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8th annual Deep Roots Festival took place October 22.  This show brings lots of people.  The festival is held the same weekend as Family Weekend for Georgia College and Alumni Weekend for Georgia Military College.  Because of the coordinated timing folks come from all over Georgia and beyond.  I've either attended or been an artist and/or media (photographer) for the event for most of those years.  I even chaired the Artist Market for 3 of those years.  I think this year must have broken records for attendance.  I would guess somewhere between 15 and 20,000.  This year there was a LOT of jewelry.  I would hazard to say well over half of the booths either were jewelry or had jewelry among their items.  Sales were just OK.  I made my booth, cost to produce and about $200 profit.  Although not a high end Arts/Crafts show, this is in my back yard so I do it for the advertising as much as anything. There is also a car show, BBQ competition and Kids Zone.  Deep Roots is a Mainstreet fundraising event to help downtown revitalization.  It is a huge social event and the main stage music (geared toward the college age crowd) at night is jam packed. 

Although I don't have a lot of vending/exhibiting experience under my belt, I was amazed when a "seasoned" exhibitor stopped at my booth at the recent Great Lakes Lighthouse Festival and lamated that he wasn't selling anything and people just seemed to pass by his booth. He couldn't figure out what was wrong. I told him I would have to get back to him on that one as I needed some time to gather my thoughts. Actually, I didn't want to hurt his feelings or make him angry with my response so I was just buying time.

Before I give the response I gave him, let me supplement it by saying that I am an extremely observational person and can watch people interaction at events, art fairs, craft fairs, shows, etc. During my perusals of various booths, exhibitors and/or vendors I would watch how they interacted with people, what those who were successful did, other than having top-notch wares to offer, and what they did not do.

That being said, I finally responded to the questioning exhibitor and told him what I had noticed and how that might be a reason for "no" sales. 1) he was either reading a book, 2) texting, 3) watching his small portable TV, 4) not at his booth at all and 5) did not interact with people any any form. I gently told him that people like to be noticed. Even if they don't stop at your booth, at least say hello, hope you're enjoying the show/event, or, if you have a basket filled with treats, "I have chocolate to give you energy to see the rest of the show." Reading, texting, watching TV, not being at your booth, or have someone relieving you so you can go eat, use the facilities, etc., or not interacting with the public gives them the impression you really don't care whether or not you sell anything. He was surprised at my information and informed me that unless people are going to "buy" he's not going to waste his time.  My response was that if you don't get them to "stop," even if it's just to acknowledge your hello, you won't know if they're going to buy or not. Granted not everyone who stops at a booth is going to buy, but if you can get them to stop and look, not pressure them into a sale, ask how they are enjoying the show, etc. you may just get a sale out of it.

I acknowledged everyone that went by and even looked my way and managed to sell either my photography or my book to 4 out of 10 that came by. Now that's not record breaking by any means, but I did get sales and ended up having a very good show result. For me, taking an interest in the people seemed to make them feel important, and they seemed to appreciate the hospitality. If they didn't buy anything and just looked and chatted with me a while, I would thank them for stopping by and direct them to a booth that I thought might have what they were looking for.

The gentleman didn't agree with me, which is fine, and proceeded to keep doing what he was doing, and that was ignoring potential customers. Unless someone picked up an item, he would not even acknowledge their presence at his booth. He did very poorly at the show this year, I am sorry to say. Other vendors that I have become friends with over the years have told me that the energy and positive attitude I project is catchy and they have tried some different approaches this year and have done well.

Just had to proffer my two cents on the "why aren't I selling" question that I see pop up from time to time. You can have the perfect location, fantastic wares and perfect weather, but if you don't acknowledge/interact with potential customers, you could end up with an extremely poor result for all your hard work.

