Very Easy for people who have a rough time while on the road..Google 411
Just leave it up to Google to come up with something like this!!!
Here's a number worth putting in your cell phone, or your home phone speed dial: 1-800-goog411. This is an awesome service from Google, and it's free -- great when you are on the road.
Don't waste your money on information calls and don't waste your time manually dialing the number. I am driving along in my car and I need to call tonight’s hotel and I don't know the number. I hit the speed dial for information that I have programmed.
The voice at the other end says, "City & State." I say, " Miami, FL." He says, "Business Name or Type of Service." I say, Hampton Inn." He says, "Connecting" and Hampton Inn answers the phone. How great is that? This is nationwide and it is absolutely free!
Click on the link below and watch the short clip for a quick demonstration.
http://www.google.com/goog411/
Many thanks to my good friend, Barb Burkhardt, for this cool tip.
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Many of you have websites, and some of you are doing all the work there. Here is a good article about Search Engine Optimization to get you thinking and tweaking to increase the traffic on your site:
"How to Think Like a Search Engine" by Scott Fox:
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July 18 24th Annual Art in the Park Petoskey, MI presented by the Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce 130 artists Deadline: March 1Held in Downtown Petoskey's picturesque Pennsylvania Park, this one day, juried fine arts and crafts show is located in the heart of a traditional, wealthy resort area whose passion for art and culture is well known. The well heeled resort community and visitors who come from around the country produce estimated crowd counts of 15,000 and up. Art in the Park's location in a resort area is important to you. Now you can combine your selling opportunities with a vacation, but even more importantly you should know that it is an uncontested fact that the Number One thing people do while they are on vacation is shop and they spend money on things that they do not normally purchase. Shopping for your artwork can be on their list if you attend Petoskey's Art in the Park. If you are worried about Michigan's economy, consider also the fact that the Petoskey region is the vacation destination for St. Louis and Chicago. Expect: *crowds of buyers *a peaceful and beautiful setting in the heart of an historic downtown shopping destination *a complimentary breakfast served by volunteers from Sturgeon River Pottery *fair booth fee of $165 And, to prove this is a hard working committee look at what is new this year: *an artist's Welcome Reception will be held at Stafford's Gallery, with the convenience of registration the night before the show *a block of rooms for artists at North Central Michigan College, just blocks away from Pennsylvania Park, at a very reasonable price. *And, if you would like to appear at
a second show while you are in northern Michigan, consider attending the Goodhart Mini Fair which is Sunday, July 19. (Pre-registration information is available on our art fair application.) Often the ambitious artists who are participating in a one day show are pleased to find another one nearby for the second day. I think this is the first time I have seen two events pair up like this to enable both to have a better selection of artists. Way to go, Chamber of Commerce! Thank you for this consideration. Application forms available online at:
www.petoskey.com/art, or call at 231-347-4150 and they will mail one to you.
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Here are just a few vendor's you can see this week in our Virtual Craft Show at www.cafehandmade.com. We also have featured Artist interviews, Mommaprenuer of the week, and a free Artist giveaway.Read more…
From Americans for the Arts:
January 28 the U.S. House of Representatives passed their version of the Economic Recovery Package by a vote of 244 to 188 which successfully included $50 million in supplemental grants funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)!
This provision was threatened throughout the House process by opponents of the NEA who questioned its effectiveness in providing economic stimulus. Today, the NEA offered the following statement, “the arts and culture industry is a sector of the economy just like any other with workers who pay taxes, mortgages, rent and contribute in other ways to the economy; and that the National Endowment for the Arts is uniquely positioned to assist in job stimulation for that industry.”
Thanks to the thousands of advocates who contacted their Members of Congress and let them know the importance of maintaining funding for the NEA!
However, our work is not finished yet as the U.S. Senate starts their debate on the bill tomorrow and continues through next week. The Senate Appropriations Committee did not include an arts jobs funding provision in their version of the bill, but advocates still have an opportunity to change the final outcome.
Please take two minutes to take action and ask your Member of Congress and Senators to support the arts in this legislation. Americans for the Arts has supplied you with fresh research and key quotes that support this funding -- your help in communicating this information to your Member of Congress is critical.
