Sunday morning brings the artists breakfast where Lisa and I get to have our little party visiting and
feeding the artists. We love to pass out the awards and our ceremony includes lots of stories about artists and art fairs. I do believe a good time was had by all. This show starts with setup on Friday morning and then runs from 3 pm to 9 pm that day; 11 am to 9 pm on Saturday and Sunday and 11 am to 5 pm on Monday. It is an easy setup, drive up to your booth for unloading and loading up again. Free parking is nearby. Show fee includes 1000 watts of electricity so the show looks beautiful in the evening, like a small village. We have a terrific PR team and artists are interviewed on various TV stations, radio stations and thoroughly covered in the Detroit Free Press. The streets are full of viewers all the days. Now the tricky part, sales. No one will be surprised to hear there are economic challenges in this part of the country. We have made the show smaller each year to correspond to this. From a high of 195 exhibitors some years ago this year we had 135 spaces. We listen, we hear and do what we can. I got involved in this event in 1998 because I wanted to help
build a quality venue where artists could make money. There is no shortage of art fairs, what there is is a shortage of top-notch events where artists can count on decent sales. This year's festival walked the usual line with some artists having their best show ever, many in the middle, and some not so happy. We had beautiful weather until 4:30 pm on Monday just when those last minute sales were heating up. I'd guess that Monday is the best sales day. There is no lack of an audience. There are plenty of qualified buyers in the crowd and Michigan's knowledgeable art fair lovers. ABE is set in the heart of Oakland County the nation's third wealthiest county. If you've got the stuff you can find a buyer here. Our many thanks to the members of this forum who joined us this year: Jim Parker, Peter Katke, Mike Barnes, Jan Kaulins.
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This past weekend (June 27-28) I participated in my first outdoor art show. It was a lot of work, but I'm pleased with the experience. The show was in Northville, a nice little town about 15 miles west of Detroit, and not far from my home in Ann Arbor. It has a well developed Main Street area, which is where the art fair was held. Weather was good, although a bit windy on Sunday (I got to watch a canopy set up by Marvin Replacement Windows blow down the street 3 or 4 times before they gave up on it). My canopy help up just fine, but only because I've read enough here and on other forums to weigh the canopy down with about 150 lbs. of stuff. I also used my new ProPanels, which are a big improvement (at a huge increase in cost) over the wire grids I've use at indoor shows and outdoor markets. If you get ProPanels, be sure to pay the extra for the adjustable legs. It think it would very difficult to keep them stable without the adjustments.As it was my first time at the show, I can't compare it with previous years, but other, more seasoned exhibitors, told me that attendance and spending seemed to be down. Even the food vendors said that sales were down. This is not surprising in Michigan, where the economy is really bad. Sunday was a better day than Saturday for sales.I was very pleased with the attention my pictures attracted, and pretty happy with my sales. About 50 people asked for one of my business cards, and asked for my show schedule. I also really enjoyed talking with the people who stopped by my booth. Although there were a number of photographers at the show, the selection committee did a good job picking different photographic styles.I hoped that this show would help me figure out the right mixture of framed, matted and unframed/unmatted photos, but that didn't happen, since I sold some of each. Also, about 2/3 of my sales were on credit cards.The organizers of the show could have done a better job getting volunteers to cover for lunches and bathroom breaks, but I had a friend stop by on Saturday, and I had about 20 minutes of volunteer to cover my booth on Sunday, so I was fine.This was a good show to start with, as it was only two days and not real big. My next show is in Plymouth, Michigan, on July 10-12, and it's much bigger.Although I live in Ann Arbor, I'm not doing any of the fairs here as I didn't decide to do any art fairs until April of this year, and that was way past the application cut-off dates.This forum has been a huge help! Thanks for running it Connie, and thanks to all of the amazingly generous people who contribute their time and advice!Cheers.
