Blog

Got back from the Cheyenne Arts Festival on Monday in where? Cheyenne, WY. The Festival takes place inside and in front of the historic train depot in downtown Cheyenne which, in and of itself, is quite quaint. Cheyenne being less than 2 hours away from Denver, I thought I'd try something different.

Just The Facts...

Show Hours and Dates: Cheyenne Arts Festival, Cheyenne, WY. August 18-20 (about the third weekend in August) Friday 5-9, Saturday 9-8 and Sunday 11-5. Art, crafts, music, kid stuff... This show can be found on the Café call for entry website.

Logistics:

Load in for the show was Friday morning starting at 9 am. As I am less than 2 hours away I didn't have to spend money on a hotel room which probably was going to be over priced because of the solar eclipse anyway. Got there just before 9 and got lots of help from volunteers and Bill Lindstrom, the Executive Director of the show, unloading my van. As it was early there wasn't a lot of interference from other artists unloading so it all went well. The finer arts were inside the renovated and historic train depot with a few more outside, craftier items along with music and kids stuff were in the front area of the depot.  There wasn't a lot of space inside the depot for storage and as parking was a few blocks away whatever I had in my booth was going to have to suffice. A few of the booths set up in such a way so that they did have some storage.

Amenities:

Water,  water and water, and volunteer booth sitters. Additionally, the show hosted a social on Friday night with a free glass of wine and enough snacky stuff to suffice for dinner, a tip o' the hat to the many volunteers who showed up frequently with water and for those occasional breaks. Did I mention water? Didn't seem like being inside with air conditioning would require much hydration but Cheyenne is at a higher elevation and for some reason I needed to drink a lot! Stay hydrated my friends!

Storage, Booth Space, Load-In/Out:

Depending on where you were situated there was room to spare or none at all. I had no space behind my booth for storage others had some. As stated above load-in was easy as I beat most of the crowd setting up first thing Friday morning. Load-out was fairly chaotic but most people behaved and I got out, as usual, in just under 2 hours. Again, those great volunteers helped make everything run smoothly getting my stuff to the curb so that I could get it all stuffed back into my van.

Demographics/Buying Trends:

As this show takes place in the middle of the old downtown Cheyenne there were a variety of types milling about. I found that the mid-age group were the buying type although occasionally, the millennials were buying as well, older folks, as is usually the case, were out for a stroll. Those that were buying seemed very engaged, knowledgeable or asked reasonable questions (with the occasional, "Didja take all these pitchers?"). Most of my sales were of the higher end matted stuff, I'm not complaining! One out-of-towner bought a good sized wood plaq to be sent to her in Maryland. Yes, there were a lot of out-of-town folks here most likely for the solar eclipse trip to Casper, WY.

I inquired about how the crowd this weekend compared to previous shows. It seems that this was a busy show mostly on Sunday as tour buses from Greeley, CO were ship'n 'em in, otherwise it would have been a very slow weekend. Friday night was the best sales period, Saturday (a long day) was slow and Sunday nary a sale to be had.

Quality/Range of Art:

From my survey of booths the work was variable. The booths inside the depot were of the finer art variety and stuff outside was less so, more of the handmade variety.

Food:

As this was the downtown area of Cheyenne there are plenty of good places to eat nearby, but getting there during the show was not easy. There were two very close places, one inside the depot and one across the street. The depot place had a limited menu, mostly beer there, but the sliders I had were very good as was the kale salad! The place across the street was marginal. There were no food trucks nearby. I think I heard they were all at some other goings on. Ice cream was not too far away either.

Reflections:

This was a first time show for me. I enjoyed and appreciated how engaged the people were with the art at the show but alas they did not show all of their appreciation with purchases.

Okay, now for the star rating! I'd give this show ✩✩✩✩ out of 5 and that is because of the nice job of logistics, amenities, booth sitting, and management, etc. As far as the buying goes, I'd give it  1/2 ✩. I didn't lose money doing this show but I didn't make any either. That's not exactly how it needs to be.

Quick recap of a very weird weekend. Bayfront Park in Duluth, MN is a great setting right on Lake Superior. New management of this show seems to have fixed lots of things that were being handled poorly in past years. Load in and out are easy...for an extra 50 bucks you can park your trailer right behind your booth! They did a superb job of keeping the artists flush with water and snacks. Booth sitters were readily available as well. 

Attendance was maybe 12,000, maybe. Might have been under 10K. Buyers were out in full force Saturday morning. There seemed to be less activity later and crowds thinned way, way down by 4:00. The show runs until 7 p.m. Saturday but the last two hours it was a ghost town. And this even though the weather was perfect!