This is the first time I have every written on a "Blog"....so am not sure I am even in the right place to do this....I am a stained glass artist living, and mostly showing, in Georgia...There is a show called Mossy Creek Barnyard Festival near Perry, GA that is held twice a year: spring and fall....It draws both artists and attendees from all over the southeast, and one artist I know even comes from Illinios to participate....This has been a long running event and is overseen by Miss Carolyn, who is where the buck stops....It is my favorite show to do, even though I have only done 3....The venue is in the woods with wide walkways, always covered with fresh straw for each event...Booth spaces are advertised as 10X10, but are actually larger, and not jammed up against each other.  It took me a couple of years to get into this event, because you must receive an invitation from Miss Carolyn to even apply, then she must approve before you are actually accepted....There is very little duplication of styles and media.  My sales at all 3 shows I have done have been consistently good, and folks now have begun to seek me out when they come to the show....It is well advertised, well planned, well executed.  Easy set up and takedown.  I actively sought my first invitation, and now get my call to artists for the next show shortly after one ends.  I have heard that artists can recommend other artists for consideration, as well....Has anyone else had any experience with this event?        Mary Anne Maslanka

I've been having some up and down times lately surrounding my business experiences, really fearful that no one will visit this site anymore, that no one will be wanting to advertise with me, concerned about all the economic news. What if all I have built goes away? Amazingly two RSS feeds arrived in my mailbox discussing these fears.

One was from Steve Harrison who writes about media coverage for authors and speakers:

There doesn't seem to be much good news on the economic front these days.
 
Unemployment remains high and oil prices keep climbing. Many experts say the economy won't fully recover to pre-crisis levels for many years.
 
That may be true but that's still no reason you can't make more over the next year than ever before. Why do I say that?

Because what happens in the "Nation's Economy" isn't nearly as important as what happens in "Your Economy."

The gist of the article is that you can work yourself out of your economic hole.

But the article which really resonated with me (and made me recognize my fears as pretty normal and maybe even useful) was Johnny B. Truant's 6 Ways to Master Entrepreneurial Uncertainty.

My apologies for copying then entire post here -- it is just so good that I want all of you to read it.

I used to think that successful people had it all figured out.

If they wanted to make something happen, they knew exactly what to do.

If they created a new product, it would be instantly popular and profitable.

They knew all the right people, hired the right help, set all the right prices, and pulled all the right strings of the many moving parts of their business to make it all work perfectly.

Had they attained some kind of career Nirvana, a place in which they didn't need to struggle and worry and fail anymore?

It's a pretty nice story, this notion that success puts an end to fear and uncertainty.

But it's a lie.

 

The truth about insecurity

You know those freak-outs you have about whether your new venture will fly, whether you'll make enough money next month, and how people will judge your latest blog post?

You know how sometimes you can't sleep because you're not sure about your retirement, or are nervous that Customer X will demand a refund?

You know, those fears that people will decide that you're a phony?

Those thoughts that you won't be able to do that big thing that's on the horizon?

Well, get used to those fears, because they're never going to go away.

I've met enough of the stars in this field to know that "the ultra-confident and never uncertain successful person" is about as realistic as the tooth fairy.

No one has it all figured out

Not one of the people you look up to is confident all the time. They don't confer upon themselves the same degree of "expert status" that the public has conferred upon them. They don't feel they're infallible.

Every one of them has the occasional periods of doubt, of feeling that their next big thing might be their next big flop.

All of them put their pants on one leg at a time, head to their work spaces, and proceed to worry about most of the same things as every other human being.

Everyone has insecurities.

The difference between people who do big things and those who have the same ideas but do nothing is not that successful people are more capable or fearless.

The difference is that successful people feel the uncertainty, and they freak out a little (or a lot) about how what they're about to do could fail, or make them look stupid, or invite ridicule, or kill their profits for the month.

Then, they do it anyway

Whether you succeed or fail — and whether you continue to succeed or continue to fail — you're human. You're going to be uncertain about things. You're going to be afraid. That's not a bad thing, because the times when you're uncertain and fearful are the times you grow.

Don't fear uncertainty. Use it. Master it.

If you can make uncertainty your ally and your friend, a world of amazing things awaits you.

How to become a master of uncertainty

Tony Robbins has a catch phrase that he says all the time: "The quality of your life is in direct proportion to the amount of uncertainty you can comfortably live with."

Uncertainty is going to crop up anyway, wouldn't it be nice to find a way to comfortably live with more of it?

Here are six ways you can make that happen:

1. Embrace uncertainty

Certainty is a cage.

Sure, we all like that warm feeling that comes from knowing where we are and what's coming next, but that's not the way life is meant to be lived 24/7.

