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Who gets into almost all of the top shows and can win Best of Show? Meet Jody dePew McLeane (pastel drawings) and Ted Gall (sculptor), involved in the art fair business for over 40 years and consistently exhibiting at the "dream shows." They are the proof that you can earn a living participating at the art fairs. Both artists declare that the art fairs are the source of all their income.

The essence of this show is:

• how to build a long term career selling at art fairs
• sustaining a body of work that continues to grow and yield creative fulfillment
• adapting to changing economic conditions
• tips for someone starting out today

Listen to it here:

We just got back from the Country Folk Art Festival in St. Charles, IL, and it is good to see a part of the country where prosperity seems to be intact and flourishing.  My work (Pennsylvania Dutch-inspired etchings) was very well received with good sales for most people.  Don't let the "country" throw you, this was for the most part upscale, well-made work.  Although it is a thirty-year old show, this particular show has gone through a down cycle and now, under new ownership, is on its way back.  It has a loyal following in the greater Chicago area.  

Traditional artists and craftspeople are needed, however, especially in certain specific areas.  It is good to help grow a show, and if you happen to be a potter, producer of wearables, maker of silver, pewter or cast iron objects, possibly even a photographer, consider submitting for the spring show - March 22, 23, 24, 2013.

Robin Reed is adamant about no buy-sell.  Her insistence on quality will hold her in good stead with artists and craftspeople.  Her booth prices are very fair.  Being new to the biz there are a few odds and ends she still needs to be work out, but altogether we were very pleased with the show's production.   

THE KING OF KINGS

This sounds like an opportunity too good to be true and well you know what they say about that. It sounds like an amazing event for artists but when you look at their website there isn't that many artists, compared to what their saying. Does anyone know anything about this? Is it just another scam taking advantage of artists or is it a genuine opportunity?

January 26 & 27
Islamorada, Florida - in the Keys
Deadline: November 9
100 Artist Booths

The Islamorada Fine Art Expo is set in a warm tropical paradise and is creating new standards for South Florida art shows.  Attendees stroll the flowering tree covered streets and meander through beautiful gardens.

Located in the heART of the Florida Keys, this event is a high-end juried show held within the confines of the Morada Way Arts and cultural district.  Event marketing targets patrons of the arts from both inside and outside of Monroe County.

Ocean/Sotheby's International Realty is returning as the title sponsor, and Mercedes-Benz of Cutler Bay is the presenting sponsor.

The weekend begins with Friday evening's "meet and greet" the artists VIP event with ticketed patrons previewing the amazing works of EXPO's artists and giving those in attendance the opportunity to learn the artist's' story of their creative journey.  Last year many of the artists had sales even before the gates opened.

        The Islamorada Fine Art Expo is open 10am-5pm. Both days will feature remarkable fine art and hand crafted items, music, food, and spectacular performance art surprises.  Attendee's experiences will include cutting edge "performance art" presentations not encountered in traditional outdoor art fairs.  Adding to the unique feel is the ambiance provided by our Art District's neighborhood shops, boutiques, galleries and restaurants doing "business as usual."

From ARTnews magazine:

        The Morada Way Arts & Cultural District is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote community awareness, knowledge and support of the arts and culture in Islamorada and the Upper Florida Keys.

Daniela Woody, Director of Marketing
Morada Way Arts & Cultural District
81549 Old Highway
Islamorada, Florida Keys 33036
305-664-9100
Daniela@MoradaWayArts.org

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Find even more art fairs looking for artists including some for 2012:
www.CallsforArtists.com

It is important to place the Role And Responsibility of the Artist in its true perspective lest we lose sight of it in an increasingly complex and uncertain world.

   Artists are The Gatekeepers Of Truth;The Standard Bearers of Courage and Conviction who are called upon throughout The Ages to become Beacons Of Light And Transformation while travelling The Road Least Taken.

  The nature of our Creative Endeavors bespeaks The Noblest Of Virtues; It is from such that Clairvoyance is conveyed thereby leading to the Envisioning and Eventaul Emergence of A brighter Future and A Better World.

