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We juried the Royal Oak Clay, Glass and Metal Show Monday.  A few observations. 

First it amazes me every year how creative people are able to get within these few mediums.  One hundred and twenty booths and each stands out as creative and unique.

Secondly, while I did not feel that the booth shots were given more weight than the work images, the majority of rejected work had poor booth shots and the majority of accepted work had professional images for their booth.

I say majority because it is not universally true.  We accepted some work from artists with poor shots, even from an artist that had no booth shot.  For this event at least you can't entirely blame the "fourth image".

I try to be communicative with the applicants so I did send some specific notes to artists regarding their displays.  Of course those reflect only my opinion, but if you would be interested in seeing them, you could check out the posting on my website- Integrityshows.com/blog.

If you have not looked at R. C. Fulwiler's blog yet- Can the System be Improved?  I would suggest doing so.

September 6-8
Clayton, Missouri
(one of St. Louis' 91 municipalities)
Central Business District
181 Artists
Fri. 5pm-10pm, Sat. 11am-10pm, 
Sun. 11am-5pm
Deadline: March 21

Cultural Festivals, the Producers of the Saint Louis Art Fair invites you to apply to be an exhibitor at the 20th annual Saint Louis Art Fair.  A fine art and fine craft festival.  Held in the central business district of Clayton, MO., one of St. Louis' dynamic communities.  Each year the fair attracts over 125,000 arts enthusiasts.

Things to know:

• 181 Participating artists (includes 31 award winners)
• Up to $21,000 cash awards
• 2012 cash sales $8666 (source: post event survey-show did not open last year on Friday evening due to storms)
• Artists Amenities:  free electricity, 24 hr. security, free reserved parking, artists breakfast (awards breakfast)
• 10x10 booth spaces with 2 foot buffer on all sides
• 5 Jurors-3 Artists-1 Buyer, one gallery and or academic, bios can be read online at www.culturalfestivals.com
• Jury Fee: $40, Booth Fees: $625-$725

Too many customers? Matthew Hatala has many admirers at the St. Louis Art Fair

What helps to make this event so successful:

The Saint Louis Art Fair offers an affluent, educated and sophisticated audience at our show.  Research shows that of our 125,000+ patrons, over half sustain incomes over $60,000 while over a quarter maintain incomes in excess of $90,000.  Research also shows that nearly half of our patrons are college educated or have received post-graduate degrees.

For more info: www.CulturalFestivals.com

or call (314)863-0278, email: info@culturalfestivals.com

To apply: www.Zapplication.org, (listed under Saint Louis Art Fair-NOT St. Louis Art Fair)

Visit the St. Louis Art Fair on YouTube.com:

Saint Louis Art Fair

Several artist friends and I are dedicated to modifying the jury system as we know it.  We are emailing every show that rejects us and asking for our score and how it relates to the acceptance score and the waitlist score.  We explain that this information is essential for our growth in this business and besides, we paid for it..

The result has been mixed.  Some have embraced the concept and some have been completely pig-headed.  The most recent response was from a show I've done many times over the years and always have rated as a top show.  It is also held in my hometown of Milwaukee, WI.

I was rejected for the third year in a row and inquired about my score and my category.  The return email blew me away!  I'm sure it revealed more than the respondent intended.

It started off with a completely ridicules statement.  It said the scores were confidential.  Confidential?  From me?  I paid to be juried.  The score only applies to me.  Who are you protecting here?  The rest was all designed to assuage me and get me to apply again next year.  Then, in answer to my question about my category he dropped the bomb.  I had entered in the Digital category.  He said 2 artists from last year were re-invited and there were 22 applicants in my category.  Of the 22 applicants ... wait for it ... 1 was accepted. There will be 3 Digital artist in this year's show!

I don't know about you, but something doesn't seem quite right here.

The last Saturday in February brings the Garage Sale Art Fair to Kalamazoo, MI, at the fairgrounds. Let me tell you folks, people in the region are definitely looking for excuses to get out of the cabin and they flock to this event. I love to attend not only to shop, but to see so many of my "old" friends. 