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My husband, sculptor Jim Goshorn, had one of those "I think I'll try that." moments with this first time show in Dickson Tennessee. The show was held the last weekend in June and they did a lot of things right. As is always true of first year shows, there were some mistakes. But overall Jim and I think the show was a good one. Despite over 100 degrees heat index and low, low attendance we made some sales. Firefly must have done a pretty good mailing to get such a concentrated art buyer crowd. Load in and load out was easy. Those of us in the shade were hunky-dory, those in the sun were offered help to move Friday evening.Pluses included the Renaissance Center - a fabulous art center; Snacks and water all day long, Dinner Friday night and breakfast on Sunday. A REALLY nice acceptance package and some good publicity.On the downside, parking for the patrons was a mess -- we were told Patrons would have access to the paved parking lot next year.Pretty good score for this event... hope they keep improving...At any rate, we made more at this small venue than we did in East Hampton the following weekend!
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As an art fair organizer are you still struggling with the problem of how to use digital jurying for your event? Or as a user of the current systems do you have unresolved problems? Or are you looking for something still better?
You already know about Zapplication.org and Juried Art Services, be prepared to be wowed by a new opportunity for digital services for your art fair.
Art Fair organizers, meet Entry Thingy!
Entry Thingy is:
1. Easy to implement!
2. Efficient for you and artists!
3. Cheap!
Who could ask for anything more?
Entry Thingy, def.:
A cost-effective call for entries, management and jury system that lives on your website.
EntryThingy is the first call for entries, management and jury system that lives on an event's web site. No extra servers or databases, just paste some html into a web page and it'll look like it was custom built for the site.
Originally built for and with Barry Witt, director, of the Bonita Springs National Art Festivals, EntryThingy offers all the tools needed to receive, manage and jury entries:
* Artist registration, entry, image upload and payment integration.
* Printable entries for registration by mail.
* Use statuses, filters and search to view and manage the show entries and jury results.
* Invite jurors to vote for entries on the event's website.
* Download entries and images for an offline jury presentation.
* You own your data. Download all data and images to your computer - whenever you like, as often as you like.
* No setup fee, only $2 per entry.
Ready to learn more?
EntryThingy is at http://www.EntryThingy.com
Contact Chris Ritke
critke@gmail.com for more information.
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A Priceline Room in Denver
Today at 12:53pm
From artist Eugenie Torgerson:
I am cancelling Cherry Creek and have a Priceline room at the Marriott Denver Tech Center for $50 a night --- a total of $236.26. The hotel is about 20 minutes from the show. If ANYONE knows ANYONE who could use this room, please contact me at eugenietorgerson@sbcglobal.net.
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Yes, it seems like it is way too soon to be thinking about the Florida art fair season, yet you know if it is July the winter applications are not far behind.
What a surprise it was to read that the Downtown Naples Association has broken with Howard Alan Events and is joining with the Naples Art Association to put on events in downtown Naples beginning in 2010.
"After 21 years with an out-of-town company, the Downtown Naples Association has joined forces with the Naples Art Association, to produce Fifth Avenue South art festivals.
“With the Naples Art Association administering shows, it will get bigger,” said DNA chairwoman Cathy Christopher. “Being local, they have a huge impetus and great incentive to reach out into the community and make these shows sensational.”
Shows have averaged 30,000 visitors who spend $1.2 million in restaurants and shops, she said.
But as proponents called this a perfect marriage, the DNA’s separation from long-time partner Howard Alan Events could be called a bad breakup."
Read the rest of the article here from the Naples News.
The article says Howard Alan has secured another venue north of the area.
What do you think? Is this a good thing for the artist who has been participating in the HA Events?
Are you more likely to apply under the sponsorship of the DNA?
Do you think this is a good move for the DNA?
Is this good or bad?
Comment below.
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When this site was built one of the most important "groups" was the Web Wizards group organized by well-known Internet entrepreneur Scott Fox. Scott is an authority on all things having to do with websites and marketing small business on the Web. Recently he has become consumed with new projects and has been unable to keep up with inquiries from the group. I am pleased to announce that photographer
Jim Parker has stepped into his place to
moderate the group. Jim is the perfect person for the position. Here is his resume: --Visual artist with 30 years experience in photography, advertising and design. --He exhibits photographic prints at over 20 nationally recognized festivals yearly. --From his yearly years as an advertising art director and cinematographer, he developed skills in creative management, interactive design, and web development. --He spent over 25 years working for national marketing agencies Ross Roy, DCG Chicago and Wirestone. --In 2004 he left the corporate world to devote his energies full-time to creating dramatic photographic images of the North American landscape. --When he's not out in the field shooting, he writes for his own website and blog,
www.parkerparker.info and contributes to many online forums such as Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites. Sound like the perfect person to handle web site queries? I think so. Join this dynamic group to learn more about building your own website and marketing your work online. Welcome, Jim. Thanks so much for taking on this task.