This is my first post!  I have been getting the Insider the past several months and I have appreciated the posts.  My comments today are regarding Art Prize 2012.

Last year at this time I joined Grand Valley Artists.  As a result, I was able this year to enter a piece into Art Prize.  Our location was at Huntington Bank at 50 Monroe in the "heart" of the action.  Besides getting a prime location, the bank was wonderful to work with.  They assigned someone to work with the artists, so the installations were easy.  The bank also had a reception for the artists in the bank's location and invited their clients.  So we got some exposure with the bank's clients and hope some of the art will sell.

I recomend artist involvement in Art Prize.  Now is the time to think about being part of 2013.  The prize money is substantial too ($536,000 this year). These are some of the guidelines established from the previous winners and printed in an article in the Grand Rapids Press.

The art piece should be large, family friendly, made from natural materials, made in a unique way and 6 other suggestions listed in the article.  I made mine 30"x60" (larger than my normal 18x24) and I use colored pencils to paint my subjects - flowers.  While I did use some of the guidelines suggested, I need to do more.  I didn't make the top 25 vote getters this week.  However, I don't care, I'm happy for the exposure.

If you think this might be the right venue, you should come to GR and check it out.

Kansas City Plaza- beautiful weather- great art- lots of people- good music- good time.  I was in KC this weekend on vacation so I was not in the show but I stayed in a hotel down on the plaza and saw the show go up and I saw it go down so I thought I would write a review as a spectator.  I am originally from Kansas and my family is in the area so I try to make it to KC on this weekend every year.  Usually the weather does not cooperate but it was incredibly beautiful this year after a one long hot summer in KC.

It was a little windy on Friday, but hey its Kansas!  This show starts at 5 on Friday nite and did the elite of KC ever come out in droves for the opening which lasts until 10 at night.   I loved walking the booths early and getting to see everyones best art displayed and ready to go for the big weekend.  Every booth has electricity and with the lighting, they all looked like mini- galleries.  The 27 Plaza restaruants all had mini booths in the art show so there was plenty of good food and alcohol.  It seemed like everyone had a drink in their hand Friday night.  I did not see alot of art selling but they were definitely looking and drinking and socializing.

There is always great top notch mixed media 2D and 3D in this show of 240 artists.  This year there seemed to be more jewelry than ever before.  There were 40 jewelry booths.  It was all incredible top notch work but after awhile I stopped looking at the jewelry just because there was so much of it.  They had three huge stages set up with non- stop bands playing,  a kids art area and one whole section of the show was just food and drink.  I could not even walk thru this area on Friday night as it was so packed. 

I did not walk the show again until Sunday at 3 when I returned to the area.  I found a tall pale ale at half price and walked the show till it ended at 5.  The crowd was completely different than Friday nights crowd.  There were more families with strollers and older couples.  My favorite figurative painter had done well, she had several missing pieces and many red dots, one ceramic guy had hardly any inventory left.  The photography booths were packed with people and I am sure they did very well.  I  talked to mostly 2D artists, several were very happy, some were not.  One artist was very dissapointed she had not made one sale.  Several of my favorite pieces from Friday night were still hanging in their booths.  I would venture to say that the art that was selling was to a younger hip crowd, the more macabe,  mysterious, gothic kind of art seemed to be doing well.  I was surprised to see giclees and prints this year over other years at the plaza as it used to be only originals.  There was also a belt buckle guy who made no effort to decorate his ez-up booth and cardboard table with handwritten signs whose work I would question as being mass produced.  I watched the artists pack up and many seemed to have a lot of inventory  at the end of the show.  I also watched several armored trucks pull up and pick up huge bags of money from the food and alcohol vendors so I am sure they did very well...........

In an effort to keep from wasting everyone's valuable time, I just wanted to say that I've found what I was looking for on the Square Card Reader.  I would still welcome any other tips, things to watch out for, etc.  But, I've found an answer to the question of making manual entries.  Thank you.

 I am switching over from my current credit card processing system to the Square and have a couple of questions.