Bonnie Blandford and Michael Kifer (a jeweler and a potter) do a great job organizing and advertising the show. The parking lot was full when I arrived 15 minutes after opening. One of our favorite AFI-ers Barry Bernstein gives a full review here: http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/bonnie-blandford-s-garage-sale-art-fair-or-out-with-the-old

Here's a brief video from this year's show:

For those who are just starting out - there may be hope. 

I think I have come a long way from my first art show.  I know I still have room to grow but I'll keep learning and trying to do better.

What a difference a day makes – or years of experience.  I admire those of you who have been doing art shows for decades.  You have been so good at sharing your experiences and helping those of us who are new to this business.  I started playing with a camera about 7 years ago.   Many of my friends complimented my snapshots and told me I should go professional.  I thought their compliments were nice and that they were just making me feel good.  Then one year we (my husband/best friend) decided to see if people who did not know me would actually pay money for my photos.  I attended the Daylily Festival in Gray, GA – only 15 minutes from home.  AND….people actually paid real money for my photos.  Wow.  Amazing.  So we did another show and another.  Intermittent reward verbally or financially is highly addictive.  Our first show was an EasyUp with Walmart folding tables, vinyl tablecloths, and Lowes shelving.  We had a large variety of Michaels frames. 

Picture - my first sale!!!!

Side note – The EasyUp may be moisture resistant but if you are showing anything that may be damaged by moisture – don’t.  Remember it is resistant, not water proof.  And condensation was a real problem.  That all ended when the whole thing collapsed during a rain storm due to pocketing pools of water.  Yes we did use the hoola-hoops and swimming noodle tricks.  They just did not work.

It did not take long to learn that being in a tent in 100 degree weather with 98% humidity was NOT fun.   It did not do good things to photography behind glass either. We quit doing shows between June 1 and September 1.  We did take a space in small store in our local downtown area.  That was November 2007.  Just in time for the economy to go south.  Oh Yeah. But we did OK and actually ended up having about 25 artists join “The Gallery”.    This is where I learned running a gallery is a 10 hour day 6 days a week job.  The weekend (day) was catch up in responsibilities at home.  I was not doing any photography.  Never any time.  Sadly…and happily...The Gallery was closed.  But during that time a man came in one day and said “Hi.  How would you like to work with me?”  I said “Who are you and what do you want me to do?”  He was a magazine publisher looking for a photographer.  WOW.  Sure.  If you want to learn photography quickly jump right into being a magazine photographer.  You learn very quickly how to deal with different people in a variety of settings and under whatever light exists.  For advertising the doctor wants all his staff in a small area all looking wonderfully beautiful and happy with all eyes open and get it done within 5 minutes between patients.  OK.  Then you go shoot for a feature and can enjoy more flexibility and creativity.  Setting appointments and meeting deadlines and it all has to be really good quality.  I’m still working with the magazine and loving it and learning more with every assignment.

But back to art shows….We have come a long way.  When I look back at our display in the beginning it makes me wonder why anyone bought anything from me.  Every dollar we made has been put back into the business.  We bought a much better tent.  The very first time we set up the Finale (Creative Energies) we got hit with a microburst.  The 3 booths in front of me were 15 feet in the air way on down the street.  The potter behind me had NOTHING left.  My awnings made perfect airfoils.  Fortunately we had 50 pounds on every corner and like an idiot I hung on to my booth even when being lifted off the ground.  The only damage was a small tear where the awning joined the tent, which Creative Energies promptly repaired in time for our next show.  We got a great deal on Propanels from someone that tried the art show circuit three times and did not enjoy it.  We bought a 10x10 set with browse bins for about ½ price of new ones.  This was a MAJOR change from using gridwalls both from the aesthetic perspective and physical challenge.  The weight of the gridwalls was just too much and the time to set them up with all the bulldog clips and wire ties was miserable.  Loading them in and out of the back of the covered pick-up truck was a major challenge.  So when we saw a trailer for sale for a great price just on the other side of town we snatched it up. 

Picture - Bigger is not always better.  What a mess!!!  I'm surprised we sold anything at all.

