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Columbus is my second art fair of the Spring season after returning from a tough Florida string of seven winter shows. My first show this spring was in East lansing. Both East Lansing and Columbus have been moderately successful for me, both grossing more for me than they did last year. This trend is encouraging, and I'm hoping it continues.

This show moved this year to its original location on the riverfront and from my perspective its a good move. There has been a lot of trepidation among artists about locating booths on the two bridges over the river, and rightly so. But, even though we are certainly more vulnerable to the wind on these bridges, the setting is dramatic and beautiful. The crowds love this location and they came out in droves to support this long-running show. I was on the Rich Street Bridge, which, I was told, had not even been open to vehicle traffic yet. Construction on the bridge was finished the day before the art fair opened.

Setup was on Thursday, and it seemed to go well with setup times staggered to avoid congestion. Friday was cold and rainy, and, as a result, crowds were meager. Fridays shows for me are seldom worthwhile, and this one was no exception. I was able to keep dry and warm with multiple layers as I watched the occasional person wander by.

Saturday was sunny and much warmer, but windy with gusts up to about 25mph. I heard of one tent on the Rich Street Bridge that blew over, but word-of-mouth was that no artwork was damaged. Sunday was also warm, and windy, but the wind didn't keep the crowds away. both days were busy, busy, busy. The people of Columbus certainly support their art fair... at least with their attendance.

From my limited perspective of the artists around me, the crowd was buying low-priced items. They seemed to admire, but take a pass at high-priced original paintings. I'm a 2-D artist and I'm curious about how 3-D artists did at this show. Two painters next to me were very disappointed in sales. I'm a digital artist, selling limited edition prints, and I seemed to have a price point this crowd was looking for. I grossed $3234 with 44 sales averaging $73.50 per sale. My biggest sale was $200. My smallest sale was $20. I have a feeling low priced items were the rule at this show with a lot of small sales at other artists booths as well. In fact, I use Square for processing credit cards as do many other artists these days.  I had trouble swiping cards on Saturday... maybe because of such a large volume of sales. I had to write down the credit card numbers and process those sales after hours in the evening.  

Hours at this show are long. Friday and Saturday hours were 11:30-10pm. Sunday was 11:30-6pm. Lights in your booth are a must for the evening hours but the show provides plentiful and safe electricity in big metal plug-in boxes spaced conveniently behind the booths. There was plenty of storage space behind booths as well. I was flying solo for this show, so I didn't get a chance to walk around much and see the artist's lounge of the other exhibitors. One odd thing though. The organizers did not have coffee in the artist's lounge on Friday or Saturday. I guess there was such an uproar from the artists, that they broke down and supplied coffee on Sunday morning.  

First, I would like to thank my fellow artists who diligently provide information regarding shows they have attended.  Needless to say, I wish I had acquired more information from the 2010 poster before applying to the Piccolo Spoleto Craft Festival (Wragg Square, Charleston, SC). This is not a complaint report per se. It is more of an FYI.

The Show overall was a good show. Volunteers were outstanding. Artist hospitality spectacular. Would I apply again? No, unless they changed venues. The problem in one word, "Dirt". Not dust, which is in the air for every outdoor festival, but dirt! Just think, soft black beach sand in and on everything! Our weekend was extremely windy which may have contributed to the high levels but from what I was told from veteran artists it is the norm. I have included some pictures so that if you choose to apply you can think of ways to prepare and protect your work. These were taken @ one hour after having wiped down my cabinets. The Swiffer shot was from one shelf.

Another roller coaster year for us at NW Folklife (Memorial Day weekend in Seattle, WA).  I’m finally getting around to posting this review for NW Folklife over Memorial Day weekend. Why?  Because it’s taken me that long to recover and  get caught up on my day job and the rest of life after a grueling 4 day festival.  I blogged about the load in / load out, etc.  last year so don’t feel the need to cover those details again:  last year’s details:

http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/northwest-folklife-festival

One item I did leave out last year is that they do have a Saturday party for the artists and volunteers.  We’ve never gone to the party simply because we were too tired and wanted to get home.  Maybe we’re just too old  (NOT!!) but to start the party at 9 PM on a Saturday night and knowing that we still had 2 long days ahead of us on Sunday and Monday and about a 45 minute drive each morning and evening has never made us want to attend.  Nice of them to offer.

This was our 4^th year participating, 2009 and 2010 were very good for us for sales, last year was dismal.  Our goal going into this show was simple, determine if this is a show we want to leave on the list.  We were hoping that 2011 was the anomaly and that our sales would return to previous levels, if not, it would be an easy decision to remove this show from the list just due to the 4 long days and the fact that the music/dance of the festival are the primary reason people attend, the art booths are secondary.  However, it has worked for us in the past and the 2009 show still ranks as one of our top 5 shows ever for sales, so we were reluctant to take it off the list just based on 2011 results. 

However, due to our pathetic results in 2011, our booth assignment in 2012 was less than appealing. Or we thought it was based on knowing the traffic flow and knowing that due to the building locations we would only get about 2 hours of direct sunlight in the late afternoon.  We asked to be moved but were told there were no other options.  So, we decided to go ahead and figured a bad booth location might make the future decision that much easier.

I’m happy to report that this year’s festival got off to a much better start for us than last year.  The festival officially opens at 11 on Friday and by 11:15 our first customer of the day had already purchased enough to cover our booth fee and parking expenses.  We also had a great day on Saturday so as we left to drive home we were breathing a sigh of relief that it appeared that our sales were going to more closely align with our 2009-2010 results for Folklife and help make us feel like the 4 day grueling show was worth it.   Sunday had ALWAYS been our best day that this festival, so I was trying to not have expectations that were too high, but thinking that we had the possibility of our best Folklife ever.

Sunday morning arrived and the entire day was rain free, just proving how unreliable our weather forecasters are in the Pacific NW.   Sales started really slowly on Sunday, which is not unusual.  The problem was that they NEVER picked up for us.  Other artists did report having a better day on Sunday than Saturday, but not us.  We ended the day with our worst Sunday at Folklife that we had ever had, even compared to last year’s overall dismal results. 