I've been practicing with the Square for a couple of weeks but will be using it for the first time at St. James and am just a little nervous about it.  There has been a fair amount of conversation about it on this site but I haven't been able to find anything that addresses my question.  Hopefully, someone on here will be able to help me.

Is there any way to make a manual entry when using this system?  If a card is bent or dirty or anything that prevents it's swiping correctly, is there any way possible to make a manual entry?  If so, could you please give me a brief lesson on how to do this?

One possible negative that concerns me with the Square is that there seems to be no live support that one can talk to about any sort of problem.  With other systems, if you run into a problem that you can't solve, you can usually pick up the phone and get a customer support person to actually talk with.  I haven't found this capabilty with the Square.

Any tips, advice, things to watch out for, etc. would be greaty appreciated.   I'll be carrying a back-up system but I'd like to think that things will go smoothly the first time.  Thanks to any, and all, that would care to offer some input on this subject

hi -- come see us -- i think we're 4-157 ... you can't miss jay since he uses a wheelchair.  i'll be the one holding up the wall and psyching myself up to be comfortable, smiling (well, i do that all the time - so that's not an issue) and ready to sell, sell, sell. 

following week - sugarloaf - timonion

Thursday, September 27, 6 pm ET
Who gets into almost all of the top shows and win Best of Show? Meet Jody dePew McLeane (pastel drawings) and Ted Gall (sculptor), involved in the art fair business for over 30 years and consistently exhibiting at the "dream shows."

The essence of this show will be:

• how to build a long term career selling at art fairs
• sustaining a body of work that continues to grow and yield creative fulfillment
• adapting to changing economic conditions
• art fair vs gallery sales
• lessons learned
• tips for someone starting out today

Jody is a member of the Pastel Society of America in New York and was elected as a master panelist by the Society. Her works have been featured in four books including "The Best of Pastel II" and her work is in many public collections.

Ted has served consultant to the Art Institute of Chicago and the Illinois Arts Council. He has taught art classes in Illinois and in California. His corporate collections include The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, Walt Disney, Bell & Howell, Standard Oil and others.

Do you have a question you would like to ask them? Please post that below. Also, we'll be taking phone calls and you can call in at this #(805) 243-1338.

I had my first art show yesterday, Art on the Bluffs in Columbia, Illinois.  This was a one day show in a small city about 20 miles South East of St. Louis, Missouri. 

I am a photographer and my work consists of flowers and insects.  Most of my images are close-ups and I print them on textured 100% cotton water color paper with rather heavy color saturation.  My selling prices are for signed and numbered, matted prints in a 11x14 inch mat for $65 and in a 18x24 inch mat for $175. 

This show seems to have a diverse mixture of participants with some having less than a year of experience in their field and some seasoned artists.  Many arts were represented with a total of 50 artists.

As this was my first show, and as I am limiting my expenditures until I know if my work will sell and until I have a better definition of what  kind of equipment I will need, I rented an ez-up type of tent.  It was delivered without sidewalls and with an 80 pound weight hung from, the roof line at each corner.  I hung the heavy story display type of wire grids on three sides.

Right after getting my art work hung, we were hit with light gusts of perhaps 10-15 mph and the gusts were met with the sounds of much breaking glass and other objects.  My ez-up tent had no problems, I assume that this was due to the open mesh sides and the heavy weights which  saved the day for me.

The show opened at 10am and I was ready to start making some money.  I was not disappointed, as by 3 pm I had amassed an amazing total sale amount of $20, two of small unsigned prints mounted in 8x10 inch mats.  At this time, I started to have serious doubts of my decision to sell my artwork and questions rang in my head - priced too high?, not of sufficient quality/interest?, etc.  One couple had come by at about noon and said that they wanted to buy one of my framed images that had a price of $200.  After looking for a while, they said that they would be back after lunch and I dismissed the sale when they had not returned by three.

