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Besides the sales of our jewelry making equipment, we have many unset precious & semi-precious stones & pearls - Tahitian, Mexican, Tennessee River, Chinese mabes & blisters for sale.  We are in the NW Chicago area.

I always went to upcoming months on calendar to see upcoming applications due highlighted in red, now I see maybe 8 in a month.  Very difficult , impossible in fact.  Larry, can you  help?  or anyone?

how are other people faring with this new format?

Would appreciate any feedback, thanks.

Try as we might between Larry Berman and myself sometimes spammers sneak in. Our apologies for any nuisance you've experienced in the last couple of days from James Pollard. He has left comments on people's pages and sent emails from the Commercial bank of Dubai(UAE). You know what that means. He is gone.

Please let us know if you ever spot suspicious activity on this site. Considering its scope (over 15,000 members) our controls have worked well. Thank you for understanding. 

This happened on September 6-7-8 on the streets of Clayton. This is where the government center buildings are for St. Louis.  It is a three day show—and is very difficult to get into.

I got in this year and previous to that back in 2013.  Besides that, I have only gotten in three other times in 26 years.

This is a biggie, I put it right up there with KC Plaza, Des Moines, Artisphere and Main Street Fort Worth.

Notice I did not include Winter Park in that list.

Also I do not want to drive that far to do Cherry Creek or Sausalito.

People who get into these biggies can routinely do between $6-$20 K in sales.

The quality of the people attending make it that way.

SLAF is surrounded by very rich communities and many come and decorate their homes with exclusively art from this show.

There are about 180 booths which include the previous year winners. They get mucho applications.

That said, it is not easy to jury into.

You are up against the best of the best on the circuit.  There are no slouches here. No buy-sell.

Each booth looks like an art gallery.

The patrons dress to the nines.  They are world-travelled, they look For uniqueness as well as quality.

Back in April I was eating breakfest at the Vinoy Hotel right before the start of the Mainsail Show in St. Petersburg.

I knew they were notifying that morn.

So I opened up my Zapp with trepidation, preparing to get blown off for the sixth year in a row.

But then I got sidelined and went to my emails.

Lo and behold I saw the most precious words you could ever want to see.

”Congrats!”

I was floored and exhuberent at the same time.

So here I was in Clayton.

The Show arranges for artists to stay at the Sheraton Plaza Hotel for a great rate of $99 per.  The hotel is about three blocks away from the show.

It has a great bar and a sucky dining room.

I remember the first time I stayed there in the late nineties, I saw Serena and Venus both strutting their stuff down the hallway.  They were like regal lionesses working their way thru the Savannah.

Now let me tell you about this year’s show.

The weather forecast looked good with fairly mild humidity on the days of the show.

Mother Nature had other plans.

We register at the hotel on Thursday nite and then do setup starting at ten on Friday.

The Show opens at five and runs til ten.  The last hour is a big waste for most.

The Show supplies electricity, you bring your lites and fans.

Friday setup was in horrible heat reaching into the nineties, it took a lot out of me, almost a five hour setup which I usually do in three and one half.

I staggered back to the hotel and got a great shower and two hours of rest.

The booths are laid out on city streets back to back.  They give you about two feet of storage.

Booth sides give everybody room to hang, walk thru or store.  They are generous.

You are on hilly roads so be prepared to shim. It is also very tight getting vehicles in and parked.  Lots of dosey-doing.

Everone is a pro so we all work it out without any acrimony.  We are here to make serious moola.

Well dressed patrons were out early.  Thank God The evening got a little cooler.

I started off with very slow, small sales but by night end I was up to almost $2K.

I did not notice a lot of big things go by.  It was more precious little pieces of paper.

Those with a mailing list do alright.  The patrons want to see the fresh new work.

This is an originals only show which hampers a lot of 2-D artists.  No prints or repros.

It is hard to make and sell an original for under $150 unless you are a photographer, which I am.

That said, I heard a lot of grumbling from my neighbors about it was mostly Lowend sales.

Frankly, That has been the trend for many of us this year.  The Middle Class feels uncertainty about the future and they are holding back on purchases.

My sales are off by 30-40% this year, and I am not alone.

That said, we all had high hopes for big sales on Saturday.

Saturday show hours were 10am-10pm. Long day.

Weather was much better, there was a pleasant coolness in the air.

People slowly drifted in.  

I had a big flurry of sales around eleven and did a quick $2K.

My sales were steady all day but the high end was la king.  I only sold five pieces over $300 and the largest was $500.

It was a long exhausting day but when you have mucho dinero going into your bank account it feels worth it.

I saw some of the best well dressed women in the world at this show.  I complimented them and they complimented me.

I closed up right at 10pm and scooted across to Ruth Chris’s in time to get a great steak and a bottle of Cabernet.

At the hotel bar I stopped in for a nightcap and it was jammed with fellow artists—they mostly seemed to be in a happy mood.  Big shows have a way of making it all seem the sacrifice and hard work has finally paid off.

I slept very well that night and woke up Sunday to the sounds of pouring rain and crashing thunder.

The weatherman had correctly predicted this, he also promised us it would be over by 11am when the show was to open.