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November 28 & 29 Sterling Heights, MI 30th Annual St. Nick's Warehouse Arts & Crafts Show Henry Ford II High School 250 Exhibitors New Deadline: September 1 Where is Sterling Heights, MI, and Henry Ford II High School? You just know it has to be the Detroit area which abounds with buildings named for one Ford or another, right?
Click here. During the holidays there is a plethora of arts and crafts shows which pop up around the country in the local schools. In Michigan they have reached a zenith and are eagerly awaited by the shoppers. St. Nick's Warehouse is presented by the Boosters Club and aggressively promoted and smoothly run by them. They know how to run an event and they know how to bring in shoppers. My background is fine art fairs, but in recent years I have attended a few of these holiday markets. Here is what I found: --dedicated buyers waiting at the doors with lists in hand --craftspeople with unique, one-of-a-kind goods --Police directing traffic!! because of the crowd --shuttle buses running from nearby parking lots bringing shoppers --well-run events --affordable booth fees The Henry Ford II Boosters Club take great pride in their school and are well known for this event.
Visit their website for more details, contact info and to download an application.
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A web photo. We must live in a wild life sanctuary. The night before last night...coyotes. We live in a suburban townhouse! Coyotes skulking across the lawn?
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Here is a terrific, in-depth and lengthy article from Chicago's
Crain Business News about
one of the art fair businesses most well-known people, Chicago's own Amy Amdur, of
Amdur Productions. Amy has been producing art fairs around the Chicago area since 1984. This year she has eleven events ranging from the really wonderful Port Clinton Art Fair in Highland Park to a new venture this fall in Highwood, a "Last Call Art Fair", a place to sell end of the year stock. photo by Steven Serio If you are new to the business you should read this article to get some background on all the work that goes on behind the scenes, and if you are a veteran you will probably find this profile of Amy interesting. Congrats, Amy! This long story in Crain's is quite a feat. I hope your fairs this year are rewarding for everyone involved. Read the story:
The Festival QueenRead more…
Thanks, Connie, for inviting me to write a bit about ArtPrize here. ArtPrize is an event designed with a very open framework to create dialogue between artists and the public. There's also a prize. Currently, the world's largest art prize: $250,000 1st place $100,000 2nd place $50,000 3rd place $7,000 4th-10th places Any artist can register, but each artist has to secure space within a venue. A venue can be virtually any space within a 3 square mile area of Grand Rapids, MI. Whomever opens their space to become a venue is responsible for selecting artists. ArtPrize is not the jury for the exhibition. Individual venue hosts determine which artists they secure. Artists and venues negotiate everything from how much space the artist can exhibit in to whether or not the artist will give an artist talk. I should also mention the top ten prizes are awarded solely by a public vote. Those of us working on ArtPrize also created Spout.com, a community for movie lovers to spread word of mouth about movies. We like empowering peoples' voices. We like the idea of the city becoming an art gallery. We like giving the public real skin in the game to decide who gets the prize, so they'll think more about the art than they might in a traditional context. We like the variety that venues with a huge range of curatorial experience will create. From spectator to venue to artist, we like the idea that ArtPrize asks everyone to think differently. For artists specifically, its a very wide open proposition. The vote and the prize create an audience ready to be engaged. It is up to you to decide how to engage them. It will take some planning. You register at artprize.org and contact venues where you want to exhibit (currently there are 55 and more are added each day). Once you secure a space within a venue, you're in. (Some venues charge a fee, most do not.) Some frequent questions that come up: - You may only submit one entry, but consider your limitation the amount of space a venue gives to you. Meaning, one entry is not necessarily one painting, but however you choose to exhibit your work within the space the venue allows. - You may sell work--including work not submitted to the event--but the one work that's registered in the event has to remain on exhibit until closing day, October 10. - You and the venue are free to be as entrepreneurial as you wish to be, meaning if you and the venue host turn a lobby into a sales booth for diamond skulls and corn dogs, there are no rules against it. We ask any artist to consider this an opportunity to engage with the public--both spectators and venues--on a level that they might not have engaged before. We think it's going to be a little crazy and a lot of fun. You can find out more and register at artprize.orgPaul Moore is co-founder of Spout.com and currently in charge of communications for ArtPrizeRead more…
Detroit has the Dirty Show (always on Valentine's Day weekend) and Seattle has its own sort of "dirty show."