Suddenly at three, the dam burst and the couple returned and others suddenly showed up and I sold $600+ and had an order for another $300, all within the next hour for a total of almost $1,000.  I had been hoping for a bit more, but none the less, I left a happy camper. I have no idea of how the vendors in general did but those that I talked to around me, had substantially less sales.  I also saw very few of the attendees with purchased artwork.

Amazed as too how many of the potential buyers were mainly interested in how well the color would go with their interior design.  Very few seemed to be very interested in mundane facts such that only acid free components were used or that they were pigment and not dye prints.

I do not know why my items were selected for purchase but hopefully I have hit upon a successful formula of interesting subjects well presented.  I do not have sufficient experience to know if this one day show is what is considered to be a good show but at the present time I am happy.

When I was first accepted at an art fair, I did not realize the amount of money and time doing a show would entail.  I have now spent multiple thousand and many, many hours on my inventory of  a couple of hundred matted prints and about 60 framed images.  I have hopes that the next show will bring me closer to the break even point. 

One of my biggest concerns was the price point - too high, too low, how do you know how to price the artwork?

It took me almost 2.5 hours to move the stuff from the house to the car, another couple of hours to set up (in a waiting rented tent), 8 hours at the show, two hours to pack up and get home and another couple of hours to get everything moved into the house and stored again.  Although the packing was done the previous day, still much more effort than I had been anticipating.  My hats are off to all of you that do this on a regular basis.

I also have come up with a solution to pacify my wife as to the amount of time that I am expending on doing the art and the fairs - she gets 1/3 of the sales (of course before taxes).

I have a second show scheduled for two weeks from now, a much larger show with much higher attendance and this one may well decide my future direction in doing art fairs, although, at my age of 70, they will be limited to the local area and they are not required for my main source of income.

This has been an interesting journey thus far and rather educational.

Here's a pic of some knock down pro panels that I made, just a quick set up to see how they would work and they worked out great. What do you think? It wasn't easy figuring out all the measurements and materials but I wanted something professional looking and had a limited budget. Once I figured it all out and wrote down instructions, they would be easy to make again. These are not perfect as I figured out several ways to perfect them as I went along but they do the job and don't think the average patron would notice. The best part about them is that I made them to the same specs as pro panels so that their accessories will work on them. For example I bought their couplers for connecting top/bottom pieces, leather connectors & levelers.  I made my own support bars but theirs would work too. Since I took time to figure out how to make them, I was thinking about making an ebook available for artists. Do you think this would be valuable info for artists and worth the time creating? All the materials cost me around $300 for eight 6' panels, saving me a lot of money compared to $130 each.

I just bought a 6 x 12 cargo trailer to use for storage between shows, to travel to the shows and also to alleviate having to load and unload the pottery and my display before and after each show. Should I contact my auto insurance company to add this on or should I buy some other kind of policy to protect my investment if it is stolen or vandalized? If I contact my auto company will they want me to place my vehicle on a business policy, which would be a bigger expense ? How are you handling this as artists? Also any advice on locks for the hitch, we purchased one to cover the ball, what else would we need?  Thank you, Jackie

January 26
Waukesha, Wisconsin 

10am-4pm   

We all have them...pieces of art that sit in the corner of our studio.  For whatever reason, we no longer take them to art show.  We don't like them, they are damaged, we are tired of looking at them...whatever.  We don't want to throw them out.  What can we do with them?   Now, you can clean out your studios, reduce the price and blow out the inventory in January at the Waukesha Expo, 1000 Northview Rd., Waukesha, WI.

Public Admission is $3 or bring 2 canned food items, get into the show FREE!  All food items and any money collected goes to the Food Pantry of Waukesha, our non-profit partner.  Parking is free.

I can accept up to 100 artists: www.artworkswisconsin.com

The regular deadline is October 1st; however if there is still space available, after Oct. 1, it will be on a first come, first serve basis.  Organized by artist Colin Murray, colin@artworksmadison.com

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 FYI -- there is still room in our Fine Art & Fine Craft Show, October 27 show in Waukesha. More info here: http://artworksmadison.com/  

Well, I've had some big news lately, and my blogging absence reflects what is happening in my life...