We are meant to grow and become more as people, and growth is always, always, always preceded by something novel and uncomfortable. You cannot evolve without new and challenging experiences.

You know that expression, "If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten"? It's true.

Uncertainty is your friend, because without it, you'll stagnate, and you'll begin to die a little at a time.

2. Uncouple fear from uncertainty.

The knee-jerk reaction to uncertainty is fear.

If you're fearful about money, that fear comes from an uncertainty as to whether or not you'll have enough money.

If you're afraid of your business failing, what that really means is that you don't know whether what you're doing will work or if it'll fail.

Even a fear of the dark is just a reaction to being unsure about what might be in the dark, rather than a certainty that a particularly scary thing is lurking in it. But even though uncertainty often brings fear, uncertainty is not the same as fear.

Make sure you see the difference.

3. Acknowledge fear, and hear what it is trying to tell you

Look your fear square in the eye.

Don't try to pretend you're not afraid, because as psychiatrist rockstar Carl Jung told us, "What we resist persists."

Fear is not bad. It's here to warn you. It's saying, "This might happen, so plan accordingly." But — and this is key — make sure you don't believe fear knows more than it does about the future.

It's making a guess, not assuring you that something bad will happen. Prepare, and do your best to mitigate any potential peril. Then try hard to let fear go.

Once you've heard the message and have prepared as much as you're able, don't let it keep screaming in your ear, repeating its prophecies of doom.

4. Do something

Action is the antidote to fear.

If you're uncertain and afraid, the worst thing you can do is to simply wait to see what happens.

Do something. Do anything.

If you're worried about money, send some emails to prospects who may hire you. If you're worried about your marketing message, re-read your sales copy and do what you can to refine it.

Remember how I said that uncertainty and fear are the keys to growth? Well, this step is where it happens. Don't just experience fear. Use your fear.

Chuck D. from Public Enemy said, "When I get mad, I put it down on a pad — give you something that you never had." He doesn’t just get angry; he gets angry and uses that anger to write lyrics. Fear works the same way.

It can cripple you, or it can inspire you to do something awesome, even if that awesome thing just feels like a way to escape fear at the time you do it.

5. Be courageous

Think that brave people are fearless, and are able to do the things they do because they aren't afraid of doing them?

Not at all.

Doing what's not frightening isn't bravery; it's rational, everyday decision-making. People who have courage are those who feel uncertain and afraid but proceed anyway.

Mark Twain said, "Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear — not absence of fear." Don't think you're doing it wrong if you still have fear. Fear is normal.

Proceeding in the face of that fear is the courage you need in order to grow and to become more.

What fear did for me

Personally, I've felt a lot of fear, and I'm glad for it. Fear is the reason I've been able to build the life I have today, which is honestly pretty amazing.

If a serious financial crash hadn't scared the pants off of me a few years ago, I never would have tried blogging.

If I hadn't seen enough uncertain situations, I would never have realized that there is no spoon.

Without uncertainty and fear, I never would have figured out that (overly woo-woo or not) things really do seem to happen for a reason.

If you're often unsure how things are going to turn out and if that really scares you, then I say: Awesome.

I say: You're on the right track.

If you face your fears, track them down, and then find a way to use them the way Muad'Dib faced and then rode the big scary sandworms in the sci-fi classic Dune, then congratulations, you really do have it all figured out — you've figured out that the key to a great life is being okay with not having it figured out at all.

You've found the wisdom in uncertainty. You've realized that the key to being amazing is doing the things that frighten you.

Keep it up. Deal with your fears about uncertainty, but forge on in spite of them.

I'd close by saying to not be afraid, but that would kind of be missing the point.

I'm in Alpine.

Would love to know what goings on are going on in West Texas.

I'm curious about the availability of some statistics re art show results for the arstist:

In particular, what percentage of artists, on average, lose money, break even and make money at art fairs?

Generalizations gratefully accepted as I realize it is doubtful real stats are available.

Also, what about attrition? What percentage of new participants are gone in a year, two years, etc. Again, I imagine only generalizations will be available.

