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This was my first Florida show ever. I drove down from New Orleans left early Fri. morning, arrived right about 5:30pm which turned out to be just right, since my assigned set up time was 5:45pm as I found out from the person who handed me my info.

To pick up the artist info package I ended up having to park by a NO Parking sign which were everywhere. Nobody bothered me about that so I guess this is accepted. I picked up all the Info and followed the map to find my location. It was a little confusing and had to ask Police and security pretty much on every blocked street where to go, Luckely they were very nice and helpfull. Finally I found my spot which I was pleased with since it seemed to be on one of the main streets. Everyone had to park to unload on the right side( only one way in) of the street so others could still pass. To stop, unload and than move your vehicle to your assigned parking area which was close, was strictly enforced. I liked that since I had done shows before where unloading traffic came to a complete stop because of one person who is blocking everyone else. It was dark( bring a light) warm and humid during set up. Some volunteers came through with water and cockies. All booths are on pavement on either side of the streets facing each other. Some of the streets seemed quite steep and I would not have been able to level out my set up. I was lucky, my space was on more leveled ground than most and some folded cardboard under my table legs did the trick. But one has to defenetely bring more than your regular shimms to get even on some of the spots. The artist package did mention that, but there was no info about the show before hand. On zapp they just posted ," follow us on Facebook". You had to wear a name tag, on the back of it were phone numbers listed if you needed boothsitters. I worked alone but never used that service, my neighbors were kind and watched my booth when I had to go. Jurrors came through, talked to me and left their stickers. Other than that I never saw any other festival officials the whole weekend. I filled out a show feedback questionair which was supposed to be picked up on the end of the show, but never was. They did send volunteers arround sun. before closing to ask for donations for an auction their having in Nov. There is a hospitality room were you get coffee, water, softdrinks, fruit and muffins. No Artist dinner of any kind. Great prices though. $ 5000 best of show and others. Winners are announced sun. morning at a park in the center of the show.

Official hours of show are 10am -5pm. At about 9am I started having one sale after another.( I sell contemporary sterling silver Jewelry $ 25 - $500) I thought "this is it, this is the show I was waiting for, and it was, until the rain started about 12:30. It was'nt heavy rain, but it was non stop and it drove people away. So the rest of the day was slow in sales. Sun. was not a pretty day, rain was in the forcast but besides on short drizzle the rain stayed away. But so did people, needless to say my sales were not plentifull. Sat. before the rain it was people shoulder on shoulder. Sun. was also superbowl and I believe people went home to get ready to watch the game. All in all this show can be a good show, I had a taste of it the first half of saturday. a photographer next to me described his income as very bad, a potterer on the other side of me said he did good but not as good as last year. from some painters i heard they sold at least one lg. original which made it worth comming. 

The festival is surrounded by beautiful homes in a very good area. I stayed at a comfort inn and suites in Tavares 4 miles away was very clean.$ 80 a night.

hope I thought of everything there is to tell


April 15-17

Novi, Michigan
Spring Great Lakes 
Art Fair

Suburban Collection
 Showplace

(formerly Rock Financial Showplace) 
150 Artists
Deadline: February 11

Show: Fri. 1pm-8pm; 
Sat. 10am-6pm; 
Sun. 11am-5pm

Artist Reception: 
Saturday 6pm 


Lined up for the Great Lakes Art Fair opening

Please join us for the Great Lakes Art Fair, a unique fusion of lush landscapes, tempting food, and an optimal indoor venue create spring and fall events that are rapidly becoming established as the Midwest's premiere indoor art fair!
 
New for Spring:
    •    Ladies Night Out: Ladies will receive a free drink plus other surprises.  We will be continuing
          the Artist Fashion Show, a big hit with the artists and the customers!
    •    New marketing campaign planned with media partners
    •    Enhanced Grand Gallery entrance being shared with the Michigan International Wine Expo,
          featuring ice sculpting, chef demonstrations along with pieces from each artist.
    •    We are welcoming our new partners the Wine Expo. This partnership will allow for free entrance
          for all wine expo customers, bringing over 5000 high-end wine enthusiasts to the event.

What to expect:
    •    elegant entrance gallery showcasing your art
    •    delectable cuisine and relaxing entertainment
    •    community partnerships and other fresh components, to create a regional marketplace for
          artists and their patrons

The Great Lakes Art Fair believes effective promotion is as crucial to overall success as the selection of artists.  Our mission is to deliver a high quality experience for patrons and artists that will assure qualified buyers, return visits and exponential event growth.  A multi-level marketing and publicity campaign to promote the event throughout the region, including media partnerships in print, radio, television, direct mail and building awareness of this new regional event.