Please help us continue this important work by becoming an official member of the Arts Action Fund. Play your part by joining the Arts Action Fund today -- it's free and simple.
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hi all,I'm just getting into the zapplication process and need advice on how to get my existing print photos up and running for the zapp process..do I need to take them to a photo shop or do I need special software? I'm ready to apply to several shows and feeling depressed about not getting it.Anyone??? Thanks for help...MIKE
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Here are some more photos and chat about the Manifest Hope art exhibit in D.C. last month, interesting images of the artists setting up for the event. The art show was only open for three days and I got there in the closing hour - greeted by very long lines. Luckily we got in, but had to hurry through as they were having a BIG party at 6 pm.
http://www.obamaartreport.com/2009/02/manifest-hope-behind-scenes-day-three.htmlRead more…
The jury for the
Great Lakes Art Fair (April 17-19 in Novi, MI) is meeting on Friday morning. The official deadline was 2/2, but they have received so many calls from people (you know, "the application is in the mail" thing) whose applications are on the way that they will continue to accept applications until Thursday night 2/6. That is one of the wonderful things about digital jurying - it is fast and the bookkeeping aspects virtually disappear, you can sit down at the last minute and it is in the art show's computer virtually instantly. Please send yours in or call the office (Erin-248-348-5600 ext. 236) to make arrangements for delivery.
They have some terrific applicants, artists you want to be in shows with. It feels like we have the momentum to turn this into a jewel of an event. Join us. Let's put some excitement back into this business! Visit
zapplication.org now!
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Errata--in January I reported that the
Central West End Art Fair and Taste in St. Louis, MO, had been cancelled. After speaking with this year's Executive Director, Laura Lock, she confirmed that the 2009 15th annual event has NOT been cancelled. Put it back on your calendar, artists! This cool local event that features art, performance and great food is alive and well and will be on the streets of the Central West End neighborhood June 11-14. For more info:
www.thecwe.com. My apologies to this hard-working group for this error.
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Ahhh, you just keep working and working and what do you get? Most people in this business know the long hours and the creative flow necessary for success in this business. My most recent favorite book is Malcolm Gladwell's The Outliers. It is a very thought provoking book, full of interesting statistics including - the 10,000 Hour Rule. In order to be really good at something a person must put in at least 10,000 hours working at it.
I believe you will find some good food for thought in member Jeane Vogel's recent blog posting:
No Shortcuts to the Artist's Life
There were no fewer than two dozen young people -- under 30 -- who walked into my studio on Saturday and wanted a job, wanted an internship, wanted to know the secret of success, wanted to know why they couldn't sell their art, wanted to know --- well, you get the idea….
http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/2009/01/no-shortcuts-to-artists-life.htmlRead more…
And now for some good news:
Thanks to Ralph Quick for this:
I guess folks have made enough noise on this one... the Consumer Product Safety Commission has granted a one year stay on the enforcement of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act.
They will be using the time to figure out how they can protect children without putting all the crafters, etc., out of business, and without causing the libraries to throw out all their children's books. :-)
CPSC Grants One Year Stay of Testing and Certification Requirements for Certain Products
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission voted unanimously (2-0) to issue a one year stay of enforcement for certain testing and certification requirements for manufacturers and importers of regulated products, including products intended for children 12 years old and younger. These requirements are part of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), which added certification and testing requirements for all products subject to CPSC standards or bans….
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09115.html
Read more about this issue at: http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/more-legislation-out-to-get
Thanks to Don Crozier, Best of Missouri Hands for this good news, www.bestofmissourihands.comRead more…
Posted by Jeane Vogel on February 2, 2009 at 10:55am
"Potter's not selling. He's buying! And why? Because we're panicking and he's not."George Bailey, It's A Wonderful LifeA room full of scared people trying to get their money out of a rickety, broken down, old Savings & Loan before all hell breaks loose. That's the image that comes to mind as I prepare for Art Fair Season --2009.Imagine the room filled with art fair artists. Imagine we've lost faith in ourselves ....Continue reading at Beyond the Art Fair, http://www.jeanevogel.blogspot.com
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Part of being an artist is weighing the opportunities that come your way through the year. Art fairs turn out to not be what they used to be so you do not return, then new art fairs appear to take their place. If you do not support the new promising events eventually your marketplace shrinks and your choices become more limited.
