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There were a few exceptions but the overall  the art at this festival is wonderful.  If you applied and did not get in, know that a really good artist got 'your' space. Actually way too many artists got your spaces.  At 380 artists, this is too large.  It makes it difficult to decide what to buy, to get back to the booths where you wanted to buy, heck, to remember where you saw what.  

As in the past, there are more vendor booths than at any other show I have ever been to.  It was actually worse this year.  There was hardly an empty space on the east side of Bayshore Drive that didn't have some vendor.  The only exception was the sculpture garden.  The Verizon booth was as big as ever and while quieter in the morning, it did get louder in the afternoon.  It didn't seem as pervasive and annoying as in years past so maybe they are getting the message,  this is an art festival, not a rock concert.  If there are going to be that many vendor booths, it would be nice if TPTB would cut down on the number of artist booths.  Give the artists a chance to make more money instead of divvying up the pie into so many smaller pieces.  

Most of the artists I spoke with were having decent to wonderful shows.  I didn't necessarily see a lot of packages as we walked around but the size of the show means a lot of deliveries by artists or holding of the art till the patron is ready to leave.  (or you bring bags to the car and return to the show to buy more, cough, cough)

The weather could not have been more perfect. The crowds were gigantic, making it difficult to navigate but in the coolness, you didn't mind.  It made it so much easier to wander the mile long stretch of tents.

I met Allan Teger and he has some wonderful new photos.  He is the nicest man along with his enormous talent.  He has a book of 114 of his photos which is now sitting on my coffee table.  (Connie, he asked me to send along his regards to you)

This year, instead of the artist dinner,  the artists were invited to a gallery opening in the Grove.  Sort of like a busman's holiday and to me seems like an insult to the artists at the festival.  Most galleries don't offer seating so that means after spending most of the day on your feet, you get to stand up some more.  And this is just more buying competition for the artists who certainly have enough with all those booths at the show.  You have to wonder what the people running the festival were thinking, or were they thinking at all.

Top notch art and perfect weather made for a wonderful weekend.  I can only hope that the artists enjoyed it as much as I did.

September 7 & 8  
Chicago, Illinois
Intersection of Broadway and Belmont
Sat. 10am-6pm; Sun. 10am-5pm
175 Artists
Deadline: March 1

The Lakeview East Festival of the Arts is Chicago's premier fine art and fine craft festival showcasing over 170 juried artists.  Lakeview  is located on the north side of Chicago, near Wrigley Field, north  Halsted and Lincoln Park in a very diverse, culturally rich community with unique boutique stores, cafes and restaurants.

The Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce has hosted this event for the past seven years.  More than 40,000 attendees are expected to attend this year's festival.  The festival is set on Broadway Avenue just north of Belmont Avenue.

This festival has a strong marketing and media plan and hosts an annual artist reception.  Other amenities include artist reserved parking, Saturday night Artist Party, and a full breakfast served Saturday and Sunday.

Checks payable to:  Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce

The event was founded in 2005 by the Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce. This festival is produced by the Chamber of Commerce with recruitment of artists from EM Events, an event planning company founded by Erin Melloy. 

I saw the great post about Artigras and it got me thinking about the past.

I have done the show since the late 80's.

Originally, it was on RCA Victor Blvd. in West Palm Beach.

Then it moved to the PGA Gardens Mall, where it was the best it has ever been.  Everybody made money there.

Then, in 1994, the McArthur Foundation sold  a large parcel of land that was crucial for parking for the show.  Exit the Gardens Mall and Enter Abacoa.

The show has been there 19 years.  It is north of WPB and it attracts a different crowd then the Mall.

Our sales show that.

It is a paycheck.  That is all I can say.

The Grove isn't exactly as it was in its heyday.  So you takes your picks and live with the results.

So, I have done Abacoa 16 years.  The Mall, at least nine years, and RCA twice.

Which brings me to several humerous episodes from the old days at RCA.

Back then, Burt Reynolds and Loni Anderson were quite the item.

Him, being a good ol' boy from Jupiter; her being some fabulous  woman from another planet where certain body parts seemed to defy gravity.