Participating artists are provided with custom GLAF discount coupons, e-mail blast content and other collateral materials to distribute to their patrons.  Drive up to your booth to unload and load.  Artist hospitality area and reception.


For more info:  www.GreatLakesArtFair.com
Apply: http://greatlakesartfair.com/artistapply.html

Last weekend, I believe me and many others (like Patti, Melanie, Geoff and others) heard a welcome sound, it was like a giant booming, cracking sound, it has been missing for several years, but I heard it big-time last weekend.  You know what that sound was? It was the sound of people taking their credit cards out of their wallets--and buying art, bigtime.  

This was my first time at this show, I usually do Mt. Dora.  Well, I am glad I came.  I think a whole lot of other artists are glad they came.

Mind you, I had serious reservations about this show.  After all, isn't the Ft. Myers area the king of real estate meltdowns in America?  Well, not exactly.  The meltdown is over more on the Cape (think Cape Coral) than in Ft. Myers.  Also, people with money are getting great deals on homes down here now, and they are decorating.

Here is the meat about this show.  It is held along the river, all of it is on concrete, you need weights.  Mostly everybody has room in the rear, and on the sides.  Show has roughly 217 exhibitors.  Staff is very helpful.  Plenty of free water, a nice artist lounge, meals in the morning, even food after that.  They have boothsitters.  It is a pretty easy setup and teardown, I have seen lots worst.  Demographics-wise, a lot of older people--but, they were buying.  They even had prize money this year and AFI-er Jim Parker got a nice award.

We were under edgy weather all weekend but came out smelling like a rose, which was not the same for Sarasota and Mt. Dora, which were both north of us.  Enthusiastic crowds came, free admission.  And the y bought--all kinds of work.  Traditional, edgy, vibrant colors.  I saw more work go out of this show in packages than I have seen in my previous four for 2011--this includes New Years Naples, Bonita Springs, Cape Coral and Images.  I think people are starting to loosen up and say,"What the heck! Let's buy some art now.  I had a killer show just like a lot of others.  Not everybody made big bucks, but they still pulled a paycheck.  Let's hope this trend contin ues for the spring in Florida, and then the midwest.

The highlight of my show, maybe even of my career in art, was when Capt. Lou Garofalo showed up in his 25-foot,seven inch boat at close of show on Saturday.  We then cruised home for five miles on the river.  That is the way to travel to an art show, and I even have a pic to show for it.

Okay art lovers and artists~ we didn't know that we were renting a house in Florida for the season- usually this weekend is an off weekend driving back-and-forth to Cleveland, our home...but, yeah, we are here for almost four months, and Hobe Sound had a special spot for us...there are two other art shows this weekend- Fort Myers and Mt. Dora- both well known shows...BUT, what about Hobe Sound, you ask?

It is on the "other" side of Jupiter Island, maybe eight stores exist there and small houses, not "Homes"...big deal! The wealth is hidden, and I mean "really hidden"...no big jewels or Prada handbags-

Set-up was easy, and get this,a Howard Alan show, and Friday afternoon set-up...Bob was am in heaven already!Break down just as smooth and easy- well run by Darrin Alan and staff..

Saturday was packed and sales were made- we were happy, but still anticipating the Sunday buyers. We sat all day with zero sales- but never let them see us sweat-and at 4:30p.m. we had two people buy five pieces..three shipped to Aspen , two to N.Y.C....who knew? Never give up the ship! There is more disposable income in this region than in the other two show areas where Fort Myers and Mt. Dora shows are held. Would we rather display our art in an area with large foreclosure rates in Florida and the other in an area where store fronts are vacant, or in an area that looks quaint and beachy but pulls in alot of wealth? Guess which????

Thanks Howard Alan Events, we love hidden wealth and an easy show to do with Friday set-up.

Connie mentioned in her review of the Krasl jury that the first image is the most important when being viewed for jurying.  When I've attended a few jury previews for ZAPPlications (e.g. Ft. Worth Main St.), I and several other artists who were looking at the hundreds of applications seemed to feel that the last image was the most important.  That is, if the images were all in a single line.

But what about images that are on two lines, maybe with three on top and two + the booth image, on the bottom? Which one would be the most effective, the most eye-catching?  

Or should the first and last image be the strongest?  And does the booth image overwhelm the individual images? 

Will the promoters/directors give this thread some feedback?  Artists?  

Hi everyone,

I tried to contact Salute to the Master's art fair for advice on how they worked their children's art center. All my searches led me to Art Fair Insiders. Is there anyone out there willing to give me some advice on how to add a children's center to our Second Annual Art Fair in Staunton, IL, held in Sept 2011. I have $1000 for supplies but could really use some advice on what works, what doesn't work, etc. 