Congratulations to our members who were prize winners at the River Arts Fest in Memphis this past weekend:

Best of fiber:  Amos Amit

Best of jewelry:  Michael Stephens

Best of wood:  Jay McDougall

you might enjoy this video of Jay at work:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efE7CkpJs_o

Merit Award:  Paul Willsea and Carol O'Brien - Glass

here's a video of Paul and Carol at work:  http://willseaobrien.com/video

Merit Award:  Michael Terra, Ceramics

River Arts Fest - Memphis, Tennessee - October 22 & 23

Best of Ceramics:  Craig McMillan

Best of  Drawing:  Ron Hoyle

Best of Fiber:  Amos Amit*

Best of Glass:  Mitchell Berg

Best of Jewelry:  Michael Stephens*

Best of Metal:  Cecile Keith

Best of Mixed Media:  Sloane Bibb

Best of Painting:  Amy Leigh Carstenson

Best of Photography:  Neil Brown

Best of Wood:  Jay McDougall*

Best of Memphis:  Lester Jones

Merit Awards:

Tim Peters  Ceramics

Michael Terra Ceramics

Yevette Lubbers   Glass

Cameron and Jan Smith  Glass

Paul Willsea and Carol O’Brien  Glass

Kim Young  Jewelry

Bond Blackmon  Jewelry

Daphne Covington  Painting

Frank Gee  Painting

Lorri Honeycutt  Photography

Bethesda Row Arts Festival - Bethesda, Maryland - October 15 & 16

Best in Show                              Benjamin Frey – Drawing, www.benjaminfrey.com/index.html
Best in Show Second Place          David Bryce – Ceramics
Best in Show Third Place             Tricia Young – Jewelry
 
Best in Category
Ceramics                               John Cheer, www.cheerclaystudio.com
Drawing/Pastels                     Anne London, www.aelondonstudio.com 
Fiber                                     Samuel Yao
Glass                                    Henry Levine
Graphics/Printmaking             James Skvarch
Jewelry                                 Fred Tate
MM2D                                   Marie-Helene Grabman
MM3D                                   John Gunther, guntherweavings.com
Metalwork                             Sabra Richards, sabrarichardsglass.com
Oil/Acrylic                             Marjolyn vanderHart
Photography                          Andrew Sovjani
Sculpture                              Nnamdi Okonkwo
Watercolor                            Gregory Strachov, http://strachov.com/
Wood                                    Steve Levine

Just passing along this opportunity to everyone.  This might be something you are interested in to get exposure for your work.  If you are interested the deadline is November 7th.  Note, there is a stipend for displaying your work.

McColl Center for Visual Art - 6th Street & 7th Street Windows
Deadline: Monday, November 7, 2011
McColl Center for Visual Art is seeking proposals from artists interested in exhibiting new or current work in six windows on 7th Street between North Church and North Tryon Streets in Charlotte, North Carolina or two windows on 6th Street Hearst Tower. Windows are available for exhibition January - June 2012 or July 2012 - January 2013. Two artists will be selected for a 6-month period for each set of windows. Artists will be required to change or alter the windows three times. Artists selected for 7th Street receive an honorarium of $1,250 and artists selected for 6th Street receive an honorarium of $750. Only North/South Carolina Artists are eligible.
Click here for a printable version of the 6th and 7th Street Windows Application 
 

http://www.mccollcenter.org/activate-your-creativity/artist-opportunities

OK, here's one for the west coast gang. 

The Holiday Food and Gift Festival in Tacoma, Washington just celebrated their 29th year last Wednesday through Sunday (you read that right folks - five days).  It's held in the Tacoma Dome and both are an institution in this city.  It's been since the late 90's since I've been here, so I'm going to share the HFGF past, present, and future.

Past

Back in the 90's, there would be several thousand people lined up outside in the wind and rain waiting to get into the doors.  Anything and everything that was hand made was gobbled up like that last bit of turkey on the bone.  Back then I started to notice that items that people made by their two hands were becoming more of a novelty than a fact.  And, so it remains in the present.

Present"Gfts"

The show is mostly commercial with a smaller section called "Artists-in-Action" that is handmade by the artist and they are also supposed to be demoing their craft to the public.  However, there was very little demonstrating going on.  This group was also offered a 40% discount on their booth - nice incentive for being in the show; it would be nice if this were applied to all that made their wares. 

There were two booths in my row that had re-cycled clothing.  The one lady I spoke with was buying clothes by the pound from the Goodwill, washing, and selling them in a double booth.  Her competitor was obviously doing something similar. 

