All Posts - Blog - Art Fair Insiders

Art Fest Ft Myers - lots of folks, few bags, no award $$...

Posted by Bert Herrera on February 8, 2010 at 11:49am

Art Fest in Ft Myers took place this past weekend along the riverfront in downtown Ft Myers. The downtown redevelopment agency has done an incredible job with the downtown here. I remember about 12 years ago, the area was a dump, but it looks fantastic now.

Set up was Friday and it was scheduled in different time slots depending on your booth number. There was supposed to have been a VIP section of the show open Friday night for the muckety-mucks who paid extra $$ for early shopping etc. I say 'supposed' because there was a tornado watch issued around 3PM for the area. A squall line was moving down the Gulf, and expected to hit around 6PM. We all set up, tied down, screwed down, and went away hoping all would remain standing. The rains and wind did hit, but it wasn't quite as bad as was predicted. Around 7PM when the worse was over, I walked over to the booth from the hotel (Indigo Hotel - highly recommend it), and saw all was ok. There was an artist party Friday night with lots of good liquor, and food.

Saturday AM dawned cooler, windy and mostly with blue skies. Lots of folks came out, and walked. We had a nice breakfast with the usual bagels, etc. Sales, for me, were few (2 customers to be exact). We still had Sunday. Sunday the weather was beautiful, a little warmer, and less windy than Saturday. Lots of people walking again, Sales, for me, were slim. I made a little money, very little. Some folks said they did fine. I saw an artist 2 over from me who seemed to be constantly wrapping, but many I spoke with were amazed at how many folks turned out, but didn't buy.

About the awards, or lack thereof. At the breakfast award ceremony/breakfast, it was announced that due to the current economic conditions, they had a tough decision as to whether to give the award money to the school kids or to the artists. The kids won. (No, I did not get an award). I think first and second in category got a free booth for next year, assuming they wish to return. There were some very unhappy folks, rightfully so, in my opinion.

Artigras next wkd. I sure hope it's better.

Updates on Arts, Beats & Eats

Posted by Connie Mettler on December 23, 2009 at 6:30am

Last week I traveled to Royal Oak, MI, to meet with Jon Witz, producer of Arts, Beats & Eats, and the operations people for the event. I do believe we have here the "second coming".

In 1998 Witz produced the first Arts, Beats & Eats with the support of the Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, perhaps the most important politician in Michigan. Patterson found Witz great partners like Chrysler and K Mart and Jon was off and running with his characteristic moxie, vision, energy and ability to put people together to make things happen. The first event was a Wow! My husband and I got pulled in from the very beginning. I was on the advisory board. We have participated in a fair number of first time events over the years, including: 1st Arti Gras, 1st Fine Art in Birmingham, 1st Greektown, 1st Laumeier, 1st Cherry Creek! All of these started slowly but with decent sales. But in 1998 in Pontiac at a first time show we sold into the five figures! Cherry Creek didn't even do that for us. The people came in the tens of thousands, they loved the event, they bought art, enjoyed the music, the galleries

and the atypical art fair food from the area's finest restaurants. Witz put together a coalition of media sponsors including radio, television and all the local print media to inundate the area with news about the event. Yes, you've heard a lot about this event. As hard times in Michigan have mounted the event has not kept its perfect audience. But, I am here to tell you today that Arts, Beats & Eats is back! The City of Royal Oak is welcoming it with open arms! Everyone there is working together to make the event an exciting and successful time for all. Royal Oak is a section of metro Detroit seemingly untouched by the economic problems found elsewhere. When I was there last week I saw street after street of very nice single family neighborhoods, with cool shopping streets full of one of a kind goods and restaurants that cater to all kinds of eating. It is a jewel of a place! It is like the neighborhoods around the Plaza in Kansas City and Cherry Creek in Denver or Uptown in Minneapolis. So...while you are thinking about your 2010 schedule, put this one back on your list for Labor Day weekend, September 3-6. Arts, Beats & Eats is back with a vengeance! It will be cool, it will be in the right neighborhood, it will be full of excited Detroiters ready for a celebration -- and you remember that Michigan audience that loves art fairs? They'll be there too.

Attend an Open Jury in Columbus, Ohio

Posted by Connie Mettler on January 13, 2010 at 4:32pm

Every time we get a rejection from an art fair we are puzzled. What went wrong? Here is an excellent opportunity to get some good insight into what is happening. Larry Berman is always telling you to do this and I absolutely concur. You will be amazed at what you learn, maybe just some tweak to your images, but most importantly you will see the competition in your category. If you live within a two hour drive of Columbus, you should be there. Here are the details: COLUMBUS ARTS FESTIVAL TO HOLD PUBLIC JURY PROCESS

