started our first art fair website nearly 10 years ago that they'd expand to five! That we'd have over 40,000 nationwide subscribers and have top Google ratings! If you're online and you love art fairs, you found your way to one of our sites and we thank you!

Have our sites and newsletters helped you

• find a new art fair in your community?
• taken you to an art fair when you are traveling and need your "art fix?"
• meet an incredible artist?
• enabled you to make your home and office a place of amazement full of wonderful one of a kind objets?
• helped you earn a living as an artist
• make some new friends?

Learn more about how you can support our art fair websites and win prizes too:   

P.S. besides this site with all its helpful information that I know you love (I see the "page views"), the prizes this year are really generous, from some of your favorite shows, artists, consultants -- and we're doing two special podcasts. The first one will be "Everything You Want to Know About Zapplication" on Wednesday May 15.

Well, the smell of Jasmine is in the air, the citrus blossoms are in full regalia and it is time to head north for the summer--for the next five months.

So maybe, there is time to look back and reflect on the site of art shows in Florida this year of 2013.

I can tell ya one thing, there is a hell of a difference from doing my last two shows in Texas and doing one in Florida right now in Lakeland--as we all kindly call it the  "Bake by the Lake."

There are infinite light years of distance from the buying public in Texas versus Lakeland--and that is putting it very kindly.

The guy next to me who gets in shows with his wooden cabinets and then proceeds to sell $20 bread-cutting saws all day is making a mint.  The faux flower people in the imported clay vases are selling a mint.  The rest of us suck.

 Here is a serious look at Florida.  I have only done shows here for 38 years, so what do I really know?

First off, it is really tough to make a living selling art--especially 2-D art in Florida right now.

So, before all you get off the thread, notice I said "2-D."

Reason number one.

Housing industry still sucks big time.  Without many people buying or building new homes, there is a limited market to sell 2-d art to.

This means all us talented artists are striving to sell to a very limited number of buyers.  And, they are very limited.

Two.

Way too many art shows in Florida.  Diluted base.  Nobody is really excited, because they will just see you are another of your ilk the following weekend.  Makes it very hard to close on good sales.

Three.

Way too many talented artists and craftspersons for this limited market.

Prognosis.  Til, building industry and home sales pick up, slim pickings for us.

Oh yeah.

  Let us couple that with the greediest increase in booth and jury fees we have ever seen in or lifetime.

Shows are making moneys while artists sink further into debt.

Not a great future in Florida.

Sorry folks, as you know I just tell it like it is.

Aloha, Nels.

Hello everyone.  I've been reading these wonderful post for a couple months now.  BTW, not only are you good artists but good writers as well! I guess I'm a part time artist.  I work in the day to support my art (and the household) and have only been able to enter local arts and crafts shows in the Houston area.  I've never applied to the large Houston art shows as really, I"m not there yet as an artist.  I haven't been able to dedicate enough time to it. 

Anyway, I'm a glass fuser.  Started with dichroic glass jewelry but have rencently moved into larger pieces.  Art panels, not any plates and bowls.  I'm "painting with glass frit powder". 

My question to you as seasoned artists, if the display enhances your art and actually becomes part of the art (glass panel in my case), but I did NOT make the display, is it my art?  Can I be judged into a show if I did not design or make the display?  Here is my example.  There are black iron display frames that hold the glass on a table top.  You probably have all seen them.  They are inconspicuous and functional.  Now, say this type of stand had vines with leaves cut out of metal and it kind of "grew up the sides" so to speak partially framing your glass.  It enhances a muted abstract glass panel with more design elements.  To be clear, what if it were not just leafy vines partially up the sides and on the bottom.  What if this stand also came in a coi fish design, a single standing crain, or even a large animal and these designs were right in the middle of the display stand which is holding your glass?  It actually becomes part of the art.  The fish against blue muted glass are swimming in water, a bear against muted green glass is in a forrest.  So this stand becomes part of the glass panel overall appearance.

What do you think?  Am I just enhancing someone elses art by making glass that the display holds?  Would it matter if the design is bold and "in your face" like a big standing bear or swimming fish that is right in the forfront of your glass or a more acceptable design of vines and leaves in the outer perimeter of your glass which is less of an addition to your glass?  If I designed the display stand but didn't make it would that be more acceptable?

Without pictures, I know it might be hard to imagine.  I like the concept.  I don't want to just be the backdrop to the display stand but I like the beauty of the partial framing.

I will check back after work for responses.  Thanks for your feed back.