There were lots of imported Christmas ornaments, socks, back massagers, a music-type player that will connect to your used pizza box to use as a speaker, and this time included was Direct TV, Verizon, Sprint, walk in bath tubs, dip mixes, etc, etc, etc.  Not being here since 1998 was a real eye opener.

Future

The show moves to a four-day week for their 30th anniversary, rumor has it that the city increased the rental rate and they decided to go to the lesser days to avoid a cost increase to their vendors.  At $995 per 10x10, I believe it's going to be a tough sell.  Even tougher is that they've decided to do a similar show in Seattle next year at the convention center.  They are asking $795 for that two-day show.  Hmm.  Seems a little astronomical to me!

Sales

Mackie and I did mediocre, but we did do a lot better than most.  This is definitely a bargain hunting mostly Christmas a low-end imported toy shopping crow.  My thought is that real artists need to find other opportunities.

Other Tacoma Info

Load in and out is fairly easy as long as one is patient and parking is plentiful.  There's an RV lot right at the Dome that has back in spaces with full hook ups for $30 per night.  The Tacoma Dome Hotel is in the parking lot and offers those needing a room for $79 per night.  There is a great bar in the hotel with reasonable food and beverages. 

All in all we had a nice time but will be back to our regular west coast schedule next year after moving back west from Florida.  But, that's another story.

Proud Inductee of the National Association of Independent Artists Hall of Fame

WINNER OF THE GOLD GRAND PINNACLE AWARD

 from the International Festival & Events Association

AmericanStyle Magazine's Top 10 Art Fairs & Festivals  

June 22-24  

Downtown in Des Moines, Iowa  

185 Artist spaces  

Deadline: October 31

I really enjoyed the show from beginning to end. Loved all the info that was sent before the show, loved all the info given at the show. It was easy to find show staff if needed. You get an A+. And I rarely rate a show that well...

So many people thanked me for coming. Des Moines has wonderful friendly people. Loved your show, everything about it.

Thank you for organizing such a wonderful show and thank you to all of the volunteers who volunteered their time.

The organization was near flawless. You have a great community spirit and willingness to buy art. We sold to many individuals who said they came intentionally to purchase a special piece for their home or office from this fair.

This show is perhaps the best run show I have ever done.

Artist Information and Benefits

• Projected Attendance - 200,000+.
• $10,000 in Cash Awards at the time of publication. $1500 to the Best of Show, up to five Merit Awards of $1000 each; three Juror Awards of $500 each presented by each of the jurors; $1000 to the Best of Emerging Iowa Artist; and, $1000 to The Des Moines Register People's Choice Award.   
• Each of the above awards includes an automatic invitation to 2013 show.  
• Official Festival Program includes color thumbnail image of each exhibiting artist.
• Web site includes full-color image with name and live link to artist Web site.
• Free reserved parking; Invitations to special events and receptions; Hospitality Area; Exclusive "Express Lane" concessions
• 24-hour Security. Free Electricity. Leisurely set-up (full day is available). Booth sitters and energetic volunteers.  

As most of you know, I'm in Australia.  And that the art fair/show scene is rather different here - there are very few art shows in my area as most artists sell their work through galleries, shops or exhibitions.   Shows (art & craft style) that restrict to handmade are not around me either.   Consequently I have to find other venues to sell my work at and this past weekend attended:

* a preschool "shopping night" fundraiser

* an open garden weekend on a rural property 20km out of a town.

Firstly, the preschool fundraiser.   I'm all for supporting local groups and having been a past board member of our local preschool thought I'd help by going along with my jewellery to this one.   It was more like a 'table' show - in a large hall with poor lighting and tables crammed together and went for 3 hours.  Wine and cheese was available to purchase.  55 people/businesses took a 'table' about half of which ws handmade.   They had pre-sold 200 tickets and sold more on the night.   The hall was poorly situated in town but at least parking was available.

Of the handmade contingent there were two artists - one doing framed work and one doing cards and the rest of 'handmade' fell into the crafts category (children's wear, children's accessories, toys, fabric bags amongst the decent items - candles, decorated small glass items and decorated stubby holders (for keeping a beer can cold, in case you don't have them) etc., amonst the lower end. )  There were 3 others there with jewellery but mine was higher end than the others.   The poor lighting actually helped me - I was the only one to request power, so had been put adjacent to a power switch to which I connected my lights and bingo - it was like moths to a flame!  