They would always show up early the first day and do the Preview Stroll.

Burt would tip his hat.  He'd chuckle and make smart remarks about the art.  He let you know he was famous.  She, just let her body do the talking.

They have both been off the scene for years now.  My God!  Burt's Dinner Theater is gone now.

Which brings me to the real rationale of this whole silly blog.

Somebody has to entertain you because I don't see anybody else out here doing it.

So, one time at the RCA show this glitzy couple are walking the show and buying up a storm of art from jewelers and photographers.

Heard about them before they got to me.

Saw them well before they got to me.  It was hard to miss her with all the sunny reflections off her gold she was wearing.

This woman was good looking and well jeweled.  She had stones and gold everywhere.

As the Pink Floyd song said, "Shine on you crazy diamond."

The guy was dressed smartly in elegant black.  Nice hat, expensive belt and smart boots.

He was sure of himself.

Well, he had the good sense to buy about $750 of my images to hang in his yacht.

He pulled out his gold card and gave it to me.  Noticed he had a little of a southern drawl.

His voice sounded familiar, but I could not quite place it.

I looked down on the card and it said, "Jimmy Dean."

Well, sugar, it was ol' BIg Bad John himself.  This was years before he would be known as Mr. Sausage from Tennessee.

Impressed, I said," That sure is a famous name."

He looked me right in the eye and said, "Yep.  Had it all my life."

He walked out of my booth with a big chuckle.

That was probably the high point of my Artigras in the last 31 years ago.

Thought you might get a chuckle out of it.

Any of you care to share info about any famous faces you have sold to at shows?

Hope you liked the story.

While we wait to hear the news about this year's show here are some great links to give a real feel of what this big event is all about. This was the 50th annual festival with the committee working year round to make each one better than the last. 380 artists were represented.

Here's a video from NBC News in Miami, an interview with Monty Trainer, the Festival's President: http://www.nbcmiami.com/video/#!/on-air/as-seen-on/Coconut-Grove-Arts-Festival/190704251

Here are more photos of shoppers for some ambiance:

http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/02/18/3241475/2013-coconut-grove-arts-festival.html

I like this link the best because it features the art giving you a nice overview of the quality of the art, including this mixed media retablo by Nicario Jimenez:

http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/shortorder/2013/02/coconut_grove_arts_festival_food_art.php

In an adjacent property visitors could attend the St. Stephens Art Show, at the St. Stephens Episcopal  Church you could find another 160 artists, although its artist roster was heavier on local and regional artists than Coconut Grove. 

St. Stephens, plus photos: http://www.examiner.com/article/st-stephen-s-art-show-attracted-more-than-160-artists

JUPITER — The 2013 ArtiGras Fine Arts Festival presented by Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center and produced by the Northern Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce Don McWhorter of Carrollton, Ga., has won Best in Show for his work in ceramics.

“I am very flattered to be named Best in Show at ArtiGras,” said McWhorter, who has shown his ceramic work at 18 of the last 20 ArtiGras Fine Art Festivals. “The other artists here are just phenomenal, and I honored just to be in the same show as them, let alone win an award.”

Photo by Rebecca Seelig

The winners were selected by three judges who scored each artist and awarded a Best in Show and a first-place winner in each of the 14 categories. The following is a list of the artists who placed first in each category:

Don McWhorter, Ceramics, Best in Show, Carrollton, GA

Robin Rodgers, Ceramics, Tallahassee, FL

Edward Loedding, Digital Art, Brandon, VT

Flo Kemp, Drawing and Printmaking, Setauket, NY

Shelly Cox, Emerging Artists, Jupiter, FL

Jean Yao, Fiber-Nonwearable, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Leah Dziewit, Fiber - Wearable, Maple City, MI

Richard Ryan, Glass, Bourbonnais, IL

Michael Alexander, Jewelry, New York, NY

Vince Pompei, Metal, St. Petersburg, FL

B. Corey Johnson, Mixed Media, Royal Palm Beach, FL

Danny O'Driscoll, Painting, Batesburg, SC

Richard Auger, Photography, Summerfield, FL

Peter Rujuwa, Sculpture, Indianapolis, IN

Barrie Harding, Wood, Dunnellon, FL

(I reviewed this show in depth two years ago.  Much of the background information can be read here.)

