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I'm sure you're aware of the tornadoes that ripped through central Tennessee this week. The Nashville area is getting a lot of attention (and maybe the President will visit!), but the deaths in Putnam County, Cookeville area, were the worst. Poor people live in this region, mountain people, children died in their beds. Tennessee does not have a great security net. Per capita income is $19,000. I know artists who live there, maybe you do too: Marilee Hall, Lou & Christine Colombarini, Jason Stoddart and their families. Fortunately they are fine. 

However, Jason's father, Jack (better known these days as Hippie Jack), runs a non-profit (COARM) in the area. In 2010 Jack left art fairs behind began to focus his time and energy into humanitarian efforts for Appalachians in former mining communities around Overton County. This week he has been asked to bing his Hippie Bus to Cookeville to help with the distribution of food and supplies to the victims of the tornadoes.

Learn more & by donate to his 501c3 right here: https://Jamminathippiejacks.com/donations/

Working as an artist or crafter allows you to use your creativity to create works of art and crafts that people want to have. But how they want to buy can sometimes be an issue.

Like many other professions where creativity and skill are needed to do the job, artists and crafters occasionally have to deal with people that don’t always seem to understand how the buying process works. Sometimes it is a friend who just wants the product for free because...well, because you’re friends. Sometimes it is someone who offers to pay you with another product or service. Perhaps the most odd is when someone offers to “buy” your art or crafts in exchange for “publicity.”

“I can’t give you money,” a customer might say, “but I have something better. I have a gazillion followers on FaceTwitLinkPlus and I’ll be sure to recommend you and your art (or crafts) to all of my followers.”

Is it ever ok to give away your art or crafts for free? Should you accept other products or services as payment? Is free publicity a good form of payment? The following are some helpful tips when it comes to accepting payment for your art or crafts.

1. It is ok to occasionally give your art or crafts away for free.

   Is a customer a non-profit organization that you would like to help out? Is it a loyal and reliable customer who has already purchased from you many times? Is it your mom? All of these situations are ones where giving away your product for free might be a good idea. It’s up to you to decide whether, for example, the trauma and hardship of laboring for eight or 22 hours in order to bring you into the world and then feeding, clothing, sheltering, and in all other ways taking care of you (in the case of your mom), is worth the cost of giving one of your products away for free. In the case of your friends, they might want free art or crafts, but if you give away all your products away for free, you won’t be in business too long. Think wisely about who to give your products free to.

2. Think very hard before you accept other products or services as payment.

   If the product or service is something you really need or it would save you money in other ways, it might be worth it. For example, if a customer wants to purchase a painting and offers you free food at their store, daycare for your kids, or other types of useful products or services, you can at least consider it. That doesn’t mean that you should always accept it - it just means it is an option for you to consider. However, if they offer you 40 hula hoops or the book they wrote about the political economy of some nation you’ve never even heard of, it’s probably not a good idea. In those cases, money is the best option every time.

3. It is rarely (if ever) a good idea to accept “publicity” as payment.

   Try this experiment (ok, don’t really, but just imagine what would happen if you did): The next time you go to the dentist or the doctor, tell them that you don’t have the money to pay them, but if they will give you that root canal or perform that surgery for free, you will let all of your many followers on social media know about them. Think that will work? We don’t either. So, why should that work for you? You are a professional, and you deserve to be treated as a professional and that means you deserve to be paid money for your products. Here’s the other problem: You can’t buy groceries, pay the rent or mortgage, send the kids to school, or do very many other things with “publicity.” In some cases, people use publicity compensation simply as a way to get a free product. We’re not saying you should never accept publicity as payment, but you need to be very careful about it, and it should only be done if you are absolutely sure that the benefits outweigh all the costs.

Do you have an experience about compensation for your products you’d like to share? Have other tips for artists and crafters about compensation? Please comment below.

