Good fortune has allowed us to do Cherry Creek for 13 years - not consecutively. After not being there last year we had hoped that things would be good. It was the first time EVER, anywhere, that we sold only one piece over $100.00. Sales were not anywhere near what they should be for a show of this caliber. Interest however, was amazing. I don't remember both of us talking this much- but it was like pulling teeth. We also gave out MANY business cards. Have had two call backs for larger pieces so it may work out yet. People seem to be very cautious and need some time to think about their purchases.Friday night had torrential rains that didn't help anything. We had close to 10 inches of rain flowing through our booth. I swear there were whitecaps in the middle of the street and surfing was a distinct possibility. Denver had about 1.15 inches of rain in less than half an hour. We stood across the street from our booth in a yoga clothing store with all the skinny people. I wanted to run out to the booth but Jim held me back. I decided to distract myself by looking at the sweet yoga frocks, knowing full well I was safe. Nothing would fit anyway.............
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We did the Des Moines art fair last month, this is only the second time for us. The last time we did it was six years ago. Our sales figures were pretty much the same which is okay with us. Of course when it comes to sales, mediocre is the new good. The show is great about communication, advertising, volunteers, load in and out. They had water coolers behind the booths so you could fill your glass and not accumulate all those plastic bottles. Snacks all weekend (though not much in the healthy department). The weather was hot and humid and sometimes threatening but nothing big happened. The hours are lonnnnngggg so we skipped the breakfast. Wifi at site though some had to move around to find it. Several reports of theft from booths but I think they were resolved.It's all in all a great show and they really try to accommodate the artists in any way possible and if the economy ticks up a bit it will be great!!
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We are asking artists to donate their time and talent to create a piece of art that will be sold at the Gala on October 23, 2009.Details:1. Gather a 6”x6” canvas, piece of paper or other light-weight medium.2. Paint, assemble, or create your work. The only requirement is size—6 inches square.3. Return your finished work along with the completed bottom portion of this form by September 30, 2009 to NCCC, 238 Arsenal Street, Watertown, NY 13601. Please be sure to print your full name on the back of the work. Artists will be recognized in the Gala program and on the North Country Children’s Clinic website.4. Works will be sold on October 23, 2009, Gala at SUNY Jefferson Community College. They will be priced at $20 each.All proceeds from the sales will help to “open the doors” to a better quality of life for North Country children.To learn more about either organization visit www.childrens-clinic.org or www.ncaccess.org or call (315) 782-9450.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Detach and return this portion taped to your work- - - - - - - - - - - - - -Artist contact information:Canvas Information: ___________________________________________________________________Artist’s Name ___________________________________________________________________Title ___________________________________________________________________Street Address ___________________________________________________________________City/ST/Zip Medium ___________________________________________________________________Phone Email ___________________________________________________________________I give permission to NCCC and NCAC to reproduce my art for the purpose of promoting the 6x6 Art Opens Doors project with credit to the artist available upon request. ___________________________________________________________________Signature…
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Trying something new....flying to shows. Worked great until this leg of the trip. Have a slight problem getting my tent to Ann Arbor. Anyone willing to rent me a tent for the State Street show. Maybe a nice LiteDome, ShowOff or CraftHut. Just throwing it out there in hopes something will pop up. Thanks!Kelly Allenemail: Statements@aol.com
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I have tried to get into the Cherry Creek Art Festival for over 13 years. I have walked through the festival and I can not believe I have never been accepted. I instead have gone have done the art shows in the past in Brekenridge and for the last several years Fresco. I am continued asked why am I not in the Cherry Creek Art Festival. My work is in 8 different galleries throughout the United States, and I have a European following. I am amazed at the response to my paintings, especially since I started using a pallett knife. I have had many articles written about me, last one American Art Collector June issue.