One glance at the long line of show-goers queued up along Periwinkle Way waiting for the gates to open at the Sanibel Rotary show, and you couldn't help but feel a bit optimistic.  This show is worth doing, once, just to experience the crowds spilling into the Sanibel Community Center grounds at the opening bell.   For many of us, it was art show madness until well after lunchtime: this is a local show, attended by residents and vacationers who know it's coming every year, plan accordingly, and, for the most part, intend to buy if they like what they see.

Except for lulls on late Saturday afternoon (thanks to an approaching cold front, which squelched the attendance and buying energy a little after 3 PM) and Sunday morning (50-degree temps and chilly winds, plus the usual early-Sunday-morning malaise), the crowds kept comin'.  By the show's end I'd had my best sales of the season, by a significant amount. 

But that happy report comes with a disclaimer:  A wildlife/bird photographer, I shoot about half my images on this beautiful island, or within 20 minutes of it.  And Sanibel, which eschews big-box development in favor of sugar sand, shelling, and biking trails, draws nature lovers like nowhere else--especially those who can afford to pay for it.  So, on a weekend nearly perfect for an art show (mostly sunny, and cool enough to keep folks away from the beaches), I'd expect to do well here. 

And lots of other folks, did too!  But, as with most shows these days, not everyone did: my neighbor, a accomplished 2-D artist with sunny, bright semi-abstract paintings of birds and beach scenes, sold only a few reproductions.  Another neighbor, who sold beautiful copper wall hangings and copper/glass tables, covered his nut but didn't show much profit, and isn't sure he'll return.  One local photographer did quite well; another just made expenses.

The general impression I got was that folks who had done the show before did well; first-timers, maybe, not so much.  But I hope those of you who exhibited weigh in below with a comment on your experience. I didn't have much time to walk the show. 

The weather was both hero and villain.  The Saturday-afternoon cold front dropped temperatures about 15 degrees between 3 and 4 pm, and winds whipped through the area until mid-morning on Sunday.  Several tents (E-Z Ups and their ilk) were flipped overnight; just about everyone was nervous. But luckily, there was no rain.  Sunday, once the winds died down, was more beautiful show weather than anyone, including the weather forecasters, expected.

Overall, this is a well-organized, decent-quality show (with a couple hiccups), attended by locals and seasonal Sanibel renters... not weekend tourists who are looking for a beach, a bargain, and a bratwurst.  It may take a year or two to sell here, but if your work catches a wave, a home run is possible.  If it doesn't, it can be an expensive area to "miss" in...but hey, there are worse places to hang out for the weekend. 

Quick notes:

Jury/Booth Fee:  $35/$275, separate checks, both cashed on receipt.  (They promise a refund if you don't get in, but don't say by when.  Hate that.)

Entry fee for patrons: Yes ($4).  But this is Sanibel, hardly anyone would mind.

Setup/teardown:  Setup Fri., noon to 6 pm arrival time (gates closed at 6).  The truly strong-hearted (or light-loaded) could wait 'til early Saturday. A tight layout but access was well coordinated, if somewhat over-managed at times, by the Rotarians.  Parking was along the road just east of the show center, across busy Periwinkle Way, but the Rotary folks, aided by the local police during show hours, managed the traffic and logistics just fine.

Teardown started at 4 PM Sunday at show close. Again, well managed.  Nearly everyone was on the road by 6:15, despite the tight quarters. 

Artist amenities:  Awards (listed below); water, boothsitters available. Restrooms in the Community Center.

Marketing: They added a newly-designed website (very professional) and gave each artist their own web page featuring the works submitted to the jury.

Art donation request:  Yes, on Saturday morning.  But they weren't pushy about it. 

Bonus amenities:  A shipping service was advertised (courtesy of a local retailer, who touted the ability to ship to Canada, Germany, and the UK, whose citizens flock to the island).  But I found out on Sunday morning that they were a no-show. 