So on the drive home, I voiced my frustration that this wasn’t helping us to make a decision regarding future Folklife events.   I wanted to have a black and white decision, but by Sunday nights our sales were trending towards the average of the 3 years we had done the show and I didn’t want to be operating in the “gray” decision making area where it’s not clear cut.  This is such a long, hard festival an then with the horrendous load out, I was hoping for an easy decision.

Monday the crowds were much lighter and by about 5 PM  we had hit our average for the Monday at this show which meant that we were just slightly above our average for the overall show but not back up to the previous levels, however, it was a vast improvement over 2011. 

We also learned throughout the weekend that while we thought last year’s location was better than prior years, for some reason it was invisible to some of the patrons.  It wasn’t quite in the flow of most other booths but in a more central location between the 2 rows of booths which one would think would be good, it could be seen from all the booths lining Founder’s Court.  However, we had at least 5 customers comment that they didn’t see us last year, all 5 had bought from us in prior years and all 5 bought from us this year.  That left us scratching our heads a bit, but made this year’s perceived bad location feel a lot better!!   This was also our first show with a few selected enameled copper earrings.  With the ongoing rise in the cost of metals we decided to try a small selection in enameled copper and we were pleased to see that they sold well.  Always nice to have positive feedback on new designs!

Our section of the show ends at 7 PM Monday evening and by 6 PM the crowds were almost non-existent.  The artists were chatting outside their booths, some were starting to “rearrange” and others were even starting to blatantly pack.  About 6:30 my husband left to fetch our hand truck and bins knowing we had a place we could store it around the corner until load out. About 6:45 a charming lady from Georgia entered our booth and asked to see our second most expensive bracelet.  Upon trying it on, she commented that it was a little too big, I explained that it could be shortened, and we could do that on site, almost immediately.  So, she decided to take the bracelet!!   Yes, a last minute sale and a high dollar one at that.  So while my husband was shortening the bracelet she and her Mom were looking for earrings (with my help).  The customer then decided to try on a necklace, had me write down our inventory number and description of the item, the customer was positive her husband would buy it for her online.  Her Mom then commented, “if you know he’s going to buy it, just get it now and save him the hassle”!  Gotta love shopping companions like that.  The customer asked if we would include the earrings for free if she bought the necklace and bracelet. No problem!!  Our big, last minute sale just got much bigger and became our single largest purchase all weekend.  All this was concluded by about 7:15 PM, after the show had officially closed.   Just proving my husband right again:  It’s not over until the fat lady sings!!!!

Final result, the best Friday, Saturday & Monday we had ever had at Folklife and the worst ever Sunday.  Total opposite buying patterns of every other year, but in the end it was our best Folklife of the 4 years we’ve participated and yes, we plan to return, decision turned out to be an easy one to make in the end.

Unfortunately results were mixed among other artists, most said it was better than last year, however, there were at least 3 having their worst Folklife ever including 2 fiber artists and a illustrator who have done this show for years.  However, other jewelers and a couple of wood workers we talked to said it was definitely better than last year.    The fiber artists both suffered due to 2 days of warmer than usual temperatures and no one wanting to try on hats or sweaters.

A few other notes:  Weather forecast on Friday AM called for sunshine Friday & Saturday, rain on Sunday & Monday, pretty typical for this area over Memorial Day weekend.  Friday and Saturday were sunny and warm for the end of May in Seattle and while the crowds seemed to be smaller than previous years, there also seemed to be less of the ill behaved youth hanging around.  Friday night we had a very short lived thunderstorm with a minimal amount of rain, but it got everyone’s attention because thunderstorms are rare in this region.  Sunday was cooler, as was Monday but luckily the rain held off both days, proving the weather forecasters wrong again.

Friday night there was a shooting that occurred after we had closed down for the evening. We were also warned about a couple of theft incidents that had occurred on Friday by a group of 3 young men working together, so we were on our guard for the rest of the weekend.  And while we’ve decided to return, we’ve had a lot of family and friends wondering about that situation just due to the shooting.  Previous conversation that I had raised on this topic, and I do appreciate the responses:  http://www.artfairinsiders.com/forum/topics/shooting-at-a-festival-are-we-crazy

3 years ago I made the leap to drop jewelry entirely and focus on just glass.  My first season I tried to work with displays that had been the basis for my jewelry booth... I painted the wood white so the colors of the glass would show up and came up with a start that left patrons snowblind, although I didn't think of it that way until I looked back at the pictures.

Last season I invested in chrome shelving to give me more depth (the white shelves were 8 inches deep) and to break up the white.  By the end of the season I had found light green fabric and . created curtains to allow me to raise the walls without taking in the background view of whomever was next to me. .  I was getting complements about the cool, spa-like feel of the booth but I wasn't done.  The wire shelves were a pain to setup, worse to tear down, and difficult because even with plastic tops things liked to fall off and through.

For this season I invested again (and gave the chrome shelves a good home) and bought wood folding bookshelves.   They take up less room in my car, go up and down far easier and look much nicer.  To see pictures of this evolution check out my blog post at

http://heartfirestudios.blogspot.com/2012/06/booth-evolution-or-dont-panic.html

My next steps (hopefully complete before my next show in 3 weeks) are

1) a smaller folding bookshelf to use as a "desk"

2) higher chairs (hidden behind the tall shelf on the right)

3) final work on the curtains to make them fit properly

4) hiding the weights at the front of the tent.  The curtains hide the back weights.

If I get all of the done for the next show I may be able to focus on just glass!  For the first time I feel like the end of my booth evolution might be in site!

We did the show in Thousand Oaks, CA, this weekend. We took two checks and deposited them successfully in our account in Madison, WI, with the app. We wholeheartedly recommend the app!

Dave & Judy Peterson

September 15 & 16
Park Forest, Illinois
Downtown
100 Artists
Deadline:  June 30

The 57th Annual Park Forest Art Fair will be held on Saturday, September 15 and Sunday, September 16 in downtown Park Forest.  Hosted by the Tall Grass Arts Association, this is the second, oldest juried fair in the Chicagoland region.  Known as an exceptionally artist-friendly fair, artists from all over the country display works in a variety of media from paintings and photographs to jewelry, sculpture, wood, glass and fiber arts.

Artists typically report that fair-attendees do not simply walk past booths but stop to chat with the artists, as well as purchasing their artworks.  Several artists have exhibited continually for over three decades. Each year, they are joined by new artists.  In 2011, several second generation artists joined their artist-parents at the fair. 