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The Relentless Eye: Global Cell Phone Photography 2009Cell phone cameras are the relentless eye of the global simulacra. Simple and everywhere, cell phone cameras have transformed how photography is practiced. Helen Day Art Center announces the first of its kind international call to cell phone artists. We seek entries that reveal the creative mind through this ubiquitous medium for a ten-week exhibition opening September 25th, 2009. Entries will be juried by the acclaimed photographer, Eirik Johnson (www.eirikjohnson.com). For detailed information and submission guidelines visit us online at www.helenday.comDeadline for submissions is August 31, 2009.
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(I'm away from my office visiting family in California, but still keeping my ear turned to the latest news in the art fair business.)
Whenever I hear people decry the lack of young artists entering the art fair business, I look around, and see plenty of new artists, the problem is that they are not "young." Maybe this is an older person's business. This article from the Denver Post, quotes director of the Cherry Creek Arts Festival, Terry Adams on the CCAF's Emerging Artist program, "This is our way of introducing them to this business," Adams said. "There are more artists leaving at the upper end of the age group than are coming in at the lower end, so this is our way of replenishing this generation."
Pretty cool...just like many of today's artists, people leaving established careers (for a number of reasons) and entering the arena in their '50's and '60's.
Read the article here: http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_12759316
Were you at Cherry Creek? Tell us about your experiences here.
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It's your turn.
"Have you ever wondered how to go from being a “struggling, emerging or even semi-established artist to selling a complete show for $198 million?” Bravo says they might be able to help you with their new artist-based reality competition to win a “gallery show, a cash prize and a sponsored national tour,” whatever that means." This is a for-real deal being produced by Bravo and Sarah Jessica Parker's production company. Do check it out. They are looking for thirteen artists: "We want contemporary artists. Your medium could be one of many (or several of many) – painting, sculpture, installation, video, photography, mixed-media – we want voices that believe in their art and want the world to know," says Bravo. Casting calls going on very soon in Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago and New York. Read all about it here:
http://www.bravofan.com/bravo-now-casting-for-untitled-art-project/ and here:
http://www.bravotv.com/casting and here:
http://animalnewyork.com/2009/06/bravo-casting-for-sarah-jessica-parkers-art-reality-show/Read more…
I was at the Kutztown Festival yesterday (June 29) and as always, had a great time. The 9 day festival held in Kutztown Festival is like a Renaissance Festival, but cut out the minstrels and 'ol English dialogue and insert PA Dutch heritage, history, and traditional folk art. I have gone to the festival for about 5 years now and primarily go as a shopper with Christmas list with many names usually checked off by the end of the day once I am done there. I haven't been able to do the event since it takes place over a 9 day period.The event has taken place since the 70's and every year gets better with age. The jury does an amazing job with a large variety of folk art and traditional art forms galore. There is about 350 artists who make up the event, plus demonstrations from artists and others such as barn raising. I have several friends who do the event each year and find it to be THE event to do (and look forward to) each year as many make at least $5,000 over that period of time with many more making about $20,000 or so - all depending on what is being sold and contacts after the event. The event also offers information about hotel and even housing options including housing options at the local college and campground info as well as opportunities in staying on site.One artist, Lin who works with recycled glass cups and creates stained glass and butterfly feeders. New to the show, Lin stated how she was just happy to be accepted into the event. After the first two days of the event being open she quickly learned it can be a very profitable event making several good sales. Monday proved to be good, despite less foot traffic. In my experience, walking the event on both weekdays and weekends, some weekdays can be incredibly busy especially if the weather cooperates. The event ends around the 4th of July with a great fireworks display. Another artist, a jewelry maker who works with leather, attended the show for the first time last year, had such a successful time found it was necessary to buy two booth spaces. So far the weeks start has showed it was the best move to ever make.Don't take my word for it, go to their website - www.kutztownfestival.com (I think that is the site address) and see for yourself. Information on how to apply and more is found there. I am seriously thinking about signing up for 2010 - maybe I will see you there! - Michelle Sholund, By the Bay Botanicals