My e-mail is gailscheller@yahoo.com and my phone number is 618-637-2144. I would really appreciate any insight you can give me.

OK, I’ve fallen behind a couple of days and peeps, I had a couple of hairy nights and Expo had the Gala last night, which I’ll write about in a separate post.  Suffice it to say, I may not have been writing, but I’m collecting a ton of material...onto Charles, today’s Peep!

Charles came into the art world because of a terrible accident which nearly ended his life.  Despite the fact that it ended a very successful career as a high-end carpenter, he says he would “relive the accident a thousand times” because it opened up a new life for him.  One look at his work and you can understand why: these beautiful forms couldn’t come out of a two-by-four! Organic, flowing, full of movement, the wood comes alive, this in purple heartwood and maple:

I wish I could do the wood grain justice with my camera for this mahogany piece:

Although he has patiently explained to me the intricate process of transforming a 2-D drawing into a 3-D sculpture, I still can’t wrap my mind around it.  It looks ingenious to my2-D artist eyes.  This is a piece in the making:

 Here's Charles with his sculptures to give you an idea of the size.

See more of Charles’ work at: envisionsbytaube.com

Jeff Condon's paintings at the Krasl Art Fair - a beautiful July day on the shores of Lake Michigan




Sun setting over the Bluff in St. Joe in February

On Friday morning (February 4) I was in St. Joe, MI, to assist in the jurying of the 50th Annual Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff along with four other jurors that included veteran artist Jerry Berta and art professionals associated with the Krasl Art Center. Director Sara Shambarger has been on the job here for 16 years and knows how to run a jury and is very explicit about following all the rules. She uses Zapplication and insures that there is a comfortable setting and enough technical equipment so that every applicant gets a fair chance. We all had laptops linked to a Mac Mini and the images were projected on five screens. (These details are included because I don't want Nels bugging me about set up, etc.) ;)

It is hard to jury into this show because approximately 50% of it is filled with pre-juried artists, chosen by the judges from the previous summer's street jurying. This information is spelled out in the prospectus. 95 artists will be returning leaving approximately 120 openings for the 2011 show. Because of their date (smack in the middle of the biggest art fair weekend of the year) they also have a wait list of 100+, to insure a good looking show in case some of the applicants choose to go to Madison, Cain Park, Plymouth or State College.

There were 861 applications, 157 more than last year. Sara said she thought it was because she did more outreach, advertising for artists to apply. I think it was partly that but more than likely because of the great word-of-mouth from artists who were happy with their sales in 2010, plus these good reviews here "Krasl Art Fair", "Back to the Future" by Barry Bernstein and "Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff" by Leo Charette surely didn't hurt.

So, how did it go? Very smoothly.

For each category we were first shown the invited artists images. Then there was a preview of the total category and then we did the scoring round. For each application the description was read. There was hardly any discussion, it was very serious. In fact, we were asked to keep any communication to a minimum. We could ask questions.

Here are some stats to give you some kind of idea of what kind of competition the various categories have. The smallest number of applicants is in the Printmaking/Graphics category with 8 applicants. The largest category is jewelry, broken into jewelry non-precious and jewelry precious, for a total of 176 applicants for the nine spaces available in this category (remember there are invited artists and in jewelry 10 are returning). 100 photographers applied for 12 spaces. There were two categories in fiber - wearable and decorative, for a total of 62 applicants. There is space for 9 artists in fiber art. Wood had some beautiful entries, but only 8 out of the 50 applicants will be invited to participate.

(Full disclosure here - in the year's when we were doing shows (1978-2006) we applied to this show several times and were never accepted).

What did I think of the quality? Overall there were very few substandard applications. By that I mean, images ill-prepared, out of focus, propped up on chairs, groups of images gathered on table tops or clearly from people who don't understand about the business. A few questionable booth shots where they seemed like an after thought by the artist, but 90% were "ready for primetime" in that they were well exposed, showed a theme and a body of work that had clearly been carefully chosen for the presentation.

Tips for applicants? Just what everyone always says, do fine work, choose your best images, get everything in on time, complete the application, make your booth shot pristine. The first image is the most important because we all read left to right. Right?

The jury returns in July and does a street jurying for the following year's invitations. I am looking forward to being there then and hopefully will be seeing you.

Even when you are having a disappointing show, sales not quite up to expectations, the event can still garner you many rewards:

1. new information that you can draw from to help you make better decisions next time
2. a chance to visit another part of the country
3. word-of-mouth help from fellow artists
4. new friends, and best of all
5. trading!