Tall Grass provides breakfast and dinner for artists on Saturday and a variety of prizes.  The fair features musical entertainment all day, both days, many art-related activities for children and food vendors.  The fair is advertised on WFMT and WBEZ radio during prime drive time, local newspapers and social media such as Facebook and other websites.

The application for jurying can be downloaded from the Tall Grass Arts website at www.tallgrassarts.org.  Once juried, artists need not jury again but will automatically be invited to return to exhibit at the fair. 

For additional information, contact the gallery at (708) 748-3377, contact fair chairperson Janet Muchnik at jmuchnik@sbcglobal.net, check the Tall Grass Facebook page or website. 

I've sort of adapted my booth development process around the theatrical process...  

When you're rehearsing a play, you start out in a variety of different ways, but eventually you start a process called "blocking", which is where the actors and directors figure out where the actors are physically positioned and begin working on fleshing out the dialogue.  Then you move onto "working" rehearsals, and eventually you get to a "stumble-through".  From that point, you keep doing the play over and over, tweaking bits and pieces until you can start "run-throughs", and then suddenly you find yourself in technical rehearsals, dress rehearsals, previews and opening...  It's an interesting process, and I like to think that my booth is heading toward it's opening but I'm not there yet.

Today, I did my first "stumble-through".  I had a plan, I knew where everything was going to go, and I decided to give it a shot.  Wow.  Did I learn a LOT.  Even without my stuff there to display, I learned a number of different  things that I need to develop in my "working" phase so I can eventually get to a series of "run-throughs" allowing me to practice setting everything up over and over and over until it runs smoothly.  By that time, I'll be ready for a "dress rehearsal" (which I may make into an invite-only trunk show) before I hit the big time and do my first real, upscale art festival.

Depending on whether I can get juried into one.  : )

But obviously, I have to work toward a goal.  I'm taking things slow, yes, but I believe that (much like a theatrical presentation) the opening night audience pays for the same tickets that the closing night audience does, so they deserve to see the same show.  I'm going to make sure I've got my booth ready for my first show.  And that's just gonna take a bit of time to ensure it's right.

So my stumble-through was incredibly productive.  As I said, I learned a lot.  I've included pictures here of my initial endeavors.  My banners arrived this week and I was excited about them, so I was very keen on doing a trial run this weekend to see if they were going to work.  Of course, I hadn't brought any of my stuff from storage, so there was only a handful of current projects in my studio that I tried to spread out as much as I could...  It makes the booth seem quite spare and empty.  But I'm workin' in baby steps here, so it was a good thing I didn't have it in my way...

Things of a general nature that I learned:

 1) 8' walls don't measure 8' from the cross bar at the top to the stay bar at the bottom.  The walls themselves do, but the metal structure on the inside is smaller.  My 2'x4' grid wall panels were too tall, as were my banners.  Duh.  I hadn't thought that all the way through...  This caused some logistical problems I had to figure out...

2)  I need more practice putting this thing up. A lot more practice.  This was the first time doing it by myself, and I practically wiped myself out.  I have to get the "choreography" memorized in order to make it as swift as possible.  Otherwise, it will take me too long to set it up, and the shows will open around me, and I'll be a bad artist who won't be allowed back.  And wearing comfortable clothes, gloves, and sunglasses is a must.  Being in southern California, sunblock is a no-brainer.

3)  Marking the tent poles with permanent marker where the grid wall should go is a good idea.  I tried guesstimating, but soon whipped out the ol' tape measure to do it right. 

4)  Having a plan is a must.  I wouldn't have been able to progress this far unless I had already drawn out what I wanted over and over, asking for opinions and imagining how it would all go together.  A good director plans (generally) what he wants the audience to feel and understand when they see his show.  He knows the high points and the low.  Likewise, a person doesn't build a house without a set of approved architectural plans.  Don't "wing it" when it comes to your booth.  You'll think it's fun to organically develop things, but in the end you'll be frantically trying to get things done, and lose any sense of salesmanship you might have had because you're too tired from setup.  I learned this the hard way as my neighbors came over to see what was up, and suddenly I found myself explaining my work with the few pieces I had on hand in my studio...  I was tired, and it took a lot of energy to be "on".  Don't let this happen to you.

Things of a specific nature that I learned:

 1)  I need to make my banners a smidge shorter than they are by taking 2" off the top and the bottom.  They're just a wee bit too long.  Good thing I have the technology to do that...

2)  I may be horribly particular, but I don't like how my gridwall overlaps.  I plan on shaving off three rows on the bottom pieces so they actually hang correctly without overlapping each other.  And maybe that's just an accepted industry standard.  But it drives. me. nuts.  Looks sloppy to my eye.

3)  I have a series of things I still need to purchase--a long mirror for above the display table, a rug, weights, more display heads, a marine battery, a tool box, clear crates for my product storage that will fit under my tables...

4)  I have a lot of things I need to make, too: an informational banner that I'm going to create that reminds people of custom ordering possibilities and the one-of a kind nature of my pieces, a fanny pack/apron for my "bank"that I can wear, and pennants for the poles above my business banner in front.

5)  I need to order more zip ties.  I'm gonna run out of the 1000 I already bought at the rate I'm using them... I think I will be clipping away zip tie ends in my dreams tonight.  It looks terribly sloppy if I don't...

6)  I forgot to put much time into my table display--a sorely needed aspect that I can't neglect.  I have to seriously ponder what I'm going to do there...  While it's the "fun" part for some people, it's frustrating for me--I was so concerned with the layout of the tent I hadn't really thought about what my table top was going to look like...

7)  I didn't even get around to setting up any electrical stuff, as I still need to get a marine battery and all the accouterments...  But I did realize that my Christmas tree lights that I purchased last year probably will run the battery down too much, so I need to get LED lights instead...  ...  That was disappointing...

8)  I made my sheer striped panels too long, and need to shorten them so they don't pool on the bottom stay bar in such an ugly fashion.

10)  I need lights to show off the rhinestones of my neck lace items which will be on my table top.  The natural sunlight is too diffused by the transparent panel in the ceiling of the tent to be effective.  And I've read that "sparkle sells"...  If I'm going to use rhinestones in my items, I might as well show them off--I mean, seriously, I work in show business!  I gotta have my spotlights!!  : )  So I'll be investing in some lighting once I get my marine battery mechanism.  I have the stay bar for them (which I am also planning on hanging some of my recycled tin can mobiles from) it's just a matter of buying the fixtures and the lights themselves.