We’ve come a long way from our first show.  We leaned so much and have met so many wonderful people.  Even now, every time I go to a show I learn more from those who have been in the business for years.  And when a newbie comes asking questions – I gladly share what I have learned along the way.  It’s only fair. 

As the quality of our booth and the improvement of my skills continue to grow – so do the profits.  I am happy for the “education” I have had the past 6 years.  But I still need more time to get out there and shoot!!!!!

Picture - we now have a clean, uncluttered look with consistent frames.  I love the skirts below the panels that hide all those unsightly wires and other artist's under table stuff.

We've come a long way baby.

Craftmen’s Classic, Columbia SC – Gilmore Shows (March 1-3)

This is the show that taught me the importance of good lighting.  It was three years ago.  We were all set up and ready to make money but it was just not happening.  We were trying to sell photography in a booth in a corner of a dimly lit building.  We walked around and saw that the booths that had customers and were making sales had nice lighting that showed their wares well.  DUH!  So I went to the administration booth and asked if we could purchase electricity on the spot.  As soon as we did, my husband, Jim, ran out to Lowes and purchased a couple of reflector floodlights.  Within 10 minutes of installation I started selling.  Jim ran back to Lowes and bought a bunch more lights and cords.  This was the beginning of getting serious about a really professional display.  More on that in another post.  By the end of the weekend we did OK at this show.  Not really great but OK. 

Last year we came prepared with track lighting and were ready for big money.  It did not happen.  We barely made expenses.  We debated whether we should do this show again this year.  We decided to give it another try and happy that we did.  As it turned out this year sales were among our top five. 

Friday was rather slow for us but Saturday we did pretty good.  Sunday started off slow but ended up OK.  Talking with friends it seemed most were just getting by.  

What I like about this show:

• It is an indoor show.  Having been in a micro-burst, a deluge of rain that collapsed our EasyDown, or suffering extreme cold and hot I have come to appreciate indoor shows.
• Load in and out is as easy as it gets.  Our trailer was parked 50 feet from out booth and the ground is perfectly flat.  Just be careful loading the cart as the entrance is a standard width door.  Wider loads need to be taken to the other side of the building where the cargo doors are located.
• They have a nice artist lounge stocked with complimentary coffee, tea, bananas, apples, donuts and microwave.
• There is a great community of artists
• It is only about 2.5 hours from home
• The very nice and friendly SC Department of Revenue is on location Sunday afternoon to help you complete your tax forms and submit payment   :-)

Springtime Made in the South – Savannah GA (February 22-24) 

This is my first show of the spring season.  I hope it is an indication of how this year is going to go.  I love working with the Hunts (Carolina Shows, Inc).  They are one of the most artist friendly promoters out there – at least that I have dealt with.  And they know how to promote their shows.  There are always crowds whether it is Springtime Made in the South or their Christmas Made in the South Shows.

What I like about Springtime Made in the South

• It is in Savannah, which is a wonderful place to visit
• It is in a convention center – no worries about weather
• People were lined up all morning waiting to get in
• There is a community of great artists and crafters
• Load in and out is relatively easy
• Convention Center Concession Stand offers 50% discount to artists.  Their Irish Nachos are sinful!
• The Convention Center staff are wonderfully friendly and helpful.  The restrooms are spotless all weekend.  Porters are available but not obnoxious
• There is space inside the convention center for your back up inventory
• There is a free ferry ride from convention center across Savannah River to the Riverfront for great food and beverage. On the Riverfront there is Wet Willies (frozen drinks) and Vinnie Van Go Go for great pizza and calzones, some great microbreweries and Irish bars, many wonderful restaurants and market center with great artist galleries.
• I stay at my daughter’s home and get to visit with family and cut overhead

Talking with my friends it appears sales were all across the board.  Some barely made expenses while others did OK.  A few of us did really well.  I give credit of sales in my booth to my husband. That man can sell sand to people in the desert.  We sold big and small.  Anywhere from $2. Notecards to $325 framed canvas prints.  One nice lady said “I’ll take that and that and that and this and this and this.  We were so busy Friday we did not have time for lunch.  We were ringing up and wrapping as fast as we could.  Saturday was almost as good.  Sunday was slower but still better than previous years.   Bottom line – we took in just short of $5000. 