TO SELECT 2010 VISUAL ARTISTS COLUMBUS, Ohio – A jury panel for the Columbus Arts Festival presented by Time Warner Cable will choose the 2010 event artists at a two-day public meeting Feb. 6-7 at the City of Upper Arlington Municipal Building, 3600 Tremont Rd. Panelists will review the hundreds of artist applications from across the country to determine the approximately 230 who will be invited to participate in this year’s event, produced by the Greater Columbus Arts Council. The jury will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sat., Feb. 6 and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sun., Feb. 7. To attend all or part of the jury, please RSVP to Amanda Teague, Columbus Arts Festival Coordinator, at 614-224-2606 or ateague@gcac.org. Each year, artists who wish to be considered for the Festival apply through ZAPPlication™, an online application tool, by submitting four digital images of their work and one image of their booth display. A jury panel, selected by the GCAC staff, conducts a blind jury process, where jurors review the artists’ images and technical statements without knowing the artists’ names or hometown. The top scores, allowing for a balanced show across mediums, are invited to participate in the Festival. The jurors for the 2010 Columbus Arts Festival are: - Dr. Annegreth Nill, an art historian and independent curator - Kelly Malec-Kosak, a jewelry/mixed media artist and faculty member of the Columbus College of Art & Design - Matt Reber, manager and buyer for the Wexner Center for the Arts - Eva Kwong, a ceramic and printmaking artist and adjunct faculty member of Kent State University - Tony Cray, a glass artist from St. Louis, Mo. Artists will be chosen in the following categories: Metal; Digital Art; 2D Mixed Media; 3D Mixed Media; Jewelry; Printmaking & Graphics; Photography; Fiber; Drawing & Pastels; Clay; Glass; Sculpture; Painting; Leather; and Wood.

Market Square Art Fair at the Dogwood Arts Festival in Knoxville, TN April 2010

Posted by Ynon Mabat on January 26, 2010 at 8:38pm

I would appreciate any info about this show, Thanks

The "Art Stars" - January's Featured Members

Posted by Connie Mettler on February 6, 2010 at 5:30pm

In January we held the first voting for Art Fair Insiders most helpful members. Thanks to all of you who voted. It was really fun to see if your ideas on this and mine jibed. There were so many good nominations and so many deserving participants.

Our first month's winners are:

Paula Johnson of Arizona City, AZ, a member since since April 2009, who has been instrumental in the hospitality of the site, welcoming newbies and old friends and participating in the forums.

Nels Johnson of Ybor City, FL, a member since January 2009, whose writing has enlivened the reporting on art fairs around the country and given all of us a lighthearted view into the art fair business.

Michelle Sholund of Reisterstown, MD, a member since May 2009, an inveterate cheerleader, blog writer and reporter with an East Coast perspective with lots of down-to-earth advice.

This site would not be the same without their input and yours. Many thanks to each of them for being so helpful in building Art Fair Insiders as a useful source for artists from all media and walks of life.

Here's How I'm achieving My Goals

Posted by Jackie Jacobson on January 26, 2010 at 2:46pm

I thought I knew how to create a goal.I'd think it.I'd write it.I'd keep my focus on it.And then I took a teleseminar from the Goal Diva, and I learned I didn't even know what a goal was. So I wrote a blog post about what I learned and where I learned it.I'm sharing, because it's my time to pay if forward.CHECK IT OUT HEREEnjoy, Jackie