I'm from Minneapolis and have photographed Minnesota and the area all my life. I have some killer work that stops people in their tracks. The only thing I lacked at this show was a large selection of wall-ready pieces under $50. My sales here were terrible and it may have been one of those weird, no-explanation deals. For some artists, there's no such thing as a finished piece under $50. I don't know if I'll do this one again.  Gotta ponder that. I certainly wouldn't try it again unless I have more offerings at the low end, ready to hang. 

Sorry for the very vague nature of this post but this show for me was a head-scratcher. Buyers everywhere except my booth. I did talk to other artists and it was not great for all. Some did just fine, but I know others didn't. It's not obvious to me what the formula here is to have a solid show. Not for every medium anyway. I think the take-away, if there is one, is that your art must be unique, fun, appealing to a young, outdoorsy crowd, and affordable. 

October 14 and 15

• $10,000 in awards
• Artisanal food, craft beer, and roots music 
• Free admission and parking for patrons
• Easy load in and set up, great hospitality including booth sitters, and all day snacks and coffee for artists. 
• Booths are 10'x11' (double booths are available). 
• Set up is Friday afternoon or Saturday morning.  
• There is security on site all weekend.  

We are pleased to announce Open Call for Hungarian Multicultural Center residency program in Budapest, Hungary in 2018

Subject: “Environmental Project”.

Deadline: November 20, 2017

HMC International Artist Residency Program, a not-for-profit arts organization based in Dallas, TX / Budapest, Hungary - provides national and international artists to produce new work while engaging with the arts community in Budapest, Hungary.  

For more info and application form write to: Beata Szechy

bszechy@yahoo.com

August 18 & 19    

From the Chamber of Commerce:

• two days
• beautiful time of year for weather & tourism
• spacious booth spaces:  12x12

  

October 6, 7 & 8 
Downtown Lee's Summit, Missouri

Again this year: Shared Tents

• Artist lounge area with snacks & beverages
• Free, near by artist parking; overnight security
• Electricity included in booth fee
• Large festival budget for marketing and advertising
• Excellent artist prizes 

This show used to be on the same weekend as Uptown Art Fair but it's been moved to allow customers to give Loring all of their attention. The demographics here are pretty favorable, as locals live in condos and apartments near downtown Mpls. So they certainly have walls but obviously few will have yards. Keep that in mind if you sell wind chimes or twirly things for the garden. If you have all price points covered and a good selection of truly different, high quality art, then you have a shot at doing well here. 

I felt the crowds were pretty good; there seemed to be people coming past the booth 5-10 at a time pretty much all day, both days. I suspect there were well over 10,000 people attending, maybe as much as 20,000. Watching people stroll by you got the impression that very few are hurting for money, although it's not a super-high-dollar neighborhood. Just a good solid economic base and people with midwestern values who want something high quality and unique for their money. The quality of the work was quite good here so bring your A-game as an artist.

There are artists here who've done Loring forever. The kind woman next to me had unique jewelry and it was old home week for her; she was repeatedly greeted by old friends and long-standing customers. So there's really something to be said for the beautiful park location, shade trees, ample booth space and easygoing atmosphere. Some artists come back year after year. Just a really nice vibe to the place. Volunteers were on hand to make sure you had plenty of water. There was a light breakfast in the morning as well, and I think an evening thing which I didn't attend. 

I sold two large canvases on day one and some small prints so I was off to a good start, but my Sunday was really weak. Ended up not bad overall, thanks to those two large pieces. Those sales prove to me that it's certainly possible for this local clientele to buy higher-ticket items on a whim. It wasn't happening left and right all around me, but it did happen. The  highly accomplished watercolor artist to one side of me had a decent show, not great, all on the strength of $45 Giclees. A potter with really unique work a few booths down said he was selling; another photographer friend had a pretty good show as well. Loring is known as a good show and what I heard sort of bears this out. However, I know of two artists, both photographers, whose work didn't resonate for whatever reason. So it's not a slam-dunk here. You can certainly have a sub-$500 show if your art is not unique or noteworthy. 

Load-in was easy although the path is a little snug in spots, but if everyone is polite it works out fine. (The path is literally that..a walking/jogging trail that you'll drive on to get to your booth.) Load-out is really easy if you wait a bit and let those in a hurry bug out. There is a TON of space behind your booth in most spots and an extra foot built in on each side. I was very happy with that layout. 

I had a potential customer show up with a photo of the room she needed a large print for, and all she needed was dimensions. That conversation happened twice, so it's clear that people there are perfectly willing to buy good art for their homes or businesses. The crowd had a nice vibe to it for what that's worth. It's meaningless unless it translates to sales. Those who did the best had affordable stuff...not the $15-20 range that plagues many shows, but $25-100 seemed pretty easy for the crowd to digest all weekend along. If you have inventory, that can add up nicely. 