Side note.  Last year a man liked one of my prints but he was not sure it would fit and he was riding with friends so could not take it with him.  He rode home with his friends (an hour away) and decided the piece was perfect and called us to say he was on his way back.  He arrived just as we were packing up and happily took his artwork home.  This year he was back.  He said he loved the print but the colors were not quite right for his room – so he painted the room to look good with the art!  Love. It.

Another lady admired a piece we had but left.  Later in the day she came back with her paint and fabric swatches.  It is so much fun helping people decorate their homes.

I've got to tell you, this is something I wouldn't normally do except that I have all this stuff in my studio gathering clay dust. I thought this would be a good thing to try because I won't throw anything out and I need the shelf space. However, after being on the road for 6 weeks, I did not feel up to driving the 400 miles back to Marquette to get these pieces and then back down to Kalamazoo, where this show was held. So, I just reduced the prices of my normal work and did this show.

First of all, I should tell you that among the crapola that was at this show, there were some heavy hitters like Jim Wilbat, who had just won Best of Show in glass at the Coconut Grove show, Jim Parker, photographer extraordinaire, John Bauman, Patricia Swearingen Hecker, Bruce Johnson, and Vinnie Sutherland, among others. I say crapola because this is a garage sale, after all, and it is meant to get rid of what you have left over that is sitting around your studio. Bonnie wants to make this really easy to do. The show fee is low, around $140. And, she encourages people to use tables that you can rent to display your work, not your booth. I wanted to see what this was all about, so, I didn't rent any tables, which you had to do in advance. Plus, Vinnie Sutherland and another artist were across from me and they put up their displays. I didn't want to look shabby. I ended up putting together a modified display. It looked pretty good and I was happy with it.

Load in and load out were really easy. It helps to have a cart because the show is at the Kalamazoo Convention Center and you can't drive up to your space. There was plenty of room for vans and 3 entrances. There was no waiting in line and you could drive right up to the building. New this year was the option of getting there on Friday and setting up early. It's a Saturday only show and lasts only 6 1/2 hours. I got there right at 3 PM on Friday and started unloading immediately. It took me 4 hours to set up because I stopped to talk to everybody I knew. That's one of the fun things about this show. It's small, intimate, and relaxed. I met Vinnie Sutherland for the first time and had a ball with her. Usually I am the one dishing out the trash. In this case she started early and ofter and gave it to me before I even opened my mouth.

The show was well attended and sales, for me, were good, not great. I wasn't willing to give away my work. I did reduce the pieces to what would be my wholesale price. I sold pieces that I would consider to be good work, not my A+ pieces which I didn't display. I had work at $30 to $300. My customers were savvy buyers looking for a good deal. Most of the people that come to this event are looking for cheap stuff, which there is plenty of. These were not my customers. I didn't sell one $30 piece. A lot of people I talked to and sold to, regularly come to the KRASL show. So, I looked at it as a chance to advertise my work for that show. I was selling steadily until people started offering special deals at giveaway prices. In fact, that would be my only criticism of the show. When someone started offering mugs for $1 a piece that was the end of the show for me. That was a little extreme, in my opinion. I wish exhibitors wouldn't cheapen themselves that much and it clearly had an effect on my sales. On the other hand, these were probably not my customers. 

Last but not least, Connie Mettler threw a pizza party in the lobby of the Fairfield Inn, on Friday night, which is the closest motel to the show. It was a lot of fun and I got to talk and joke around with a lot of really fun people. I made some new friends and hung out with some old ones that I don't get to see that much because we are all in our studios working if we aren't on the road. If I do this show next year, I will rent tables to have that garage sale look. Also, I will make pieces specifically for the event, that I can sell at bargain prices, along with my usual work.