He got that one wrong. Gusty winds, some 60 mph, bucketfuls of rain, and several downed artist booths later, the rain finally quit before noon.

People were out buying pronto.

I did another flurry of sales, selling ten different 16x20 framed images in an hour.  Each one, $150 apiece.

Sales were mostly Lowend, under $150, the rest of the day til show close at 5pm.

I made more at this show then the previous five shows I had done and this included Uptown.

Most People were happy but they mainly were getting Lowend sales.

A couple of painters, one was my neighbor, zeroed at the show.  They were pissed.  I cannot blame them.

But a show like Saint Louis gives the artist a unique opportunity to really excell.

I would heartily encourage any beginning artist to apply to this show if you think you got the right stuff.  New and different art always has a chance of getting in.

I am off for two weeks, gonna play a lot of golf.

In  fact today, Sept. 20, I  am playing for the Clearbrook Club Member-Member Championship title.

Mark Hanks and me won it in 2017.  Hope to do it again.

In addition to a Purchase Awards Program that provides an average of $10,000-$12,000 in art sales, Artisphere distributes $15,000 in prize money to eleven award winners each year.

Renowned artist hospitality includes: 

• Convenient set-up and load-out
• Parking, security
• Reduced hotel rates
• Volunteer booth sitters and complimentary meals

We know it's true, don't we? I've just finished reading this article on the website Artsy, Why Some Art Fairs Thrive—and Others Flop. Although it is about the "big" art fair scene, many of the ideas apply to our smaller street art fairs (and indoor events also) that are not big news on the art scene.

What factors in an art fair's being successful? Not surprisingly, location.

I particularly thought this was interesting:

"But a fair’s success depends on more than situating it where none previously existed. Friedman said he researches the potential local market, talking to collectors and gallerists to determine if a given region has the potential to sustain a successful art fair. Next year, he’ll launch the Denver Fine Art Fair. He described Denver as “an untapped market” that has a “strong collector base with young professionals who have discovered art collecting in a fast-growing metropolis.” While Friedman takes a pioneering attitude toward fairs, he said that having too many fairs in a city or region can be counterproductive because “it gets watered down.”

yeah --- Denver, oh no! Of course we all kind of already knew that, didn't we?

Read the rest here and let me know your thoughts: https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-art-fairs-thrive-flop

I have been on the road for 10 days doing this show plus St. Louis.

So I will start with a blog about LF. St. Louis later.

This is a long-standing show on the lake north of Chicago.

Very wealthy people live here, and many attend the show which is on Sunday and Labor Day Monday.

It has an early morn setup, no night before.  There are more than 200 artists.  There is a smaller show going on by them at the same time.

Held right downtown right by the commuter railroad tracks, it is a perfect magnet to attract buyers.

And they come.

People are dressed quite fashionably, many are escorting their expensive pets.

Lots of loud barking going on by little perky pups. Everybody is out showing off their expensive pets.

And some actually take the time to look in the booths and buy something.

Not many zombie-walkers here.

I have done this show about seven times, it is always steady but not great.

St. Louis is great, LF is ok.

I had a memorable moment happen to me this year.

It is one of the many reasons why I still love doing the show circuit for more than 47 years.

So, this nicely coiffed young kid waltzed into my booth.

He sported long Curley blond locks.  He was dressed in white linen shorts and wore neat pressed blue buttoned shirt.

He eyed my images carefully, taking about five minutes to give all the walls a good inspection.

Then he spoke to me.

”Are these photographs photo-edited?”

I naturally replied, “Of course, you are not going to get a great photo produced from a raw image. You have to edit.”

He looked a little closer.

”So you do not push the slider bar up to embellish the saturation.”

At this point I was about to ask him if his name was Mr. Epson. (That is the name of one of the best selling inkjet printers in the biz.)

Instead I asked him to pick out his favorite.

And he did.  He liked one of my hand-colored iconic figures.

I said, “It is yours,free.  I like your questions.”

Then the kid did an amazing act.

He walked up to me, photo in hand, and wrapped his arms around my waist.  He gave me a big hug like I was this steely Sequoia tree.  He said, “Thank you.”

He made my day.

The shows to me are not just about selling. If I can inspire the next generation to appreciate good art then I feel I have truly done something good.

Labor Day Monday was a lot slower.  Sales were minemil.

Teardown was very humid and wrenchingly hot.

I took water breaks every twenty minutes.  After open heart surgery I have learned to take my sweet time.

I am probably one of the last of artists who still bungees his metal racks to the roof of his van.

I used to take two racks at a time on my shoulders up the six foot ladder. Repeat fours times and bungee them down.

Folks have been taking a poll on me, wagering when I will fall off the ladder and crack my head.

They can wait, I ain’t falling.

Now, I am smarter.

I stack all the racks against the van.  Then I climb up the ladder and grab a rack, one at a time, and hoist it to the roof. My workouts at the local gym keep me able. Then I tie them down.

My buddy Steve Baldourf says I am an inspiration to others.

Me, I call it a way of life that I have doing since my twenties.  I plan on doing into my eighties.