A Walk Through History - the Roots of the Craft Show Business

Posted by Connie Mettler on January 13, 2010 at 4:07pm

My friend, Richard Rothbard, recently came on this article and forwarded it to me. It is a thorough interview with Carol Sedestrom Ross, founder of the American Craft Council, who started the first wholesale craft market in the U.S. in 1973 at the fairgrounds in Rhinebeck, NY. Some of you will remember the excitement of those times, but if you don't this is an excellent look back at how art fairs and craft shows came to be. Just in case you don't read all the way, here is an important quote: Carol's idea, "If I could just figure out how to start some craft markets we could have beautiful things made in our own country. Probably 90% of the 500 people who showed in that first fair I organised at Rhinebeck in the early 1970's had some other job. When I left Rhinebeck ten years later probably 90% of the exhibitors were making their living from selling their craft." Interview with Carol Sedestrom Ross June l998, Copyright © 2003-2004 Craft Australia In June,1998 Craft Australia co-ordinated the visit to Australia of Carol Sedestrom Ross from the USA. Ross is the founder of American Craft Enterprises, the commercial arm of the American Craft Council which brought contemporary crafts into the mainstream of American merchandising. This article documents an interview conductedwith Ross by freelance writer Jo Litson, with Beth Hatton in attendance. Jo Litson: It seems that since you first became involved there has been quite a radical shift in the way that craft is perceived in America and the way that it is being marketed. Carol Sedestrom Ross: I actually started my career as a potter and, in the 1960s, I was married to a man who was teaching ceramics at the State University of New York. For years he graduated talented young people who went on to get teaching jobs in other universities because at that time craft education was just burgeoning. Suddenly in the mid-60's there were no more jobs and yet all these young people were still coming through the schools. At the same time in America everything that was beautiful, well-made and unique was imported even though we had so much local talent. If I could just figure out how to start some craft markets we could have beautiful things made in our own country. Probably 90% of the 500 people who showed in that first fair I organised at Rhinebeck in the early 1970's had some other job. When I left Rhinebeck ten years later probably 90% of the exhibitors were making their living from selling their craft. So it turned around very quickly. Craft marketing in the US seems to have gone through three major stages. The first big interest on the part of the public was totally nostalgic - they couldn't believe that people they knew were actually making things. In 1973 we did an exhibition at Rhinebeck called Living With Crafts. We installed a range of crafts in a house on the fairgrounds used to demonstrate electricity, and held the display over for the Duchess County Fair. Jo Litson: Which is like our Easter Show in Australia? Carol Sedestrom Ross: Yes. I was sitting in the entrance to the house, at a Wendell Castle desk, and people would say to me: "Everything here is imported from Scandinavia". I would say: "No, it was all made in the 13 Northeast States" and they simply couldn't believe it. So that was the first stage of marketing crafts in the USA. I used to call it the thumbprint era, you could sell anything that had a thumbprint on it, people were thrilled with homemade things, lumpy and bumpy and not quite perfect. That period went away and during the 80's we had crafts turning into luxury goods. Jo Litson: Greed is good. Carol Sedestrom Ross: With this burst of economic wellbeing in America, buying unique craft objects seemed a wonderful way for people to speak about their individuality. They could own something special that other people didn't have. Being populist rather than elitist, I found part of that movement unfortunate, there was so much money available that craftspeople started to make "collector pieces" selling for $5000, $6000, $8000, whatever. There was a lack of grounding in that era. Instead of well conceived design with a basis in function there was a drifting off into this other kind of craft. Then of course the 80's crashed and burned and this huge group of people, who had been fairly used to producing 10 to 15 big pieces a year and selling them for large amounts of money, suddenly didn't know what to do. Many started to develop a less expensive, bread-and-butter line of production work. Everybody was concerned that this was the end of the crafts but actually I consider it the true blossoming of craft in the US because people are now having to be very accountable to their audience. They are having to stretch their creativity to produce a craft that fits into what is going on rather than necessarily a personal statement. They are having to be clever about how to make it work. We now have so many mass merchandise stores in America - Gap, Banana Republic, Crate Barrel, Pottery Barn. You can go into the central business district in any city and find exactly the same goods for sale. Most Americans cannot afford to furnish their entire lives with handmade things so what they do, for example, is buy inexpensive dinnerware and supplement it with special handmade pieces - salad bowls, coffee servers, those kinds of things. Mass merchandising has created a huge appetite for craft in the US. The only way that small stores can make themselves different to the chain stores is through craft. So galleries, gift shops, even big stores like Nieman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue are looking for those special items which no competitor has. This is what has brought craft from being marketed separately through its own circle of craft fairs. We now have almost 1200 craftspeople in our gift shows across the country. I don't know whether the same thing will happen in Australia. When I first started going to England about ten years ago the craftspeople there wouldn't hear of the idea of making your living producing craft. We now have about 80 British craftspeople coming to our San Francisco and New York gift shows and most of them are making their living from selling their crafts. So it may be possible in Australia too. Most of it has to do with what is going on in society generally as opposed to what is happening in crafts. Jo Litson: I am assuming that many practitioners don't want to get locked into too many production lines but then if you are really successful and there is a demand for your work there must be a compromise possible. Carol Sedestrom Ross: I had this conversation with a young man a few years ago. He was upset because a famous glass collector in the US wouldn't buy his one-of-a-kind pieces because he also did a mass produced line of wonderful goblets etc. So I said: "Let's have a look at this. Would you rather sell one piece to a collector who will put it in a closet or on a shelf in his apartment and show it to his friends so that maybe 30, 50 or 100 people will see it? Or would you rather make beautiful, useful objects which many people can buy, and in that way bring beauty into their lives?" It is quite a different perspective. Jo Litson: So the collector wasn't interested in somebody who was also producing. I suppose that is one of the difficulties for the crafts practitioners? Carol Sedestrom Ross: It is very hard to figure out. I am talking about craft marketing only. There is a whole other aspect of art/craft made by people who probably do something else, teach or whatever, and who produce and sell fewer pieces. There is quite a separation between the two. Some craftspeople were accused of selling out because they were producing multiples, of losing their way, of not being artists any more. It all boils down to how you define creativity. I think that if you are creative enough to make things that bring beauty into other people's lives, people who don't have thousands of dollars to spend, that is a wonderful achievement. Jo Litson: Craft is sort of halfway between mass produced and one-off work. Carol Sedestrom Ross: Maybe that movement is particularly American because we have such a huge population at mid-income level that supports it. Jo Litson: What have you come to Australia to do, will you be talking to craftspeople and craft organisations? Beth Hatton: Carol will be talking mainly to craft practitioners. Her tour is aimed particularly at advising people who are thinking about taking work to America because Craft Australia has been participating in the San Francisco Gift Fair ever since 1995. Carol will be giving craftspeople an idea of what they should be doing to develop their product for the American market. Jo Litson: Is it specifically for America or are her talks about developing their products for the Australian market as well? Carol Sedestrom Ross: I think both because I am going to be speaking a lot about how to present yourself with printed material or in a booth, and that can be anywhere craft is marketed. I am also going to talk about current trends. Since I first got involved in this I have become interested in how major sociological trends have driven the crafts. It was the Industrial Revolution that truly started the early Arts and Crafts Movement in Europe and the US. Was there a similar movement in Australia? Beth Hatton: Yes, English practitioners and teachers came to this country and influenced the arts and crafts in late 19th century. Carol Sedestrom Ross: The Arts and Crafts Movement eventually died in the US, I think because the public was not particularly interested in handmade things. It was the first time in history that you could buy mass produced things and use them and throw them away and get more of them. I think that artists are always the first to respond to social change so it doesn't surprise me that Charles Rennie Macintosh and William Morris and other artists of the Arts and Crafts Movement were the ones saying:" Wait, wait, we can make these things, too". But nobody was paying any attention to them, we do now but not then. That was a "pushed movement" then, in marketing terms, the artists were trying to push their ideas onto other people. What is happening now is what is called a "pulled" movement because the public is very tired of mass produced things and prefers handmade so it is pulling the movement forward. There is now a huge appetite for craft in the US. I heard a lecture last Friday by John Naisbit who wroteMegatrends. He is most famous for his "high tech, high touch" concept, that is, the more technology we have in our lives the more things we need to touch to remind ourselves that we are human. It was the industrial revolution which started the craft movement and now it is the technological revolution 100 years later that is really pulling it forward. Jo Litson: The more time people spend with their computers the more they need the other side. Carol Sedestrom Ross: In the craft movement we forget to look at what is going on in the rest of society. The crafts are part of these huge sociological trends that cause things to happen. I feel that I wandered into marketing at the right time. When I started the Rhinebeck fair, which was the first big craft marketing initiative in the US, I'd say to people: "I must be doing the right thing because it is just so easy." I seemed to know intuitively what was ready to happen, so it just grew and grew. Rhinebeck was held outside on a fairground in the summer time. It seemed to me if we were ever going ensure crafts as a profession we had to do a winter fair. If buyers were going to be confident that they had craft as a resource they had to be able to buy it at least twice a year. So in 1977 I started a show in Baltimore, Maryland for which I was able to find 275 exhibitors. It was the first time in the US that crafts had been marketed in the winter in the city in a trade hall. I was lucky because Joan Mondale (the Vice President's wife) had promised that if her husband's party were elected she would start a campaign for America's craftspeople. So after the inauguration I asked her to open the fair in Maryland for us. That really started it and Baltimore is still the premier event for craft in the country. Jo Litson: In Australia our major art galleries don't show much craft. We do have craft organisations such as the Centre for Contemporary Craft which is going into Customs House. That is going to be really major, it is right down on the Quay where all the tourists go and there will be a whole floor of craft, but generally we don't see much craft and what we see doesn't necessarily register with us as craft. So do you think craft fairs are crucial for practitioners to be able to show their wares? Carol Sedestrom Ross: Well, they were in the US. For example, Rhinebeck is only 90 miles from New York City, a lovely little Victorian village that people love to visit - location, location, location. Then, because we had two wholesale days and three public days, I was able to spin the public relations. I released to New York papers and magazines the fact that Nieman Marcus was coming all the way from Dallas and Marshall Fields was coming from Chicago as well as Bloomingdales and Bergdorfs and all the big stores. When these names went into the local papers then the general public wanted to go and see why the big important stores were going. Then I turned it round the other way and released to all the trade publications and big store magazines the fact that we had 54,000 people coming to see these beautiful crafts. So that was how I was able to get the spin going. We had over 500 craftspeople in the fair so it was well worth making a trip to see - it would have been hard to get the steam engine rolling unless I had this kind of focus. So that is why fairs are important. They have come to be part of the fabric of American life. I now read novels which refer to going to Rhinebeck or to "that wonderful fair at the Baltimore Convention Centre" and I think wow, I started all that! Beth Hatton: You're part of history. Carol Sedestrom Ross: Talking about a downtown area which is showing crafts, when I was a child my father used to travel a lot. Whenever he came home with Marshall Fields bags I knew that he had been in Chicago and when he came home with Bloomingdales bags he had been in New York. You can't do that any more with either domestic or international travel. So it is important that there is some place in Australia where you can buy Australian crafts. In San Francisco I go to small galleries to find things that were made or bought in San Francisco. Tourism and the interest in tradition and heritage are feeding the demand for crafts. Beth Hatton: The desire for the local product, something that is identifiably from the country. Jo Litson: Have you seen much of Australian crafts, to have any sense of them? Carol Sedestrom Ross: I haven't seen much yet, only what has been sent to the [San Francisco] Fair in the past three years, which is different enough to be interesting to American galleries. Tom Peters wrote in The Search of Excellence that companies originally competed on price, then they competed on quality and next, in the wave that is coming now, competition will be based on design. So what is happening in the US right now is that a lot of companies are hiring craftspeople to design for them. I have a friend in San Francisco (Susan Eslick) who is designing for six companies. Not only is she a ceramist but she can also do painted designs which is not a combination you often find in craftspeople. Susan was in our show SURTEX (Surface Textile) which we started 12 years ago for people to sell designs. They bring portfolios of designs for sheets, towels, record covers, greeting cards, wrapping paper, whatever. That show stayed at about 120 exhibitors for almost nine years but it has now burst forth to almost double in size. That says to me that the exhibitors must be selling their designs. The Olympics will have a major impact on Australian crafts. The State of North Carolina did an economic impact study a few years ago and found that in 22 counties of a mountainous area, the crafts contributed 122 million dollars annually to the State economy. So they decided to do something with that. They published Heritage Trails which was distributed through all the tourist areas, listing various little villages where there were people carving corncob pipes or making ceramics. After the first year those small craft businesses had increased anywhere from 15% to 46% in terms of dollars coming in. Tourists love to see how people live and make things in small villages - it is part of this current wave of nostalgia - we don't know what is out there in the future so let's go back in time. That is why there is a retro theme going on now. All these megatrends are driving craft. If it hasn't started to happen here yet it probably will. Customs House could be the beginning of a focus. Jo Litson: So when is the San Francisco Gift Fair? Carol Sedestrom Ross: It is held twice a year and the next one is in August. Beth Hatton: Craft Australia is taking 12 people over this year, we have been going for the last three years taking a range of crafts. Carol Sedestrom Ross: It is an international gift fair. We have 18 British craftspeople coming as well as handicrafts brought by various Asian governments which makes for a nice mix. Beth Hatton: People are now designing items on computer which can then by produced by the computer. British writer Peter Dormer spoke about this at a Craft Australia conference a few years ago. He saw computer aided production as a great threat to craftspeople making things by hand in their studios. Eventually it could do craftspeople out of a living. What do you think? Carol Sedestrom Ross: The computer is coming to life within the crafts in a number of ways. For example, some weavers are using it in their designing. A number of crafspeople in the US have their own web sites, so they can photograph a piece, put it on the computer and phone a collector interested in their work. Beth Hatton: So they are using it as a marketing tool. Carol Sedestrom Ross: Yes. There are people who are hoping to create sales directly on the computer in this way. Many people are marketing through television home shopping networks and QVC or whatever. A woman who makes collapsible baskets did a demonstration on QVC of how they were made. She then sold something like 35,000 in an hour. So there are different ways in which the computer is being used. I am not at all pessimistic about craft until there is a global disaster and nobody goes shopping any more. Craft in the US is no longer an alternative, it is very much part of the mainstream. Crafts have become the darling of the gift industry in the US. On the opening morning in our gift show the craft section is always the most crowded. Buyers know that they are dealing with limited edition, small quantity merchandise and if they don't place their orders early they could miss out. There is a sort of mystique around craft, you can't order 400 dozen in two weeks, you have to get there first to get what you want. So in 20 years we have come from way outside the lines of society to being right in the middle of things. Beth Hatton: So you don't envisage companies buying up images out of copyright such as Monet and printing them on everything for sale? That is what craftspeople will be competing with. Carol Sedestrom Ross: I know. But a lot of craftspeople are selling their own designs to these companies, it is another source of income for them. Truly creative people won't have to worry about that sort of production. Jo Litson: It won't be special any more if it is copied. Carol Sedestrom Ross: When I go to the mass merchandise stores I recognise ideas from craftspeople I know. But they are never the same - they don't have that same attention to detail, they are watered-down versions and the stores only do a big thing on them for six months. Some craftspeople say they don't want to be in a gift show because somebody will steal their ideas and I say: "If you want to keep your idea you have to put everything you make in the basement. Once you get it out into the world it's fair game". Anyway there aren't many really new ideas around any more, it is just the way that you interpret them that is original. Beth Hatton: Keith Richards says something like that, too. He doesn't claim personal ownership of his ideas, he thinks that there is a great pool of ideas in the universe and he just puts up his antennae and picks them up for his songs.