Other tips for artists: 

* There aren't any chain motels, chain shopping, or chain anything on Sanibel.  Best bet is to use Priceline, etc. and search in S. Fort Myers, only 15 minutes away from the show site.  Cheapest prices, such as they are this time of year, are along US 41 and in North Fort Myers, but it's a 35-minute ride, at best.  Trailer Parks are all off-island, according to the show organizers.

* There is a $6 toll to get from the mainland onto Sanibel (one way). Plan accordingly.

* The show takes place on fine-grained sand, so be prepared to dust and clean your work and your tent in the week after the show.  If it rains...even worse!

* There is ANOTHER show at the same venue one month later--run by the Sanibel-Captiva Lions.  Compared with this show, it's generally hotter, not quite as well attended (it's a Friday/Saturday event), juried to a lesser standard, and (although it's possible to have a gangbuster show) the Lions' show doesn't have the cachet that this one does.

AWARDS:

There were awards, though (the judge(s) must have been incognito.  I never saw 'em.)  All winners got ribbons and a free jury fee ($35 value) for next year's show.  1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners got cash prizes ($300, 200, 100, respectively).

Two-Dimensional Art

1st Place  -- Katie Wilson
2nd Place -- Ronnie Phillips
3rd Place -- David Bruner
Honorable Mention:  Edgar Reims and Janet Searfoss


Three-Dimensional Art

1st Place  -- Kit Karbler
2nd Place -- Susan Livingston
3rd Place -- Russ Schmidt
Honorable Mention:  Ron Lemoine and Toby McGee


Creative Crafts

1st Place  -- Obayana Ajanaku
2nd Place -- Katie Gardinia
3rd Place -- William Greenwood
Honorable Mention:  Luc Century and Carol Clay

I've done the State Street show in the past and the South University Show. I was greatly disappointed in my booth placement at both of those events in past years. Now I'm in the Original Street Fair in 2013 and I've been asked to select a booth location on one of the forms. Anyone out there have a recommendation? Or a warning to stay away from certain areas?

My choices are on the street on E. Washington (North side of the street is the only location that allows canopies), the street on North University or in Ingalls Mall. Looks like there is a stage in the mall. Could be noisy. Advice from those who have done this show in the past will be greatly appreciated!

April 27 & 28
Charlotte, North Carolina
Sugar Creek Greenway on Kings Drive
Saturday, 11am-8pm
Sunday, 11am-6pm
Presented by Festival in the Park
75 fine & emerging artists
Deadline: March 1

Since the fall of 1964, Festival in the Park has brought Charlotteans from all walks of life together to enjoy arts, crafts, music and family entertainment. With the mission of bringing the community together by celebrating the arts, the Festival Board is excited to broaden its reach and to announce a spring fine arts event, the Kings Drive Art Walk.

We invite you to participate in our spring event which will be held along the Little Sugar Creek Greenway, a newly reclaimed natural waterway between East Morehead Street and Pearle Street Bridge along Kings Drive. With a focus on fine and emerging artists, our new spring festival on this beautiful and easily accessible venue will become an annual fine arts outing!

Most importantly, the King's Drive section of the Little Sugar Creek Greenway is adjacent to some of Charlotte's most prestigious and affluent neighborhoods - with homeowners who appreciate and can afford fine are. We intend to target these neighborhoods with appropriate promotional materials.

What to expect:

• All booth locations along a greenway; no "hidden" spaces
• Short dolly-in for setup and teardown    
• Advertising in social media, radio, local newspaper, area neighborhood magazines
• free parking and 24-hour security
• a vibrant local economy; artists at past 2 years of KDAW have been very happy with sales
• sponsoring partners are the Arts & Science Council, Metropolitan, CBS Radio stations and others
• 2012 attendance was 25,000

          Jury/Booth Fees: $25/$250
electricity available for an additional $25.

More information: www.FESTIVALinthePARK.org

Where to get the application
http://www.festivalinthepark.org/kingsdrive.asp

Julie Austin has been the executive director since November 1998 and her father started the Festival in the Park in 1964.