September 11, 12, & 13
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Shadyside neighborhood
Friday 1pm-7pm, Saturday 10am-7pm, & Sunday 10am-5pm
110 Artists
Deadline: March 15

Application fee: 1 medium $25, 2 mediums $50
Booth Fee: $395, Corner $445

This event is held in the affluent city neighborhood of Shadyside, in a lovely park beside Pittsburgh Center for the Arts.
The Fair is free to the public and draws strong community support. Outstanding live music, artist demonstrations, children's activities, plus a variety of food choices are featured throughout the weekend. Make A Fair in the Park part of your 2020 show schedule.

Apply: https://www.formpl.us/form/936056112

For more information: http://www.afairinthepark.org/
Contact: Carrie Nardini, fairdirector@craftsmensguild.org

Do we have an app for that? Nope, but Mark Loeb has some common sense ideas on how to handle the disruptions that may be in your future, whether artist or show organizer. Mark is trying to get ahead of the problem and has instituted a comprehensive approach for his 2020 events. Granted, most events have a cancellation policy already in place, but this new challenge calls for reinventing the policy.

CANCELLATION POLICY for Integrity Events

We are pushing back payment deadlines to six weeks prior to each show.

What happens if you cancel after paying your booth rent? 

Six weeks before move in- We will issue a full cash refund.

Three to six weeks before move in- You may elect a 50% refund or a free booth at next years show.

Within 3 weeks of move in- No refunds (we will have paid all of our bills and likely won't be able to replace you). If you have a health issue we will consider that and try to help.

• What happens if we cancel, or are forced for health and safety reasons to cancel?

Six weeks before move in- We will issue a full cash refund.

Three to six weeks before move in- we will return two thirds of your booth rent and apply the balance to next year at that same event.

Within 3 weeks of move in- No cash refunds (we will have paid all of our bills). We will apply this year's rent to the next three years- 1/3 each. That way you will get your refund and we will still have enough to run the shows properly each year.

REASONING

In a move designed to give artists more security and peace of mind, Integrity Shows, which organizes the Belle Isle Art Fair and Funky Ferndale Art Fair, just announced a new policy in case the coronavirus hits metro Detroit and requires cancellations of events

The new policy provides artists with clear, time-based  reimbursement or credits on booth rents for Integrity art fairs, and extended deadlines to pay for shows.   “We want artists to feel supported and protected, in these uncertain times,” said Mark Loeb, president of Detroit-based Integrity Shows.  “And we want to be the most artist-centric shows, and proactive, thoughtful and transparent in how we run our art fairs.” 

The new policy applies specifically to Covid-19 and applies to the 2020 season only. Full details of the announced policy are shown below.

“Despite some close calls, we have been fortunate in 23 years of art fairs never to have canceled an event,” Loeb said.  

Integrity Shows organizes fine juried art fairs in and near Detroit and creative community cultural events including the Kensington Art Fair on Memorial Day Weekend, Palmer Park Art Fair June 6 and 7; Belle Isle Art Fair Aug. 1 and 2 and the Funky Ferndale Art Fair in September.   All the art fairs are run in partnership with local nonprofits, parks organizations and community groups. 

More information is at https://www.integrityshows.com.

Contact Mark directly: mark@integrityshows.com

What is happening around the world: 

An Update on How COVID-19 Is Impacting the Art World

I did this show the last weekend. In my former hometown.

Ironically, I have not been in G(gasparilla) for the last six years.  Then I sell my Ybor house and get in the next year.

Trouble is, now I had to stay in a hotel and pay $100 a nite.

I have done G 16 times since the early eighties. Always been a winner for me.

Thank God! This year too.  I needed a good show real bad.

Lots of booth fees to pay.

I can finally say, after seven shows this year, I had my first real, big show.

Felt like old times.  Had little scents of St. Louis in there. 

Amen.

This year they moved the show across the river to a new location.

Well, you know how that goes when they move a show.

The location is on a beautiful landscaped Park, bigger then the former location.

Everybody had rear booth storage.  So essential.

You had Thursday or Friday option to setup for the two day show.

I chose Thursday. They gave you two hours to unload the van and move.

Friday people got one hour.