Managing Stress at the Holidays

Posted by Connie Mettler on December 23, 2009 at 6:00am

So here it is 4:45 am, days before Christmas. I thought I was taking this week off to take care of and enjoy the

holidays, but instead I am lying in bed thinking about all the things yet to do. You probably know what I am talking about. Luckily I have this article from Charlene Davis, from the Artisans Monthly, with tips on managing. "Statistics overwhelmingly indicate that stress is the root cause of many health-related issues including heart disease, cancer, obesity, depression, memory loss, high blood pressure, and diabetes. And with increasing demands on both your personal and professional life, learning how to effectively manage stress is more important than ever - especially with the holidays right around the corner!" I am even quoted in the story, with my favorite tips. Now, I just have to find the time to read it! Most of my shopping is done but the gifts still need to be wrapped and sent to the lovely ones in Tennessee, Kentucky and California. Is it really true, better late than never? Get a cup of tea, sit down, a little seasonal music and read: Managing Stress at the Holidays. There, my little gift to you. Next?

Press release from the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair

Posted by Connie Mettler on January 11, 2010 at 12:30pm

Ann Arbor Street Art Fair names Maureen Riley as Executive Director

January 11, 2010 – Ann Arbor, MI – The Board of Directors of the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair is pleased to announce the appointment of Maureen Riley to the position of Executive Director. Ms. Riley was selected following an extensive national search process. “Mo Riley is the ideal person to lead the Street Art Fair into the future,” said Royce Disbrow, Chair of the Fair’s Board of Directors, “she possesses a true passion for the arts as well as many years of experience producing arts festivals.” Previously Riley was Special Events Director for the University Cultural Center Association, which produced the Detroit Festival of the Arts and Noel Night in Midtown Detroit. A Wisconsin native and graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Riley moved to Michigan in 1994 to work as an Event Manager for Palace Sports and Entertainment. Ms. Riley and her husband, Gerald Bernhardt, are relocating to Ann Arbor from Rochester, Michigan. For the past fifty years the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, the Original, has embraced the mission of increasing public knowledge and appreciation for contemporary fine arts and fine crafts by creating opportunities that connect artists, the Ann Arbor community and the general public; culminating in a high quality juried street art fair. Continually ranked as one of the top art fairs in the country, the 2010 fair will take place Wednesday thru Saturday, July 21 thru 24, 2010 and runs in conjunction with the State Street Area Art Fair, The Guild Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair, and Ann Arbor’s South University Art Fair. The Street Art Fair is located on North University and the area surrounding Burton Carillon Tower. The sixth annual Townie Street Party, which kicks off Art Fair week in Ann Arbor, will be held on Monday, July 19. See you at the Tower!