Contact information: Julie Whitney Austin, 704.338.1060

 June 28-30
Quincy, Illinois
Washington Park, 5th & Maine St. in the Historic Quincy Business District
Fri. 5-9; Sat. 10-5; Sun. 11-4
50-55 exhibitors
Deadline: February 27 (postmarked)

Celebrating 10 years of the biggest arts weekend in the tri-state area, the Midsummer Arts Faire (MAF) continues to grow and thrive in a community and region where patrons show their appreciation for art and artists. Because of strong financial support within the community that MAF is able to market the event to a tri-state region that includes over 600,000 people within 75 miles.

MAF is located in a beautiful shady park in the heart of our vibrant downtown. Easy access and flow to and within the park directs patrons into the 50 plus artists booths comfortably situated within generous 10'x10' spaces. Complementing the sale of fine art is free hands-on art activities, a local food court, and top-notch entertainment,    including a very popular Blues in the District concert event on Friday night that brings  in the crowds. Business and organization partners throughout the community help us celebrate MAF weekend with many art-related events and activities to attract and keep visitors all weekend long.

Many of our artists have so enjoyed the atmosphere, community, volunteers and sales that they continue to apply each year and MAF is blessed to have a healthy mix of new and returning artists. Artist exit surveys each year praise our volunteers for the excellent service and hospitality provided to our artists - we go above and beyond! WE LOVE ARTISTS!

FOR THE ARTISTS:

• Over $5,000 in awards including $1,000 Best of Show Purchase Award
• $10 Application Fee, $100 Booth Fee
• Convenient, drive-up set up/tear down
• Above & Beyond Hospitality including water service, booth sitting & more!
• FREE Artist Awards Dinner Saturday night
• Full-color event program including artist representative image, contact information & booth number
• FREE parking, WIFI & electricity
• Extensive multimedia marketing & public relations efforts including website, print, tv, radio & more!

Still looking for the perfect shows for your 2013 Season? www.CallsforArtists.com.

There are many art shows in this area, at least one every weekend but this is the show residents and visitors wait all year for. This long running Howard Alan event brings out huge crowds looking to buy art to adorne their homes or themselves.

This year was a return to the good old days, massive crowds, people 3 & 4 deep waiting to purchase my jewelry, no one asking for my "best price" and buying energy I haven't seen for quite some time. The sales just keep coming, I and my neighbors were doing the happy dance.

At 2:00 on Saturday afternoon mother nature reared her ugly head and a front came through bringing with it a little rain, cold and VERY high winds. The tents were rocking and in some cases rolling and a few people were still shopping, but nothing like before. My section was particularly hard hit by the wind so much so that a glass artist with an easy up took down his tent leaving his back door neighbor exposed to the full force of the wind. If it hadn't been for the assistance of his neighbors his improperly weighted tent would have gone sailing. By 5:00 the winds had subsided enough that I felt comfortable going home. Overnight the winds came roaring back so I got to show site early afraid of what I might find. When I arrived at 7:00 Howard was already there assesing damage, calling affected artists and helping with clean up when possible. My craft hut survived because I had brought extra weights but my neighbors improperly weighted tent had walked 6 foot out and was resting on my tent (no damage). WEIGHT YOU TENTS, your neighbors will appreciate it. Due to the assistance of Howard and his support staff to my knowledge no one had to leave because of tent damage.

Sunday morning dawned sunny and beautiful all be it very cold by Florida standards and while the crowds were respectable they lacked the magnitude of the prior day. I still saw many pieces of art walking by that had found new homes.

This is always a very good show for me and despite the trying weather my sales were still 20% up over last year

(Originally posted in February but it accidentally deleted by me.  Re-posted to archive the review)

This weekend was the Locals Art Show in Marathon.  It is affectionately referred to as Pigeon Poop.  For the last nine years it has been the same weekend as the venerable Pigeon Key Art Festival.

Pigeon Key was established as a fundraiser show to help support the preservation and promotion of the historical site on Pigeon Key and to promote the cultural history of the Florida Keys.  It is very competitive with about 70 well-recognized national artists juried in each year out of nearly 400 applications.