"While the first weekend in May was still too dreary-skied to mark a true end to April showers, Seattleites who flocked to the Seattle Center exhibition hall found plenty of joy indoors. Erotic joy, that is," writes Katie Farden in the Seattle Spectator. Bet you'll enjoy the rest of the story: Seattle Celebrates Sex
Meanwhile in Raleigh, NC, in conjunction with their Spring event, Artsplosure, a City of Raleigh public art project featuring original art by local artists on the sides of Capital Area Transit (CAT) buses, will officially roll out on Saturday, May 11. The 12 selected artists whose work will be emblazoned on the sides of CAT buses are Nancy Baker, Samuel Cox, Bart Cusick, Patrick FitzGerald, Paul Friedrich, Suzanne Kratzer, Anna Podris, Ian Sands, Amy Sawyer, Pat Scull, Kaci Torres, and a partnership of Tonic Design and Gail Peter Borden. Read all about it here: Eye Catching Buses to Cruise Raleigh.
And here's an interesting statistic from Madison, WI's, Fair on the Square:
The beer tent has cleared about $10,000 annually in recent years, says post treasurer Bob Topel. That's about half of what it was in decades past, something Topel attributes to changing attitudes about drinking and a transformed entertainment landscape.
"People don't drink as much in public as they did in the past, and that's probably a good thing," says Topel, who notes such festivals may no longer draw the entire community like they did when he was a kid in the 1960s. "Now there's other entertainment options -- bars have music every weekend -- and every town has one of these events."
Now that I've reread the article I see it isn't Fair on the Square, but another festival. I'd bet Madison does better than $10,000 on beer. Anyway, you may find the entire article interesting. It discusses the impact of beer sales on the non profits who run the beer tents. I never knew beer could do so much good!
Here it is: http://www.madison.com/tct/news/stories/449951Read more…
INVITATION TO ARTISTS:EXPLORE SELLING INTO CANADAFREE ADMISSION, TOUR & COMPLIMENTARY LUNCH“ART IN THE PARK” WINDSORJUNE 7, 2009 (SUNDAY)11:30 AM – TOUR12:30 PM – COMPLIMENTARY LUNCHThe US Department of Commerce and Rotary Club of Windsor are working together to create new opportunities for US artists. We are pleased to invite you to visit “Art In The Park” 2009, and explore exhibiting at the show in 2010.Join us Sunday, June 7 from 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM to assess the venue, learn about taking art across the border, and decide whether exhibiting could help grow your sales in 2010. The tour will be led by Phil Cohen, Exhibitor Chair. US Department of Commerce personnel will explain how to bring art across the border. Complimentary lunch & free admission provided to US artists interested in exhibiting next year.• Free Admission ($5 fee waived)• Tour by Phil Cohen, Exhibitor Chair• Visit Willistead Manor House – Art Galley of Windsor Exhibition• See beautiful exhibition grounds – 15-acre Willistead Manor gardens• Visit artist booths – 2009 show• Learn about entertainment schedule – live music, art & drama• Enjoy complimentary lunch - for potential exhibitors in 2010• See show website to learn more – www.artintheparkwindsor.comTO REGISTER: Contact Eve Lerman, International Trade Specialist, US Export Assistance Center, Pontiac, MI, 248-975-9605 or eve.lerman@mail.doc.gov
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May 19 The photo is from the web. Last night, walking the dogs... we met a skunk, tail up. It chased us, we crossed the street, so did the skunk. Crossed again, heading home...quickly. We escaped. It must have babies or Rabies! A freaky moment.