This was a very educational day.  I learned a LOT.  I put the fourth wall up on my tent and left is standing tonight, just to see if it would make it through the night and what it would be like tomorrow morning.  I don't want to go to my first festival and try that for the first time...  That sounds like a potential disaster in the making...

Anyway, it's done for now.  Time to turn my attention to the new mountain of work I need to accomplish to be ready!  Haha!!  If you see anything in my pics that stands out as something I might need to address (o ye sages of Artus Festivi) please let me know!  I'd appreciate the feedback now while I can still do something about it!  : )

And remember to Live Life with Relish.  After all, isn't that what it's all about?

This show was recommended to me by someone I met at another show.  I'm just starting to try bigger shows out of my area, so even though the show violated one of my personal rules (my jewelry doesn't sell well at shows where the primary focus is not arts/crafts) I applied and was accepted.  I had been led to believe by friends living in the area that this show was hugely attended and that people come from surrounding states (it is at Fernandina Beach...you can really see Georgia from there).  While I found there were a lot of people, it wasn't wall-to-wall like I had been told.

The area is charming and I found setup to be easy and parking was abundant on surrounding streets, as long as you got there before the show opened, since those same spots are where the visitors park.  Then the trouble started...

I traveled near 200 miles and so far I had found my planning & preparation was successful.  I pulled in and found my booth space, only to find the man three booths away had parallel parked across my space as well as the two booth spaces between us.  He apologized, but proceeded to unload and set up, as opposed to unloading, moving his vehicle and trailer, then coming back to set up.  I sat on the curb and waited for nearly 1 1/2 hours.  We supposedly had "block captains" but I saw no evidence of that.  Someone did come back (maybe the block captain?) who asked me about the situation.  She nodded, then wandered off, never to be seen again.

The rest of the setup went fine and I ended up all done and enjoyed a nice dinner at a local thai restaurant.  Can't remember the name, but it was very good.

I had high hopes since the only other big out-of-my-area show I had done was Mt Dora, where all of my expectations were dramatically exceeded!  The two days were filled with lots of lookers, lots of cards given out, and lots of be-backs.  The good news is that some of the be-backs really did.  Two women who came in separately who said they had local shops each tried on a particular necklace.  Then they actually came back and bought those very necklaces!  Another one did come back, but in the meantime she bought some other non-jewelry item so she had to buy a lesser-priced item from me.  But it was still a sale. 

Overall, given the fact that I had the entry fee, gas for the almost 400 mile round trip, hotel, and meals (plus an auto rental since my car developed a problem at the last minute), I was disappointed.  I barely made my entry fee over the two days.  Everyone who came into my booth loved my jewelry, whether they bought or not, but most of the people just walked on by.  Other exhibitors had the same experience.  My neighbors on either side were disappointed with their sales, although one of them made a last-minute sale of a significant piece.  The man across from me (photography) actualy commented, "Have you ever seen so many people walk by without looking left or right?"  All of these people were there for the food and the fun & games.  I think he managed to do okay by the end of the show, though.

The economy?  Maybe.  But I believe it is the type of show.  I now have confirmed that I will not do another show that is centered around a particular food and/or has activities for adults and children.  Pure arts/crafts for me next time.

One final word...I think the show was generally well organized and well run.  On Sunday the clouds and thunder rolled in and we were told to secure our displays for a brief thunderstorm.  This was at 3pm.  We all did that and sat inside our tents while it thundered and poured.  Then it reduced to a drizzle, so I peered out, only to find that many of my fellow artists/crafters were packing up.  Being a responsible exhibitors, I didn't, since the rule is "stay until the end of the show".  Finally, it got to be too much and around 4pm I, too, packed up.  My neighbor pulled their vehicle in, which resulted in a fracas with the show management, who even called the police, since they said the show wasn't over.  While I understand it wasn't over and there were a few people still milling around (and buying some low priced impulse type items), we were all miserable and wet.  It was still raining when I finally got packed up and on the road about 5:45.

I just returned from a festival I have vended for 5 years. It's run pretty simple, the expectations are the same as elsewhere - behave - act like an adult - take care of yourself/your booth/your product/your customer - and keep out of other vendors booths etc.

What I don't understand and could really use some guidance here are the vendors who come barreling in during set-up/tear down and during the show with the attitude that it is "ALL" about them. They totally block the entrances with their vehicles, and sometimes more than one entrance if they are pulling a trailer (I am talking about not being able to slide thru on the sides with a dolly, nadda) they spread out all over the place when setting up so no one can get past their booth area, and to make matters worse - this past weekend, they were get this - parking UNDER my motorhome canopy, and up to within inches of the other side although I was parked in a clearly defined spot I paid for.

If you go to the show organizer - then you are labeled a complainer.

I spoke to the one blocking 2 entrances and asked her to move and she acted like I was suppose to bow down and kiss her feet first. And I thought...huh? There were 10 of us setting up with all of our vehicles parked a good 30 plus feet away so we could all use the entrances equally and she just came barreling up with the look out I am here and it's ALL about me attitude.

The ones parking so close to my motorhome - due to the length of road access in front of the motorhome, I would have never been able to pull out, they were blocked too close to me there was absolutely no swing room, and I had already paid for the camping spot which happens to be on the back side of one of the 5 buildings - they are assigned to those of us with rigs, and there was designated parking.

This tends to go on at many shows. Typically, my business partner and I break down everything, and carry it out so that others with smaller vehicles can get in and out, and we politely wait and are more times than not the last ones out, however, this constant rudeness just blows me away.

How do you handle this?

September 28-30
Columbus, Ohio
Genoa Park
120 artists
Deadline: June 11

Join us for the 2012 Riverfront Arts Arts Festival.  Genoa Park will once again host more than 120 local and national artists of the highest caliber, featuring a variety of fabrications and designs from fine oil paintings to functional pottery and textiles.  Under the ownership of the Dispatch Shows Group the festival is expanding to create a weekend experience the entire family can enjoy.  