The local artists in the Keys said “what about us?” and decided to start a “Locals Art Show” that, in the words of the organizers would “share rather than compete for customers with the Pigeon Key Show”.  Pigeon Poop was born. 

About 60 artists/crafters are “invited” to participate and the jury process is not particularly formal.  Most of the artists are, indeed, local to the Keys and southern Florida.  An effort is made to get good balance across media.

Staci has done this show for the last four years.  It couldn’t be easier.  Our boat is docked less than a mile from the venue (the parking lot at the Winn Dixie Shopping Center in Marathon) so this really is a local show for us.

Set-up starts Friday around 2PM.  You back the van up to your spot and can set up out of the van rather than having to unload and park.

Heavy tent weights are always necessary in the Keys because it almost always howls in February.  Over the past few years, we’ve seen more than one E-Z UP take to the skies.

While the show doesn’t officially start until 10AM Saturday, most booths are open by 9AM.  The location is right on US 1 and has great visibility.  Tourists on the way to Key West see the tents and slam on the brakes and take a look before heading west.

The quality is, for the most part pretty decent.  Carroll Swayze’s unbelievably beautiful paintings and etchings were on display.  So too, were stunning acrylics by Terry Peddle Corcoran out of Little Torch Key.  There was also hand painted silk scarves and beautiful jewelry (but not too many jewelers), and, of course, some fine fiber art and décor courtesy of Staci.

This is not to suggest there weren’t clunkers – a vender of aprons with tacky even-for the-Keys “slogans”, among a few others. But hey, this wouldn’t be the Keys without them.

This show is more about the ragtag Keys artist (and I’m mean absolutely nothing negative by this) than it is the refined Beaux Arts' crowd (and I’m mean absolutely nothing negative by this).   This is the kind of show that would attract a guy like Serge Storms (look him up) but Geri Wegner might also find a thing or two that captures her eye.

It’s about balance and understanding the strange world that is the Florida Keys.  Lois Songer gets it with her wonderful Key West shows.  There are serious buyers/collectors but there are also Cruise Ship visitors.  Pigeon Poop gets it too.

There are some things to dislike – the seemingly larger number of artists who smoke at this show than others we do and who think it’s okay to stand right behind the booth and puff away.  The dirt and the dust that swirl through the air in those howling winds makes for a lot of dusting.

But really, what’s not to like about a show that closes at 5PM and where you can be on the back deck of your boat at 5:15 watching the sunset with a glass of delicious white burgundy while eating some Dion’s fried chicken that you picked up from the Citgo gas station on the way home.  (You really need to try this chicken to know what I’m talking about.)

Success here, for us, is anything over $1000.  Two years ago we did almost $1,500.  This show only makes sense if you are, indeed, local or if you capture that lightening-in-the-bottle patron who can make a whole weekend with one large canvas purchase.  Don’t come here if you need to make $4-5,000 to make it worth the trip.  I think you’ll be disappointed.

This year, the Pigeon pooped on us.  We finished the weekend at about $510.  Our neighbors complained as well.  Everyone we spoke to said that they were down about 50% from previous years.  What went wrong?

The evidence here is anecdotal and I’d love for a Pigeon Key artist to chime in to provide that perspective. 

As I said at the outset, the Pigeon Poop show has always been the same weekend as Pigeon Key. Pigeon Key is a destination show that draws patrons from the upper Keys and Miami and beyond and from Key West.  The quality is uniformly high and attracts the serious buyer.

In talking to customers we always found that the Pigeon Key patrons had the attitude that if they were in Marathon for one show (that costs $8 to get into) why not also go to the one just down the road that is free?  Lots of these folks told us they liked the variety at Pigeon Poop better as well.  Some complained about too many jewelers at Pigeon Key.

So, not only were we selling to the locals and the drive-by tourist, we were selling to the Pigeon Key crowd.