I'll do it again next year if they'll have me, but I'm tweaking my print bins and adding more Mpls-specific images. I'm local so that's not too hard. But again, you gotta be different in some way. When people just stand there and grin as they look around, you know you've got their attention. 

Saturday morning of Arts Festival in State College, PA, is a special time for Artists, Jurors and the Prize Sponsors. 9 am sharp. An air of anticipation. A gathering of artists wondering ... "will it be me?" The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts awarded more than $17,000 in prize money in 23 awards to our top Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition Artists in 2017.

Each of these award winners will also be invited artists next year, bypassing the rigorous jury process to choose the 300 or so artists from the nearly 1,000 applicants to the 2018 show.

Jeweler Wayne Werner of Havre de Grace, MD received the Arete Best of Show Award for 2017. The award was presented by former Festival board president Linda Gall. The award is funded by an endowment at the Centre Foundation created by Linda and her husband Blake. 

See the entire list of 23 winners right here. Bet you'll find people you know! 
http://arts-festival.com/press-releases#1498753263291-fade9b0c-d22d

When I first participating in art fairs, over 30 years ago, there was a big crafts show in Newnan, GA, Powers' Crossroads.

When it was founded in 1971 by local artist Tom Powers on his family’s property, the Powers’ Crossroads Country Fair and Arts Festival was something new and it was extremely popular. Some of the finest artists and artisans in the South exhibited at Powers Crossroads, and many demonstrated their crafts. There was even a moonshine-making demonstration.

It was very popular and people poured in to shop and eat and have a great time. It was held for the last time in 2012. If you are interested in the ins and outs of this business, like I am, this article chronicles the rise and fall of what was once a very popular regional event and the mainstay of some artists and craftspeoples income. 

From the Newnan Times-Herald:http://times-herald.com/news/2017/07/powers-is-gone-coweta-festivals-is-no-more

Anyone here have more information on this? Did you ever do this fair?

September 23-October 15
Brooklyn, New York
Presented By: Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition (BWAC)
400 Artists
Deadlines: Early bird: August 6; Final Deadline: August 6

AMERICAN CRAFT SHOWS - 2018

February 21-25 - Baltimore, MD March 16-18 - Atlanta, GA April 20-22 - St. Paul, MN August 3-5 - San Francisco, CA presented by the American Craft Council Deadline: August 11 The ACC Shows - 1900+ EXHIBITING ARTISTS

This show was two weeks ago so sorry for the lack of timeliness but, seeing as it is already over, it doesn't matter anyway! I skipped this show last year (2016) for some reason, most probably as it wasn't that great the year before.

Just the facts:

Show Hours and Dates: Pearl Street Arts Festival, Boulder Colorado, July 15 - 16.  Sat 10- 6, Sun 10 -5. Applications now are being taken on Zapp.

Logistics:

The show is set up in two locations, you can opt for the Pearl Street Mall with setup on Saturday morning only, beginning at 6 AM or you can choose 14th street with setup on Friday evening beginning at 3 PM. This year I choose a booth on 14th street, having tried Pearl Street all previous years. I showed up Saturday morning as the only one setting up in the wee hours, it was great! I didn't have to fight the crowd!

Amenities:

Water,  water and water, scones  and volunteer booth sitters for the occasional break. Additionally, the show hosted a breakfast with an awards presentation Sunday morning, a tip o' the hat to the volunteers who showed up frequently for those of us needing a break.

Storage, Booth Space, Load-In/Out:

Depending on where you were situated there was room to spare or none at all. I had several feet of space behind my booth for storage and dodging the sun. As stated above load-in was easy as I skipped the crowd setting up Friday evening and opted to wake up early with the Pearl St. crowd for setup. Load-out was fairly chaotic but most people behaved and we got out, as usual, in just under 2 hours.

Demographics/Buying Trends:

As this show takes place in the middle of the old downtown area on Pearl Street there were a variety of types milling about. I found that the mid-age group were the buying type although occasionally, the millennials were buying as well, older folks, as is usually the case, were out for a stroll. Those that were buying seemed very engaged and knowledgeable.

Quality/Range of Art:

From my limited survey of booths the work was great! It seems that the show has upped their effort in vetting artists. It was reported in some years previous that the show was losing its grip but it seems that it has regained its footing.

Food:

As this is the downtown mall there are plenty of good places to eat nearby so the crowd didn't stray too far. There were also a few high quality food trucks nearby. Coffee, ice cream and other such stuff was not too far either.