Attendees had to pay to get in - there was live entertainment as well (although I'm very glad I wasn't up that end as there were so many people milling around no one 'shopping' could get into their stalls!)

The cost of a table was low . It was about 150km away and I didn't stay the night, so the only other cost was fuel.  I sold about 25x table fee and had lots of enquiries for custom work.

The second event was an 'open garden'.  If you don't have those over there either, these are when keen gardeners open their garden to the public to come and view.   Overseen by the Open Garden Scheme Australia, there is only local publicity and gate takings (around $6pp) are donated to a charity of choice who also runs the gate and usually the food availablity too.   I knew the owner and she asked me to come along.  Only one other person was there selling and that was a garden stall with plants and garden accessories.  

Cost was a donation to the charity (I gave $100) and I gave a gift to the garden owner as a thank you.  It was about 50min drive from home.  I knew about 10% of the people that came past since it was close to local for me.

Traffic varied from a trickle to I don't know as I was too busy to see!   I took around 20x booth fee.   In fact, the second day felt like "the good old days" when people used to buy without thinking about the price too much!  The garden stall also did well.

Unfortunately, events like this are only once a year for me, but they are definitely worthwhile.  

Perhaps you don't have many shows where you live either.   Or perhaps shows aren't giving you the returns you need.   If so, where do you go with your work that aren't the usual sort of  "art fairs" or similar ?

I need some of you photographers out there to give me some urgent advice.  I had a 20 X 24 Ciba photograph of my son's wedding framed last February.  The framer said because it was a Ciba photograph it needed a special mounting in order to not crush the gel surface of the print.  So, it was statically mounted on a piece of foam core.  The photo is coming lose from the foam core, plus, my son told me it was coming lose soon after we gave it to him.  (I don't know why he didn't say something sooner!). 

So, what I need is some information on mounting a Ciba photograph.  I don't want it just hinged because I know it will wrap over time.  Anybody out there with some Ciba experience???  Please help me.  I want to know what I am talking about when I call the framer tomorrow.  HELP!!!!

Jacki B

The Best of the Northwest  shows put on by the Northwest Art Alliance, are well organized and very supportive to the artists.  I think the fall show is the better of the three events.  I have not participated in the spring or summer show for several years, but I can comment on the fall show.  2010 was the first time the fall show was in a new venue so there were a few hiccups; however sales were fairly good.  I sell one of a kind hand fabricated jewelry and felt my fellow artists had a high level of skill and quality work.  The Bellevue Festival of the Arts is also a good show.  Many of the artists I spoke with have participated in this show for many years and prefer it to the Bellevue Museum Art Festival.  The booth fees are cheaper, you get the traffic from the museum show and you are outdoors.  You do not have to submit your images via zapplication for this show. They are committed to jurying the artist work via CD.There is a small show in Bigfork Mt. that is held the first weekend in August.  I have been doing that show for over 7 years and have a strong following.  The down side of this show is that you must tear down every night.  It is just a two day show.  Great place to visit and some years it has been very profitable.Thanks for all the comments and info on the shows on the west coast.

Hi everyone!

I have been doing indoor and outdoor shows for about 3 years nows. While my booth has come a LONG way - I seem to get more compliments on my booth vs. my glass jewelry. Am I doing something wrong? Have any advice you can share. I welcome honest feedback. Thanks so much in advance!!!

Dawn

Memorial Park  

Houston, Texas

     Juried at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, by an invited panel of artists, collectors and industry professionals, Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park is the nation's premier spring outdoor fine art event.  The Festival has been ranked in American style Magazine's "TOP 10 Festivals" for the past three years, has been consistently ranked among the top 15 in Sunshine Artist's "200 Best List" (ranked #8 in Sept. 2011) and kicks off the spring Texas art festival circuit.

     Conveniently located 5 miles from Downtown, 2 miles from the Galleria area and neighboring the elegant residential communities of River Oaks and Memorial, Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park is an artist's dream. Bayou City Art Festival has a demonstrated history in strong sales for artists.   