The Gasparilla Festival of the Arts gets lots of fabulous appli-
cations and one of the reasons is the really generous prize money. Accomplished artists and rising stars vie for the $15,000 Raymond James Best of Show Award and an additional $59,500 in prize money. Congratulations to this year's winners: 

Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of Arts Best of Show
$15,000.00 - Steven Olszewski, Pinckney, MI, Sculpture

Board of Directors' Award

$7,500.00 - Aletha Jones, Madison, WI, Watercolor

Roddy Brownlee Reed Award of Artistic Excellence
$4,000.00 - Trent Manning, Winter Haven, FL, Sculpture

Mayor's Award
$3,500.00 - Todd Cameron, Minneapolis, MN, Glass

"Balance", bronze sculpture by Steve Olszewski

Anniversary Award 

$2,500.00 - Amy Beeler, Oregon, OH, Jewelry
Friends of the Museum Award

$2,000.00 - Katherine Mathisen, Ocoee, FL, Ceramic

 Individual Award of Merit

$1,300.00 - Leslie Bevis, St Petersburg, FL, Painting

I will be show six pieces of my work along with Clyde Butcher and Iran Issa-Khan at the Elizabeth Evans Gallery in Marco Island starting March 8th.  I'm honored to be asked to contribute my work with these artist.

I'll be showing pieces from two of my series.

I am a newbie to entering shows, LOL the last time I entered shows I used slides so that should tell you something.

So when I had my work photographed by a friend who by the way did amazing photography I was so

proud.

But then I entered shows and was turned down time after time.

I couldn't figure out what was wrong.

Soon I had the fortune of meeting Lee Saxon Hays, I spoke to him about this problem I was

having, "he told me quick let me take a look"  Oh I can fix that! And he did just that.

I would like for you all to see what he has done and the price he charges is nothing compared

to others.

So if you are having problems or just want him to make you already great work to look even better

give him a shout. info@saxonlynnarts.com

Here are before and after shots.

In January,2009, I joined this site.   I was about their 375th member at the time.

This was the second blog I had ever written in my life, also happened to be the first of my "Tequila Reports."

It was Superbowl Weekend in Tampa.  Everybody was in town trying to make a buck off the Superbowl.  I went to my favorite Cuban food hangout in Ybor City.  This is where I encountered the "Naked Cowboy."

I didn't have a camera at the time, so the below pic came later.

Thought some of you newcomers who were not around then (That would be more than 8000 of you) might enjoy this little missive.

It was my beginning of wry observations and how some of them relate to us on the circuit.

Hope you enjoy.

                                                SAW A NAKED COWBOY

Its Superbowl week in Ybor City.

I was having lunch at Carmines Restaurant on Seventh Avenue.  I live in Ybor City, one block off the main drag.

I was eating my black beans and rice--and a crab roll, heavily laced with Louisiana Tabasco Sauce--OK, also a little Patron Tequila (The beginning of the Tequila Report)--and who strums by in his BVDs--the Naked Cowboy.

In case you have not heard,this dude has been strolling around the USA in his BVDs.  Singing on his guitar.  Stopping to let people take his picture.

He is cuter--than he is a singer.

So there he is in Ybor City riding the Superbowl Wave.

It will be interesting tomorrow to see if he is still in his BVDs, singing, since it is only going to be a high of 55 degrees, and windy.

It seems everybody who has a scheme to make money has descended on Tampa.  Its crazy.  I wonder why Howard does not have a show here this week.  (Boy, did I catch hell from Connie over that comment.I was just being truthful and observant--and I would say now, "Good for Howard Alan if he could have pulled off a show there.")

Oh well, I get to miss the Superbowl and travel to New Smryna Beach tomorrow and set up in chilly, windy temps.  And then, hope people come out to buy. (I made $600 that weekend).  Aren't I lucky.

OK, here is a little addition.

By now, I had gone home (This is after lunch at Carmines, after seeing the Cowboy) and seen the Little Woman, and she filled me full of insight.

She says, "You figure you are a photographer?  WHY DON'T YOU HAVE A PICTURE OF THE NAKED COWBOY?"

Well, when I go to Carmines I bring a book, and not a camera.

But, to describe him  accurately, he was six-foot, well-muscled, well tanned, hair blonde down to his waist. And, he had a cowboy hat on with his cowboy boots and, CLEAN BVDs.--that were skin tight.