Art Fair Insiders News - 1/11/10

Posted by Connie Mettler on January 11, 2010 at 12:36pm

Warm greetings for the new year (especially to those who spent this weekend in Florida outdoors at Cape Coral, BocaFest and Beaux Arts freezing their little tushies off). I'm back from Los Angeles and ready to work with you in making 2010 the turnaround year for this art fair business. Are you with me? Last year at this time there were around 150 members of this site. As of today we are past 1800. (Thank you for joining!) I've been working with my 'braintrust' to come up with strategies to maximize the usefulness of this membership for everyone's good. Among us we must have a bezillion years of experience to offer one another and I need your help to make the site even better. Here's the plan: 1. Greeters. As people join I need some official "greeters" to welcome them. Some of you have clearly taken on that role already and I was just going to ask you directly, but maybe there are some others who also would be interested. Here is what you would do: when someone posts in the "Welcome" section of the discussion area you would greet them and encourage their participation. Everyone who does this would be entered in a drawing to win prizes, books, ebooks, consulting and other ideas I'm working on. 2. Featured Member. There will be a monthly featured member to reward those who have been instrumental in the continued growth of the site. All members vote by submitting one name each month via email. There will be three winners each month. The winners will be featured at the top of the Members page, and on a special Featured Members Awards page (being created soon). More details coming on this. Would you also like to be featured artist of the month on ArtFairCalendar.com? 3. Contests: There have been some terrific blog postings, insightful comments, show reviews and helpful discussions posted. We will be featuring them and awarding Ning gifts each week for the following categories: --Best blog of the week --Best show review --Best comment on a blog posting --Best new discussion --Best contribution to a discussion (did you see Linnea Lahlum's contribution to the "latest rejection" discussion?) No one is eligible to win anything unless they have a smiling photo of themselves posted in their personal profile. This is a social network and we need to see who we are talking to! Please get images uploaded. What else is new? As anyone online knows SEO (search engine optimization) is an important way to increase business opportunities on the Web. Recently I started two new Facebook fan pages, one for ArtFairInsiders.com and another one for ArtFairCalendar.com. I'd really appreciate it is you would go to those pages and click on "Become a Fan". Free to you and very helpful to me in keeping these sites alive and well and bringing you the news from Art Fair World. These two pages will enable us all to put the force of Facebook behind us, bringing new faces to our pages and new fans to the our art fairs. Please help me help you in this endeavor. Did I say Happy New Year? Very best wishes, Connie Mettler

Suncoast.. come on, cross your fingers and kiss the frog

Posted by Bill Sargent on January 27, 2010 at 10:00am

We had an OK show at the Suncoast festival at Wiregrass. The prize money was worth shooting for if you're that kind of artist. When it comes to the taste of the judges, it's the same everywhere.. one year it's sunsets and puppy dogs. The next year it's dark, non-representational esoterica.There were many more people at the Wiregrass location in Wesley Chapel than at the old Longleaf location. The income level in that part of the state is high for Florida and will continue to be that way. There are many well paid professionals in that crowd. Right now construction has slowed, but the increase in new housing has been explosive in the last several years and this will pick up again as the economy comes back.It's true that regardless of income, most folks coming to a mall are prepared to buy an ice cream cone, a burrito, or a new refrigerator magnet. Although the organizers work hard to publicize the show, the sudden appearance of an art show at the mall is a surprise to most of the crowd and anyone who has done Disney will understand this.Our sales, although better than last year, were not spectacular, but we did turn a profit. A new artist who had just started doing shows in October had sales of about $1300. Most were lucky to make expenses. We had a neighbor who made clocks out of antique CD's and purses out of old record album covers. At least two of the judges spent more time at their booth than they did at ours. The guy was quite a talker, however. His CD clocks sold quite well.We will give this show a chance in the future. The organizers work hard, the setup is easy, and teardown was no problem. The $2000 best of show is not bad for a small show and the list of sponsors was impressive. It's been better each year.Although they started out saying you could not bring in your vehicle until your display was completely torn down, organized into neat piles, and certified ready by a volunteer.. they ended up walking each vehicle to the artist's booth and allowed loading up while tearing down. It went quite smoothly.I would not cancel a Coconut Grove or Winter Park to do this show, but if you live nearby or need a show to connect the dots in your travels, look into this one. A photographer friend said he was having a great time because the entry fee was reasonable, he didn't expect much, and anything he made over entry fee was fine. He wound up with 3K. Another friend did more like $350.

How cold can Florida be?

Posted by Connie Mettler on January 10, 2010 at 4:17pm

OMG -- I hope you are not doing an art fair in Florida this weekend! Here are two reports on the January 9 and 10 Cape Coral Art Festival: Visitors come out for fair despite weather Cape Coral Draws about 10,000 Does anyone have a report on Beaux Arts in Coral Gables? How about Dunedin or Boca Fest? How about some tips on how to stay warm outside when the weather has other ideas?

Time to Quit Your Day Job? Etsy may be the answer

Posted by Connie Mettler on December 22, 2009 at 6:15pm

Thanks to Duke Klassen at the NAIA Forum for sharing this good story from the New York Times -- That Hobby Looks Like a Lot of Work QUIT your day job? Sara Jorde for The New York Times: To some craft enthusiasts that is just the name of a popular blog on Etsy, the fast-growing Web site that serves as a marketplace for crafts and vintage goods. But to Yokoo Gibran, it was an epiphany. Ms. Gibran, who is in her 30s, had been selling her hand-knit scarves and accessories on the site for less than a year when she decided last November to quit her day job at a copy center in Atlanta. Thirteen months later, she would seem to be living the Etsy dream: running a one-woman knitwear operation, Yokoo, from her home and earning more than $140,000 a year, more than many law associates. Jealous? How could you not be? Her hobby is her job. But consider this before you quit your day job: at the pace she’s working, she might as well be a law associate. “I have to wake up around 8, get coffee or tea, and knit for hours and hours and hours and hours,” said Ms. Gibran, who leveraged the exposure she got on the site to forge a deal with Urban Outfitters. “I’m ... This is a very interesting article and really worth reading for insight into our business -- after all, we all have already quit our day jobs some time ago! Read it and let me know what you think about it!