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This past weekend (June 27-28) I participated in my first outdoor art show. It was a lot of work, but I'm pleased with the experience. The show was in Northville, a nice little town about 15 miles west of Detroit, and not far from my home in Ann Arbor. It has a well developed Main Street area, which is where the art fair was held. Weather was good, although a bit windy on Sunday (I got to watch a canopy set up by Marvin Replacement Windows blow down the street 3 or 4 times before they gave up on it). My canopy help up just fine, but only because I've read enough here and on other forums to weigh the canopy down with about 150 lbs. of stuff. I also used my new ProPanels, which are a big improvement (at a huge increase in cost) over the wire grids I've use at indoor shows and outdoor markets. If you get ProPanels, be sure to pay the extra for the adjustable legs. It think it would very difficult to keep them stable without the adjustments.As it was my first time at the show, I can't compare it with previous years, but other, more seasoned exhibitors, told me that attendance and spending seemed to be down. Even the food vendors said that sales were down. This is not surprising in Michigan, where the economy is really bad. Sunday was a better day than Saturday for sales.I was very pleased with the attention my pictures attracted, and pretty happy with my sales. About 50 people asked for one of my business cards, and asked for my show schedule. I also really enjoyed talking with the people who stopped by my booth. Although there were a number of photographers at the show, the selection committee did a good job picking different photographic styles.I hoped that this show would help me figure out the right mixture of framed, matted and unframed/unmatted photos, but that didn't happen, since I sold some of each. Also, about 2/3 of my sales were on credit cards.The organizers of the show could have done a better job getting volunteers to cover for lunches and bathroom breaks, but I had a friend stop by on Saturday, and I had about 20 minutes of volunteer to cover my booth on Sunday, so I was fine.This was a good show to start with, as it was only two days and not real big. My next show is in Plymouth, Michigan, on July 10-12, and it's much bigger.Although I live in Ann Arbor, I'm not doing any of the fairs here as I didn't decide to do any art fairs until April of this year, and that was way past the application cut-off dates.This forum has been a huge help! Thanks for running it Connie, and thanks to all of the amazingly generous people who contribute their time and advice!Cheers.
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A Priceline Room in Denver
Today at 12:53pm
From artist Eugenie Torgerson:
I am cancelling Cherry Creek and have a Priceline room at the Marriott Denver Tech Center for $50 a night --- a total of $236.26. The hotel is about 20 minutes from the show. If ANYONE knows ANYONE who could use this room, please contact me at eugenietorgerson@sbcglobal.net.
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Thanks, Connie, for inviting me to write a bit about ArtPrize here. ArtPrize is an event designed with a very open framework to create dialogue between artists and the public. There's also a prize. Currently, the world's largest art prize: $250,000 1st place $100,000 2nd place $50,000 3rd place $7,000 4th-10th places Any artist can register, but each artist has to secure space within a venue. A venue can be virtually any space within a 3 square mile area of Grand Rapids, MI. Whomever opens their space to become a venue is responsible for selecting artists. ArtPrize is not the jury for the exhibition. Individual venue hosts determine which artists they secure. Artists and venues negotiate everything from how much space the artist can exhibit in to whether or not the artist will give an artist talk. I should also mention the top ten prizes are awarded solely by a public vote. Those of us working on ArtPrize also created Spout.com, a community for movie lovers to spread word of mouth about movies. We like empowering peoples' voices. We like the idea of the city becoming an art gallery. We like giving the public real skin in the game to decide who gets the prize, so they'll think more about the art than they might in a traditional context. We like the variety that venues with a huge range of curatorial experience will create. From