Reflections:

This was not a first time show for me. I've been doing this show, or various incarnations of it, since the mid '80's. This show has had various organizations running it under different names. My low end items ($25) didn't sell at all! Yippee! Most purchases were in the mid range ($45-165). As is the case with this show being in mid July it was quite hot and people would head for the shade. The show had the feel of the "old days" when crowds of people would populate my booth attracting more people that wanted to see what was going on. Alas, although there was a lot of excitement there wasn't the accompanying buying. I didn't do terrible but it was one of the better Boulder shows I've done. Would I return? Two years ago, when I was on the mall, it was a definite NO and that's why I didn't do 2016. This year I would say yes as people were interested AND buying.

Why not Pearl St? I've been on the mall multiple times and found that there are so many distractions for people (kids playing on giant toads, rocks to crawl on, street musicians, dirty shoe less types) on the mall that they barely slow down enough to look. I found being on 14th street there were fewer distractions and people took their time to look.

Okay, now for the Dave Piper star rating! I'd give this show ✩✩✩✩ out of 5 and that is because of the nice job of logistics, amenities, booth sitting, quality of the art, management, etc. As far as the buying goes, I'd give it  ✩.

(photo by Melanie Maxwell, mlive.com)

It was hot. It was cold. It was windy. It was rainy and windy. It was great weather. Typical Michigan summer days and the veterans, artists and shoppers were ready.

It was crowded. The streets were empty. The sales were "best ever". The sales made others say, "I'll never return." Or, "it was a good two day show, but actually four days." Nonetheless, it is a very big deal and worth a try at least once, imho. 

I attended the show every year from 1976 until 2015 and exhibited there from 1978 to 2006. You might say I've learned a lot. Hope you like these photos from MLive.com and I look forward to hearing more from you:

http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2017/07/the_best_moments_from_the_2017.html

(a sponsored post)

I got a postcard from subject show today with an extended deadline (red flag IMO).  I did the February show in 2011 and was curious if anyone has done this one. I think it has been around only a few years since 2014(?). There is my review and additional comments about Tubac Feb show on this site.

Hello

I writing this blog post at the close of my career at being artist who sells photography at arts shows.  In the past 12 years I seen a lot of changes in what type of photography is being accepted at various 'A' shows and 'B' shows across the country.   There was a time early on when I was making really good money doing 15 to 20 shows a year.  Then of course the recession hit and then all of sudden to make that same type of money I ended having to double the amount of shows I would do in any given year. In 2012 and 2013 I participated in 30 plus shows.  I've been privileged to participate in some of the best shows in the whole country. However it is my belief that trying to sell 'realistic' landscape photography at a art fair is becoming a dead concept and/or that it is dying a slow death. Why? It is because of simple supply and demand. 

This year and most of last year I have had more people come into my booth armed with their cell phones eggerly excited to show me their shots of most of the places that I have shot myself and have images that are for sale on the walls in my booth.  Should I be surprised?  No, today's digital cameras are more than capable of producing incredible images with little or no expertise. Because of the glut of photography on the market and in the hands of the prosumer market it should be little or no surprise to any of us that this one reason alone is why most photographers who participate in art shows are having a hell of time making money.  

Photography is the only art medium that is a category in the jury process that has the easiest path of access in order to participate in a art show. I belong to several facebook groups that discuss art shows.  In any given year I see more and more people who caught the 'photography' bug and inquire about how to  do art shows.  The added competition is driving the photography category into irrelevance. The juries for most of the best shows in the country are sick and tired of seeing that same old shot of the maple tree from the Portland Japanese Garden or that arch from Canyonlands etc....  Juries from shows such as Fort Worth, La Qunita, St. Louis, etc... are accepting work that only pushes the boundary of photography.  Photography that is 'artistic', or abstract. 

So if it is near impossible as a landscape photographer to get into the 'A' shows today, then what happens when in the future most 'B' shows get tired of seeing the same old landscape photos? Ten years from now what happens with landscape photography? Is there even a market for it?  Currently the the glut of supply on the market is not going to change, it will probably get worse. Digital photography is not going away.  Digital camera's will get easier and easier to use.

There will always be some individual armed with a digital camera who takes landscape photography who decides to sell his or her photography at a arts fair who want to know the ins and outs of selling at fairs. Instead of telling them, buy a set propanels, get a trimline canopy etc...  Don't we owe it to them to be honest on how difficult it is to make it in this business?  Don't we owe it to the people who join the art fair circuit as landscape photographers that the idea of supporting a family and selling your photography at art fairs is simply unobtainable?  

David