We, my husband Norm Darwish and I, have participated in many first year events--some terrific and others not, so. But when an event came along that showed PR moxie and professional staffing we knew it deserved a chance if we were going to continue to earn our living in the art fair business. We made it a part of our business plan to do a new art fair or two every year to keep us fresh and exploring new territories and to meet new customers. Most years we we included a first year show. We participated in the first
ArtiGras in W. Palm Beach, the first
Cherry Creek Art Festival, the first
Arts, Beats & Eats as well as smaller events. I thought he was crazy to go all the way to Denver for Cherry Creek (who would drive from the Midwest for a first time show?), but happily accompanied him in subsequent years. The early days at Arts, Beats & Eats were fabulous, hitting five figures in sales in year one.
The Call for Entries below is your chance to help build a new strong event in metro Detroit. There will be good promotion for this first time event and lots of PR buzz, people will attend to see what it is all about. If the event only displays mediocre work not much will come of it, but if we present fine work a new show will have been born. Think really hard about joining us. If you live in a 200 mile radius of metro Detroit please consider quickly the Great Lakes Art Fair. The deadline is tomorrow.
Great Lakes Art Fair April 17, 18 & 19 Novi, MI Rock Financial Showplace 200 artists Deadline: February 2 Why you should be interested: 1. Great date and indoors 2. Organizers who know the Detroit marketplace and have the energy and financial resources to create good buzz about the event 3. A strong marketing team who market various kinds of events at this venue all year long 4. A quality exhibition space in a very upscale suburb of Oakland County, frequented by thousands just about every weekend 5. They are seeking to partner with arts organizations and charities to present an art fair that is connected to the local community 6. Classy amenities: gourmet catered food, landscaped gallery entry to showcase your best work, opening night gala where you are the guest, not the sales person, promo postcards for your patrons, hotel discounts 7. Fair booth fees
There will be a spring and fall art fair. These dates were recently vacated by Sugarloaf who has decided not to come back to Michigan. The Sugarloaf event had many loyal customers who will be very pleased to see this new incarnation of the event. In addition to that the Rock Financial Showplace managers are planning a more upscale event to fit the local clientele. Expect charity tie-ins, a show designer to make the venue attractive and low key entertainment to keep the patrons in the building and lots more. Visit:
GreatLakesArtFair.com for more
information Apply today at:
www.zapplication.org Deadline-February 2 I am consulting with the owners of this really nice exhibition space to help them create a classy event that will bring in the patrons. If you know me you know I've been involved in the art fair business for over 25 years, wearing many hats: artist partner, show director, art fair organizer and have participated in over 400 art fairs. I believe this event shows promise. Early applicants receive free electricity and a chance to have their images used in publicity.
P.S. Do not listen to the news! I was in metro Detroit this week. There were cars on the freeways, parking lots full of cars at office buildings, two events taking place at the Rock Showplace. There is a lot of commercial activity going on. Yes, some people are not doing well -
but most people have jobs. The upscale Somerset Mall is thriving. People still have money, love to shop and be entertained. Join us in Novi in April!
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My thanks to director Katie Lucas of the Columbus Arts Festival, Ohio's biggest and best art fair, for providing more information on the upcoming open jurying.
The jurying will take place at the City of Upper Arlington's Municipal Building (3600 Tremont Road, Upper Arlington, Ohio 43221). If you are anywhere near Columbus I heartily urge you to attend part of this screening. There is a lot to learn that will help you in your art fair career.
Saturday, February 7 at 9:00 a.m.
Digital Art - 20 applicants
2DMixed Media - 95 applicants
Glass - 48 applicants
Painting - 111 applicants
Leather - 25 applicants
3DMixed Media - 49 applicants
lunch around Noon
Jewelry - 188 applicants
Drawing - 21 applicants
Fiber - 43 applicants
Photography - 98 applicants
Wood - 44 applicants (may move to Sunday if we are running long on Saturday)
Sunday, February 8 at 9:00 a.m.