Corey Avenue, St. Petersburg fl

Posted by Michael Anthony Nagy on December 6, 2009 at 10:12pm

It was a cold rainy weekend in the sunshine state. During the 5:30am set up...the rain let up enough for us to get our canopy on...and then the drizzle....I did make show fees the first day...and that was it...no people...Sunday looked brighter...the weather was a bit warmer and the rain had stop...but where was the people????....I did this show last year and it was a good show....but this weekend left a lot to be desired...oh well...onto the next crap shoot.....

Back from another festival - my thoughts...

Posted by Michelle Sholund on September 28, 2009 at 9:56am

Greetings all! I am back from another festival and pretty tired still. I did the Westminster Fall Festival this past weekend - don't have any photos of it as I left my camera at home this time. It was a pretty bad show and attribute most of it due to the rain. There was advertising and all that good stuff, but with the extra distractions (rides and commercial vendors having better visibility) it just wasn't anything to write home about. I knew all of this going into the event, and in the past the crowds have been big (anticipating a good buying crowd despite the distractions). Everyone seemed to suffer except some food vendors (and people who sold dips). But I chalk that all up to passing this event for another next year. The good news is it was close to home and with the rain pouring hard at the end of the day Saturday the management choose to close the event early - saved 1 1/2 hours of being miserable in the rain. What baffled me was a HUGE number of people who haven't done shows before exhibiting there and having no clue the responsibilities that go into owning a canopy. I don't need to get into it as I am sure many of you have mental pictures from your own experiences of what heavy rains and high winds can do to canopies, but it did occur at this festival and thankful none of those parties damaged my work. I am still so happy making the choice of going with my Trimline and even got a few other serious exhibitors interested in the design of it.My Food/Beverage Report... I didn't have anything of the alcoholic nature although was very much in the mood for it after being drenched from the rain while zipping up my sides . However, found a neat small authentic Mexican restaurant 1 block from where the event took place. There were about enough room for 10-12 tables and neat decor. I settled with a very good chimichanga - the service was really good. I was all set for a glass of Sangria but not on their menu. For the life of me, I can't recall the name of the restaurant. There aren't any sushi places in the area and only one pub, but since I didn't make any money at the event settling for Mexican one night and Sunday Panera Bread - which am now in love with their new chicken salad sandwich.I am really looking forward to my next show, The Darlington Apple Festival. Bring on the big crowds and good weather as I have consistently have growing sales each time I attend it. Will report on all my findings soon.

Atlanta Arts Festival Fall 2009

Posted by R. Michael Wommack on December 5, 2009 at 12:10pm

I am a pastel artist and I wanted to share info about this show, which is a fairly new show I believe. It takes place in Piedmont Park in Atlanta, and have been told it is similar in layout to the Dogwood Festival in the spring. Piedmont Park is a beautiful setting, and with the rains in the summer, it has been reopened to festivals. The way the show is laid out, there seem to be no bad spots. The circular nature is very democratic. Load in is notoriously bad, because there is only room on the road for your booth, and a vehicle, but no room for any one to pass. The show directors had sent out specific times for the artists to set up, and it was important you be there on time. We caravanned in, and we had an hour and a half to unload. It was enough time to set up your tent, and get everything in, and then we caravanned out. I would like to have returned and continued setting up, but I could find no parking on the street, and the artists lot wasn't available until Saturday morning, as it was next to a school football stadium adjacent to the park. I was told by a returning artist that the lot usually used in the park was under renovation so we were stuck with this lot outside the park. It was way too far from the show, and as I needed to get larger drawings out of my van 'cause I had no storage space behind my tent. (I was one of the unlucky artists to be next to a construction fence. They are renovating the Riding Club building at the north end of the loop.) I really hope they have closer parking next year, and I hope the construction fence is gone.The crowds were okay. I kept hearing from other artists that the Dogwood show is much more crowded. I also heard patrons that the word had not gotten out about the show, some of them stumbling on it by accident. This said, I had a really good show. I have only been doing the art festival circuit for 3 years, so I missed the go-go days, but at over 6K, it was good for me. In my short experience, I have noticed the South, excluding Florida, has been less affected by the economic downturn. In Atlanta I found enthusiastic buyers, all whom had never seen my work before. Now I have to say not everyone shared a similar experience. My booth neighbors both didn't meet expenses, so you may need to take this review with a grain of salt.Load out was not that smooth. Getting in the park was not bad, but getting out was horrific. We broke down and put our stuff to the side, so there would be room to pass, but there is always someone who doesn't care , and blocks the whole road.I will try to get in again next year.