Houston facts:

• National studies show Houstonians consistently have twice the discretionary income that workers in similar industries have around the country.    
• With a median household income of over $50,000 and an income growth since 2000 of 13.1% as reported in Kiplingers.com, Houston has been ranked the #1 city in the U.S. in which to live, work and play.   
• "Over the last two years, Houston has enjoyed more growth in the number of High Net Worth Individuals-people with at least $1 million in investable assets (primary homes don't count) - than any other U.S. city," according to Forbes magazine's Steven Bertoni (July 14, 2011).   

We are the first stop for fine artists on the Texas Fine Art Festival tour and we look forward to hosting you in Houston!  

What the Artists say:  

     This was my first time at your show, my first time at any TX show for that matter, and it was a very positive experience in all aspects...[and] a warm thank you to the art buying public of Houston, several of whom welcomed my sculptures into their homes.  I love sculpting my artwork, but having another person respond strongly enough to want it in their environment is a very fulfilling end to the whole creative process...BRAVO! - Jack Hill, Artist, Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park 2011

     My husband and I work collaboratively (3D Mixed Media) and came all the way from Ohio.  It was our first time showing our work in TX and was well worth our voyage!  We [also] feel that we "planted seeds" for next year; that is, the caliber of the customer was excellent - educated and knowledgeable... - Chris Rom, Artist, Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park 2011

Winners Receive

Best of Show: $1,500 - jury exempt status for 2 yrs.

Second Place: $750 - jury exempt status for 2 yrs.

Third Place: $500 - jury exempt status for 2 yrs.

Best Booth: Jury exempt status for 2 yrs.

Applications are currently being accepted via ZAPP:

www.zapplication.org  

Entry Fee: $30

For more information:

www.bayoucityartfestival.com  

Kelly L. Kindred, Festival Director

Office: (713) 521-0133

Fax: (713) 521-0013 

Find more shows for your 2012 season: www.CallsforArtists.com

I have been noticing lately that there does seem to be many members on the site on a daily basis.  As I look around and read the posts I can see just how many other people have also read the same posts.  We are glad that there are many people reading the posts and blogs.  Do you know what would make this site better?  If you would take a few minutes to leave a comment or a question others will get to know you and what you are all about.  By posting and leaving a comment you will be making friends in the Art Show Business all over the country.   This will be great networking for you, too.   It is very rewarding when you finally get to meet other artists that you have interacted with here at AFI.   Meeting artists at shows allows you to actually put a face to the name that you have been conversing with for months and maybe eventually years. 

As I have been looking around and reading blogs and posts I can actually see that many postings have 100, 200, or more views but maybe only 5 people have left a comment.  I understand that we can't always leave a comment because sometimes we don't have a background on a particular topic.  Sometimes just leaving a simple "this has been great reading" or "I have enjoyed reading all these comments", or even "thanks for starting this topic".  We will all benefit as more and more people take part and get involved.  Reach out, welcome new people, comment, that is the kind of interaction and activity that makes this such a great site.  If you have just been a lurker for a while break out of your shell and get to know us so we can get to know you.  Lurkers, we are calling you to come out and get to know us. 

I think it is safe to say that we would all be disappointed if there weren't blogs and posts to read here.  We would soon become bored and wouldn't be coming back here.  Don't be afraid to leave a comment no matter how small.  It is appreciated.  Start a post or blog.  What is on your mind?  What are you having a problem with?  Take a few minutes and welcome the newbies.  Just make sure you leave a little comment so that we know you are here!  The AFI members are what makes this site great.

Jacki B

Did anyone do the Shrimp Festival last week in Gulf Shores Alabama? I had withdrawn my application because they wanted to charge  at least $100 more 6 months after I had applied, been accepted, and paid my booth fee. They said the local government wanted to charge a special event license for the first time and hadn't decided it till last minute and another local county was going to ask for more money too and they didn't know how much that was going to  be yet. (Keep in mind this was 6 months after paying what the app originally asked for). I felt like this was bait & switch. what ever an application asks someone to pay should not change months later and I've never known a license to cost more than $20. I thought this unfair and excessive. Did anyone go and did he/she pay the extra money?  If you went, was it a good show?

I'm also doing the Space Coast Show in Cocoa Beach this November. Has anyone done it and can you offer me advice?