For nine years, all was well.  This year, Pigeon Key pulled a last-minute date change.  (So last minute that we heard of one artist who had no idea the dates had changed.)  They moved the show to the weekend of the February 23-24 (the same dates as Lois’s Old Island Days in Key West).

Was the old switcheroo designed to prevent the patrons from siphoning off to Poop?  That’s the prevailing theory among the Poop artists. 

The destination patrons were not in town this weekend.  It was the locals and the tourists only and sales suffered.

Some will say this is a manifestation of the too many shows syndrome and if I didn’t know the background of these two shows I would probably agree.  However, the nature of Poop, when compared to Key, is such that they shouldn’t threaten each other; they should complement as they did for nine years.

As long as we spend winters based in Marathon, we’ll continue to do the Pigeon Poop show – it’s too easy not to. But our expectations will need to be lowered if Pigeon Key continues to opt for a different weekend.

August 2-4
Park City, Utah
Presented by the Kimball Art Center

Deadline: March 1 New Deadline: March 8
220 artists

The  44th  Annual Park City Kimball Arts Festival will be held August 2-4.  Each year, the first full weekend in August, 220 juror-selected  artists  in 12 media categories fill Historic Park City Main Street  attracting  over 55,000 attendees from 41 states and Canada to experience this  multi-sensory Festival.

The Festival showcases and promotes:

• visual arts
• live art demonstrations
• diverse musical performances on multiple stages
• a kids art area
• art-focused films
• and the incredible cuisine of Park City through the Festival's Taste of Art program

Please  apply  to participate in The Park City Kimball Arts Festival which is  one of  the longest running and largest arts festivals in the Western  United  States and serves as the nonprofit Kimball Art Center's  primary  fundraiser.

Learn more about our show: www.kimballartcenter.org

Artists may apply at www.zapplication.org.

PLEASE JOIN US!  Application fee: $35

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

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

September 14 & 15
La Grange, Illinois
Intersection of Burlington & Brainard Ave.
Sat. 10am-5pm; Sun. 10am-4pm
90 max. artist
Deadline: March 1

Celebrating its 18th year, the West End Art Festival is a La Grange tradition whose purpose is to bring a quality, fine art event to the Village of La Grange and surrounding communities and highlight the west end business district.  Artists from across the country participate in La Grange's late summer festival that attracts art admirers and patrons each year.

Presented by the La Grange business Association and held in cooperation with the Village of La Grange, the festival is held in the shadow of the landmark Stone Avenue Station along Burlington Avenue between Brainart and Spring Avenues.  The charming and historic West End area of La Grange provides a picture-perfect setting to showcase art.  Other highlights include live music, food from local La Grange restaurants and children's art activities for an event to be enjoyed by all ages.

This show is one of a series of Chicago area art fairs managed by Erin Melloy of EM Events. EM Events are held in partnership with local business organizations bring close interaction between each community and its' local art fair and ensuring you loyal patrons. 

Learn more and apply: http://emevents.com

Most likely in most areas of craftsmanship and art, there is a popularity factor where a certain type of work saturates the market, it's brought into the "craft" stores such as Michael's with much less quality of products, and the work is simplified to the level that "everyone" can do it with just a few quick turns of this, dabs of that, well you get it.

As a former clothing designer, I am feeling a need to branch back out into this area. The part I find somewhat humorous are the remarks people are making to me, because it's a side of me none of them know about, all they view me as is X who does Y.

Has anyone else gone back to what they used to create so many years ago that your current clientele have no idea that is another facet to your abilities? Did it work for you? Are you still doing both? Or?

I am feeling the best I have for many years now making this decision, and I would really appreciate hearing from others who have done similar, are contemplating it...or perhaps feel somewhat lost and are trying to find their direction. Thank you.