spectator to venue to artist, we like the idea that ArtPrize asks everyone to think differently. For artists specifically, its a very wide open proposition. The vote and the prize create an audience ready to be engaged. It is up to you to decide how to engage them. It will take some planning. You register at artprize.org and contact venues where you want to exhibit (currently there are 55 and more are added each day). Once you secure a space within a venue, you're in. (Some venues charge a fee, most do not.) Some frequent questions that come up: - You may only submit one entry, but consider your limitation the amount of space a venue gives to you. Meaning, one entry is not necessarily one painting, but however you choose to exhibit your work within the space the venue allows. - You may sell work--including work not submitted to the event--but the one work that's registered in the event has to remain on exhibit until closing day, October 10. - You and the venue are free to be as entrepreneurial as you wish to be, meaning if you and the venue host turn a lobby into a sales booth for diamond skulls and corn dogs, there are no rules against it. We ask any artist to consider this an opportunity to engage with the public--both spectators and venues--on a level that they might not have engaged before. We think it's going to be a little crazy and a lot of fun. You can find out more and register at artprize.orgPaul Moore is co-founder of Spout.com and currently in charge of communications for ArtPrizeRead more…
August 8Coldwater, Michigan Four Corners Park Presented by Arts Alive 10 am to 5 pm 50 artists Deadline: July 8 What is an art fair garage sale? It is your opportunity to sell your leftovers, irregulars, seconds, art supplies and/or work that you would like to see in someone else's home. Your booth is your castle, so anything goes-show your best work at regular prices and sell the rest in the garage sale spirit. We want you to have fun - wheel and deal and clean out your stock to make room for new and better art. On the weekend of August 7-9 the State of Michigan Tourism Department hosts the U.S. 12 Garage Sale, a shopping frenzy that stretches 212 miles from Saline to Niles, on the U.S. 12 Heritage Trail. The garage sale brings thousands of motorists from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Ontario to shop for bargains, visit historic towns and enjoy the Michigan countryside. Coldwater is one of the key stops along the trail with its nationally recognized Historic district of homes, centuries old downtown, 100+ year old Tibbits Opera House and enticing eateries. Expect: *hometown hospitality with professional (!) staff *a shady park at the main intersection of the city, everyone driving through town will see the art fair *easy unloading and loading *volunteers to give you a hand *a "can't lose" booth fee - $50 Download the application for more information:
ColdwaterAppl09.pdf For more info: Barb Burkhardt:
barbaraburkhardt@hotmail.com or Connie Mettler:
info@artfaircalendar.com ***************** Looking for more art fairs for your 2009 season?
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Here is an excellent article on buying art, it makes a good case for owning something special.
2009 - June
"The paradigm has shifted. Less than a year ago, the wealthy [or seemingly rich] were in a feeding frenzy – scooping up contemporary art - at the most notable of galleries, art expos and auction houses in New York, Miami, Paris, London, Venice and beyond.
The value of the art work was highly inflated – boosted by the insatiable appetites of those who wanted to consume and who believed the spin… “you must own this.” The spin-meisters? Gallerists, curators & art "advisors" who had something to gain. Less-than-well-executed paintings, broken pottery, preserved wildlife, graffiti, cartoons - even excrement – was touted as “important,” as precious, as invaluable – and hundreds of thousands – if not several millions of dollars were spent. “Good” art seemed out of reach for all but the top echelon.
And the art purchased? Its value has plummeted [like most things]. It is possible it will never recover the value paid. The “investors” were sold not on quality, but on the buzz created by clever marketers.
So why buy art now? Because no one else is. Visual artists throughout the world have suffered the lingering drag of the economy. Hardly anyone is .... the rest of the article
Thanks to member Sandy Schimmel Gold
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The De Vos Family (think Amway) of West Michigan is offering a the world's largest Art Prize - $250,000!
There is so much to learn about this prize and all the smaller venues surrounding it. The competition is going to take over Grand Rapids, MI, in the fall with much press and activity going on. The winner is by public vote! You heard me right, the public.