The  Riverfront  Art  Festival celebrates its sixth anniversary this year. It  features  a  picturesque setting, winding along the west bank of the  Scioto River  in  downtown Columbus. The location is nearly  synonymous  with  festival-going, in a city ranked by American  Style Magazine as one of the top 10 big cities for art.

The show features:

• abundant  parking
• free electricity
• stunning view of the city 

Sculptor Mark Wallis explains his process

This year we will have more than $250,000 in media support, doubled from  last year, from our radio, television and print partners at our  disposal, which will be utilized to drive traffic to the festival.

Late  September  in  Columbus is beautiful. Add in the opera and live jazz,  doesn't  this  sound like a great place to finish up your outdoor fair  season?

For  more info: www.riverfrontartfestival.com

Apply: www.zapplication.org 

Questions? Amanda Leeman & Mike Collins, Promotions One, Inc., 614-299-8628 

I'm a bit new at this so bare with me. I just started back doing shows last spring, so I've made it a full year and some have been ok some not so good. Displayed last February at the Osceola show and found it not to pleasing for my type of artwork. Can anyone provide me any information on this show before I spend $ to try and enter it. I'll be traveling from the Atlanta GA area. Here is my website www.mikebrownstudio.com, fairly detailed wildlife artist and looking for some shows to try in Florida. I know it's a hit or miss deal and it never hurts to ask for information. Thanks and have a great day. Mike

Came across this blog post and thought I'd pass it on!

What was the intent of art fairs in the first place? How many (promoters) have forgotten that?

http://karencooperpaintings.com/blog/34965/the-summer-art-fair-would-i-be-an-artist-there

Remembering that it is work and happy for the acknowledgement of that fact!

http://karencooperpaintings.com/blog/34817/the-summer-art-fair-should-i-be-an-artist-there

I so much appreciate the generosity of all of our supporters. The following list includes not only our artist contributors but also art fair patrons who follow our online art fair news.

Everyone who contributed will have our special Supporter image added to their page here on ArtFairInsiders.com in recognition of their special status in our community. In addition they all win our AFI red bumper sticker for their art fair vehicle. Stick this on your bumper and everyone will know you are headed to an art fair and follow you there!

If your name is listed below please email me your mailing address so we can send the Red Dots out to you asap! Click here: info@artfaircalendar.com now.

Our thanks to David Frank, Claudia Winter, Carol Faith, Gary Willcock, Alicia Proffitt, Bill Moore, Suzanne Brown, Judy Zeddies, Phyllis Minnery, Paul Messink, Vicky Lilavois, Jeff Goodwin, Wiliam Verderber, Caroline Pouliot, Pat Finney, David Liebenthal, Suzanne Krongold, Liza Scheffer, New Prospect Pottery, Patricia Plasko, Judith Matijevic and Shirley Baker.

 Alison Fox, Alan Anderson, Michael Mettler (my brother even loves me!), Bobby Schochet, Oliver of Hampel Design, Clair Thompson, Annette Piper (from across the seas), Scott Fiegenbaum, Carol Shier, Maryllis Wolfgang, Hyacinth Manning, Dean Robinson and Nancy Grimsley.

Laurie Leonard, Anne Tindell, Henry Wood, Katharina Eltringham, Carrie Jacobson, Bonnie Gershenzen, Daryl Cohen, Terri Satterwhite, Pam Van Dyck, Juanita Martin, Patty Gamin, Norman Fleischner, Janice Haraburda, Beth Chavez, Doug Taylor, Margaret Rising, Rebecca Conklin, Erin Rossi, Clyde Smith, Woody & Judy Smith, Ronald Graham, Gretchen Baneyx, Cecily Chaney, my dear friend Kay Gallagher, Elizabeth Gordon, Sharie Cannon, Kerri Norman, Lee Casucci, Terri Pease, Sharon McSherry, New Earth Beauty, Barry Bernstein, Colin Murray and Geri Wegner.

Paula Shoulders, B. Nelson who won this prize last year, Ruth Chio, Wandering Bob, Kathleen Barrath, Je t'adorn, Jane Easterbrook, Christine Noah-Cooper, Leo Schindler, Dawn Rasmussen, Brooke Andrews, Don Lake, Tom Harris, Creathia Reyer, Rush Creek, Chris Jones, Roberta Coren, L. Donet, Michele Reynolds, Peggy Nitzkin, Donna Kunce, Julie Yolles, Steve Cebula, David Czerniak, Allison Burch and Celia Strickler.

Relished Artistry, Bettys Jewelry, Brittney Baber, John Pompeo, Susan Hohman, Lori Flanders, Leslie Belcher, Shoshana Matthews, Window to Wisconsin, Leslie Belcher, Roberta Starabird, Harrison Otalor, Keri Ippolito, Sharon Reagan and Priscilla Cunningham.

Peggy Azallion, Bearcat Woodworks, Camille & John Staropoli, David Campione, Lisa Cutler, James Nelson, Helen Jarocki, Sandy Schimmel, Scrap Felt and Nancy Boyles, Ann Bowdish, Beth Tivol, Anne Krafve-Nelson, Heather Watson, Robert Blue, Denice Bizot, Suzanne Bellows and Joel Frader.

Philip Marty, Monika Green, Cheryl Nugent, Susan Brown-Gordon, First Impression, Ginny Herzog, Don Mabry, John Leben and my good old friend Jan Richardson.

Thanks also to these patrons:

Douglas Batesky, Nancy Wasserman, B. Felt, Melanie Rolfes, Delpfine Welch and Barbara Poole! Patrons Kathy Oda, Jo Chamness, Mary Johnston, Kim Yeager, Lynda Wallis, the DeMarias, Diane Rose Sugg, Ralph Sharp, Leslie Turner and Bill Miller, Fine Art Color Photography, LeMaur Jewelry and Icon Atelier.

Special thanks to our Angel supporter Linda Shields!

I owe many thanks to all the supporters of our recent pledge drive, not only the supporters who sent contributions but to the unprecedented generosity of many others who donated prizes:

Howard Alan, Bill Kinney, Scott Fox, Andreia Santos, Mt. Clemens Art Center, Larry Berman, Howard and Janet Rose, Festival Network Online, Patrick Mitchell, Stephanie Hill-Ross, Will Wagenaar, Bill Merritt, ActInsPro.com, Angela Lee, Brad Sears, Stewart Pellar, Diana Ferguson, Colin Murray, Alan Anderson, NAIA, Virginia Higgins and Danette Smith.