My wife,Ellen Marshall-- a painter on the circuit that some of you know, had a curious question.

She wanted to know if he was wearing a jockstrap.

Well, STUPID ME--I was eating crab and swilling tequila, and I was not close enough to evaluate such a close measure of manliness.

Oh well, next time I will bring my camera.  Aloha, Nels.

And from that episode was the humble beginnings of the Tequila Report.

Hope you enjoyed it.  Nels.

May 25-27  
Estes Park, Colorado
Memorial Day Weekend
Fri. & Sat. 9am-5pm
Sun. 9am-4pm
100 Artists
Mail deadline: March 6
On-line deadline: March 11

The Art Center would like to invite you to participate in our 14th annual Art Market.  The Estes Park Art Market is an annual show that is held Memorial Day weekend in Bond Park, located in the center of downtown Estes Park. This popular, summer kick-off event is well-attended and has a reputation for offering quality arts and crafts. 

The Art Center strives to maintain this reputation through its anonymous jurying process with the objective to select artwork that is unique, representative of a broad range of media, and that demonstrates both creativity and technical excellence, resulting in a diverse yet balanced show.

Artwork Policies  

Only the type of work that was juried for the accepted artist can be displayed and sold at the artist's booth.  Artwork must be original in design. Manufactured, imported or mass produced items, those made from kits or molds, silk-screened clothing or T-shirts are not acceptable work for this show.  No items purchased for resale are permitted!

The show in Estes Park is located at the base of Rocky Mountain National Park.  The Memorial Day show is attended by visitors from around United States who enjoy the wonderful mountain scenery of the area.

Learn more and apply: www.artcenterofestes.com

For questions about the Art Market please contact Alice League at: artmarket@artcenterofestes.com

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

Find more shows all around the country for your 2013 show schedule

www.CallsforArtists.com

I am a complete newbie...please bear with me. I am a fiber artist and do art quilts. Most of my work is all fabric and some of my work is done with fabric and paint on wood, which has me as mixed media 2d. I'm a mix. I think I have yet to narrow down my style and subject matter so that my photos look as if a single artist has done them. I've been in three small shows in the fall of 2012 which were mildly successful. All three had far lower turout than what was expected. I really have no idea which shows will accept me so I am spending quite a bit on applications now. I just bought a used tent. I've had some professional photos done. I think my booth already needs a redo....I'm typing this so that one day when all my ducks are in a row I will remember what it felt like to be drowning in daily decisions and application fees. I also want to thank each and every one of you who are here for establishing this community and forum as a support system. I come and read blogs all the time and check the reviews and the classifieds. I imagine I will be back with a laundry list of subjects on which I need advice ....in the mean time, thank you for being here.

Sharon

Just took some watercolors based on my symphony sketches to the 5x5 art show at Northern Arts Council. Sunday March 10 from 6-9 pm Enjoy NAC's latest installments at Cork Wine Bar and Ferguson Brewing Company, then join us for an opening reception of the 5x5 Exhibition at 427 Gallery

It was cold and windy at Gasparilla this year, but it didn't stop the people from coming out to support this long running show in the park next to the Tampa Art Museum.

This was my first time exhibiting at Gasparilla, and, having a new (used) Trimline that we only set up once before, we arrived for early set-up on Thursday afternoon. The committee was (mostly) well organized with timed entries into the art fair with caravans of vehicles following volunteers on Segways into the park. We arrived well ahead of our 1pm set-up time but we spent a good 30-40 minutes driving around looking for the artist sign in area. A few large and well placed signs directing artists to the artist parking lot would have helped. Later, we saw one small sign near the entry to the parking lot, but it was facing the wrong way and we didn't see it. Even with directions given to us by volunteers, we had a very hard time finding the sign-in tent. It was in a parking lot next to the Howard Johnson Hotel, but that hotel didn't have any signage on it from the streets we were driving on. We heard the same complaints from many other artists who were also first-timers at Gasparilla.

Although there was plenty of space for setting up and there didn't seem to be any big rush on Thursday, we were given two hours to unload and get our vehicle out of the park. We could have used more time.