Thursday was real windy and chilly.  The 50-it’s and 20mph plus winds.  Very tenuous.

Got the booth, with walls up, secured inventory inside, and closed her up.

Had a great meal fifty yards from my hotel at the Edison.  An upscale eatery.  Food is awesome.

Had a red snapper dish done Mexican style with a great red.  The wine was good too.

Friday morn I strolled down to the booth.

We are located on the river right by the University of Tampa.

The Park has a beautiful green lawn that angles slightly down to the river.

Bring shims.  Bring extra weights, no trees very windy.

They gives us ample space side to side and to the rear for storage, at least six feet.

A little aside here.

My pet peeve with most reviews of shows is that nobody tells you about the logistics of the show.  Like I just referred to.

It is tantamount to most of us, with inventory, to know how much storage do you have behind.

It affects your whole setup.

So please.  When you blog, telll us about the setup.  It really is important.

My fish sandwich just arrived, and I have tequila to sip.

So we will take a short pause.

Ok. I am at my favorite bar/grille on the ocean in NSB, the Ocean Breeze.

Its Monday, so it is Man Day at the Grille. Guys get half off any food or booze on the menu.

I am eating a fresh snapper sandwich with frys.

I am chasing it with Patron anenjo tequila, on the rocks with a salted rim and a lime.  This lunch is going to be under $15.  Gotta love it, gotta love NSB.

OK, back to the blog.

This is an awesome show, hard to get into, everybody is fabulous, no slackers here, no buysell.

The $25K best In Show attracts heavy hitters.  I think a merit award is about $1500, boo hoo!

I once got one in 1989 and I think it was $500.

I was surroundered by heavy weights of the circuit.  The air was intoxicating with creativity.

I held my own, meekly.

The crowd never showed up strong until about 1 pm. After, it surged.

Here is the one giant flaw of the show.

They built this beautiful park but only really put in about 100 parking spaces.

The Park is surrounded by ethnic neighborhoods and parking is precious.

The committee figured people would park across the river and walk over.

Or use a water taxi or Urber it.

Yeah.

Imagine walking all those big pieces back to your car.

Oh, get this, for the artists, it was worst. 

The artist parking lot was across the river, you caught a shuttle, easy half hour or more.

For me, and many, Saturday was the strongest day for sales.

Bigger crowds on Sunday, but nearly as busy.

Teardown was orderly, I got out in less than two hours.

This is a good show, I eyed a lot more like this one.

Putting another hole in the Midwest art fair schedule:

This from Beth Hoffman and the Wisconsin Designer Crafts Council and the Morning Glory Art Fair in Milwaukee:

... Most people are aware that the Democratic National Convention is coming to Milwaukee in July 2020. This is a great event and will bring thousands of people and millions of dollars to the city. The Milwaukee Bucks organization, owner of Fiserv Forum and the adjacent plaza where we held the 2019 Morning Glory Art Fair, were confident that there would be no impact on Morning Glory. What was not taken into consideration was the impact on many other large events in the city, and the need to reschedule them from their traditional times, to accommodate the DNC.

Morning Glory finds itself losing our prime show space and being surrounded by potential competing activities.

Our primary concern of WDCC's Morning Glory is the success of our artists. After multiple meetings over the last weeks and discussion of all options, we were not able to develop a strategy that would work to host the Morning Glory Art Fair for this year. Accordingly, and with great reluctance, the Morning Glory Committee and the WDCC Board of Directors have made the difficult decision to not have a show in 2020.

Zapplication will refund artists who have submitted application and booth fees. Artists who were jury exempt for 2020 will be extended that status for 2021.

We are already planning for Morning Glory Art Fair 2021 at the plaza in front of Fiserv Forum for the weekend of August 14-15 and look forward to seeing you all then. In the meantime, we wish you a great season of success with your business and greatly appreciate your continued support.

Learn more: https://morninggloryartfair.com/

Well, I just set up my booth at Gasparilla.  I am back in my old hometown of 20 years before moving to NSB.