You can see the winners of the really big prizes at this link: Here come the prizes!

August 31-September 2 

St. Louis, Missouri

36th Annual Fall Art Fair at Queeny Park 

sponsored by the Greater St. Louis Art Association

Queeny Park in West St. Louis County

130+ artists

Deadline: June 16   

11 Important Facts:

• Our 36th Annual Fall Art fair
• Around 130+  artists
• This is an AIR-CONDITIONED INDOOR ART FAIR. You don't need to worry about the weather, tents or security.
• Jury/Booth Fees ($25/$200);  FREE ELECTRICITY available for every booth at no additional charge)
• Cash awards totaling $4,500
• Booth sitters, 24-HOUR SECURITY. Rest easy knowing your booth is safely locked up at night.
• Excellent marketing campaign, including newspaper, magazine, television and radio advertising, internet and e-mail promotion
• Promotional postcards, business cards and coupons are provided free to exhibiting artists.
• Live music throughout the art fair
• Wine Tasting Friday and Saturday Evenings
• Interactive art program on Sunday afternoon to encourage families with youngsters to meet the artists

For more than thirty six years the Greater St. Louis ArtAssociation has been providing opportunities for the public to see and purchase original works of fine art and fine craft directly from the artists who create them.

Every year we produce two juried art shows (Spring and Labor Day Weekend).  Artists in all media are encouraged to apply. These shows feature juried local, regional and national artists' original work. From the pool of artists applying, about 120 artists from all over the US and Canada are invited to exhibit. These artists are selected by a professional jury process in eleven distinct media categories.

Both shows are presented in the indoor, air-conditioned setting of the Greensfelder Recreation Complex at Queeny Park in west St. Louis County. Food and refreshments are available on-site, parking for the public and artists is free.  Live music playing during wine tasting and peak attendance.  During Sunday afternoon, an interactive children's art education program encourages families with youngsters to meet and talk with artists and learn about their work.

For detailed information and to apply go to:

http://www.gslaa.org/GSL_festivals.htm 

For more information:

Vic Barr Show Co-Chairperson: (314) 997-1181 vicbarr@sbcglobal.net 

or Maggie McCarthy Show Co-Chairperson: (636)724-5968

mccarthyart@att.net

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

Find even more art fairs for 2012 at www.CallsforArtists.com

Many thanks to everyone who contributed to our recent pledge drive. I really appreciate your support and generosity as we all work toward ensuring that the art fair business is a cultural meeting place for artists and their collectors.

The names have been drawn and the winners have chosen their prizes. Here is what they have won:

1. Susan Hohman - a free booth space at any Paragon Art Event courtesy of Bill Kinney
   
2. Harrison Otalor - a free booth space at any Howard Alan Event
3. Elizabeth Gordon - original watercolor painting by Andreia Santos
4. William Verderber - Viewmaster Robot Assemblage Sculpture from William Wagenaar of www.reclaim2fame.etsy.com
5. Michael Mettler - $100 Amazon gift card courtesy of www.Actinspro.com
6. Bill Moore - Garmin GPS, courtesy of ArtFairInsiders.com
7. Ralph Sharp - Expert website review from Scott Fox, www.ExpertWebsiteReviews.com
8. Laurie Leonard - Imaging services of Larry Berman Fine Art & Jury Image Photography
9. Carol Wilson - one hour art fair consulting services with Connie Mettler of ArtFairCalendar.com
10. Caroline Pouliot - bird feeder courtesy of Bill Merritt at ozarklake.net
11. Melanie Rolfes - one year's membership at National Organization of Independent Artists
12. Ann Bowdish - oil giclee courtesy of Stephanie Hill-Ross
13. Carrie Jacobson - one hour art fair consulting services with Connie Mettler
14. Lee Casucci - Antique style pepper mill from Brad Sears, www.turningarts.com
15. Julie Yolles - spiral earrings from Stewart Pellar, www.stonewoodjewelry.com
16. Veronica Donet - a copy of Scott Fox's new book Click Millionaires
17. Meg & Larry Racheli - 5 Pedestal Mini-Pack from Patrick Mitchell at www.PedestalExpress.com
18. Norman Fleischner - Watercolor Artist Paint Carrying Case from Virginia Higgins at www.theordersite.com
19. Ronald Graham - table top easel from Danette Smith, www.dangeespyrography.com
20. Kathleen Barrath - Ear Climberz from Alan Anderson, www.earvinery.com
21. Dawn Rasmussen - a copy of Scott Fox's new book Click Millionaires
22. Annette Piper - JuiceBar Solar Charger from ArtFairInsiders.com

We have a few prizes left including

• A press release from Diana Ferguson, value $200
• A booth space at any Rose Squared Production shows, valued at $355
• A booth space at two shows in the Milwaukee area produced by ArtWorks
• A booth space next weekend in Mt. Clemens, MI, at the Mount Clemens Art Fair
• An expert Website Review from Scott Fox - www.ExpertWebsiteReviews.com
• A very cute retro headband from Angela Lee - http://www.etsy.com/shop/AngleAh
• One year level 2 membership with Festivalnet.com

Anyone who contributed to the pledge drive is welcome to contact me if you are interested in these prizes. First come, first served.

Everyone named above should click the links to their prize and contact the donor. I'm also notifying them of your status. Thanks!

How disciplined (no pun intended) are you about your artwork?  Is it hard for you to resist distractions, or is your artwork a wonderful distraction from everything else you have to do?  Are you one of those wonderfully wholesome, green, hard working people who stay away from unsavory TV, movie and naughty books?

I'm grateful to have a nice pile of work to do right now, but other things, like exercise, talking on the phone, reading trashy books, or writing my silly blog about drawing portraits, seems to eat up most of the day.  In today's blog entry, I wrote about NOT drawing portraits and my weekend's source of procrastination.  Here it is, 2:20 pm and I've been on the computer all day instead of behind my easel. 

http://pencilenvy.blogspot.com/2012/05/50-shades-of-procrastination.html

I SWEAR I am going to go up there right now!!!  Somebody call me in five minutes and make sure I'm not fooling around on the computer any more today.