Show Report: Peoria Fine Art Fair

Posted by Connie Mettler on October 7, 2009 at 5:53pm

A little late on this, but here it is: September 26 & 27, downtown on the riverfront in Peoria, IL, 150 artists Since I was not exhibiting, but rather visiting I can't give too many ins and outs. Load in was all day on Friday (part of the day it was pouring rain), and early on Saturday. Vans could drive up to their spaces and parking was nearby. Friday evening the artists were served excellent pizza and beer. Artist dinner: Doug Sigwarth, Andy Shea Artist (sorry, I don't know her name), Brenna Busse & Carol Menninga

The show was set up on pavement in a meandering pattern along the riverfront. There were flowers and fountains. It is a very attractive destination. The organizers said that years ago they held it at a suburban shopping center but about seven years ago when the Riverfront was turned into a park the city lured them downtown. They are not sorry. Kim Armstrong, Director of the Art Fair

Glass artist Greg Heihn, Photographer Lou Zale and Jeweler Marilu Patterson

Saturday morning dawned misty and chill...but lo and behold show time arrived and the sun came out. I had to leave by noon, so no sales reports. I saw lots of artists I know and I have to tell you for the size of the market here (population 44,000) this was one fine looking art fair and the Peoria Art Guild really knows how to pull a community together for the arts!

Ever had a 'bad feeling' going into a show?

Posted by Cassandra Graham on September 28, 2009 at 8:48am

Did a show two weeks ago in Columbus, OH and should have followed my "name"...Cassandra, which is supposed to be a 'seer of the future' in mythology. I kept having this nagging little voice in the back of my mind but I had made the committment to be there so I went. The "crowd" was very light on opening night and not much better on Saturday, despite the good advertising and planned events surrounding the show. Sunday we were rained out. But to make matters worse, on Saturday morning I had a $350. bracelet cuff stolen from me when I was sitting not more than 2' away from it! Sigh...... I love interacting with people at shows and it reallly irks me when I'm forced to be suspicious of anyone who comes close to the booth. Putting things in glass cases would probably eliminate theft but with beadwork, it's such a 'tactile' thing that people really need to be able to touch it and see it closely. As a visitor to show, I know that I am not inclined to ask someone to take a piece out for me.

Ann Arbor Goes to Yokohama - Making Cultural Connections

Posted by Connie Mettler on November 4, 2009 at 1:30pm

Here is Shary Brown's (former Ann Arbor Street Art Fair director) report from Yokohama:

The Yokohama International Open-Air Art Fair opened yesterday, October 30, in Yamashita Park, along the waterfront in the center of Yokohama, with artists from the U.S. and Japan, many volunteer interpreters, and a Halloween-themed kids art area. Most of the twelve U.S. artists were selected from the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, which was the inspiration for this first-time event. They were joined by artists from Japan who were showing their work directly to the public for the first time ever in Japan. They ranged from very famous and noted Japanese artist Kuri Joji, 81, to several just out of the university, showing paintings, ceramics, works on paper and intriguing paper hats. The art fair was held on Halloween and the Americans enjoyed seeing the Japanese celebrating the holiday with masks and costumes. Me, I'm confused. Japanese celebrate Halloween? Read the rest of the article here: www.AnnArbor.com P.S. FYI - I spoke with Karen Delhey, sponsorship director of the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, today. Many of us are curious about Shary Brown's successor and Karen told me the board was still interviewing candidates and hadn't made a choice yet.

Congratulations to the Art Fair Insiders! 1500 strong

Posted by Connie Mettler on September 22, 2009 at 7:00pm

Many, many thanks to all of you. Today member #1500 joined our ranks. I hope you'll all welcome her, Kim Hutt of Clarkston, MI. She is a show organizer and should have lots to share with all of us. I am so pleased at the site, your participation, your questions, your helpfulness to one another, your comments, all the interesting personalities emerging. Most interesting to me (who has been in the art fair business since l978) is most of you I don't even know and now I have a new community. Could that be why they call it social networking? Our members come from all 50 states also Canada, Spain, Denmark, Israel, Sudan, Ireland, Korea, Saudi Arabia, Poland, Uganda, Argentina, Wales, Tunisia and a gang from India and lots from the United Kingdom.

We could not have made it without you and your telling your friends about our site. Thank you. Big thanks go to all the "lurkers" (you know who you are) and the contributors. I'm going to try to name a few and you will let me know if I missed you...in which case add your comment below. Honor Roll: Nels Johnson, Michelle Sholund, Linda Anderson, Paula Johnson, Geri Wegner, Don Crozier, Ron Mellott, Zaki Knapen, Mary Strope, Marcie Christiansen, William Eickhorst, Greg Heihn, Dawn Waters Baker, Genece Hamby, Barbara Sistak Baur, Carol Komassa, James Parker, Bert Herrera, R.C. Fulwiler, Mike D., Shoshana Matthews, Bill Sargent, Albert Ellenich, Christy La Roy, Dave Hoffman, Peter Katke, Lee Hill, Al Nash, Charles Bingham, Ramon Magee, Adela Romero, Mark Zurek, Sheryl Cannon, Howard Rose and Bob Stuart and so many more! My son made me build this site. He was interested in seeing how the Ning sites work for a book he was writing. Art Fair Insiders was his guinea pig. Don't you think we've got something here? What to look forward to: I have to organize the discussion groups, get some links together and plan some better interactive things. I'm going to add video soon, so be sure to have your videos ready to upload. It has been suggested that I have a forum so people can stay at each other's homes when they are traveling and at the shows, also for sharing hotel rooms at shows. Also, I've been asked to set up a singles meet up. Tell me what you'd like and what you think of the ideas above. Lots of love to all of you in Art Fair Land! (I'll be gone for a few days. I'm off to Peoria, IL, for the NAIA Artist/Show Director Conference where I'm going to do a presentation about social networking. Think I can handle it? Yes, I can--thanks to you!)

Note: this page contains paid content.

Note: this page contains paid content.

Note: this page contains paid content.

Note: this page contains paid content.