Other than these minor irritants, the show was well organized and well attended. Some perks that we really appreciated were free parking for the week-end, breakfast and a hot lunch both days and really friendly and (mostly) helpful volunteers.

Saturday temps were in the mid 50s with wind gusts. Sunday was cooler and a bit windier. Our sales were poor on Saturday, grossing only $500 but we made up for it on Sunday winding up with around $3100 for the week-end. Our biggest sale came from a lawyer who bought a large canvas print for $800 after the show closed on Sunday afternoon (love those last minute sales).

Packing up and getting out of there proved to be a bit of a challenge, but the committee was well organized and helpful. Our biggest problem was trying to find the circuitous route we were supposed to take to get our car and trailer back into the park. Again, some big signs and arrows would have helped us find the correct path into the park. But, then again, I've always been a bit directionally challenged. My most common method for finding my way is to wander aimlessly until I'm there.

I didn't get into the Vero Beach show next week-end and Howard Alan never got back to me about Jupiter (something about my booth shot being unrepresentative of my set-up???), so we will be hanging out on the beach and visiting friends in Naples until Winter Park, the following week-end. This will be my third Winter Park show (who didn't have any problem with my booth shot), a show I really look forward to. I think its the best show in Florida.

After Winter Park we'll be parking our car and trailer in a friends boatyard in Tampa. We'll fly back to Michigan for a month, then fly back for Mainsail in St. Pete in mid April (another show that didn't have a problem with my booth shot).

Only three Florida shows for me this year, and none of them in South Florida. I did seven Florida shows last year with dismal sales in all the South Florida shows. I feel like Gasparilla has been a good start for this season. Hopefully sales will continue an upward trend.

I sell on the streets of NYC and it gets dark early. I have seen vendors hook lights to regular car batteries.  Car batteries can be dangerous so you need to see if this would be legal in your area.  Also Home Depot sells small rechargeable generators.  You'll have to experiment to see how long they will hold a charge.  You will need several to light a 10x10 booth.  Out door lighting is always a challenge.  Luckily my outdoor market has electric.   Good luck,  Stacey

Hello,

After not getting into Gasparilla thought I'd try this festival out. Really should have stayed home and with my conversations with a few other vendors they thought the same. I know it was a small show and had really great prize money yes that was the draw to get in. If you where lucky enough to get prize money then you might have come out ok I wasn't one of the lucky ones. But I can say that I did well enough to cover my expenses etc., didn't mention this I drove in from Atlanta. Yes like probably most events in Florida this past weekend the cold could have been a small factor but not all. One of the local artist helping in the festival stopped by my booth Sunday and asked how was my show here this weekend and I told not very well. His comment was sir I can you this don't expect it to get any better! So with that said I can't recommend this event I know I won't return but you can only be the true judge to enter this festival. This is only my opinion. I don't even think anyone from the event even stopped by my booth to even say hi. Anyway see if I can post a image with this post and you can see the style of work I creat. Have a great day.

http://www.mikebrownstudio.com/

(I've reviewed this show twice previously, and last year's show, truncated due to weather, was written about extensively.  You can get all that history here.) 

Goofy weather--cool and cloudy Saturday, sprinkles overnight, then mid-50s, clear and breezy Sunday--didn't keep the crowds away from this show at the Mercato Lifestyle Center, an uber-upscale shopping plaza and condo canyon in north Naples.  But for the 100 fine artists at the von Liebig Museum's fourth annual show, this was perplexingly a hit-or-miss affair. 

Unfortunately, I fell into the latter category, barely eking past $1K on the weekend, nearly all of it on Saturday. After the first hour or so that day, customers visited in a steady stream, praising my work to the skies, but when they bought, they bought small.  Two of my key metrics--items per sale and average spend per item--sorely lagged what I've done in less upscale venues this year. 

A few debated which large canvases they were going to buy, asked for pricing, and went off (they said) to see the rest of the show, or to measure the walls.  But even those who returned wound up not pulling the trigger. 