Has it really been that long since this show premiered? Man, I've been around a while! This show originally came into being as a Colorado artists show only which, I presume, was a reaction to the Cherry Creek Arts Festival not being particularly inviting to Colorado artists at the time. I participated in the very first show when it premiered on the lawn in front of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts which fronted on Speer Blvd and had a lot of visibility but not a lot of visitors. Later it moved into the canyons of downtown Denver at the Pavilions which is an urban shopping center of sorts. The show is run by Jim DeLutes a long time exhibiting artist/photographer turned promoter and my impression is that he is very attuned to the needs of artists at these kinds of venues (how about a word from the participating artists on this?). In talking to Jim on several occasions I was left with the impression that he is very conscientious about the way that he puts his shows together. Jim has opened this show up, for the first time, to non-Colorado artists which presumably would give it a fresher selection of art, especially after 14 years! So, although there was a good representation of art from around Colorado there were artists from as far away as Washington state!

Although I did not participate in the show this year I thought I'd run downtown and audit it to get a feel for whether is was worth doing or not. I had applied to the show last year (first time in gulp 14 years) was wait listed and while waiting to see if I got in made other plans, got called later for a spot. This year I was wait listed as well and without other plans decided to check out the show.

Like I suggested the show meanders in and around a downtown shopping center which covers two blocks of prime real estate. Additionally the show crosses over a pedestrian mall area on the street level and there is an outdoor tent with many artist booths inside that as well. I don't know what it is about Memorial Day but this show has always had its share of windy weather and this year was no exception. Friday, setup day, there were breezes a blow'n in town with Saturday, the first show day, very windy, smoke from several AZ fires made the skies hazy all day! Although there were no reported mishaps with tents this year, that I heard about, that has not always been the case in previous years! I believe that is why they started using a large outdoor tent to protect the artists on the backside of the mall due to a pretty serious wind event one year.Some of the tents are also tucked under a pedestrian walkway which crosses over the street level. Most artists had their own lights and if you were in the tent or under the bridge it was a good idea to have them! Artists on the street didn't seem to be in need of them as much.

I stopped by on Sunday morning at ten and found out the show didn't officially open till 11. No worries, some of the artists were beginning to open for the day and I stopped to talk with several of them. My usual impression of downtown Denver on a weekend, let alone a holiday weekend, is one of a ghost town with the usual street people scattered around. Not so this day. I wasn't the only one at the show too early as others came by to view any open tents and by 11 there was a steady stream of people throughout the show. At one tent the artists wife reported that Saturday saw a very steady stream of people but not much buying and this was reinforced by another artists report. I'd like to hear from participating artists on how their sales were.

Quality of the art at the show? There was quite a bit of variety in this show. I do photography (NOT canyons and NOT wildlife) and I was relieved to see a broad range of subjects unlike most shows that I have done lately. Not to snub anybody but just a quick impression that I was left with in retrospect. Susan Williams horse portraits were probably the most striking I've seen, not the usual animal stuff. The ceramics that I saw were very unique as well and not only "functional".

So there ya have it, my impression as an "outsider" I'd love to hear comments from those that were "insiders".

Cheers!

Some shameless self-promotion...See me next...June 8-10, Omaha, NE for the 38th Annual Omaha Summer Arts Festival, a new one for me, thought I'd try east for a change-up as I had read a favorable review of this show.

http://omaha.net/omaha-summer-arts-festival

or

http://www.summerarts.org/2012/

This is the first time I've done this relatively new (4th-year) Howard Alan show on Hilton Head Island, SC, which I booked because:
1) AFI member Lori Kay raved about it;

2) The Florida alternatives for the weekend looked impoverishing;

3) I've never been to swank Hilton Head, thinking that a 15-year-old minivan might be turned away at the bridge.

When I first considered this show, South Carolina seemed like too far a drive for a one-off show.  But when I checked Google Maps I was surprised to find that Hilton Head was only 2.5 hours from St. Augustine and a manageable 490 miles (8-hour drive) from Fort Myers.  So I booked the show, then booked a hotel in rustic Hardeeville, about 25 miles west of the show locale, lured by a $29.95 a night room rate I found on Priceline.

I checked in late in the day on Thursday, and spent Friday morning at nearby Savannah Wildlife Refuge, then drove to Hilton Head to set up.  The show is held in a parking lot of a secluded upscale shopping complex just off rt. 278, which connects the island to the mainland.  Setup started at 10 AM Friday, and it was easy to find your booth location and get busy. 

It's a small show--about 80 artists and 20 crafters (who were clustered together on the northern end of the layout).  I was fortunate to have a spot directly under one of many tall shade trees on the site; not everyone was quite so lucky.  But the temperatures weren't the story--tropical storm Beryl was.

Beryl started churning off the east coast of Florida late in the week, and began advancing on the Florida-Georgia border on Friday.  The forecast called for the storm to bring rain, 20 to 35 mph breezes, and possible thunderstorms beginning early Sunday morning, and those of us with smart phones were checking the Weather Channel frequently on Saturday.  

We had more time to do so than I had expected.  Crowds were steady, if not jam-packed, on Saturday morning but tapered off quickly as the temperatures rose into the high 80s, and although the pre-storm breezes cooled things off a bit, the humidity was  high.  I tallied less than $600 in sales on the day, and as I headed back to Hardeeville, I glumly figured that Sunday would be scrubbed by the storm and I'd be underwater in more ways than one. 

And then, we dodged a meteorological bullet.  The storm tracked a bit further south than expected on Sunday.  Although clouds rolled in as the show opened and a squally shower hit briefly around 11:15, it stopped within 10 minutes and the skies cleared for the rest of the day. Crowds were light, but the buying energy picked up in the middle of the afternoon and I ended up writing about $1400 on the weekend--about half what I expected to do in such  an upscale venue, but at least I was going home with about $500 profit after expenses.  On a sales scale of zero-to-10 (where zero means I'm selling the van to get home, and 10 means I'm skipping all the way back to Fort Myers), this show rated about a 4.5.  Most of the folks around me rated it about the same; a couple lucky folks rated it 7 to 8, and (with a few exceptions) said they sold more on Sunday than on day one.