# Top 10 entries will receive a prize
# Multiple artists can collaborate on an entry
# Artists may only submit one entry
# Property owners/renters in downtown Grand Rapids can become a venue
# Number of artists represented is only limited by number of venues that become available
Learn more at: http://www.artprize.org/about-artprize
What is even more interesting is their online blog that tells the story about all the exciting things going on around the Prize. Be sure to keep track of what's going on day to day at blog.artprize.orgRead more…
Held June 27th &28th, the annual “Arts on the Avenue” is a part of Cedarburg’s popular Strawberry Festival activities.This has everything most artists would stay away from. Food (it is about the strawberries), crafters (though - high end and juried in), and various “festival” activities (pancake breakfast, 5k run, contests, several music stages and commercial vendors – bike – car – windows etc.) However, with the location and its 100,000 attendances, it has always been a top selling weekend for me. More framed pieces sell at this show than at any others I do (16 this year). I sold a large amount of matted only but I had lowered my prices by $5 or $10.Cedarburg is an upscale artisan community – smack dab in the center of one of the wealthiest counties in the U.S. Not the quasi-wealthy – the real thing where the wealthiest wear t-shirts & cutoffs to avoid standing out in a crowd. I’ve always connected with wonderful commissioned work from them here – their own little decorator they call me.Arts on the Avenue is organized by a combination of (3) separate art groups - the Cedarburg Cultural Center’s Fine Art Fair, Cedar Creek Settlement’s Arts Fair and the Ozaukee Art Center’s Fine Art Fair. Applications are sent to one of the three and each has their own jury and acceptance process. No buy/sell allowed – and if discovered they are removed immediately. An arts highlight is the Annual Plein Air Painting Competition, featuring Adult & Youth Divisions, at the Cedarburg Cultural Center. On Saturday morning, registered artists can participate in a two hour Quick Paint Competition in the Historic District. Cedarburg’s entire nine block Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places with many unique restaurants and charming shops that are a signature of Cedarburg’s tourism appeal. It is juried (with no awards) and very difficult to get into. This is my 5th year participating (10 minutes from home).This year I’ve noticed more high end crafters than typical and I counted only 3 other photographers. Jewelry, as always, was abundant as was pottery, fantastic wood creations and metal sculpture. Saturday tends to be the “out of towners” looking for an alternative to Milwaukee’s huge Summerfest activities. Sunday was mostly the Ozaukee County locals – looking for their favorite artists and ready to spend. I would estimate 90% of the crowd attends annually.Set up goes well and begins at 7am Saturday morning. It is drive up except for those inside the Cultural Center and adjacent lawn. A few of the booths in the main street area have to tear down Saturday night (beginning at 6pm) and set up again Sunday morning (no earlier than 7 am). I always have that area and really don’t mind as the location is prime and I have nice shade most of the day. Parking is wherever you can find it – but once you’ve attended, you know the hidden areas that are very close. The art area opens at 10 am but my sales start at 9. The street is elbow to elbow by 9:30 and remains so for most of the two days. There are typically more people walking the sidewalks behind the tents, getting out of the middle crowd, than at several art shows I’ve done this year. There is a food court area, but also a few food booths (ice cream, strawberries, and drinks) located among the art booths. Cedarburg has terrific wine makers and a local brewer, so those booths are also located among the art booths. They do keep the kettle corn guy and any smoky food booths well away from the art.As I mentioned – most artists would avoid this type of event and had I not been part of this area for many years, I too would stay away from any food festival events. However, I’ve been extremely successful here each year and it is a prime example to artists needing to look outside of the box – beyond their typical annually attended top tier show schedule - to carry them through this tough economic year. Plus....they are fun to do once in awhile. I sometimes get tired of seeing only high end pieces. My booth was busy continually both days and I talked so much this weekend that I lost my voice today - making hubby quite happy. But, I'm a "local" artist and these folks are always good to me. I should also mention that every year I have sold to those from England, France, Italy, Austraila and Sweden who fly in every year for this event. My Monday is consumed with international shipping.My three videos show the smallest crowds of the show. Only the last half hour of each day had less. You can check them out at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuGuyfxUA0s&feature=channel listed as Cedarburg 001, 002, 003Have a great summer everyone!Linda AndersonAnderson Photo Works Great Lakes Nautical & Nature Photographyhttp://www.andersonphotoworks.com
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