• "Why We Do Art Shows (Besides the Money)", Nels Johnson 

• "Heat, Humidity Scuttle Estero, FL, Show", Geoff Coe

• "Art: A Competitive Pursuit?", Marti McGinnis

• "Chicago Wholesale Market, Beckman's Show", Carla Bank

Click here to take survey

Deadline: January 21 - 9 pm ET

So fast & easy and we need to say thank you to these generous people

who keep you coming back to AFI

May 24-26  
Denver, Colorado
Fri. 4pm-8pm; Sat. 11am-8pm; Sun. 11am-5pm
135 Artists Booths
Deadline: February 21

Since 1999 the Downtown Denver Arts Festival is a fine arts and fine crafts festival that continues to be dedicated to supporting Colorado artists while also showcasing juried national artists.  Downtown Denver Arts Festival holds its annual premier event each Memorial Day Weekend at the Denver Performing Arts Complex.

The festival is returning 'home' in our 15th year to the Denver Performing Arts complex (DPAC).

The DPAC was the original home of the festival and is the largest performing arts complex in the country.  With over 14 performances scheduled in the theaters (including 5 Les Miserables) during the days of the festival those patrons will be added to the already large crowds that we have every year (125,000+).

Even More:

• Over 100,000 vehicles drive by the location every day so the high visibility of the show will add to the crowds.   
• With an advertising budget of over $120,000 the event is well known in the Denver Metro area.   
• With Entercom Radio (the largest in Denver) and Channel 9 (NBC) as our partners along with      extensive PR, print media distribution, social media and online promotions the artists know that the show is well advertised.   
• The Director Jim DeLutes, a former art show artist, has run the show for the last 7 years and is excited about returning the festival to the sculpture gardens of the Performing Arts complex since promotion of the arts in Denver is the only focus of DPAC.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2 PM ET

Everything an Artist Needs to Know about Insurance - sponsored by ACTinspro.com

Art fairs can be a dangerous business fraught with problems of high winds, theft, traveling with artwork, liability issues, damages to equipment and accidents of all kinds. 

Valerie Bjarnson, Director of Online Programs for Veracity Insurance Solutions whose innovative insurance programs have made reasonably priced insurance available to artists, joins Connie Mettler to discuss why an artist needs liability insurance.

We'll discuss

• liability issues
• bodily injury and property damage
• weather related losses
• theft and the best way insurance can keep protect you and your livelihood

whether you only do a few shows a year or are a full time art fair traveler participating in more shows than you can remember. More shows are requiring artists to show proof of liability insurance. Learn how to satisfy this requirement.

Get definitive answers for all your insurance questions and learn more: www.ACTinspro.com.

Do you have questions about insurance or stories to share about your insurance? Put them in the comments and I'll be sure to include them in the discussion. We'll take phone calls in the last half hour call in: 805-243-1338. 

Listen here: www.ArtFairRadio.com

Hi

I build my own prints bins. Last year after my rain experience in Bucktown Art Fair, I realize the my 2X4 feet wood bin and card boxes for my frame was not way to go.

I build a new wood box for my frame and still a big but in wheels and I can use as a table. I redoing my bins but I decide to reuse what I have before. Here comes my problem and question. My old bin have honey maple finish and the frame box is walnut.

Does matter that the frame box a different color than the print bin. Basic idea does matter that you have two pieces of furniture in same room that different color? I think it wont make any difference in the sales (I think). What is the big deal, staining plywood it takes about a week  and stripping the old color can add a couple of more days and is a lot of freaking work.

I am not lazy and I live in an apartment in Chicago, IL.

Artists - Canada wants you in Vancouver May 11 & 12!  

Visit website ISSUE #356 Great Canadian Craft Proudly Announces: Spring Fling! Great Canadian Craft proudly announces "Spring Fling!" a one of a kind showcase of unique, independent artisans! Coming to Vancouver, BC on May 11th and 12th, 2013! Continue reading TOP NEWS Exhibitor Applications Are Online Now! With 25-30,000 expected attendees, you don't want to miss out on this one!  Fill out our online application before Feb 15th and be entered in a draw for the ultimate exhibitor experience! Continue reading See Us In Action!                                                   Pictures of Past Events Check out our pictures from our past events! View services Venue The Vancouver Convention Center With over 90,000 sq ft, Spring Fling is sure to be the most amazing weekend of the spring!  The Convention Center is an amazing venue right downtown! More featured Copyright © 2013 Great Canadian Craft Inc.                                                  604-771-8053