In terms of quality, too, this one's a mixed bag.  There were a lot of jewelers, although most of it was mid- to high-end in price and quality.  A wonderful painter of colorful, large-scale, mostly Western, landscapes across from me made a few small sales, but no big works that I noticed.  Another nearby artist who fashioned stunning sculpture from aluminum, sold a couple of large works at price points in the high hundreds.  There were a few beginning artists, and the aforementioned craft/buy-sell section, suggesting that not many artists applied for this show.

Hilton Head may not ever be a heavily attended show, at least not on Memorial Day weekend.  Although it seems like a great idea to capture returning seasonal residents who may have home improvement on their minds, it's also the first weekend of high season, and folks may still be unpacking.  Signage for brick-and-mortar retail, let alone art shows, is heavily restricted by the town.  Nary a McDonald's arch, billboard, or high-rise sign dots the landscape, and all the shopping centers are set back a bit from the main road and concealed by trees and shrubbery.  I saw only two "Art Festival" banners at each end of the show.  And although I'm sure Howard did his usual thorough job promoting the show in local media, first-day arrivals may not have been in town long enough to get the message.   My gut feel is that artists with high-quality work who exhibit here year after year will eventually build a profitable following.  And while I had expected to make lots more moolah at this show, there's enough potential--and enough really wonderful places to photograph wildlife--that I'll pencil this one in for next year.  For Florida artists who are heading north for the summer, or who live in the central and northern parts of the Sunshine State, this isn't a hard show to get to. 

****

One quick note about the high winds we experienced at times, and a valuable lesson I learned.  Although we didn't get rained on, and the sun was out all afternoon on Sunday, the winds did get really gusty at times.  I had elected to leave my canvas sides on,  zipped down, and tied to the tent poles, even after the threat of rain went to zero.  That was nearly a serious mistake--a gust of wind blew right into the space between the side display wall and the canvas sides...and because I'd left the back canvas zipped up, the wind had nowhere to go.  The sides and back puffed up like a balloon, and the left side of the tent lifted off the ground a foot (thankfully, all the bungee cords held fast) and was wrenched clockwise about two feet.  No work was damaged, but as soon as my heartbeat got back to normal I removed the side walls so it wouldn't happen again.  The lesson:  If you're going to leave your side walls down, always make sure to unzip the zippers on the down-wind side of the tent, so that wind has a place to go!

Last quick note: Thanks to landscape photographer Steve Vaughn for taking me to a couple of great venues at Pinckney Wildlife Refuge on Saturday night, and lending me his camera to make a few images.  Much appreciated, and Steve was one of MANY great neighbors at this show.

Haven't written a review for a while. ArtBirmingham has a long tradition to uphold, and used to be one of the finest shows in the country. It takes place in an upscale suburban community (Birmingham, Michigan), in and around a pleasant little park that was recently renovated. Booths are set-up in the park and on the sidewalks and surrounding streets. Approximately 180 artists from all over the country. The show is run by The Guild, best known for its flagship show, The Summer Ann Arbor Art Fair. 

The fair staff does a great job organizing the load-in and load-out. They are highly visible before, during and after the show. Aside from a few glitches in the layout, which was tweaked again this year, load-in is very smooth. Artists are assigned times, staggered by about two hours on Friday afternoon and evening. The artists in the park load in first, followed by those on the street. The show itself runs from 10-6 on Saturday and 10-5 on Sunday. Alan Bogl, Operations Director and Nicole McKay are both experienced vets, friendly, visible and helpful during the process. When I found that my corner spot wasn't really a corner spot, but only a wide spot in the road, Nicole came by to soothe my ruffled feathers, and those of my neighbor, Debra Springer. Both of us had counted on the extra visibility in designing a show-specific display, so we had to vamp a bit.

Saturday the rains came off and on all morning. Starting at about 10AM, we had brief showers throughout most of the afternoon. Still, there were a few buyers, dedicated souls who remembered the Birmingham Art Fair of old. One friend, a jeweler, had a couple very good sales in the rain. I managed to make a couple of sales myself, but generally, the crowd was light, and the buying was thin. Great if you're on a diet. The video below (shot Sunday) gives you an idea of the size of the crowd.

ArtBirmingham Ersatz Timelapse

Sunday: much the same, except the weather was gorgeous. A bit humid, but the sun came out, and the temps climbed into the upper 80's. We didn't get the awful humidity and temps in the 90's that were promised by the local forecasters, and the storms that bruised central Michigan missed us by about ten miles to the north. And there were fewer buyers on Sunday than there were on Saturday. I had basically zero sales, zero interest and a few browsers all day. Don't know where they went, but some theories postulate that the folks with money were opening up the summer cabin up north, working on the garden or out on the boat. It was not a good weekend for an art festival.

Load-out was pain-free. A bit of dollying for those around the fountain, but pretty much everyone was gone by 7:30.

This is a show that I would love to see gain its former stature as a "must-attend" in the community. Unfortunately, it seems as if the community has deserted it. Local support seems slim. Rumors abound regarding the silly requests made by the city of Birmingham and merchants. The Guild staff works hard to make this show successful, advertising in the local papers, radio stations and with social media. Still, it's not enough to draw the crowds anymore. There were many nationally known artists there, including Bob Trisko (jewelry), Jim Copeland from Atlanta (photography), our neighbor Merri Patinian (mixed media), RJ and PJ Commerford from Florida (mixed media 2D), Bob and Patti Stern (mixed media 3D), as well as a few stalwarts like our friend Barry Bernstein (raku pottery). Most artists were crying the blues, but managed to eke out expenses. I sure wish this show could reinvent itself. But this is not the weekend to do it.

Ok, So I spent the majority of my holiday weekend working on setting up my "newer" booth display and I would really like some honest feedback from everyone on what you think. I finally got rid of the eye sore metal black racks,, they looked bad against the white Trimline tent. I found a used set of Pro Panels from another artist locally, the only problem was that they were that Pine needle green color. My art would look bad on that,,,,so I painted the panels jet black. Yes it is possible to do that, I just used a 1K enamel and it worked,,,maybe I will do another write up about that. The first picture is the new set up, the second is the old just so that you can see what I was working with before. I do plan on getting the skirts from Pro Panels that will go around the bottom of the panels. I hope that everyone had a great weekend and will have a great week. I plan to use this new booth image for shows, if your a juror and have some advice on what I should do to make this better let me know. Thanks!