Ceramics - 93 applicants
Metal - 24 applicants (may move to Saturday if jurors are on a roll)
Printmaking - 19 applicants
Sculpture - 53 applicants
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In case you haven't noticed, Chicagoland residents love their art fairs, there are many affluent neighborhoods and a special art fair for most of them. For years my partner and I did back-to-back weekend drives to Chicago to sell our art. Enthusiastic and appreciative audiences always appeared to greet us. Today's edition lists
five Chicago area professionally run art fairs by
Erin Melloy of EM Events. As opposed to most promoter run events, Erin does not own the events herself, but rather contracts with community groups to produce the events. She is a promoter "for hire", which translates into an organizer who needs to meet the needs of each organization as well as the artists who participate in the art fairs, giving her a double dose of accountability. Erin Melloy is currently in her 14th year of producing high quality outdoor art festivals in the Chicago area.
EM Events holds to the belief that art counts and nothing but the best will do. Connect with beginning, casual and avid collectors at any of the wonderful outdoor events, located throughout the region. Smaller intimate art fairs such as these enable you to stand out and connect with the audience. Developing these relationships are the foundation of a successful art fair life.
May 16 & 17Riverside Arts Fair Riverside 65 artists The
Riverside Fine Arts Fair has quickly become a community highlight. It compliments and confirms the appreciation for high quality design and materials that Riverside residents and our neighbors find in its quaint community. $1,100.00 in prize money. Hosted by the Economic Development Commission, supported by the Village of Riverside and the Riverside Chamber of Commerce, the festival is held in the central business district of historic Riverside. Riverside is a near western suburb where 50% of the population 25 years and older have a Bachelor's Degree or higher.
Click here for its location.
July 11 & 12Orland Park Arts Fair Orland Park 65 artists Celebrating its sixth year, the
Village of Orland Park Art Fair has become a summer tradition showcasing the amazing talents of local artisans as well as those from across the country. Orland Park is ranked #45 on Money Magazine's Top 100 best places to live and scored highest in Arts and Leisure. $8,000.00 in prize money. The annual Art Fair is hosted by the Village of Orland Park Arts Commission, whose mission is to bring cultural and artistic events to the community. The event is held at the Orland Park Crossing shopping center at 143rd Street and LaGrange Road.
June 20 & 22 Prairie State Art Fair Arlington Park 25 artists Located at the prestigious Arlington Park Race Track this second year event will feature 25 juried ILLINOIS artists who wish to join us and showcase their talents to over 16,000 patrons at the park that weekend. Prints will be allowed at this event. In the spirit of racing, all 25 artists will be in the running for $5,000 in prize money.
July 25 & 26 Geneva Arts Fair Geneva 145 artists Geneva, a chic and charming historic town located on the Fox River, will celebrate its eighth Annual Fine Arts Fair in 2009. Its prestigious reputation of offering a superb selection of fine art by renowned artists and cutting-edge newcomers attracts beginning and avid collectors. In 2008, West Suburban Living magazine's 11th Annual "best of the west" named the
Geneva Arts Fair as Best Craft or Art Show. Presented by the Chamber of Commerce the show is tucked along shady streets among 100+ specialty shops located in Victorian style homes and century-old buildings. A "hands on" kids art area, awards for emerging and seasoned artists along with warm small town hospitality, offer a picture-postcard setting for this juried art celebration. $8,000.00 in prize money. For more info:
www.genevachamber.com/artfair.htmlAugust 8 & 9 Art in Your Eye Batavia 75 artists The
Art In Your Eye Festival seeks award-winning artists for its fifth annual fine art festival at the beautiful Riverwalk on the Fox in downtown Batavia. Sponsored by the City of Batavia, the festival is a collaborative effort with other key organizations and reflects the spirit of Batavia's artistic and art-supporting community. Art In Your Eye includes additional pre-festival activities focusing on art education, hands-on art experiences, and arts appreciation. The culminating two-day event at the Riverwalk includes the centerpiece outdoor fine art show, children's art activities, continuous musical entertainment, an indoor exhibit featuring local artists, food, and free guarded bike parking to attract the hundreds of cyclists traveling the adjacent Fox River trails. $14,000.00 in prize money. For more info on this event visit:
www.artinyoureye.com There is a common application for these events. Download the application at: www.emevents.com Images must be submitted by
February 1st for the current listed events. Application and jury fees are due by
February 1st. Please note: there will also be having an additional jury with images due March 1st for other events being held later in the year. For a full listing of all EM events, jury fees, booth fees, attendance, amenities, due dates, rules, etc., and/or to download an application please visit:
www.emevents.com Contact Erin Melloy at:
Erin@emevents.comRead more…
Here is the latest news from Juried Art Services' President Paul Fisher:
On January 12th Juried Art Services experienced a server crash. All systems have been restored but some data was lost. We have taken the necessary actions to prevent this kind of occurrence in the future.