I have some amazing art, clothing, jewelry, sculpture, lamps, etc., that I will remember and cherish long after the proceeds of an event have long ago paid the gas bill, the insurance, new booth fees and more.

There is no reason to walk away from a "losing" event having gained nothing. Here's a good article from the Orlando Sentinel about artists trading at Mount Dora.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/lake/os-lk-artists-feature-mount-dora-art-20110206,0,3008871.story

What was your favorite trade?

Well it looks like it is finally happening and it looks like I will not make it to Artigras.  Since the dates have changed three times now I am not going to cancel until the ink is dry on the closing papers but if you are a photographer on the wait list you might want to get ready.  I could do the move the weekend after but yesterday the rental agent showed the house and despite the big sign on the door that says don’t let the cats out and the same notation on the information sheet for the house, she left the door wide open.  Scared the crap out of me since both our cats are pampered indoor guys.  I’m sure I’m not her favorite person right now since I did lose it a little when I called to tell her I was not happy.  So there is no way I’m going to leave my babies alone in the house for three days to go do Artigras when this idiot has a key.   The moving van is showing up the 17^th and I will go up the 18^th with the cats and then come back to a mostly empty house with no TV to do Gasparilla and Vero Beach.

This whole mortgage  process has been arduous.  This is no exaggeration – I have printed, signed, scanned, and emailed back 57 documents.  Last week, because it is a manufactured home on a permanent foundation, we paid $395 for a guy to go under the house and make sure there were no wheels still attached.  The house has an addition on it that is half the size of the original house.  What do they think we’re going to do?  Attach the pickup truck to it and drive off with it?   There apparently is only one mover in Florida who has any kind of decent reputation.  Want to have nightmares – google “mover complaints”.  Dropped PODS, lost PODS, holding the furniture hostage until you pay an additional $2000, losing all the stuff completely.  We were ready to move it all ourselves until we found this company which does a flat rate move.  Pick it up on Thursday, drive it straight to Virginia, and deliver on Saturday.  The only problem is that it is one 26’ truck and there is no way this stuff is all going to fit.  So there will be at least one trip with a rental truck. 

At any rate, if all goes well, the cats, the furniture, all the vehicles, and me will be completely in Virginia somewhere around April 1^st except for the show van which will be sitting in a friend’s driveway until April 9^th.  I’m going to see a lot of 95 and a lot of Amtrak between now and then.

Ann Arbor Public Art Administrator
The City of Ann Arbor seeks to hire a consultant as Administrator for Public Art. The person hired in this part time position will sign a personal services agreement with the City of Ann Arbor. The position reports directly to the Public Services Administrator and responsibilities include overall leadership, general management and the daily operations for the Ann Arbor Public Art Commission (AAPAC), including program planning and development, financial management, coordination with project managers and all other activity in accordance with policies and guidelines of AAPAC. For more information, click here.

Are you a Michigan artist?  You might find this publication, Cultural News from the ArtsAlliance, very helpful to your business. It is always full of excellent links about the visual arts from very local to national information. Full of networking, grants, jobs, volunteer opportunities, jobs, etc. More info at this link: http://a3arts.org/

June 3-5
54th year
100 Artists
Deadline: February 15

The Prairie Village Art Show is not located on a prairie but in the heart of the Kansas City metro area and surrounded by upper income demographics.  Forbes magazine recently listed Mission Hills, KS, as being the 3rd most affluent city in the country and it is next to the show.  The show is well attended and draws patrons from the entire metropolitan area.

This show is small with only 100 artists but they come from all parts of the country.  The Art Fair Sourcebook says that Prairie Village "Attracts an affluent and educated clientele."

What to Expect:

• 20,000 Upper Income patrons
• 24 hour security
• Electricity available
• Friday night Wine
• Saturday night dinner delivered to booth
• Artist's lounge with restrooms, snacks and air conditioning
• Parking nearby and overnight parking allowed
• Discounted Hotel Rates
• Booth sitters

The Village in Prairie Village is one of those "lifestyle" shopping areas, intimate enough for ease of shopping yet anchored by well-known names such as Macy's and Starbucks with lots of restaurants.  Does it sound as though your clientele will be showing up here?  Then you know what to do! Apply today.

Application on line at:  www.zapplication.org

For more info visit

www.prairievillageshops.com

or contact Donna Potts at: 913-362-9668

Keith caught my eye with his gently evocative scenes of places he has visited which hold a special place in his heart.  From his home state of Utah, to sunny Italy, his scenes reflect a quiet spirituality, even the bears he photographed himself at Yellowstone:

This trail winding through the woods of Utah really intrigues me and I would love to follow it.  It reminds me of the Long Island I used to know, peaceful and unspoiled (without the mountains though!)