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August 8Coldwater, Michigan Four Corners Park Presented by Arts Alive 10 am to 5 pm 50 artists Deadline: July 8 What is an art fair garage sale? It is your opportunity to sell your leftovers, irregulars, seconds, art supplies and/or work that you would like to see in someone else's home. Your booth is your castle, so anything goes-show your best work at regular prices and sell the rest in the garage sale spirit. We want you to have fun - wheel and deal and clean out your stock to make room for new and better art. On the weekend of August 7-9 the State of Michigan Tourism Department hosts the U.S. 12 Garage Sale, a shopping frenzy that stretches 212 miles from Saline to Niles, on the U.S. 12 Heritage Trail. The garage sale brings thousands of motorists from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Ontario to shop for bargains, visit historic towns and enjoy the Michigan countryside. Coldwater is one of the key stops along the trail with its nationally recognized Historic district of homes, centuries old downtown, 100+ year old Tibbits Opera House and enticing eateries. Expect: *hometown hospitality with professional (!) staff *a shady park at the main intersection of the city, everyone driving through town will see the art fair *easy unloading and loading *volunteers to give you a hand *a "can't lose" booth fee - $50 Download the application for more information:
ColdwaterAppl09.pdf For more info: Barb Burkhardt:
barbaraburkhardt@hotmail.com or Connie Mettler:
info@artfaircalendar.com ***************** Looking for more art fairs for your 2009 season?
Visit ArtFairCalendar.com/callforentriesRead more…
Do you ever watch Antiques Roadshow on PBS and marvel at the prices that the pottery brings? Pay attention. Today I am bringing you an opportunity to have that kind of pottery in your own collection. I bought my first art fair art from Madeline in l976 and have been watching her journey as a ceramicist ever since. She is one of Michigan's most popular artists, exhibiting her pottery at top fairs and galleries, teaching classes and workshops and consulting. Her work has appeared in
American Crafts Magazine, the
New York Times,
Ceramics Monthly and is coveted for private and public collections.
"Mardi Gras Teapot" clay and seed beads- 14"x8"x4" She says,
I was the little girl who always made potholders on a plastic loom on the backyard picnic table. I am the daughter of Irene who baked the fabulous cakes with four tiers of frosted roses, fiber optic lights and fountains. I am the granddaughter of Francis who crocheted tablecloths for the bosses at Ford Motors so her husband could keep his job during the Depression. This month you'll find Madeline in Cleveland Heights, OH, at the
Cain Park Arts Festival and in Ann Arbor, MI, at the
South University Art Fair. Learn more about her and her work as an artist:
ArtFairCalendar.com/featuredartistRead more…
You really know it is Spring in the Midwest when you hear about storms closing the art fairs. Here is hoping that this season's events will not suffer from the terrible winds that closed many art fairs and caused thousands of dollars of damage at last year's fair particularly in Omaha and Evanston.
From the Belleville News Democrat: Reports of funnel clouds brought an early close to the Fair on the Square in Belleville, IL, Friday night. Read the rest of the report:
Art on the Square in Belleville wrapped up early Friday night, closing at 8 p.m. rather than 9 p.m. as storms began moving through the area....
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October 10 & 11 Bloomington, Illinois Saturday 9 am-5 pm; Sunday 9 am-3 pm 125 exhibitors produced by D & W Events, Inc. Deadline: August 15 This juried fine art and fine craft festival closes the "Northern" festival season without compromising quality! This is NOT a last chance show but a gateway leading into the Florida season. Located in central Illinois,
Bloomington is easily accessible for Midwest artists. Held on the Illinois Wesleyan University campus during homecoming weekend, this festival has a captive audience and buying crowd. Expect approximately 125 artists featuring all media. Great artist hospitality including booth sitters, continental breakfast Saturday and Sunday, easy load in and out and free day and overnight parking. IMPORTANT DATES: * August 15, 2009 - Application deadline * September 1, 2009 - Artist notification date * September 10, 2009 - Last day for full refund less $25.00 administrative fee. * October 9, 2009 - Early set up available beginning at 3 pm. No security on Friday night. * October 10, 2009 - Set up begins at 5 am.
For more information, please contact D & W Events, Inc., www.dwevents.org, 847-726-8669Read more…