Next, I will tell you about Saint Louis.

It was killer show, only wish all shows were like it.

       LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

We're excited about the move to the San Diego Convention Center-and have completely revised the show's design. Art San Diego will feature an architecturally designed floor plan, with well-appointed booths, high-tech lighting, and wide aisles to insure every art piece can be enjoyed. Of course, the popular [SOLO] Project returns with expanded space to allow established and emerging independent artists the opportunity to showcase their work in an upscale fair setting. 

       GET IT ON YOUR CALENDAR

Art San Diego 2019 takes place Oct. 10-13. The perfect time of the year that attracts a more robust audience due to the other arts and culture events in the area, including our partner the San Diego Film Festival. And our programming will be filled with events and experiences that reflect the best attributes of this dynamic city! Young Collectors' Night featuring local craft breweries, Artful Friday, Family Saturday, and Last Chance Sunday, and more. Get busy and make Art San Diego part of your Fall 2019 marketing plan. Apply now while booths are still available! Deadline: September 19.

Join us in one of America's top 5 travel destinations, the city Money Magazine named the No. 1 Best Travel Destination in the U.S. for an unforgettable weekend of culture, community, and connections. Apply to exhibit today.

Cheers!
The Art San Diego Team

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Next Podcast: Monday, Sept. 9 at 5-5:30 pm ET  (sponsored podcast)

Part III of a series to understand the operations of creating a new art show.

Artists and Charities Hand in Hand will host its inaugural event on November 2 and 3, 2019, at the Palm Beach Convention Center in W. Palm Beach, Florida.

• One of the biggest challenges of promoting a new event is finding exhibitors who will take a chance that it will be successful and lead on to year two. Two artists who will be participating will be on this podcast: 
  
  Amy Reshefsky, from Florida and Quebec, who works in multiple media who has worked with the show organizer, Ingrid Robinson, at several other events and is well known in the Palm Beach vicinity. 
  
  H. Allen Benowitz, a self-educated photographer from North Carolina. Invited by the Sheik to photo journal an international festival in Morocco. His work has appeared in many Florida publications and he participated in Art Basel and many Florida art festivals. 
   
• Then you have to make the event's name known in the community and get publicity. Rickie Leiter, of the RickieReport.com, a blogger and podcaster on the art scene who reports to the South Florida Community of Artists and Patrons will tell about her role in connecting with the art patrons.
   
• Lastly, you need to connect directly with established art institutions to show your credibility. Jeanne Martin of the Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach, will share why her historic art center is joining in as a charity partner for this new event. 

This will be a good nuts and bolts show that should be helpful to any artists who are considering applying to the show. It will also be helpful to any show organizers to learn some new tips.

Deadline to apply, September 15. Click here to learn more and apply.

Questions for the guests? Put them in the comments below, email to me, or call into the show on Monday: (805) 243-1338

In my inbox from Cranston, Rhode Island:

The Wickford Art Association is seeking an experienced event planner to serve as Festival Coordinator of the 58th Wickford Art Festival, to be held on July 11 and 12, 2020. The successful applicant will serve as the face of this award-winning event, working with the Board of Directors and volunteer committees to plan and implement all aspects of the festival. This is a part-time position from November 1, 2019 through July 31, 2020. 

Recently named Rhode Island’s Best Art Festival (Rhode Island Monthly), this prestigious event features more than 200 juried fine artists and draws crowds of up to 75,000. Interested candidates can access the full job posting on the Wickford Art Association website wickfordart.org (wickfordart.org/art-festival-2/). The deadline for submissions is September 30, 2019.

Most of you give the Artist’s prospective so I thought to share my experience as a Volunteer.

The Sausalito Art Festival is a major Fine Art Festival with 260 Artists from 41 States and 12 Countries. Booth fees are $1500-$3000, canopy included. Entrance fees:  $30-General and $100-VIP.

Sausalito and its surroundings have an upscale demographic and that reflected in the Artwork quality, price and Patrons spending.  I overheard a Lady jokingly negotiating a necklace down to “9.99” – it was a $1000 necklace that she just purchased.

They had over a thousand Volunteers.  I was stationed at one of the exists for security and to send people off with a smile.  Before and after my shift I walked around and visited most of the Booths.

This was a high-end Festival but what I learned can be applied to any Art Festival:

1. Feel free to ask for assistance from Volunteers. I had my Volunteer t-shirt on with a name tag but very few Artists asked for help. If you need cold water or a break, please ask. We are there to make you comfortable. Don’t be shy, this is not a job for us but it is something we happily chose to do.
   
   
2. Be engaging in your Booth: the Artists who were welcoming and ready to talk were the ones selling the most. Some Artists were on their phones in the back and avoided eye contact. Patrons have way too many choices and will skip those Booths.
   
   
3. You might not agree with this, but Artists eating a smelly meal, when the space smells like a restaurant, is not very appealing. A quick odorless snack or the aroma of a fresh cup of coffee is fine. Yes, the days are long and one needs to eat. But that first impression is so important. 
   
   

Art Festivals are great and you Artists are awesome. It is always a pleasure to be surrounded by so much creativity.