Keith has been one of the troopers here through this spate of unusually cold weather we've had here (30-40 degrees under the tent),  on site painting at the Expo quietly working away on several new pieces armed with coat, mittens, and hot chocolate.  I think we should get like, Purple Paintbrushes or something.

See Keith's work at www.keithdabbfinearts.com

So I decided to try Florida.  I choose this show and one next weekend because I was able to squeeze a girls getaway in between my two shows.   I figured it was a good time to test this part of Florida out for me and get a vacation as well. 

Geri has already posted how great the weather was.  It was amazing.  Can't get any better.  I will try to not repeat what has alread been posted.

Set up was early morning.  We didn't get a lot of instructions ahead of time.  Just a map of the booths and time to show up.  They did open up the artist parking the night before ($40) so I parked the van on Friday night and was able to find out where check in was the next morning.  I am not a morning person.   I like to know where I am going ahead of time.  There are a lot of ways to get to the booths.  There wasn't any instructions, just get to your booth area one way or another.  My booth was on a side street, off the main area.  We were back to back, but with a planted median in between the booths.  I paid extra for a corner spot (see the second picture).  This was really just a walkway.  I had 4 feet between my booth and the other corner booth next to me.  For me it was not worth it because I feel that one needs 6 feet of space to stand back and look at a painting.  The good think about having this "corner" spot was I did have a little bit of access to the back of my tent.  Otherwise the back of the booth was not usuable.  I found it interesting that jewlers and painters were placed next to eachother. 

Break down was a free for all.  No load out passes or anything.  Just move the blockades and go for it.  I prefer to break down before I get my van.  I am use to doing that any way, so I didn't run to get my vehicle.  Unfortunately the public was also allowed into this area during breakdown.  It made it very difficult and dangerous.  Near then end my van back door was almost taken off.  My friend actually  had to jump in front of the car to stop them.  This car then proceded to run over my tent poles and almost me, but I rolled out of the way. 

Sales were not what I hoped.   My cost just for the show, booth, jury, parking was over $600.  I would expect at least 10x.  Many artist told me I was crazy to expect that in Florida.  If I wouldn't have gotten a corner space I would have hit 10x, but that still wouldn't have been enough to get me excited to travel 10 hours away from home.  The only artist I talked to that would come back to this show was a jewler that lives in the area.  Everyone made some money.   Enough to go out for dinner that night, but not enough to be excited.  I did not see much of anything walking by in way of sales.  Maybe jewlery, small stuff put in purses.

I was  disappointed with the crowds.  The show claimed 60,000 people attend, but no way.  The picture I have above was taken during a busy time.  The other pic is also a good example of the crowd.  Very few kids in strollers, but tons of dogs in strollers.    The people who did buy were great, and didn't ask for discounts.

The show was fun to do.  Now I am having a great time on the Florida beaches.  Today we went to the races with a group of patrons we met at the show.   

I think this article is pretty concise and helpful for those in a quandary about their merchant account situation. Here's a link:

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/iphone_credit_card_swiping_battle_continues.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rwwfeatured+%28ReadWriteWeb+Featured+Stories%29

Hi Everyone,

I couldn't find the answer I'm looking for searching this site and others, so I'm posting the question. 

I see there are 4 unique applications for St. James Court.  Some reviews suggest that 3rd and 4th st locations are better then inner court. Again 3rd st has its own application and 4th st has its own application.

Those artist that applied for the 1st time, did you apply to more than one of the 4, or just apply to 1 for that particular year, hoping for the best to get accepted. 

Are the chances of getting accepted to any of the 4 the same as getting into 1?    Do some artist apply to 2 or more hoping that 1 of them will accept you?

As a 1st time applicant to the show, should I pick one to apply to or should I apply to 2-3 or all 4 hoping maybe 1 would accept me?

Any insight would be helpful. 

 Thank you in advance for your feedback.

hi - has anyone in south Florida heard of "We Merge" magazine? Claims to promote art and artists? Wants to do a traveling show FL-GA-NC and looking for locations. They approached me for my gallery space and I'm just doing some resreach on them before replying - maybe I'm just a naturally suspicious type but there's so many scams out there!!

Appreciate any in put

thanks

Anne Jenkins

Two new shows are in Jacksonville--finally-- April 9,10 Avondale Art Festival-- and the rebirth of the Sawgrass Art Festival on May 7,8 2011