I worked at the University of San Diego for 10 years before they revised the job description and I left.  For three years I developed my own business, designed around town and worked in various costume shops, and tried to redefine my skills toward something non-theatre.  I am proud of what I've accomplished, and don't intend on giving it up.

Recently, they decided to restore the responsibilities of that position to what they were when I left.  I was asked if I might be interested in applying for it, and returning to being their costume person and designing/coordinating their shows.

A lot has changed at USD since I left.  Some of the players are gone--the ones who made my life particularly stressful and were responsible for shifting the costume position away from something I was interested in keeping.  There was nothing for me when I left.  But now, coming back to what I had before was very attractive.  I loved it there.  It wasn't until the changes happened that things went sour.

I applied for the job, went through a portfolio presentation and interview, and got it.  I am now the Faculty Costume Shop Manager at the University of San Diego, responsible for designing and building 3 shows each year, and teaching three classes.  I have the rank of Adjunct Assistant Professor and am 5/8ths time, with benefits.  Again.  (I actually went up on the world--I had been called an "Adjunct Instructor"...)

Originally, I was not scheduled to do anything this first semester but design and build one of their undergraduate shows.  But some special circumstances happened (their full-time Scenographer isn't back in town from the Ukraine yet), so I assumed teaching responsibilities for two of his classes.  And I also took up responsibility for designing/building a second undergraduate show since there was a time crunch.  That's three extra responsibilities no one had planned on.

So currently, I am teaching his two sections of Fundamentals of Theatrical Design, and designing two shows--Anatomy of Grey and The Beaux' Stratagem, both undergraduate shows for their Bachelor of Arts degree program.  Next semester I will help mentor their Devised Theatre project, design and build their MFA level show (Tartuffe), and teach a third class (probably Theatre and Society, their intro-level class).

It is a unique experience coming back to the costume shop I designed and working in the program where I helped formulate their BA degree.  When I started there 13 years ago, there was no costume shop and no Theatre major.  In the interim, I have seen the program shift through 8 different program chairs, 3 different departments, and gain 4 full-time positions.  I helped design the small costume shop, storage areas, and dressing rooms that exist today.  In my previous time at USD, I ended up designing/building 63 shows, and when I left I had designed half of the MFA shows that had ever been mounted in their graduate degree program's history.

Theatre at USD is unique--there is a generalized BA undergraduate degree, and there is a MFA degree in Acting co-sponsored by the Old Globe Theatre.  Until this year, the programs were separate and distinct, but they will be merging soon, with the head of the graduate program being the overall chair of the department and an associate chair being hired to coordinate the undergrad side of things.  In the past, the two sides of theatre education at USD had to share my resources and time as the sole costume person for both programs.  But now, with the two sides merging, that position's time as the "servant of two masters" just got a LOT easier.  Having one "boss" (ultimately) will be a boon.

So I'm back.  And I'm happy.  Happier than I have been in a very very long time.  I'm doing something I know how to do, enjoying my time designing and planning out the build of different garments, and re-establishing my relationships with old colleagues.  I know my way around that space--I helped make it.

But most of all I'm very excited that I can get back to teaching, which is what I feel I was really meant to do in this world.  I come from a family of teachers--both of my grandmothers were teachers, several of my aunts and uncles taught high school, and my own parents work for the school district where I went to high school in Missouri.  One of my sisters teaches at the University of Missouri, and I have cousins in education as well.  It's in my blood.  I'm really getting the best of both worlds here--I can teach and do art at the same time.

This doesn't mean my business is going away.  By no means.  I was accepted to my first juried Art Festival in mid-October, The La Jolla Art and Wine Festival, and I'm incredibly excited!!  I plan on continuing my own costume endeavors through a more "artistic bent" and demonstrating to my students that it is possible to use the experience earning a theatre degree to do more than theatre.  Since it's 5/8ths time, I plan on being a living demonstration of what it means to use one's education to define one's own artistic merit outside of a traditional theatre structure, which is something some of them might need to do if they want to be able to make a living using their skills.  Costume Designing doesn't pay well, honestly.  Best to be able to expand one's horizons.  There are lots of ways of applying one's theatre education nowadays.  Believe me.  It's not all pre-professional preparation for entering the traditional theatre industry.  It doesn't have to be.