I didn't get the sense there there was any urgency to buy.  Being local, even when I mentioned to the business card bandits that this was my last show in Naples for 10 months, it didn't matter.  "We'll call you," they'd say, as they moved on.  Some of them actually might, of course.  But I can't help but wonder if this is a crowd that is more impressed by the "artists from afar" than the ones working in their own back yard.

This sentiment was shared by several other local artists I spoke with at the show, one of whom sardonically commented that based on the conversations he'd had, "I am thinking I'll need extra staff at my store when I open up on Tuesday morning to handle the crush of people."

Numbers don't lie.  And the truth is that my average gross from Naples shows in 2010 (when I began exhibiting at shows there) was more than TWICE what it's been the last ten months.  And, if I cast the net even closer to home, to the Howard Alan and HotWorks shows I do in Estero, the trend is similar: down by nearly half. 

Did I benefit, in 2010, from being the new kid on the block (which, to show-goers, might be nearly as attractive as being an unfamiliar artist-from-afar?)

It is concerning to me that of my five best-grossing shows from the last 12 months, four are out-of-towners and only three are in Florida:
* Rehoboth Beach, DE (Art League Members' Show)

* Sanibel, FL (Lions Club show)
* Norfolk, VA (Stockley Gardens)

* St. Pete, FL (Mainsail)

*  Jupiter, FL (ArtiGras 2012)

Several possible courses of action present themselves:

1)  As one long-time glass artist suggested to me:  Travel more, and raise my prices to cover the higher expenses.

2)  Keep the local vs. distant show mix as-is, but do different shows within the local area: Swap in Bonita Springs for Naples; Sanibel for Estero; Sullivan Boulderbrook shows for Hotworks, etc., etc.

3)  Do the same shows you have been, but market more heavily to the locals.

4) Move to smaller, lower-priced items.  Embrace the middle class.

5) Screw the middle class. Move to larger, higher-priced items (which I did already, last year.  Not the "screw the middle class" part, but you get my point).

6)  Just ride it out.

7) Start drinking Scotch. Keep going until you come up with either an Option #8 even more palatable than the Scotch, or a new career.

Hmmm. I'll think those over. But in the meantime, there's a show review to finish.  So let's trudge on. . .

This might just not have been my weekend.  A few folks, including the aforementioned long-time glass artist, had  killer shows.  Several of my neighbors, and a reasonably high percentage of others I spoke with during loadout, were happy they came.  They didn't share numbers, but said they were satisfied and would return. 

So draw your own conclusions.

I can say with certainty that the show was well run by show director Marianne Megela and the museum staff and volunteers.  Setup, which started at 3 AM Saturday, was a snap, especially for the well-caffeinated.  Teardown, the same.  There was an artist breakfast, ample booth-sitters, and very good promotion through traditional and social media, as well as to the museum's burgeoning mailing list. 

And the art mix was diverse, the quality uniformly high (though no awards).

Bottom line:  Despite the hit to MY bottom line, for many other artists, Mercato seems to be as decent a show as there is in Naples.  The problem is:  given the trend in the numbers, that isn't the high praise it used to be. 

It was a cold and stormy Saturday (all over Florida) and then it cleared and warmed.  At Las Olas there were mobs of people walking past with their hands in their pockets, but many artists still had solid sales.  Sunday was predicted to be colder and wetter but turned out to be warm and dry.  The aisles were packed with people, to the point where one could barely get through to visit with one's friends.  My Sunday sales were triple those of Saturday, and the show ended up being my usual great Las Olas.  We have been doing shows in Fort Lauderdale for decades, and have a strong following from our mailing-list, but this show always brings a lot of cruise ship day-trippers and a remarkable number of foreign visitors into the mix.  We sold to patrons from all over Europe and Latin America.

The show is very well promoted and run.  Move in begins at 5AM Saturday morning, and runs very smoothly because the Alans employ artists to coordinate the vehicles, and they know what they are doing.  Howard and Debbie are always on-site and accessible.  They offer a fun, stress-free event.

Next we are going to Bonita Springs, for another pleasant and well-produced event.

So: how were Gasparilla, Palm Beach, & Venice?