In greater detail, here's what happened: We had been replicating data to a second hard drive to provide both backup and disaster recovery abilities. The data loss occurred when the data on the first drive became corrupted, and due to a hardware failure, this condition was
then replicated to the second drive. We immediately had the servers couriered to one of the nations leading data recovery firms (used by Dunn & Bradstreet and NASA.) They were unsuccessful and all data entered after Dec 24th was lost. Because this was a hardware failure, not a system crash, all software and functions remained fully intact.
We have now brought a new server system online to ensure future security. We have switched hosting companies, upgraded our services, added load balancing services to address both traffic fluctuations and hardware failures and now have an offsite backup server in place.
Applications, new accounts and images uploaded between December 24th and January 12th had to be re-created. All applicants who had paid their applications were notified quickly by JAS and/or the respective shows to alert them to check if their application was affected and
information had to be re-entered. After going "off air" on January 12th the site was back up on the 17th with a prominent notice on the home page of our web site explaining what happened and what action needed to be taken. We then took three days to re-check and
thoroughly de-bug the system and on January 20th notified everybody in our system and placed notices on Internet forums and art show web sites. We extended all customer services so that we could quickly respond by phone or email to everyone. To make the process easier we
implemented a new e-mail address for artists to send us their images, which we then resized and upload for them.
JAS is totally committed to providing the best application and jurying process in the world. We have made a substantial investment in our infrastructure and staffing and we are very excited about the upcoming release of great new features and innovations later this
year. Together we will provide every possible advantage to our artists and shows to help them prosper and grow. And as of today, all shows have nearly met or exceeded the number of applications from before the incident.
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If you've never attended an art fair jury session, or seen a zapplication jury the Columbus Arts Festival will be doing an open jury on February 6-8. You are welcome to attend. Attending a jurying can be an eye opening experience. You will see why some people seem to get into all the art fairs and definitely see why others don't even stand a chance. It is especially helpful to see the competition in your particular media. It will be held in Upper Arlington at the City Manager's office at 3600 Tremont Rd., Upper Arlington, Ohio, 43221
For more information you can call the Columbus Arts Festival office at 614-224-2606
My thanks to Larry Berman from his Digital Jurying Tips newsletter for this info.
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Associated Press - January 25, 2009 5:05 PM ET
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A chance find by a Goodwill worker in Nashville turned up a 100-year-old original water color painting worth more than $6,000. Read the rest of the story here:
http://www.wrcbtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9729541
Artists who have been in this business for awhile know that their work turns up at garage sales, thrift shops, on eBay, and at auctions. I personally receive inquiries about my husband's work -- too often the owners want to sell it back to us :) A typical story is similar to this one by Carol Weber, wife of painter, Michael Weber:
I was in an antique mall in Leesburg, FL, found one of Michael's paintings and bought it for around $5.00. The following weekend we hung it in our booth for sale and sold it for several hundred dollars!
I know there is outstanding work at the art fairs, but that most of us will have to be dead before it brings the deserved price.
What about you? Do you have a story to contribute to this?
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