So.  Thought I'd keep you all updated.  Wish me luck!!  I'm already incredibly busy!!  But it's a happy busy.  And a comfortable busy.  And a busy that I'm proud to be wrapped up in.  It's rather like coming home, in a way.   And for me, it's a good thing.

ArtPrize in Grand Rapids is a very unusual event. It's partly a carnival, and partly a fine art exhibition. This will be my third year exhibiting at ArtPrize and I really enjoy the excitement this event generates here in western Michigan.

This year there are 1517 entries being exhibited in 161 different locations within a three square mile section of downtown Grand Rapids Michigan. Artists from all over the world participate in this event. It runs from September 19 through October 7. There is big prize money... $560,000 in all, with $360,000 awarded by popular vote and $200,000 awarded by a professional jury. In the past most of the awards were by popular vote, so the public decides who wins. This year, they have added bigger awards by a professional jury. 

I am exhibiting at the Fountain Street Church at 24 Fountain Street NE. You can review my entry on my website (www.LebenArt.com) or by searching on the ArtPrize website (www.ArtPrize.org), where details of all 1517 entries are posted.

Throngs of art lovers and party-goers cram the streets of Grand Rapids during this incredible event, most armed with smart phones which enable them to place votes for entries that they like. The winners in past years have not always been worthy of the label of "fine art", and often tend to be schlocky. But that's because the people decide who wins. But some of the past winners are "fine art", in spite of the popular vote format.  

I spent only a few hours looking around on Wednesday on the opening night and the mix of art and kitch is the same as previous years. But the art is what's worth seeing. The best exhibits are at the museums, where professional curators choose the artists who would exhibit. But there are gems and surprises everywhere. For example, I was totally blown away by a massive kinetic sculpture featuring a flock of birds on exhibit in the top floor of the UICA (Contemporary art museum) building. There are inspiring pieces like this all over town. If you are anywhere near Grand Rapids in the next few weeks its definitely worth a visit.

May 10-12, 2013
Greenville, South Carolina
West End Historic District
120 Artists  

Greenville is located in  the Blue Ridge Mountains in the northwest corner of South Carolina,  halfway between Atlanta and Charlotte. It is one of those lucky U.S.  cities impacted positively by high tech development where industries  such as BMW, General Electric and Fluor are flourishing.

 What to expect:

• Since 2005 the Purchase Awards Program provided an average of an additional $15,00 in art sales each year
• Artisphere's multi-media advertising campaign markets the Festival throughout the Southeast region in print ads, radio, and television ads.  Artisphere is also marketed through direct mail, festival brochures, social media, the Artisphere website, and billboards
• $12,500 in prize money distributed to 7 award winners
• a well-educated audience who have good jobs
• great time of the year for pleasant Spring days

Now  in its ninth year, the top-ranking Artisphere festival is an   annual  three-day event that gives arts patrons the rare opportunity to meet  exhibiting artists while purchasing original works of art.  
  

A supportive, art-loving community, beautiful setting, and over 600 volunteers make the Artisphere festival an enjoyable experience for exhibiting artists and the public alike.  Renowned artist hospitality includes complimentary food and beverages, convenient set up, parking, security, booth sitters, and reduced hotel rates.  
  

Artisphere is a 501(c)(3) non-profit art organization.  Proceeds are used to produce the annual arts festival and are distributed back to local non-profit arts organizations as part of Artisphere's Volunteer Arts Partnership Program.

On the fence about applying? Visit their website for a good overview: www.Artisphere.us 

See artist review here: http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/artispherea-little-je...

For more info, contact Liz Rundorff Smith, Program Director/Artisphere, 864-271-9355, or liz@greenvillearts.com.     

Download the application:  www.artisphere.us

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Looking for more art fairs that are looking for you?
Visit www.CallsforArtists.com (new events added almost daily)