So I am having a relaxing lunch at the Hall on Franklin Street in Tampa.

Eating a great poke bowl and chasing it with a great temponiollo wine.

So, I figured, what the hell, you got the rest of the day to fuck off.  Thus, my final behind the time blog of FM artfest which happened the first weekend of this month.

With this blog, I am officially caught up.

Do not let anybody tell you that retirement frees you up. I got things to do everyday.

Oh, maybe that means I am not really retired.  Only doing 24 shows this year.

BTW.  Just got good news this morn.  I am in Des Moines again.  This is a killer show.

Jeez! Nels, order another glass of wine and get on with the blog.  Otherwise, order a glass for all of us.

I guess I am a cheapskate(not!) So I will write the blog.

How I finally found happiness and put a little extra in my bank account this year.

FM is a big show, 220 plus artists.

It is well run on all levels.  Lots of volunteers.

Basically a two day show. Although a few unfortunates do the Friday nite preview which is a big waste of time for most.

Day before setup.  Plenty of backspace for inventory.

It is their one big outdoor art show of the year, so big turnout, and, they come to buy.

Mostly everybody makes moola here.

This year we had heavy rain for a big part of Saturday and it seriously impacted sales.

Sunday made up for it, big time.

I did more there in one day than I had done my previously two shows.

I was not alone.

This  is primarily an older, traditional and conservative, crowd who loves Fish and Feathers.

You ought to know what that means by now.

It defines most of the Florida buying market.

Lots of midwest people.  They will try to talk you down on price.

But not as nearly bad as the Boca crowd.

It was refreshing to see crowds of people Walking with art in their hands.

I went home a very happy camper.

A little aside.

It was my wife’s, Ellen Marshall, last outdoor art show of her illustrious 40 year career.

I am going to miss that special feeling I get whenever I am on the road to an art show.

I could a,ways look in my rear view mirror and see this gorgeous, smiling blonde right behind me.

It is a truly awesome feeling.

I was going to do a Tequila Report, but I will save it for my Gasparilla blog.

So,I am taking my last sip of wine and checking out.

I see a nap in my  near future.

This has been a long-running Show over 25 years old.

Held same week in Feb. as The Grove And Artigras.

This was my first time doing this show.

I bailed on Artigras, which I have done for nearly 30 years. It has been a downhill debacle for the last five years.

So, I always have heard great things about the Sanibel show.

Only about 220 exhibitors. Held in the height of season.  Plenty of money around. Lots of Midwest tourists.

Well, the long and short of it was that it ended up being a one day show instead of two.

Crowds were packed early, and buying, on Saturday.

Sunday was like a desert, very few buyers walking around.

I talked to many of the Rotary Club volunteers.  They were flummoxed too about the poor Sunday.

Never happened before, according to several veteran Rotarians.

It definitely killed me.  Saturday, I sold several large framed pieces (I am a photographer).

Sunday I barely sold $300 the whole day.  All Lowend images At $30.

This is a Well Run Show.  Great staffing, solid info about the setup, boothsitters and free water abound.

Storage behind booths is a problem here.

Lots of booths were backed up to a mesh fence(they charge admission) with no rear storage. Yet, there was plenty of room to have the front of the booth out further without disrupting the flow.

Also, this show is strung out between three exhibit areas and a lot of the elderly did not make it down to the end where I was.  I was booth 216 out of 220.

The crowd is mainly elderly, sixties and up.

The young people who came through did not give much attention to 2-D art, they just did not care.

I was disappointed with the show.  I just did not see much sales going on for 2-D Art.

This is a fish and feather show.  Very conservative tastes in art.

Also buying mostly Lowend.  There will always be the exceptional whale who walks thru.  Just not enough of them,

Personally, I think the crawl of autos on Periwinkle Way deters a lot of people from attending.

In season this island slows to a crawl.  More people on bikes.

This is an expensive booth fee plus high hotel costs.  You better be on your game if you try this show.

Lovely location but the sales are not commiserate with them.

So far, for me, the Florida shows suck Royal Canalwater.